Sixty::Sixty

 
 The  righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. ~ Psalm 92:12-15

Surprised? Did you think there would be painted buntings? My birthday is tomorrow. My posts will change directions and I'll announce the book giveaway winner.

Sixty::Fifty-Nine

 
  Caesar's Weed September 2008
A non-native Florida weed, an invasive one at that, with lovely pink flowers. More Caesar's Weed Photos from 2007 in my archived nature photoblog.

Sixty::Fifty-Eight

 
Morning Light September 2008 
 "Morning Has Broken" a hymn by Eleanor Farjeon (3rd Stanza)
Mine is the sunlight!  Mine is the morning.  Born of the one light  Eden saw play!  Praise with elation,  Praise ev'ry morning,  God's recreation  Of the newday!

Sixty::Fifty-Seven

  Fox Squirrel

It wouldn't be Pollywog Creek without photos of our fox squirrels.

Sixty::Fifty-six

Beach photos are always some of my favorites. These were taken on Clearwater Beach in September 2008 between lunch at the Columbia Restaurant and a NYY vs Tampa Rays baseball game in the evening. The remaining "sixty" posts are collages, most are diptychs. Because I will be out of town for a couple of days, the posts through Saturday have been scheduled.

And don't forget.

Sixty::Fifty-Five

    Fall Webworm Caterpillar

Honestly. I shouldn't like this photo. Every few years, fall webworms and tent caterpillars ruin any chance I might have of enjoying fall foliage by defoliating the sweetgum trees before the trees can do so naturally. 

This past year, they were particularly annoying, often falling out of the trees (including the cypress trees around the pond) like snow. They crawled through cracks on the porch and "wormed" their way into everything. 

But I do like the photo - the contrasting lines and colors, and I even like the caterpillar's spikey white hairs. Just wish they'd stay out of my sweetgum trees.

Sixty::Fifty-Four

    Showy Milkwort  Summer 2009

Sixty::Fifty-Three

Texas Queen Anne's Lace, May 2008

We traveled to northeast Texas to visit our son Casey and his family over Mother's Day two years in a row. It was precious time with people we love more than words. Jessi's parents were gracious and generous hostesses, and the acres and acres of wildflowers in the fields surrounding their lovely home were absolutely enchanting. 

Often falling on Mother's Day, May 10th was my mother's birthday. If she were living today, we'd be celebrating her 92nd birthday.

Sixty::Fifty-Two

   Gardenia collage: May 2007
Remembering Mother Mother's Day 2010

Growing up in the south, it was traditional for adult women to wear a corsage to church on Mother's Day. If her mother was alive, her corsage would be red. If her mother was no longer living, her corsage would be white.

Though this tradition is not as widely practiced today, if I had worn a corsage to church this morning, I would have been honoring my mother's memory with a corsage of white flowers.

It is with much love and affection that I remember my sweet mother, Mary Eleanor Gardner White.

Sixty::Fifty-One

I'm sure you've seen this macro and others like it many times. That little wildflower is no bigger than a gumball, but it looks like a wedding bouquet up close, don't you think?

Sixty::Fifty

Muscovy ducks are native to Central and South America, but feral populations can be found throughout the United States, where many (including my husband) consider them to be a nuisance.

Despite their rather homely appearance and bad reputation, I enjoy their visits to Pollywog Creek. They are very large birds and make a big showy splash when they fly into the pond. They eat weeds and bugs and make very little noise. 

The drake has only a low hiss and the hen a quiet coo.

Last summer, we discovered this hen and her ducklings swimming in the pond. She was a very good mother hen, always putting herself between me and her batch of little ones. Because of her protective nature, this was the best photo I could get.

Sixty::Forty-Nine

   Sunrise over Page Field - September 2009

Sixty::Forty-Eight

    Mexican Petunias for Cinco de Mayo

Sixty::Forty-Seven

   Weedy grass flower heads Summer 2009 
  Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.  ~ Psalm 147:7-11

Sixty::Forty-Six

  Nashville, March 2009

This photo of the Nashville Riverfront train depot, taken from the Shelby Street Bridge over the Cumberland River, was not in my original group of favorite photos. It isn't even one of my favorite Nashville photos, but it is an area of Nashville that is in danger of being damaged or destroyed by flood waters from the rising Cumberland River...and the photo prompts me to pray. I hope it does the same for you.

UPDATE: Here is a photo taken this week from about that same spot.

Sixty::Forty-Five

Creeping Oxeye (again) Summer '09

Sixty::Forty-Four

 
  Lo, the flowery month is come! March winds and April showers have done their work, and the earth is all bedecked with beauty. Come my soul, put on thine holiday attire and go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts.  ~ Spurgeon
 

Photos - Zinnia Collages, May 2007

Sixty::Forty-Three

   Eastern Amberwings - summer 2008

Sixty::Forty-Two

One of our neighbors built a shed as far away from their home as the boundaries of their property would allow. I can appreciate their desire to store their piles of junk out of sight, but unfortunately for us, the spot they chose backs up to our property and is clearly visible across our pond. A few feet from an old toilet and various plumbing supplies, a large oval piece of scroll work leans against the backside of the shed facing our property. I am seldom able to wander 'round the pond with my camera without focusing on that enchanting scroll work. It perfectly embodies one of my goals in photography - to find and capture beauty in unlikely places.

I have hundreds of photos of this oval scroll work. This one just happens to have been taken this past December.

Sixty::Forty-One

   Promises