Skywatch Friday

Just before the rain, on Rt. 460 in Virginia, we saw this lovely sunrise.  Dan quickly pulled over into a church parking lot and I managed to snap a few photos before the color disappeared.

 The clouds quickly darkened the sun and the beautiful rays disappeared...and we resumed our travel.

Linking to Skywatch Friday.

Ruby Tuesday - Parrots!

While we were in Pigeon Forge, TN, we visited Parrot Mountain - a beautiful place, full of all kinds of birds. This beauty was just one of the ones we saw - some had warnings not to touch because they would bite - but others could be hand fed.  In this particular species, the female is red, the male is green!

Female Eclectus

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2.

Quotography - Favorite August Photo

Linking to Nicolasa's last Quotography.  Be sure to visit her and wish her well in her next venture - motherhood!  Starting in September, Kaylene, at My Whisperings, takes over hosting this meme.

SOOC Sunday

These 2 shots are living proof that Dan is recovering nicely.  I was more than a little annoyed with him when I saw what he was doing...and these photos were my insurance policy!  If he fell in the river and got hurt, I hoped it would show that I was NOT the one who pushed him!

Doesn't look much like a man who is 2 weeks this side of a pacemaker, does he?

Linking to SOOC.

Night Reflections

Night view of the Norfolk Waterfront, taken from the top of the parking garage across from Waterside.

Linking to Weekend Reflections.

August Break

(For those of you who follow both of my blogs, this is a repeat of my post for The Road Awaits.  You don't have to read any further.)

Somewhere around blogland, I heard rumors of an August break from blogging.  I don't remember where I heard it, or who said it, or who even does it!  But, I am going to...

We are headed to Pigeon Forge, TN for some much needed R&R - Dan is recovering nicely, and we have been planning this for some time now.  So, other than auto-posting my Wordless Wednesday Again, I will be mostly offline until Saturday, August 25th.  I am pretty sure I am not going to be able to stand being TOTALLY offline...that is a lot like pulling the plug!  But, I am going to spend my time enjoying the sights and sounds of the mountains - and taking LOTS of photos!  I am really hoping to stock up on some great barns, and fences, and critters...and all the other things that delight the senses!

So, until then...have a wonderful week!  I will catch you when I return!  Peace out...

**Comments off.

Skywatch

Five minutes of skywatching on the road in Arizona, January 25, 2011 - 8:16pm through 8:21pm.  Annemarie, this is for your boys!  More "fire in the sky"!

Linking to Skywatch Friday.

Floral Friday Fotos - on Thursday!

I have finally figured out how to join my friend, Nick, for his Floral Friday Fotos - by linking on Thursday!  Are you confused yet?  I am!

This lovely plant has survived in spite of having been moved several times.  Ruellia, commonly known as wild petunias, Mexican Bluebells, or Mexican Petunias, are not closely related to petunias of the genus Petunia.  The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle, herbalist and physician to Francis I of France (from Wikipedia).  I believe this particular one is Ruellia angustifolia, but I am not totally certain.  We cut it down to the ground at the end of every season, and it springs back every year and provides the bees, butterflies and us with many days of enjoyment!

This is where they lived before the last transplanting - they are truly a flower that just keeps on going! We moved them to open up the back yard...they didn't mind at all!

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos.

Ruby Tuesday 2

At the Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, we had an opportunity to view all kinds of transport vehicles.  This little car - the AmphiCar - was first produced in 1961.  By 1965, only 4000 had been produced, so it was never a big market piece.  But, it was a pretty neat little car!  President Lyndon Johnson owned one, and used to like to scare visitors by driving them straight down the hill to the lake, yelling that his brakes were broken!

 In 1965, two of these vehicles successfully navigated the Yukon River in Alaska.  They have also appeared in 4 movies.  What a fun piece of history!

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2.

Quotography - Back to School

Linking to Quotography, hosted by Nicolasa, for just a little while longer....

Weekend Reflections - Borrowed #2

More of Dan's photos from the St. Louis Lantern Festival.  I sure wish I had been there - but having his photos has been the next best thing!

This dragon was made with plates, salt & pepper shakers and platters!  But that is a story for another day!

Linking to Weekend Reflections by James.

Fire in the Sky!

Dan took this photo while attending the Lantern Festival in St. Louis in July.  The heat there was absolutely scorching, and I thought the clouds looked like fire - he said it certainly felt like it!

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Ruby Tuesday

This sign hangs in the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, VA outside the dining area at the museum.  It commemorates the birth of the Marine Corps on November 10, 1775 at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, PA.  A committee of the Continental Congress met at the Tavern and drafted a resolution for two battalions  of Marines who could fight for independence on sea and on shore.

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2.

Quotography - July Favorite

Linking to Quotography.

SOOC Sunday

This has been a strange week - not much photography going on.  I have posted a full account of the week over on my other blog, The Road Awaits.  These shots were from my Sunday afternoon walk at the beach.

Not a pine tree in sight on the beach!  Wonder how this got here!

Afternoon sun, highlighting the flowers on the dunes.  I am not sure what these are, but they pepper the sand dunes.

This one I know - honeysuckle!  It smelled so sweet as we walked to the bay side of the beach.  I always think of my childhood - pulling the flowers and sucking the nectar from the honeysuckle.  It's a wonder we never got a bee!

Linking to SOOC.

Weekend Reflection

Linking to Weekend Reflections.

Afternoon Skywatch

On my other blog, The Road Awaits, I posted photos of the fences we saw at Sandbridge on Sunday afternoon.  I reserved the sky shots for Skywatch Friday (linking here).

Love the golden glow above the dunes...and the pelican flying.

The golden glow quickly turned pink...

Off to the south, the clouds were towering!

Competing birds in flight...

Farewell, colorful evening sky!