Meadow Pink

 

'meadow pink '

a beautiful little pink flower that likes to hide in ditches,,, 

and other low places.

"happiness is a form of courage."  -h.jackson

Prairie Lantern

 

our home ~ a prairie lantern

little zody

golden coreopsis on the plains

it was a good weekend,,, lots of swimming and sailing.

we dove into summer i think! :)

a happy week to all.

Bison & Lemon Monarda

bison calf

lemon monarda

three adolescents butt heads!

This evening we went into the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge...the entry marker is just down the street from our house. We are on the same prairie ~ only a fence separates us ~ in the spirit it is all the same,,,  :) 

I love to see the bison on the other side of the fence though!  The red calves born last month are amazing right now!  Also, lemon monarda is blanketing fields in lavender splendor.  

my neighbors

This is home.

It's heavenly.

nature treat

ever feel like this?

or beautiful like this?

wow, a smiling cat or a moth?  (Catocala promissa)

love

babies to protect

threatened

oh come wind,,,

hide and seek

sweet nectar

how much is a bird in the hand worth?

it felt pretty special when a wee hummingbird flew into our garage - he was trying to fly out the glass window,,, greg saw him and released him back outside. so glad i got my camera. :)

i have the worst case of chiggers - it can make you go mad, seriously. my legs are covered from bottom to hips. i went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot and i'm on a cortisteroid pack.  been washing with lye soap. this is day three and my legs feel raw - like i've been whipped with thorny stems.  chiggers feel like fire and itch at the same time.  i'm a little mad at 'prairie hill' right now - that's where i'm sure i got this.  but i did not take proper precautions.  it's always good to use bug spray (natural home made my choice) and bathe after being out in tall grass.  i hope to catch up on some sleep now.  i can't stand to be in the heat or in the sun - it makes it excruiating. i'll live,, i'll learn. in the meantime, hope you enjoy these 'nature treats'...

"all of nature reflects life's ups and downs." - fortune cookie

Golden Coreopsis

Golden Coreopsis is blooming on the hill now!  It's a beauty!!

This particular stem was close to 4 feet tall.  

Unfortunately, I got chiggers from going into this tall grass 

on Saturday.  It's a miserable situation for me right now. :(

Final Travelogue

At Harvard University, Cambridge

Harvard Bookstore 

We actually got to see this Rembrandt (Self-Portrait at 23) 

at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

USS Constitution

Sitting on the Harbor

Long Island Head Lighthouse

I love lighthouses and wanted to get much closer to this one but those tours start next month.

Sweet Buttered Lobster!

 The trip would not have been complete without a good lobster!

My Travel Journal

I'm finishing up my Boston/Maine travel journal and getting caught up on my wildflowers back home on the prairie.  We had a wonderful trip up north,,, when we returned back southwest (home), I immediately appreciated the stars over us,,,, and the next morning, 

waking up to a pink sunrise.  I'm so adapted to Oklahoma.  

It's lightly raining on and off this morning and the birds are singing or screeching. 

It's peaceful ,,,and the Prairie Hill is about to burst with pale purple thistles everywhere. 

I have so many new nature pictures to share in the coming days - 

it's grand beauty around here.  

Where we love is home.

Home that our feet may leave -

but not our hearts.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

A close up,,, Beacon Hill, Boston

Train to Maine

greg walking on the beach

painting on the beach

salt water taffy!

the pier

We took a train to Maine (one week ago....).  From Boston it was only a two hour train ride to Old Orchard Beach.  The water was freezing cold of course,,, but the weather was perfect. We really enjoyed the roar of the ocean,,, and walking the sandy shore.   

But more wonderful than the lore of old men 

and the lore of books

 is the secret lore of the ocean. 

 - HP Lovecraft

Boston and Maine

boston harbor at dusk

the old saying is true - you need another vacation after vacation.  i'm trying to get back into my routine!

  so tonight, i've made my first cup of lemon monarda tea harvested from my prairie...

and its time to share some vacation pictures of boston and maine. 

 grave rubbing for my journal

decoration on a gravestone

we went to the granary burying ground where some famous historical figures are buried -

such as john hancock, samuel adams and paul revere.

spring time in boston

the weather was wonderful! we took the t-rail everywhere and then walked everywhere.

boston terrier and great dane

these buddies were sitting outside a coffee shop on beacon hill

patiently waiting for their master.

'paul revere' by john singleton copley

greg looking at 'watson & the shark' by copley

 we really enjoyed the boston museum of fine art - my favorites 

were the Copleys, Sargents and Monets.  there was also an

excellent alex katz exhibit. he's in his mid 80's now and still painting!

'the daughters of edward darley boit' by sargent

standing in front of this john singer sargent painting was pretty amazing!  

i've only seen it in books,,, and now 'in person' with the actual 

japanese vases included. the family took these vases back and forth

 with them to paris and america.

'madonna and child with angel' by sandro boticelli

we were 'floored' by the isabella stewart-gardner museum!  

it's probably one of the most beautiful museums in the world,,, 

the most opulent,,,  and most 'well-stocked' with famous paintings/artists. (period.)

i had the most magical moment when i saw my first

sandro boticelli painting in person!  this was a dream come true!

he's one of my top favorite artists and the museum had three of his works.

 no pictures whatsoever were allowed.  thanks to the internet though 

i can share these exquisite images

'the nativity'

i will try to finish up the trip pics tomorrow night.

blessed night....

  

tribute to a monarch

it's difficult to photograph black encaustic work! 'in person' they look really cool.

this show opens tomorrow,,, my middle piece and some others are included.

God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. 

He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things.

P. Picasso