Koi are so interesting. They’re lovely creatures with so much spunk. I named the orange fish coming up for a bit of food “Orange Crush”, ha ha… The lily pads were stunning (as were the ever changing purple flowers) – that’s an entirely different post. When I looked back at this image it looks so much like a painting to me (it’s not!). I love the rings of movement and the reflected light from the sky creating interesting patterns in the water, the movement of the fish is beautiful. So elegant.

Continue reading “Like a Koi Pond Painting…” →

When I’m out walking I’m always looking up to see what I see. Cool cloud formations, birds flying, golden light against tree limbs, etc. In this case – does this not look a little spear-like? Hence my motto, always look up! #avoid

Continue reading “Always. Look. Up.” →

Hummingbirds are pretty magical little creatures. We have been to the mountains in May and there were no hummingbirds – which, after seeing them so plentiful one August, you really miss their never-ending entertainment! This time we visited in June and tada, there they were. This is Waynesville, NC – which is stunningly beautiful.

Continue reading “Well, Hello Hummingbird!” →

Saluda, NC – elevation, 2,103′. If you haven’t been to Saluda, NC, I highly suggest it. It’s a small town with big atmosphere! We need to spend more time there – we stop on our way to Waynesville, NC for a nice lunch. Everything is so tasty! In Saluda, there is something called a Coon Dog Day Festival – and it’s going on NOW… Isn’t this mural fabulous? I love the dog and the writing “it’s all about the dogs“!

Continue reading “Coon Dog Day | Saluda, NC | Mural on Canvas” →

Happy July 1st! Good grief time flies, it’ll be Christmas next week at this rate. What better to celebrate the first of the month than a Dahlia photo? I took this when we were in Michigan visiting my family. A stunning array of blooms. Absolute perfection in my book. I want Dahlia’s everywhere – how gorgeous in vases and on the shrubs. We had to run down the street and take this photo – too pretty to pass up!

Continue reading “You know those Dahlias I was talking about??” →

I’ve only seen Dahlia’s in North Carolina, Maine and Michigan. I’ve not seen them here in Charleston that I’m aware of. Maybe because I wasn’t on vacation I wasn’t paying attention, haha. I absolutely love them. Doesn’t matter if they’re the large ones or the small, they’re equally beautiful. I’ve got my eyes out on where to plant one (one day) that gets full sun. That will prove to be tricky. I took this photo at a nursery in Michigan. Beautiful plants of every kind. So hard to choose!

Continue reading “A Dahlia’s Splendor!” →

You’ve heard the old adage, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” right? The modern version of said adage is the petal doesn’t fall far from the flower. Ok, so I needed to make a Father’s Day post work with an image and when I saw this image it immediately came to mind… Today is Father’s Day.

Continue reading “Apple (petal) doesn’t fall far from the tree (flower) – Happy Father’s Day!” →

In Michigan, this is a Fish Fly – in other parts of the country they’re known as Mayflies. We were visiting family in Michigan and saw the first fish fly of the season (yay!) a few days before we departed. Living near the water you’re sure to be surrounded by them, especially if there is a bright light (streetlight for example). Oh the stories I have about fish flies!

Continue reading “The First Fish Fly… #ifyouknowyouknow” →

The transition from spring to summer in Charleston, SC is full of everything beautiful and tasty! Spring brings all the new blooms, buds and flowers – shortly afterwards come the scents that smell like a fine perfume- so beautiful. As we get closer to summer (June 21st!) the fresh produce is really in abundance. I try to plan meals before I go grocery shopping, but sometimes that gets thrown out the window if I see really good produce. #changeisgood

Continue reading “Spring to Summer in Charleston, SC!” →

The Detroit Institute of Arts is an amazing place to visit. Wear comfy shoes because it’s HUGE and you’ll be walking for hours. There are even a few places to eat – because you will get hungry and your feet will get tired. Happily, you won’t notice it until after you leave, ha ha. This place is enthralling – it’s mind blowing how many important works of art are under one roof. What a responsibility!

Continue reading “Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) – Amazing!” →

Nose in the air – that’s how I used to feel about carnations. They seemed to be cheap “filler” for bouquets – but recently my husband bought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers from a place we visited. Included in the bouquet were carnations – most of them closed, they looked like little rosebuds. After other flowers wilted away, I put the carnations in a jar with a little water…

Continue reading “A cut flower that LASTS!” →

Charleston, South Carolina. Such beauty. Wherever you look

Continue reading “Charleston, SC – Beautifully Historic!” →

Strawberries have been fabulous this year, despite some local crops having a hard time because of the weather we had a while back. Ugh, so much work goes into planting, planning, etc – I have some recipes that I’ve shared in the past for when strawberry season is in full swing. Take advantage of the good ones while you can. If strawberries are grown near you, try to support the locals!

Continue reading “Time for Strawberries – I have ideas!” →

Charleston, South Carolina is a city filled with beautiful, historic homes. So many different variations of fabulous – some have a patina that developed over the years. You can see layers of what the building was originally constructed of – it’s just so interested!

Continue reading “Patina – Charleston, SC!” →

Flowers. I. LOVE. THEM. There is hardly a flower that I don’t like. Even more so now! This little bouquet was so fresh and bright, happy and alive. Visual perfection if you ask me ;)

Continue reading “A Stunning Vase of Cut Flowers!” →