ABC Wednesday: C is for carving

I'm not very good at carving in spite of my name being Carver. I have knives for cutting, chopping, carving and crushing which I use before and after cooking on occasion.

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The Weekend in Black and White: Faerie Land

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SkyWatch Friday: More of the same

We are continuing to have storms almost every day.

The variety come from the fact that we're also having partial clearing for part of most days.

I debated whether I'd need an umbrella when I had to go to the office for a few hours.

As it turned out I didn't need my umbrella but if I'd left it in the car I would have.

I'm glad we are having at least some blue in the sky for part of most days.

One thing I like about clouds is the variety and how the sky keeps changing.

Clouds can paint such pretty pictures.

The crepe myrtle trees are brightening up the sky.

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ABC Wednesday: B is for bluejay and bluebird

Bluejays are a lovely combination of blue, white and black.

Bluebirds are blue, reddish brown and white although you can't see much of the white underbelly in the shot below.

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The Weekend in Black and White: Lath House

One of my favorite places at NCSU's  J. C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC is the Lath House. 

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SkyWatch Friday: a few days of blue

I haven't photographed the sky much this week.

Most days were gray and raining but we did get a short break with blue for a change.

The forecast ahead is more of the same with mostly stormy days so I enjoy blue skies when they make a brief appearance.

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ABC Wednesday: A is for Arch

An arch in the J.C Raulston Arboretum.

Artfully arranged jasmine on an arch in Grace Garden.

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Our World Tuesday: Humid Summer

The gray skies are beginning to be brightened up by Crepe Myrtle Trees.

My black-eyed susan (rudbeckia) are bowed down by rain.

 

The squirrels quench their thirst on my deck.

The bees like to burrow deep into my rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacus).

I grow echinacea (coneflower below) and I am curious how echinacea tea is made. Then again my echinacea is popular with so many birds so I probably wouldn't try to harvest it even if I knew how the substance used in the tea was extracted.

The shots above were all taken around my house in Raleigh, NC. The rest of the shots were taken in Durham, NC which is a neighbor city to mine.

I've even read articles which refer to Raleigh Durham as if it's one town which seems odd to me.

I think if an article wants to link the various nearby towns where I live it makes more sense to refer to it as the triangle area of NC.

The triangle is a handy reference for Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, the Research Triangle Park, and Cary.

It's common for people to live in one of the towns and work in another.

I live in Raleigh and the company I work for is based in Durham.

There are a number of large universities and colleges in the the triangle area as well as frequent cultural and environmental festivals, music, gardens, plays, and museums. 

There has been talk of a rail system for commuters in the triangle area but it never seems to get past the planning stage.

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The Weekend in Black and White: Light and Shadow Play

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SkyWatch Friday: Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell

Going through the sky shots I took over the past 7 days made me think of the Joni Mitchell song: Both Sides Now. Therefore, I'm using her lyrics to accompany this post.

Rows and floes of angel hair  And ice cream castles in the air 

And feather canyons everywhere  I've looked at clouds that way  

But now they only block the sun  They rain and snow on everyone 

So many things I would have done  But clouds got in my way

 

I've looked at clouds from both sides now  From up and down, and still somehow  It's cloud illusions I recall  I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels  The dizzy dancing way you feel  As every fairy tale comes real  I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show  You leave 'em laughing when you go  And if you care, don't let them know  Don't give yourself away

 

I've looked at love from both sides now  From give and take, and still somehow  It's love's illusions I recall  I really don't know love at all

 

Tears and fears and feeling proud  To say "I love you" right out loud   

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds  I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange  They shake their heads, they say I've changed  

Well something's lost, but something's gained  In living every day

 

 I've looked at life from both sides now  From win and lose and still somehow It's life's illusions I recall  I really don't know life at all

When I copied the song lyrics into this post (the italic portion) the line spacing was messed up. I've had problems with that before with blogger. Copying from somewhere else and it keeps me from getting the spacing right. I know there's a way to fix it with HTML but I don't have the patience. The weird part is how it only does it with certain text and shots since all the italic lyric lines were copied from the same place.

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