Today's Flowers: A mixed bag as November begins

In spite of much cooler weather, there are quite a few flowers still blooming. I decided to walk on the part of the Shelley Lake Trails on Saturday where there are a lot of wildflowers hoping that some would still be blooming. Alas, they have all gone to seed but I enjoy that sight too.

At my house the Sutters' Gold roses (thanks to a Arija for telling me their name when I posted some of the buds making a comeback) are blooming away. Some full, some nearly done for, and a few optimistic buds.

My favorite part of these roses are what a variety of blooms they have.

The buds I posted before don't look anything like the full blooms and spent blooms.

Another part of my garden has roses that are all done for the season except for the rose hips like the one below.

I've been following my last lavender bloom very closely. A week or so ago there was still a fairly full bloom.

As the days have passed it was still hanging in but becoming a little more bedraggled.

Yesterday the shot below shows how my lavender is done for the season, except that I can pick it for the dried fragrance.

My hydrangea has been past it's peak bloom for several months but a few of the blossom clusters still supply a bit of color. However, these were blue blooms at their peak and have now gone to a dull pink.

To view flowers from around the world, please go to the home of Today's Flowers.

Photohunters: Veterans/Military

The photohunters theme this week is Veterans/Military. At the NC State Capitol (Raleigh) on Union Square is a Vietnam Veterans' Memorial titled "After the Firefight" by Abbe Godwin. There was some kind of event taking place when I took the shot below, and there are people around it. You can click inside any of the following photographs for enlargements.
Another time I took a shot of the same memorial from the back which is pictured below. "The monument depicts two soldiers carrying a wounded comrade". Another memorial at the NC Capitol on Union Square is the North Carolina Veterans' Memorial which was designed by Richard Armlung. That monument honors NC Veterans who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The base features major battles from each of the wars and Lady Liberty is atop "holding a palm front to symbolize peace and victory".These photographs are all from my archives and taken at different times of the year which is why some have a lot of folliage and some bare trees. To find other photohunters, please visit the photohunt home where participants post starting on Saturday.

Dona Nobis Pacem - Blog Blast for Peace 2009

Dona Nobis Pacem! I was at a loss this year about what I wanted to do with my peace globe to personalize it and what I wanted to write about for Mimi's 2009 Blog Blast for Peace. Then it struck me that this would be a good time to highlight a foundation which brings me hope. There is so much to be depressed and discouraged about that sometimes I need to remind myself of the ways people around the world do connect for peaceful purposes. One such organization is Playing for Change - Peace through Music. From their site - "Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world."I first found out about them from a wonderful video Stand By Me with musicians filmed singing and playing the song in different parts of the world. Since I've posted that video before and have seen it on other sites, I was going to embed a couple of other videos, although you can find them all at the playing for change site.

Unfortunately blogger isn't letting me embed the videos but I hope you will go to the links if you have time. They are both fairly short. First you can see a video about the music school the foundation built in South Africa for children. Next is a performance of Don't Worry Playing for Change . Also if you haven't seen the Stand by Me video before I strongly recommend it.

If anyone wonders about the photographs I scattered through this post, I had thought I'd be able to embed videos which would be my visuals. When that didn't work I just inserted some of my fairly recent photos. The one with mileage markers was taken at a park in Durham, NC, U.S. and it struck me how there were markers for places around the world.

Please visit Mimi Writes the home of Blog Blast for Peace on November 5. Dona nobis pacem.

Nature Notes and Signs of the Season - As the leaves fall

I find myself looking for trees which have dropped all or most of their leaves. Not long ago I was looking for the first leaves to change from green to red, yellow, or orange.

It is funny how my eyes and camera gravitate to the next change. I'm still enjoying the fall colors and there are still some trees yet to change colors but now the new fun is spotting the first of the bare limbs.

The birds are getting busier and busier. Not sure if it's because it's chilly or what motivates them but I notice a flurry of activity this time of year much like the spring flurry.

Part of the reason I like to see more and more trees losing their leaves is I find that I can get a new view point on the lake when I'm walking.

In the summer when the birds land on the ledge in front of my greenhouse and raised bed, they are protected from my view. This time of year as more of the leaves have dropped, and the roses are dying back, I can spot the birds like the one below when they land on the ledge (for want of a better word).

The ledge above is kind of like a top to a fence but there's no fence, just lines that support the roses. I suppose I could call it a trellis but that's not it either. I guess I'll stick with ledge.

The ducks below almost blend into the leaves. Not a very good shot but I like the feel of the array of multi colored leaves on the ground with the multi tones of the ducks.

I love the layers of textures against the sky. Some dense folliage, some very light, some bare, a bit of this and that.

I recently shot the turtles below and it's very similar to shots I got a month or two or three ago. I remember wishing the light didn't wash out the turtles so much. Once again, I ended up with washed out turtles. The problem is there isn't a trail on the other side of the water where the turtles hang out. I guess I could try different times of the day.

For other participants of Nature Notes and Signs of the Season, please visit Rambling Woods the host of these themes.

Today's Flowers: Late Bloomer

I have been watching the single bud on a volunteer black eyed susan (rudbeckia) plant closely, doubting it would bloom before the first hard freeze.

I am very pleased that it has bloomed, almost a full month after all the rest of my black eyed susan have already gone to seed. As a matter of fact, this plant was probably grown from one of those seeds on my other plants that a bird may have dropped in the pot on my deck.

When I first saw the plant growing in a pot whose other plant had already finished for the season, I assumed that there was no way it would grow fast enough to bloom before winter. However, when it did grow quite fast and a bud formed, I became fascinated with what seemed to be a race against time. The flower is a bit curled, perhaps since it's had to endure some chilly days and nights as well as less sunlight as the days shorten. However, I think it's quite charming in its late bloomer fashion. These shots were taken over the past few weeks with the last shot taken this week when it finally opened all the way.

For other participants, please visit the home of Today's Flowers.