ABC Wednesday: G is for Gate

Graceful gates galore grow upward at the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

Gorgeous gliders top the garden gate below to guard the greenhouse which growers use in the botanical garden.

Green grassy gate greets the visitors to the botanical garden.

Grand Guady gate glows in front of the Colonial Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.

Grim soldiers guard the gate leading into the Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg, VA.

Gracious gentlewomen allow you to gain entrance, to one of the many town houses, through the white picket gate.

You can stroll through the garden at another colonial house and enter via the gate.

There are such a generous supply of gates in Colonial Williamsburg that I'll stop with one last substantial gate which leads to a carriage house which surely has a groom or two.

For other takes on the letter G, please visit the home of ABC Wednesday.

That's My World Tuesday: Several late August walks

For my last August That's My World Tuesday post, I thought I'd show you some photographs I've taken on recent walks at Shelley Lake (Raleigh, NC, US).

The first shot was taken below the dam and I was trying to get a group shot of the zillion dragonflies and damselflies flitting around. I'd never seen so many in one place but I gave up as they blended into the grass. Instead I decided to try for a shot showing the cloud formation over the bench on top of the dam.

Although I gave up on a group shot of the dragons and damsels, I did get a solo flight above. I'm ready for summer to end but I was reminded of how green and beautiful this summer has been in spite of the heat. We've had enough rain to help the plant life make it through the hot days.

Even the piling left when a dock was removed is growing grasses out of the wood (the one to the right of the mallard duck which is standing).

This has been the hottest summer I can remember ever having in terms of consecutive days, weeks, and months without any relief from the heat. That's why even a week at the end of August with some slightly cooler nights and not quite as hot days was a major relief. Looks like September is coming in with some more hot days but this too shall pass.

I'm glad that I've been able to take advantage of some pleasant mornings and start walking again.

I would hate to have missed these late summer views on the lake near my house.

I also like to walk along the creeks which feed into the lake and then flow on the other side of the dam.

There are a lot of different butterflies which I've noticed on my walks. Below is a common buckeye.

I am definitely ready for fall and I always enjoy the autumn leaves but I am also glad that I reminded myself of how beautiful and green my world is in the summer, as long as it isn't too dry.

It always interests me how there aren't any gulls at the lake until winter. There are ducks and geese year round but the gulls arrive in the winter and leave in the spring. I have shots of the gulls in the snow and ice at this lake, but they are never here in the summer.

This post is getting long so I guess I'll stop on the bridge. Maybe next week I'll take you through the woods on some of the trails beyond the lake on either side which follow the creeks.

To visit other parts of the world, please go to the home of That's My World Tuesday.

The Weekend in Black and White: Old Buick

I attended a classic car show which I blogged about in another post but I saved this rusty old Buick for black and white. It was nice to see an old car, amongst the shiny restorations, that was rusty and showing its age.


For other black and white photographs, please visit the home of The Weekend in Black and White.

SkyWatch Friday: In between late August storms

The first shot was taken Wednesday when there was a break in between storms and briefly pleasant air temperatures. I took this shot standing on top of the Shelley Lake Dam facing towards the bridge.

The second shot was taken on Tuesday, also in between storms with pleasant air temperatures for a change, but I was standing on the bridge facing towards the Dam for this one.

For skies around the world, please visit the home of SkyWatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: F is for Foggy Fall Frosty Frozen

Focusing on foggy, fall, frosty and frozen images. The formidable heat of August has me falling into a sweaty heap when I'm outside. Nice to remember that fall is coming soon, followed by winter.

I love foggy days as long as I don't have to drive far from home. I particularly love fall leaves both on the trees and after they have fallen to form a carpet on the ground.

Sugar frosted leaves are one of the pleasures of fall and winter.

I also like going on a brisk walk in frigid weather. The last shot is from last winter when the lake was frozen and the seagull flew freely above it.

For anyone who hasn't figured it out yet, I am not a summer person at this point in my life. I do not care for the heat and humidity and am glad that I'll be rescued by fall. For other takes on the letter F, please visit the home of ABC Wednesday.

That's My World Tuesday: Classic Car Show Raleigh NC

Bill and I went to a classic car show in downtown Raleigh, NC. I am going to number them so at the end I can tell you which were my favorites.
Number One

There was a wide variety of cars ranging from restored antique cars to hot rods and many in between.
Number Two

The cars were lined up on Fayetteville Street and there were also some inside the Civic Center.
Number Three

There was so much to see outside that we didn't pay to see the cars inside the Civic Center.
Number Four

I don't know very much about cars so I can't tell you much about them.
Number Five

I was surprised that the midget car above is a 1954 model. I would have guessed it to be much older.
Number Six

I took so many photographs that it's hard to decide which ones to include in this post.
Number Seven

In general I tend to like the cars with paint which seems to go with the era they were built in but in spite of that I enjoyed the flashy red one below.
Number Eight

The older cars with flashy paint I'm posting here are primarily ones I like even with the paint job. There were some that went way over the top for me.
Number Nine

I don't know what to think about the car below. As I said I don't know much about cars but I'm assuming that one is a hot rod, although I could be wrong. The tires stand out for me almost as much as the wild paint.
Number Ten

There were so many people it was hard to take pictures without getting the crowd into the shot. So many of those people were taking photographs, I was less shy about shooting in a crowd than I normally am.
Number Eleven (red car in the middle of the road)

If I were to be given the chance to drive off in one of these cars I would have a hard time deciding between Number One, Number Three, Number Six, Number Seven and Number Eleven. To visit other places around the world, please go to the home of That's My World Tuesday.

The Weekend in Black and White: Rural Drive By

Click for the home of the weekend in black and white.

Skywatch Friday: A touch of sky through the trees

Click for the home of skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: E is for Eliot Evans Emory

E is for Eliot, Evans, and Emory. George Eliot was the pen name for the author whose birth name was Mary Anne Evans.
The sea shells beside the George Eliot novel below were brought to me by a friend who found them on the beach and her last name is Emory.

For other participants take on the letter E, please visit the home of ABC Wednesday.

I just found out that the kind ABC Team chose my post from last week (D is for Durham) as the blog of note for week 4. Note - my thank you below has strange spacing I can't seem to fix. Apparently adding the note has done something with the html and fixing it is beyond my abilities.
I am honored to be chosen for this award, particularly since there were so many creative posts on the letter D. I am enjoying participating in ABC Wednesday, for the first time, so much. Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt for starting this fun meme and for the expanding ABC Wednesday Team who help to keep it running so smoothly.