thanks,
Sandy

four winds haiga

four winds photo journal

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I have been thinking for several months that it is time to put this blog to bed. It is time to let go of it before I start repeating my posts. Lately, I have been exploring new territory, and need time to pursue new things.

The best to all of my visitors, it has really been fun. I will be around.

Thanks everyone for stopping by.

I have been looking for a tortoiseshell butterfly for years. I knew we were supposed to have them in this area, but had never run across one. On Sunday afternoon, I took a short walk to the edge of the woods to see if the maples there had started to turn. They haven’t by the way. This compton tortoiseshell rose out of the grass and landed in a tree just about eight feet up. I never did see the back of it, but am satisfied with the shot for below.

I found this beauty along a dark trail at the edge of the ocean.
You never know what you will findwhen you try a new path.
I am taking a couple weeks break from blogging.
See you when I get back.

Every week or so, the garden takes on new colors. The bee balm I bought at Walmart is blooming now, and is much nicer than I expected it to be. I have two other colors, red and fuchsia, that I am not all that fond of. This new plant has two colors, and I love it!

I have been taken with rowan trees since I read a book called The RowanTree Crop by a Maine writer, Elizabeth Pollack many years ago. My friend across the street has one in her front yard. It is especially pretty this year, so I am posting a shot of it. Look here for more information about these trees, also called European Mountain Ash.

Here is another interesting site about the magic associated with rowan trees.

This is not an early fall shot, but one I took last month of new growth at the top of a small tree.

I lead such an exciting life. Last night, while taking out the trash, I looked up to see the left side of a rainbow. It was late, 7:38, to be exact, and quickly getting dark. I grabbed my camera, and went beyond the trees to look for the other end of the rainbow. It was there, in the clouds just on the horizon. But, the rainbow had no middle, just a mass of blue sky. I should have run in and changed to my wide angle lens, but didn’t think I would have time.

My question – Was the rainbow there, but invisible? How could it have ends woth no middle? I did get  a  bit of information about rainbows here, but it didn’t answer my question. What do you think?

BTW, my 9 year old neighbor, Maiah,  got a bettter shot than these on her phone!

This is the tiniest bee I have ever seen. It was working as hard as the big ones, though. A carpenter bee tried to take over the thistle but the little guy fought him off. Notice the amount of pollen he is carrying. Please click on photo to see a larger version on my Flickr site.

We had supper late last night, so I happened to be at the sink when this giant yellow moon came into view. Leaving the dishes to soak, I went out to my garden with my camera. I often use the garden stand as a steady place to shoot the moon, or a sunrise. This moon was not quite in the right place for that, so I just put the ISO on 800, and tried to hold the camera steady. It is not perfect, but I am happy with it. This is the first time I have been able to capture a yellow moon, with features.

The cilantro is in full bloom right now.
A few bees land on them, but I see mostly wasps and these flies.
Anyone know what they are?

David and I have been to Vermont. We had a nice trip and brought back lots of memories. The mountains were beautiful! We left in the rain, but had sunshine for almost all of the trip. I have never seen a bear sign in Maine, so had to stick that in the collage.

The photo is larger on Flckr, just tap the photo to get there.