March 11th, 2009

Look at these guys all lined up in the pond at Brenman Park at Cameron Station in Alexandria. The weather was warm on this day and we saw turtles swimming as well as sunning. Unlike the little fella that I photographed last November, these guys were prompted by the warm weather to shed their “turtlenecks” and do that bunny hop dance thing. I think that these guys might be snapping turtles, possibly different from the one I ”snapped” in November.
(Thanks to Bird for pointing out the cool-weather threads in her comment on November’s post!)
p.s. While testing Bird’s link I discovered that today is her birthday! If you have a moment, please go give that girl a shout—she and her blog are awesome!
January 10th, 2009

What I do and what I dream include thee, as the wine must taste of its own grapes. Elizabeth Barrett Browning
January 8th, 2009

“All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man… the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.” Chief Seattle
November 6th, 2008

We came across this little guy in Mason District Park in Fairfax County, Virginia, the same place where yesterday’s “autumn colors” pics were taken.
October 27th, 2008

I realize it’s autumn and everyone is focused on the yellows and oranges and reds, but I recently saw this pink flower and immediately noticed how out of place it looked amidst the golden foliage and browning grasses. I think it may possibly be a type of Bougainvillea, but am not sure (please comment if you know otherwise!). For those of you who prefer warmer temperatures and a spring-time feel in the air, look at this beautiful flower, then close your eyes and imagine…
October 4th, 2008

The weather in the Washington, D.C., area has been beautiful for the last week or so and these clouds almost dwarf the Washington Monument, as well as the Commerce Department and the National Museum of American History, just a few of the buildings seen on the left.
September 22nd, 2008



I couldn’t resist snapping these delightful dahlias although a bit tattered and brown. Nearing the end of their lives, they are still quite beautiful. Not being an expert in dahlias, I couldn’t identify these by variety, hence salmon, white and raspberry/white—colors I can handle!
Just a bit of background on dahlias: Late-summer and fall flowers, dahlias come in a wide variety of types, colors and sizes and are known for their vivid colors and showy blooms ranging from small pompom to huge “dinner plate” sizes. Originating in Central America, there is evidence that the dahlia was used to treat epilepsy in the 16th century. A few hundred years ago Spanish explorers brought the plant tubers to Europe and at the Madrid Botanical Gardens the genus “Dahlia” was named for Andreas Dahl, a swedish botanist.
A friend of mine is so into dahlias that she is a long-time member of the National Capital Dahlia Society. If you’re interested in finding out more about dahlias or a dahlia society near you check out the American Dahlia Society.
September 20th, 2008


This was taken in the backyard garden of the historical Clark House in Annandale, Virginia, built by William Lee Clark in 1902. Once a large dairy farm that operated for 50 years, the Victorian farmhouse now sits atop the hill, alone in a sense, reigning not over rolling farmland and grazing cows, but over a townhouse development, a busy shopping mall and continuous traffic on the busy pike on which it borders. The best that can be said is that the county recognized its historical value and, for the most part (the interior is heavily modernized) restored the structure, if only for the purpose of catering to wedding parties and corporate functions. A compromise, I suppose.
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Nature, amateur photography, dogs and an all embracing sense of mellow, except for the occasional bouts of nostalgia and melancholy, that is...
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