Sky Watch Friday

7:50 AM and the sun is making her first appearance of the 2010.  

After a hard frost...

A hard frost brings some forms of life to an end....

but if we look closely we see....

that all matter of things...

are as beautiful or unusual or intriguing  in their ending as they were in their beginning....

Watson's Greenhouse and Nursery!

Want to escape from the cold and still be surrounded by Nature's bounty?  Travel to Puyallup and visit Watson's!  Beautiful plants and flowers, something for every gardener on your list and Christmas ornaments that range from whimsical to sublime.  They must have a very talented buyer for the store because the home accessories were gorgeous...although somewhat out of my price range.   Still, for the rest of us ~ they do have sales!

After the hard frost of this past week, it was a delight to see flowers in bloom!

Final stroll through this garden

a dragon in the tree?

peace

The maze of rootedness...keeping our feet firmly attached to mother earth  while our souls and hearts search elsewhere....

Time move to other locations in the Northwest.

Elanda Gardens #4

Wondering the Elanda Gardens continues.  The designers use every organic detail to create interesting space.  Some 'details are smaller and some much larger....

Now this is what I call shelter from the rain...

Joan's last post

This morning I discovered that Joan, who writes saphotographs.blogspot.com, is retiring from her blog.  She has posted wonderful photographs from South Africa.  It has been a delight traveling that country through her eyes.  Today I saw her photo and she is a robust woman. Although she  believes she is not photogenic ~ she is and she appears to be full of life!   I should have known she would be because her energy comes through in her photographs.  We started blogging for similar reasons.  I will miss her updates and wonderful photos of Africa.  Hopefully she is moving on because life is too busy for the time that blogging can consume...a special project?.  Good luck Joan!

Elanda Gardens #3

Peaceful settings with texture and curves.

Budha in Elanda Gardens

If I owned my own patch of land I would put this statue under a willow.   Create a place to stop and think or not think as the need might be...

Elanda Gardens, Bremerton, Wa

Saturday found my family and I wandering through the Elanda Gardens and Design Studio in Bremerton, Wa on State Highway 16.  If you find yourself near this location the Garden and Design Studio is worth the visit!  As our visit took place in Autumn many of the large bonsai in the collection had dropped their leafs but their shapes and forms were still a pleasure to view.  There is also a large collection of massive stones, huge pieces of amazing drift wood and sculptures.  It was easy to mentally plan a peaceful garden escape!

challenging one's point of view

A long time ago, a now long, lost friend, taught me an invaluable lesson: challenge your assumptions!  I am reminded of her as I view this photo taken while peering through a pier.  It was after all just a pier... a repetitive support structure doing its job of providing a place for people to walk, enjoy the view or fish.  On closer examination I noticed that the pier had texture and color variation that made it unique.  I also notice  the pier's perspective grew narrow in the long view - somehow political discourse jumped to mind, a sign of the times, no doubt..  I was struck by the odd beauty of a thing...simply built to serve a purpose.