mother nature

sure does great work

(i'm afraid it's not as lovely as your butterflies, jacob

but still a beauty)

oops...

someone's experiencing a slight wardrobe malfunction

(i'm away for a few days...have a safe, fun weekend)

can you hear

their squeals of delight?

and since we're on the subject of fruit

is there anything more beautiful than an apricot?

nothing better on a hot day

than a cold slice of watermelon

too hot today

to lounge in a red chair under the blistering sun

how many of us are aware

of how often we walk with faeries?

covered bridges

span many a waterway in vermont.

this one brings cars and pedestrians from

one bank of the ottaquechee river to another in

woodstock.

garden globe

aswirl with dreams

like the colors seen

behind the lids of an unborn child

she plays the piano,

sings in a chorus, uses e-mail, drives friends to appointments.

she's 95 years old.

she sets a new standard for beauty, energy, and grace, doesn't she?

wouldn't it be fine

to wind up the hill from main street,

coming home to this cozy pink side yard?

happy birthday, mr. brattcat...

gardener, cabinetmaker, builder of houses,

floral arranger, historian, mathematician,

humanist, father, partner, fixer of all things.

you are an artist in every way

and i am so lucky to be on this journey with you.

allium globemaster

cradled in the rough palms of our weathered fence

scientific observation: cause...decreasing mass of flourless chocolate cake

effect...increasing mass of the human anatomy

enlarge this image if you dare

happy birthday to my father

to the accompaniment of a cellist

those who have lost loved ones shared their stories

to mark the 30th anniversary of brattleboro area hospice

the thing about gardeners...

each spring they come back

and throw their energies

into their sweet garden beds

this may look like brain coral, but sauteed in butter

these foraged morel mushrooms taste like

the sweet, smoky pub fare of heaven.

thank you, joanna.

white wraiths hover over tender gardens

protecting them from the withering breath of frost

inside cafe lotus

mirrored disks wink in the pale rain light

(this one might like to be enlarged)

black tulips after the storm

dressed in glittering rain drops

white petals, slippery as ice,

drop like snow on the brick path

in this barn

cows are welcome, dogs are welcome, people are welcome,

but never, ever, ever, ever are bats welcome, says sweet judy green eyes.

shouldn't everyone soak their chocolate covered cherries in brandy?

happy mother's day!!!

which would open a path to your heart?

white roses or luscious, sweet, ripe fruit

happy birthday my dearest baby brattcat

may your day and year be golden

the day ended

with the taste of honey on its lips

leaving the barn in a halo of light

is sweet judy green eyes

(this is one of those images that is a technical failure but i love it anyway)

she wanted a carrot, some sugar, at least some spring grass

i had not known i would see her and had nothing with me but my camera.

her disappointment was palpable.

(i know what you're thinking, my friends, but the grass was too short to pull)

a song for the magpie

magpie asked for the eighth image from the eighth file and the story behind it...

arkansas, april, 2004

we came upon this one-of-a-kind motel after seeing a faded billboard promising

river-side rooms...never has a little motel so lived up to and exceeded its promise.

there were many great photos from that day

on a camera less than two weeks old...my very first digital.

this is one of the least successful images but it's the eighth.

magpie, i'd like to opt out of the second half of this challenge but

thank you for tagging me and sending me back to this wonderful memory,

particularly because this is my 500th post at CDP.

thank you all!

bridal shower

how fortunate is the man who weds her.

theme day: statue

when our house divided,

385 vermonters marched off to help mr. lincoln reunite the opposing sides.

this statue honors those who tried to make a country whole again.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants