family...

Nathan, Tammy, Jeff, Jayme & Scott
I've been absent from blogging for a week while my family had a great time exploring small bits of California and spending time with extended family to celebrate the wedding of my nephew, Greg, and his beautiful bride, Jessica.
Aren't they a beautiful couple? I didn't pack the "good" camera only my mini camera so our photos have red eyes and bad lighting but this was a trip to be surrounded by love and joy and family fun so I didn't want to lug around the big camera bag.
My sister, Laura, and her grandchildren, Lucie & Ryan.
We had a wonderful time and I have lots to blog about this week but since we just arrived home at 3 am this morning and I am functioning on 3 1/2 hours of sleep the stories and photos will have to wait a day :)

Today, I am thankful for safe travels, the love of family and the happiness shared celebrating Greg & Jessica's big day this weekend.

beauty in the garden...

On this morning's garden walk I found beauty everywhere. There are several types of butterflies visiting...


and lots of caterpillars and bees.
The chickadee serenaded me with it's chick-a-dee - dee - dee...
and more warblers are migrating through.
While some flowers are long past prime, the mums are putting on a show...
and I am loving the mumsy marigolds that are finally blooming after I planted them from seed in late May.
I first heard of and saw this type of marigold last year on Bonnie's blog - Flower Bed. She told me she ordered them from Park seed so I ordered them in yellow, gold and orange. I'm hoping these will put out some seed to save for next year because they truly are beautiful and the blossoms are about 3-4 inches across. The blossoms open from the outside edge to the center and as you can see the partial blooms are gorgeous as well.

steeple Sunday...

Today's steeple is on another little country church I spotted over the farm fields of central MN while on a cycle ride in July.

Rock Dell Lutheran Church, rural Belview, MN.


The adjoining cemetery had an older section and a newer section. Most of the graves in the older section were in what I assume to be the Norwegian or Swedish language. There were many graves with the first names of Gunhild, Halvor, Guri, Elling, Eide, Nellie & Ole.

The little country churches are always my favorites whether the steeple is decorative or not. Maybe because I grew up attending a country church that my father helped build in the 1930's, it didn't even have a steeple more of a square shaped bell tower with a flat top. I can't even show you a photo because sadly it is now gone and replaced with a new modern building.

feathered friends Friday...pretty boy

I've spied this handsome male indigo bunting in the garden for almost a week now but have been unable to capture his photo. They have to be one of the shyest birds out there!
Today, he finally needed a drink and a bath more than he wanted to escape me standing at the window. I just love how the shot below really shows off his two toned beak.
He approached the water cautiously and was constantly looking to see if I was still standing by the window.
Once the splashing started...
he enjoyed himself so much that...
a flock of sparrows couldn't even scare him away!

visitors on a hot day...

Yesterday was HOT! 96 degrees and high humidity made for an uncomfortable day but also a great bird watching day. Because it was so hot, the rock fountain was covered in birds all day long seeking to cool off. I tried to take the camera outside to get some photos but the lens would immediately fog up in the humidity so these photos were taken through the window. Above is an eastern kingbird waiting for his turn to fly onto the rock. The fall migration has started and below is a warbler - this time of year it is hard to id them but I think female or immature yellow warbler maybe?
There were several female rose breasted grosbeaks visiting...
and they displayed the behavior of being overheated by constantly having their beaks open.
Other than sparrows the most frequent bather are the robins and I enjoy seeing the youngsters with their spotted breasts.
Have a great day and I hope everyone has a way to stay cool, me - I'm thankful for air conditioning!

butterfly art...

I wasn't born with any talent for art (or singing for that matter) so my artistic endeavors are usually with the camera and the creative features on the computer to edit them.
That said I have always admired and appreciated the talents of those who can create art with paint and brushes. Do you remember these two butterfly photos I showed in a post last week?

Well, my blogging friend, Wanda, Brush Strokes from the Heart & Wanda's Art Blog), asked if she could use them for an art challenge she hosts on her art blog and of course I said yes. Here are her renditions of the photos - water color painting is definitely one of God's gifts to her, she is talented!


Please click HERE to go to her art blog and see the other talented artists renditions of the butterfly photos.

mosaic Monday...August garden walk

This month rather than taking the same boring path shots, I decided to show you the early August garden tour via mosaics and join the link part over at Mary's, The Little Red House. Please visit her to see all the other's participating.

First up, we see the front of the house shots. The pillar pots are doing wonderful and the bed has filled out. The terra cotta angels have now made this area their new home and it looks like they have installed a door under my front steps to the fruit cellar below them.Next, we see the front rose garden where the roses have provided constant color since late May. The first blossom has also opened on one of the mumsy marigolds.
Heading over to the wildflower garden we spy a butterfly and the first brown-eyed susans opening up.
Next up...the barn veggie and herb garden with a few blossoms for color. I sure wish color was on those tomatoes!
We are now on the patio and there are many beautiful flowers surrounding the cement.
Stopping at Pine Hollow we see the miniature hosta given to me by Kathy, Glacial Ridge Knits, planted next to the fairy having tea at the cottage in the upper left photo. In the below right we see the fairies are taking time out to have an outdoor piano concert next to the pavilion.
The cabin and it's surrounding flowers.
The pond has color around, on top of and in it!
And finally some random backyard shots. I think the garden has hit peak bloom time early this year (around late July) and is already on the downward spiral to Sept and the ragged brown look.
Hope you have enjoyed mosaic peek into the early August garden. If you like the more traditional path walk you can go back to see those shots on the July garden posts - part one, part two, part three and part four.

steeple Sunday...

We came upon this little country church while out on a drive this weekend with friends. It was surrounded by cornfields but it's steeple was towering above the surrounding trees so we could see it wasn't a farmsite.
Norunga Lutheran Church in rural Lowry, MN. The sign stated it was organized in 1871 but I did not see a cornerstone stating when the church was built.
I had to back out into the surrounding cemetery in order to frame the whole church in one photo. After snapping the above shot I looked down and saw this by my feet.
I am thankful I grew up in a generation with modern medicine where losing 3 babies in a 10 year period is a rare occurence.

We saw and visited this church on our way to the Kensington Runestone park where this marker marks the spot where the original runestone was found. If interested, click HERE for more info.