Flowers

I have always loved flowers.  I love to look at them.  I love to photograph them.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to grow them.  Well, living in a shady area means that I can grow a few types of flowers - such as impatiens plants, but not many other types of flowers.

So, I am always on the lookout for gardens - and other places where I can stop and look, enjoy, and then photograph and photograph and photograph!

If I have planned ahead and brought my Micro-Nikkor 60 mm lens, I can also take some close-ups of flowers - and perhaps some butterflies, as well!

rain...rooftops...and roses....

I've been thinking about all the rain we have had here recently.  Every day we have had an afternoon deluge.  I have been caught in it several times and that reminds me how quickly this area, so close to the ocean, gets very saturated.  When I was in Paris, not too long ago, there was a lot of rain, as well.  I always love to take photos of rooftops when I am visiting cities.  The view is so different than the view I have at home.  Even in the rain, the rooftops are very interesting.

And there is always the surprise of pretty flowers that can be seen at windows and window boxes that give a hint of brightness on a dreary day.

Here at home, I have one struggling rosebush trying its best to brighten a corner of my yard.

Swimming and sailing

How inspiring the Olympics have been!

I keep thinking of all the hard work and practice involved in learning a sport and then being able to continue on and excel in it!  It reminds me of a day in Cassis, in the south of France, this summer.  I wandered around enjoying the sun and the breeze and of course the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.

As I was taking photos of the crowded beach and also the way the water was splashing against the rocks, I noticed a group of young sailors out in the water...learning how to maneuver their little boats.

It was a joy to see how they kept practicing and working at their sailing lesson for the morning -- and how happy they were when they felt they had done well and came ashore.

A return trip -- again....

I visited Paris this summer.  It was a return trip for me.  This may have been the tenth time, or so, that I have been there.  Every time I go it is special - and it is both the same and different. The same, because the thoughts and feelings I have about this wonderful city don't change much -- and different because no matter how much things stay the same, there is always something new and different.  This time the weather was cold and rainy.  It was not as wet as it was another summer, but certainly not hot and dry as the last time I was there.  It is always so much fun to explore the different parts of Paris.  This is the first time I stayed near the Eiffel Tower.  So, of course, I had to walk over and take a photo of the tower right away.  It was close to sunset this time when I arrived - so this shot was taken around 8:30 or 9 at night.  I have always been fascinated by this huge metal structure - it is so tall and forbidding, but when one looks closely, the metal grid is almost delicate, like lace.

Then, I had to go back the next day to look again.  This time it was very overcast - no rain yet, but almost.  The Eiffel Tower was being readied for the fireworks that would be held on July 14th, Bastille Day.  It almost looks like the Times Square ball hanging in the center of the tower.

OK...another walk by the Eiffel Tower...can't help myself....  This time the sun was out.

And here are the fireworks at night - absolutely wonderful display!  And although it was very crowded - everyone was happy and excited to be there!

I tend to take many shots of the things that interest me.  It is so nice to shoot digital now, instead of film.  I remember the first time I took photos of the Eiffel Tower at night, I ended up developing 48 pictures of just that one night time view.