Growth of an acorn

 Now that the acorns have ripened to brown, they should soon be dropping, and be harvested by the canyon squirrels.

Changing

The leaves of the trees on the mountainside are changing, are they changing due to the approaching fall or because they are drying out from the over the top hot temperatures?

Bumble Bee Pin

My mother claimed this pin.

Lady Bug Pin

Just finished a lady bug label pin.

Haiku at Sunsets

8.4.12
The sun paints with light
Pastel watercolor clouds
In an evening sky.

8.3.12
On the horizon
Orange - russet evening light
smolders into dusk.

Restful Evening

Here I sit in a friends backyard,  facing west waiting for a lovely sunset.  Her house and backyard sit up on Ben Lomond (mountain)  with a perfect view over the valley.  The sun is golden at the moment, its light paints the near by bushes.  My friend's dog is nearby in the grass catching a cool evening breeze.  As are we, today our temperature hit 100 F degrees.  Hot weather for Northern Utah.

Time

How fleeting is time?  This summer has zoomed by, and I had hoped to accomplish so much more.  As the days of summer are longer than winter days, we try to fill them with so much more activity.  Summer gardens  and lawns need attention.  Mollie and I take longer walks.  With August on its way, I need to finish some summer projects.  I guess I should sit down to prioritize the projects.

I tend to get reflective when celebrating the addition of another year.

More Sketchbook drawings

Sunday Evening

Across a field of blue sky, a ethereal cloud dances, is its partner the breeze or the limestone mountain cliff above my home?  The canyon floor is in shadow, the day cooling.  The canyon breeze teases my hair, then stills. I am reminded of the afternoon heat.  Its taste and scent evident in the still.

Mollie and I walk the dry, dirt road to the cement bridge over the river.  The river rushes under us, an increase of water has been released from the dam to assist the farmers in irrigating their crops.

Flashes of color capture our attention.  Scarlet tanagers fly from willow to cottonwood trees.  A lovely yellow tiger-stripe swallow tail butterfly feeds on the pink star flowers of milkweeds.  Then a surprise, an orange and black butterfly - a monarch or viceroy.  Just a fleeting glimpse.  I recall seeing them in my childhood, but they have been rare in recent years.

The hard dirt road has lead us back home to mom's  color filled garden and cool green grass.  Mollie ends her walk with a good, back scratching roll in the grass.

A lovely Sunday evening, and wishes for the same for you!

Bits and Pieces; Notes and Observations

I have bits and pieces with notes and observations written on them spread around.  I thought I share a few with you.

Last Week:

Over the mountains
Cumulonimbus clouds puff
Like heated popcorn.


Friday Night before the cold front moved in:
A muggy warm night
The tempting spray of sprinklers
A quick cooling run....


Friday Night:
A jar of seashells
Collected along the shore
Ocean memories.


Today, around 7:30 p.m. while leaving Layton:
Between sun and mountains a line of clouds fill the sky creating stripes of light and shadow on the mountainside.

Rain

And the rain came pouring down.

Mollie came in this morning with raindrops in her fur.  She snuggled in close to share them with me.

Our April showers have finally come at the end of May, to water our May flowers.  May has been warm and dry, so the rain is welcome.

Old Friend

I am so glad that you stopped me to say Hello.  I have thought of you often in the past and so happy to see you.  I hope that we will run into each other more often.  You reminded me  of times we spent together at Gramercy Elementary.

Another Bonfire

Saturday, I enjoyed my third bonfire of the season.  Friends invited me to a local camp ground for an evening picnic and bonfire.  We had a great time!

Sending Best Wishes

Happy Mother's Day! 

Surprise

My sweet niece surprised us this evening.  She flew home from Hawaii to share Mother's Day with us!

By the light of the moon

I awoke last night awash in a puddle of silver blue moonlight as the full super moon peeked in my window.  It stayed for a moment or two trapped in the neighbor's pine tree, then travelled on across the sky.  And I returned to continue my slumber.

Rites of Spring

I just washed the heavy scent of bonfire from my hair.  It was spring clean up at our cabin this morning.  As mom raked up leaves, I burned deaf fall branches in the fire pit.  The only dancing done was that done trying to escape the smoke and heat of the fire.

Field 0f Blue

Across a field of blue
A herd of small white clouds graze.
Golden morning light.

Sketching

Connection reestablished

I have been unable to connect for a few days, after receiving technical help I am reconnected.