Sunflower

Sunflower
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This photo is of a sunflower that I grew from a seed of the type I sell in the store. I put it in a large pot in front of the store--sort of a good will ambassador to potential seed buyers. The anthers and pistils are now all gone and you can see the seeds growing on the head. Seems a new photo is in order. The colors won't be so intense, but the pattern of the seeds in the head will be more apparent.

I celebrated the Fourth in Kent, CT. I found a fireworks display at a local summer camp near my house. It was quite a show for such a small number of observers. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get any decent exposures, but some of them came out quite well.





Off to Virginia for a few days with my brother and a niece. Monticello is one desitination. I haven't been there since I was about 10 which is more than a few years ago.

Plum Tomatoes

Plum Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Summer is here and the tomatoes are beginning to put out fruit. These are plum tomatoes, San Marzanos to be exact, that I grow to make into sauce. The ones in this photo are very early in their growth. They'll get much bigger and fatter as the summer wears on. It always amazes me that tomatoes take so long to grow. I'm trying to be patient with little success.

Frogs continue to abound in the vernal pool (which still has lots of water thanks to torrential rains throughout June) aan elsewhere in my yard. They sit around the pool and jump in when I approach. Occasionally they cooperate and pose for photos. Here's a leopard frog.



I got some nice bird shots--a red-bellied woodpecker where you can actually get a peek of the red belly and a male cardinal who had gotten drenched fulfilling his parental duty to feed his young offspring.