Got it at Last!

Over a month ago Barry and I were sitting on the patio when we noticed a humming bird actually getting into the stream of water from our waterfall. He was fluttering his wings and having a good bath. Of course I didn't have my camera nearby, so I have been waiting and watching all this time, camera in hand. I had just about given up hope, because the weather had turned cooler and I thought I would have to wait until next year.

Then suddenly, there he was! The shots are not the greatest but it was the closest I could get and you can clearly see it is a humming bird.
























The next day we had another visitor who has not been here before as far as I know. He is a Wilson's Warbler. The color in the first photo is the truest, because he was mostly green looking.

But this time I had moved my chair closer to the waterfall, hoping to get a better shot of the humming bird. Instead I got some quite good shots of the Wilson's Warbler.

Petunias

Three...two...one!

Our petunias are also doing well this year. Usually we don't plant too many because the caterpillars get them, but we found a solution to that pest also! Oh I know they produce beautiful butterflies, but I do like flowers.

We have a butterfly bush also, which may have been the cause of some of our problems.















































And who's this??? ....Someone near and dear to my heart.

Red Crested Cardinal / More Hibiscus

The Red Crested Cardinal

If you have been to Hawaii, you will recognize this fellow right away. He is quite common, 'tho' spectacular, I think. I had tried to photograph this bird many times before but this photo came out the best of all. It was taken a couple of years ago.


















Our hibiscus have done so much better this year. These bushes are about 30 years old. We have had a very bad infestation of giant white-fly for the last couple of years, but by the looks of this bush we are winning!
This photo was taken towards evening because the sun is in the wrong location earlier in the day, washing out the color. This color is called Chinese Pink, I think. It is a very delicate shade.
We have not yet planted the hibiscus I posted about a three weeks ago-- the one with the gorgeous melon color -- because we have been very busy moving furniture and having new carpet installed. Oh yes, nice result, but highly stressful for me and the cat!

Scrub Jay Visitor

We have had a beautiful, blue scrub jay visit us for the past few weeks. He has been around all summer, I know, because I have heard him! He has an unmistakable harsh screech. But he he has only recently found our bird bath. He not only drinks there, but takes a very splashy bath.
























We also have a Mr. and Mrs. Towhee who visit regularly morning and night. They move through the back yard scratching like chickens, looking for the seed I throw out. Unfortunately they have a habit of scratching through the cedar chips, scattering them on to the patio, and my husband, being the man he is, sweeps up after them everyday! I'll try to get a good closeup of the towhees

Fishermen and Donkey at North Landing, Flamborough

This is based on three photographs I have, the main one in black and white. I couldn't get the right color for the donkey, it should be more greyish, but I couldn't get it to come through on the scanner.

This is how the fishermen brought the fish up to the top of the cliffs in about the 1920's. They were still doing it this way when I was a child in the 1940's. The original is approximately 8 and 1/2 by 11inches. Just brings back nostalgic memories for me, even after all this time.


















This drawing was kind of an experiment for me. I used watercolors and Prisma color pencils. The colors did not come out as well as I would have liked, so I had to play with digitalizing it, so this isn't quite an exact replica. The original is OK but the pencil colors didn't scan well. On the ATC's I can overlay heavily but a drawing sometimes needs a more delicate touch in places.

Odds and Ends this Week

Did you ever wonder how much work goes into writing
a book? I cleared out my desk this week to get rid of
all my rough drafts of my book "Good News Comes to
Pohnpei" Probably about 4 or 5 versions in this pile of
papers and that doesn't count all the hundreds of sheets
I had already thrown away. These were the drafts from
when I thought I was getting close to finishing!

It's so hard to get a photo of Bailey looking at me.
He doesn't like the flash. So I was pretty pleased to
get this shot especially because the flash come on a
split second before the photo is actually taken -- just
enough time for him to turn his head.






















He may not like looking at the camera but he spends
endless hours watching the birds just outside 'his' window.






















I spent at least an hour trying to get this photo of one
of the house finches Bailey sits and watches. This one
is not in finest color, since it is no longer spring. But now
I have figured out how to operate the macro component
of my camera, so hopefully this week I will get some really
good close-ups of various things.

I will post them in a day or two. We have company for Labor
day and Saturday and Sunday are busy days for our house.

Handcrafts from Micronesia.

Here are some wall hangings made by the people from the islands of Micronesia.
Beautiful, intricate and skillful work. The people from Kapingamaringi in particular made these.

I have stood and watched them in their little village as they deftly wove strands of banana tree leaves, and incorporated the small shells into their designs. Most of these people now live in a poor shanty town on the island of Pohnpei near the mangrove swamps. They moved from their island to Pohnpei because it was devastated by a typhoon a number of years ago.