Body Snatcher Plant

I came across these odd looking pods while driving along a country road. My son, well used to the odd behavior of his mother when it comes to flowers, clouds and other interesting diversions, was quite tolerant as I slammed to a stop in the gravel, to leap from the car, camera in hand, to take a picture of this wonderful oddity.

I have since discovered these pods unfold into white star-shaped blossoms commonly called "Cow flowers."

Personally I think they resemble those pods from the Body Snatcher Movie.

WATCH OUT! THE ALIENS ARE COMING!!!


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Autumn Mushrooms

Last Fall I snapped this photo of two mushrooms peeking from a bevy of fallen leaves. I am sure they must be Mother and daughter, and they're laughing because both have a leaf on their noses.

Of One Heart

Here is the photo I was clicking, when my darling sister Clytie http://clytie-randomstuff.blogspot.com/2009/03/artist-well-in-hand.html took a photo of the artist (me) clicking the shutter.

Sissy and I are kindred spirits. We have one heart when it comes to photography (and a lot of other stuff, too). We are members of a mutual admiration society. Please visit both of her websites. Clytie is a natural born photographer who's work is instinctively gorgeous, often with interesting perspectives. Coupled with her strange and wonderful sense of humor--I look forward to perusing her blogspot each and every day.

Lavender on Ice

Last Monday I went on a most wonderful walk with my younger sister Clytie. We tromped, cameras in hand, through the empty ruins of a nearby mega church (with permission, of course).

It is amazing, that in the presence of so much vandalism and ruin, one can find such beauty. The snow began to fall, touching our world with its special magic. Snow has the ability to transform ordinary things into extraordinary objects. It enhances beauty into absolute splendidness. (I know there's no such word--but in this case, only a made-up word fits!) (grin)

Here you see Lavender on Ice--if you look close enough I believe you can actually see the intricate shapes of the snowflakes.

Windows of Mystery

This seems to be a painting in which the cunning skill of a great artist has fooled our eyes.

But instead they are windows. Windows of mystery.

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I found them near Astoria, Oregon. They are a part of the incredible ruins of Fort Stevens where an enemy submarine was spotted and fired upon during World War 2.

Blue Sunset

On a dreary, windy, rainy day like today, it is good to think back on spectacular sunsets. And not just sunsets, but memories of laughter, good cheer, family and old friends.

Ah, the beauty of the sunset.

Contrasts

I took this photo last Summer. I love the graduation of color--from deep lush red, to green, to white. And if you look very closely, you'll see the middle tomato is, er, smiling!

Viva La Tomato!

Purple Glories

These are the gorgeous flowers I remember from childhood. We lived so close to my Grandmother, there was a path worn smooth across the field to her house. My brothers and sisters and I spent many a happy day playing in her yard near the porch where these flowers twined up the porch supports to lavish the eye with their beauty.

Rainbow Air

One bright spring morning, I was astonished by a rainbow in a form I'd never witnessed before. Its bright colors, rather than curving into a bow, actually textured the air itself. I pulled over and tried to capture what I saw. Here you see only a fraction of the beauty of that moment.

Woodland Faery Castle

This is one of the castles my sister Clytie and I discovered on one of our long tromps through the mysterious forest. I have no doubt but that in silvery starlight, one would find the faery folk dancing upon the mosses. There would be light streaming from the castle's invisible windows, and faery music floating out through the air.

Now, That's a Dandy Lion

Three times a day I brew a bitter tea from dried dandilion roots. The last batch I left stewing for a bit too long, and could hardly choke it down. Most of the time the tea is tolerable, even pleasant. There's something comforting about the ritual of making tea, then holding a steaming cup between one's hands. I'm looking forward to spring when the clover, violets, daisies and dandilions spring up into the grassy green of my lawn.

Rose Hips in Green Enfold

Last Fall I found these gorgeous rose hips along the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. They are amazing--so lush red and green. A color delight to the palate of the eyes.

Sunset in the Grass

I happened to be driving out in the toolies one fine afternoon. My eye was caught by a flash of color. I pulled over and hopped out to further investigate. I was astounded to find a bevy of gorgeously colored grasses. It seemed to me the vivid colors of the sunset had found their way into them. So very unexpected!

Pink Elegance

My husband and I drove from the coast home today. On our way home we stopped at the Baskett Slough. The clouds were just extraordinary. This is only one sample of the wonderful glories of tonight's skies.

Grande Old Tree

In the forests of our childhood live giants of old. This ancient twisted maple has been alive for hundreds of years. Imagine the stories this tree could tell. My Sister, Clytie of Random Hearts, was the first to notice the graceful mossy heart of this grande old tree.

What Gorgeous Paws You Have

When Elvis left the building, my son was devastated. It was mid-winter, not the time for kittens, but we went to the Humane Society to see who might be waiting for us. We found a small orange half-grown cat, who had been rescued by one of the workers there. The tiny kitty was so close to dying, he'd been taken home, and nursed back to health. As soon as Little Buddy saw my son, it was a one-way road. We brought the little cat home to stay.

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What an unusual cat! He loved anything he could drag around the house with his teeth. That included pieces of plastic, string, head phones, jewelry, extension cords and scarves, to name a few of the things which took his fancy.

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Here Little Buddy, who is not so very little these days, is trying to take a nap. In fact, I think he's beginning to get annoyed with the photographer!

Orange on Yellow

This is Elvis DeBoomba, sitting atop a bevy of leaves. This giant Main Coon loved the Fall. Leaves twirling down through the air were endlessly fascinating to him. He would chase them, play with them, toss them into the air--and sleep on them whenever he could.