Golden Honey

Just another flower in my garden, that has started to bloom! I really liked the way the sunlight was catching this bloom. It seems that all of my flowers are blooming, one at a time, but they are, oh so pretty! This yellow lily plant bloomed a few days ago, and the roses are all blooming now. I've had bronchitis for the last week, but I hope to get outside to get some photos soon. Watching the flowers grow are one of my favorite things about this time of year. I love watching them come up out of the ground from little sprouts, to eventual full grown, colorful blooms. Nature is such an amazing thing! Happy Sunday!

Is It A Flower or Weed?

Here is a photo of one of the first blooms in my yard. When I moved a few years ago, I planted all perennials in my garden in the front of my house. This particular photo is a flower I never planted. It pops up every year and it is really pretty. I am wondering if it is really a flower or just some type of pretty weed. The blooms are really small (about the size of a quarter), and I have never seen any type of flower like this. Inquiring minds want to know...is it a flower or a weed?

A Real Babe in the Woods

On one of the last days of Memorial Weekend at our summer place in the thumb-area of Michigan, we found an unexpected surprise in the clearing, not too far from the woods. Laying there, curled up, and enjoying the beautiful sunlight was a newborn fawn! As I approached it, getting closer and closer, the baby continued to lay there, not moving. I thought it had been abandoned and was a little upset because I thought it would be destroyed by other prey once it became night. I was able to bend down and pet the baby fawn, while it continued to lay there soaking up the sunlight. I was in awe, as I have never had the opportunity to get this close to a deer of any kind. After a few hours of trying to figure out how to save this baby from anything bad, I finally had my answers. I called a local veterinarian and explained about the baby fawn, and he gave me a quick lesson on deer. Apparently, the mother will have one baby, and then will go up to 1/2 mile away and have another, etc. The mother gives birth to the fawn so far apart because of other predators. If one happens to get caught by prey, she will still have the others. He then explained that when the babies are old enough, the mother will then bring them together as a family. It made perfect sense to me then, and when we went to check on the fawn the next morning, she was gone. The mother came back for her sometime during the night to move her again. I did not go looking for the baby, as I was just happy to know that it was not abandoned, and that I had the awesome opportunity to be so close to this little baby fawn!

Show Me The Way!

Along the shores of the Great Lakes of Michigan, there are hundreds of nautical lighthouses that light the way for many sailors navigating the waters of our state. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Pt. Aux Barques Lighthouse which is one of the 10 oldest lighthouses in Michigan and sits on the shores of Lake Huron. This particular lighthouse was opened in 1848 and is 89 ft. tall. The most impressive thing about this lighthouse is that it is still active and operational today. The base of the lighthouse used to host the home of the lightkeeper. The furnishings are still there today, untouched from years ago. They include a kitchen, bedrooms, and even a baby nursery. The climb to the top is 89 narrow curving steps to the base of the beacons. At the base of the beacons, there is a small platform and 6 more small steps to climb. As you can see in the photo, there is also a guarded rail platform outside which I was unable to get to, as visitors are not allowed outside for liability reasons. It would have been great to go out on the platform to look out onto the Lake. This was my first time inside of a lighthouse, and the climb to the top was pretty narrow, but this one has been on my bucket list for a few years now. It was all that I expected to see and more. The history of this lighthouse is spectacular, along with the history of all of the shipwrecks that are still in the waters of Lake Huron. I had no idea that this lighthouse was still operational until I saw for myself that the two beacons are going around every second. I will have to take a trip back at night to see the beacons as they light the way for boaters on Lake Huron. Sorry, there are 5 photos in this post, but well worth a look. Enjoy!



Really Narrow Steps


The Base of the Beacon


Two Light Beacons Going Round

Sunrise Freedom

As I came down to the lake a few morning ago, I felt so peaceful watching the sunrise. I was all alone, with the ducks, the geese, and my thoughts. Of course, I was trying to think of how to create a beautiful sunrise photo as I watched the sky slowly change from darkness to the beautiful sky seen here. My other thoughts were of the meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is always bittersweet for me because of my great memories of celebration every year as a child, and handing down the same traditions to my two kids. For the last few years, my memories of this weekend are of my nephew Steve. Steve was just 19 years old when he joined the Army. When he was 20, he was stationed in Iraq. He was there for 4 months when he was killed on Christmas Eve in 2008. To this day, it is so senseless to me that we have lost so many lives fighting for this country. Steve was one of the best. A great smile, infectious laugh, funny sense of humor and I always loved having him around. So, as I am able to "freely" stand here and see another beautiful sunrise, I am giving thanks to those that paid the ultimate price and gave all!

Standing Out in the Shadows

Finally made it back to our summer getaway on Lake Huron. Hoping to spend as much of the summer here as I can. I have been waiting for so long to get back here, where the air is clean, the sky is wide open, and of course the beautiful lake sunrises, and sunsets. Here, I am hoping that we can somehow heal a little and make some sense out of life. That is a post for later, when I feel I can actually talk about what the healing is all about. When I pulled up to our place, these flowers are first thing I saw, and it somehow reminded me of my Mom. My Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease about 2 years ago. Many people do not know that it is a disease that takes your mind, your memory, your dignity, and eventually turns the brain into the "broken" position permanently. The daffodil here is shining brightly in the sun, but with the sunlit shadows on the back of the flower. That is why it reminds me of my Mom. She is still shining, but the shadows represent each part of her memory that has been taken forever. The other daffodil is me standing beside her for as long as I can. I know the day will come when she will be truly alone mentally, but until that time I will keep reminding myself that she is truly "Standing Out in the Shadows", and always will for me.

Catching Rays

This is a photo of yet another blossom tree. I'm not sure what kind, as there are so many different ones blooming all over right now. Some of these blossoms are so tiny, so thin, and so fragile, yet their beauty never ceases to amaze! I was with my kids for Mother's Day last weekend, and the home we were at had two different blossom trees outside. It was terribly windy out, so before I left, I snapped a branch from the two different trees and brought them home to take a few photos. Here is one of them entitled "Catching Rays". I think the title explains it all, as the beautiful blossom sitting next to my window was catching the great afternoon lighting. Since they are so thin, all of the little veins running through each bloom can be seen very well also. I just love Spring, as it never disappoints, sharing the beauty of nature all around us. Hope you enjoy this photo too!