orange

random orange things....

 Bryce Canyon, Utah

monarch

butterfly weed, a plant I started from a seed

detail of sculpture:  Power Surge by David W. Martin, powder coated fabricated steel @  $22,500; currently installed in Krutch Park, Knoxville, Tennessee.  (In the middle of this sculpture you can barely see part of another sculpture--long vertical green leaves--Whimsy by Pamela Reithmeier.)

daylily with rain droplets

Power Surge

LINKS:
sculpture  in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee --Dogwood Arts Festival  
my posts which contain some sculptures in Krutch Park, Knoxville:
the heart of Knoxville
Krutch Park 
Scavenger Hunt Sunday 

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "O." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me © 2010 - 2013   all rights reserved

Professional Napper

in which Oliver shows off his skill...

(Yes, these are the kitchen chairs I am currently attempting to upholster.)

 

 

(Oliver and Earnest over a year ago.)

     
QUESTIONS:  Are there any places left in your abode in which you have not yet napped?  How important is napping with your toys?

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "N." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



photos by me © 2012 and 2013   all rights reserved

Krutch Park

Krutch Park is a beautiful one acre park located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.  The park features beautiful plantings and a flowing stream.  Changing exhibitions of sculptures are placed throughout the park.  Visitors can enjoy this lovely space by resting on benches, having a picnic, or simply wandering.
The sculpture in the background is Stargazer by Ray Katz.  It is constructed of welded and brushed aluminum for $40,000.


LINKS:
Charles Krutch Park 
my posts on Krutch Park:
The Heart of Knoxville (includes one of my favorite sculptures, The Storyteller by Mike Roig)
Scavenger Hunt Sunday (includes photos of details of 2 sculptures) 

Wordless Wednesday--where I linked up: 

The Art and Tree Chatter of Aquariann

Create With Joy

  

photo by me © 2013  all rights reserved

Castries Market: St Lucia

Castries Market in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia is bustling with vendors selling local produce, art, craft items, spices, clothing, gifts, and more! 

This is where locals come to shop. Opened in 1894, there are about 300 permanent vendors housed inside buildings, and more who set up outside.  There are even a few small restaurants.

cutting bananas off a tree branch

interesting produce  (The green fruit is probably soursop.   Duni says the pink fruit is jambu fruit.)

We visited on a Saturday, supposedly the liveliest and most vibrant day of the week.  The market is open every day except Sunday.

more interesting produce

I bought some soap and spices such as whole nutmeg with its mace intact, and a block of cocoa.

A favorite drink is fresh coconut juice.  This vendor is slicing the top off a coconut for the customer.

more produce

 a street view

This man watched me taking photos and wanted me to photograph him.  Of course I obliged!  He was quite happy with his portrait!


LINKS:
National Geographic--  Castries Market made the "World's Best Top Ten Food Markets" list at #3! 
a brief history of the market and a few photos 
MAP of Castries, the capital of St. Lucia

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "M." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 




photos by me © 2013   all rights reserved

Lepidoptera

an order of insects that comprises butterflies and moths

on echinacea in my garden

The name Lepidoptera, derived from the Greek words "lepido" for scale and "ptera" for wings, refers to the flattened hairs (scales) that cover the body and wings.

swallowtail on my butterfly bush

According to the Natural History Museum of London, over the last 250 years, scientists have identified and named between 112,000 and 165,000 species of butterflies and moths  (although some sites put their total numbers much lower). 

at Krohn Conservatory Butterfly show 2010

I searched the internet for what a group of butterflies is called and came up with:
lek
swarm
rabble 
flutter
flight
kaleidoscope

at Krohn Conservatory Butterfly show 2013

According to this Smithsonian website, butterflies are classified into the following 6 families:
Hesperiidae--skippers
Lycaenidae--blues, hairstreaks, coppers
Nymphalidae--brush-footed
Papilionidae--swallowtail
Pieridae--yellows and whites
Riodinidae--metalmarks 

at Krohn Conservatory Butterfly show 2013

Do you remember my post with the butterfly on the young girl's nose?  Onlookers were enthralled!  This guy transferred the butterfly from her nose to his!

I believe this is a swallowtail caterpillar.  It is ravishing my dill plants.  

LINKS:
Butterflies and Moths of North America
Butterfly Corner  links to butterflies of the continents of the world  
Butterfly Workx,  a commercial butterfly farm-- species information links and identification guides
Butterfly Rescue International 
The Butterfly WebSite  with links to blogs, articles, and more 
North American Butterfly Association
Adrienne's posts:
  finding caterpillars
  raising caterpillars

MY BUTTERFLY POSTS:
Krohn Conservatory   several photos at beginning of post
July  first and last photos

Alphabe-Thursday, hosted by Ms Jenny, is so much fun!  This week our letter is "L." Come visit others' submissions HERE and join in the fun! 



 
photos by me © 2010 and 2013   all rights reserved

Water Lilies

gorgeous water lilies on Balenbouche Plantation where my husband and I spent an idyllic week on St. Lucia in March this year

(I was inspired to post this today by Kristin Aquariann's post!)

Wordless Wednesday--where I linked up:

The Art and Tree Chatter of Aquariann

Create With Joy

  

photo by me © 2013  all rights reserved

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

BODY PART

A young boy adjusts his hat at the baseball game on Sunday.


WEDNESDAY 

I discover the most interesting things in my garden when I stroll around, camera in hand. 


MUSIC

my guitar, which I never play anymore


GUESS WHAT IT IS

 answer below!



MIRROR IMAGE

drinking nectar from my butterfly bush on Sunday afternoon


It's a bowl of sliced heirloom tomatoes with a small piece of basil leaf.

This is a very fun meme hostessed by Ashley Sisk in which 5 prompts are given and one must then take a photo to illustrate each one.  Come see how others have interpreted these words HERE! 
 
Next week's words are:   

1. Family
2. Grass
3. Silly
4. 1/2 (half)
5. Bow

photos by me © 2013  all rights reserved

Beach Planter: a Challenge

My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.
Sarah of Magnolia Surprise gaves us this Challenge for the month of July: 

 "We are into vacation season in July -- create something that brings back a favorite vacation memory, something that represents a place you've visited or one you'd like to visit, colors or scents associated with a special place, or perhaps something funny that happened on a vacation. Make it fun!!" 

                                                          

I love the beach!  My family vacationed at several East Coast beaches when I was growing up.  I loved to roll in the hot sand and then plunge into the cooling waters.  Going to the beach meant long days playing in the waves and in the evenings, walking the boardwalk.   bright hot days and cool breezy nights.   aaaahhhh!

me

my cute brother

I still love the beach.  My husband and I have been privileged to travel to several over the years.  Kauai was a favorite place we visited.  

Secret Beach

I collected a few items from the beaches of Kauai--shells, sea glass, rocks, coral (washed up on the shore, of course), driftwood.  I decided to place these items in a beachy sand planter with a few succulents.

Note the rolled up beach blanket.  The plants will grow larger and fill in.  Still, I may want to add a taller plant.




LINKS:
BBA's list of monthly Challenges
Linky Party for the July Challenge 
August's Challenge  

photos by me © 2006 and 2013  all rights reserved