Indian Blanket Flowers

Indian Blanket Flowers

These Indian Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) are wild all over Florida. You can see them growing alongside sidewalks and all along the highways. These were growing in a side garden amongst the rocks in Rockport, MA. I love the colors.

They grow about 3" in diameter and they produce many color variations and combinations in the red/pink/yellow range. Another common name for them is Showy Gaillardia.

Backlit Sunflower

Sunflower, Rockport, MA

The back lighting and its huge size is what attracted me to this Sunflower found in a side garden in the Bearskin Neck region of Rockport, MA. I love the way the sun was shining through the yellow petals making them almost translucent.

Sunflowers have long been my favorite flower. They remind me of the sun, which reminds me of summer and happiness. They have no fragrance, therefore, no allergies for me! Sunflowers also attract birds, which is my other favorite thing to photograph.

When I was living in New York, I placed several feeders in the front yard so the kids could watch the birds eat. I think the triplets were around 3 by the time they noticed them. They would spend hours looking out the picture window just behind the couch watching the birds. The birds rewarded us by "planting" Sunflowers all around the feeders. They disguised the feeders and beautified the yard. What a nice thank you for feeding them.

Vin's Oysters and Shellfish

Vin's Oysters and Shellfish

This restaurant looks more like a boutique. Since we didn't go in, we had no way of knowing that judging by its looks.

This is Vin's Oysters and Shellfish in Rockport, MA. While it is a quaint little restaurant, I didn't check the ratings, so I have no idea. I do have to say, though, that I had to wait about 10 minutes before getting this shot without someone coming or going. That tells me it must be a popular place, or everyone else thought it was a tourist trap like I did.

What do you think?

Red Staircase

Red Staircase

This photo was taken in Rockport, MA in the Bearneck Skin area. I like the red staircase and the dappled light against the rough cedar shake shingles.

In the background, you can see part of the Rockport Inner Harbor.

Click on the photo to get a better look.

Goose Gourd

Goose Gourd Bouquet

During our road trip through Bolton, CT, my son and I spotted an off road farmer's stand on the other side of the street. It had several vases of floral arraignments visible from the road with a sign that said $6.00. We stopped and thought it would be nice to bring flowers home to Donna. My son, Joe, got out of the car and walked over to the stand to see what they had. He had bought flowers from this farmer before and knew they were honest and reasonable. Way in the back of the shelf, he spotted this bouquet.

He came back to the car empty handed and told me he saw a beautiful arraignment for $20.00 and he had to get more money. I gave him $10.00 and he had $10.00 in his pocket. He came back to the car with this heavy gourd in both hands. It was comical to watch when he tried to open the car door all the water poured out on his shirt. Of course, once I stopped laughing, I got out to help him.

I never expected anything like this! There was a little note attached to this bouquet saying that when the flowers go bad, the gourd is edible. It is called a Goose Gourd; the photo shows why. Needless to say, his wife, Donna, loved this little surprise.

Farming in Bolton CT

Hard at Work

While on vacation, my son, Joe, and I also took a road trip around Bolton, CT. I saw this farmer working and panned just a little to be able to catch this shot. He was driving pretty fast. It was getting a little late in the day, and I guess he just wanted to get done.

I must admit, I know absolutely nothing about farming; even though I come from a long line of farmers from my grandparents generation and back. The only farm machine I know is the tractor, so as far as what this guy is doing, I have no idea. I do know, however that they work very hard and their day starts really early.

I'll be posting more farming photos in later posts. Maybe one of you readers can enlighten me.

Dahlia Bud

Back side of Dahlia Bud

This photo was shot two days before it came in as a full bloom. I like the colors of the backside and the freshness and firmness of the bud. There are about 20 different types or species of Dahlia. This particular species when in full bloom are deep pink in color, like the outer petals around the edges, and round like a pom-pom. They are stunning flowers.

This image was captured at my son and daughter-in-law's home in South Windsor, CT.

Let me know in the comments what you think of it.

View From the Porch

View from the porch

My son and daughter-in-law's house has an upstairs porch. Last year, there were a lot of tall trees that hid this beautiful view. When I spotted the scene, I knew at once that I had to capture it. This shot was taken through the glass on the porch. The building in the foreground is their shed. It's built to look exactly like their home.

We don't see many mountains in Florida, so this was a real treat for me. That's one thing I miss about New England. Connecticut sits in a valley between 4 mountain ranges: The Berkshires, Hanging Hills, Metacomic Ridge, and the Taconic Mountains. Although I was raised in this area, my Geography isn't great. I couldn't tell you what mountain range that is in the background. As a matter of fact, if I didn't look up the ranges on Wiki, I wouldn't have known there were 4 different mountain ranges. It doesn't help that the locals have differing names for these ranges. Of the 4, the only one I've ever heard of is The Berkshires. We had names such as Case Mountain, Meridan Mountain, Talcott Mountain, and Sleeping Giant. I believe Sleeping Giant is part of Meridan Mountain. Maybe I should have studied my Geography or taken the time to learn about my state when I was younger.

If anyone from CT sees this post, maybe you could tell me which range this is. This photo was taken in South Windsor facing Northeast. Let me know also, how you like the photo in the comments below. I always appreciate the feedback.