SKnights Art Photography & Other Stuff

Bounty by the Bay......

2010-07-14T20:50:00.000-04:00

I had the most wonderful vacation in San Anselmo, California (across the bay from San Francisco.) I was fortunate enough to be able to spend time with my dear friends Jami and Bonnie. Days of fantastic weather, amazing food (both Jami and Bonnie are superb cooks and even have an outdoor wood fire oven from Italy,) fun sightseeing, walking and hiking, plus plenty of rest and relaxation!

I'll let the photos take you through some of the highlights......

A day in the city..... a view of Lombard Street.

Reflections on a beautiful sunny day in San Francisco......

An early wake-up call so I could take photos of the sunrise by the Golden Gate Bridge....

Priceless!
~~~~~~~

The colors of the weekly Farmer's Market:

I sampled my way through the entire market....

...and saw beautiful baskets of flowers everywhere.

.... and this was my first time tasting a "Pluot"

(a new one on me - apparently a cross between a plum

and an apricot!)

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My generous hosts and me, dining at Casa Carlson......

... and I was thrilled to reconnect with my college pal Eric

and meet his lovely wife Linda!

(Be sure and let me know when you're going to be in Ohio!)

The Pacific Ocean! With my new canine friend, Pismo.

(Kiss kiss, scratch, scratch, buddy!)

Of course I can't forget the reclusive Chloe.

(Yep, that's the face she gave me every time she saw me.)

~~~~~~~

Well, I have hundreds of photos to go through, but I just wanted to preserve my time on the West Coast right here on the Web! And yes, I've reserved the "same time, next year."

Thanks, dear friends, and make sure my room is ready!

Love to you all ~~

XOXOXO

Sue

2010 Garden.......

2010-06-07T20:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. I finally got my garden planted at the farm. I waited until I was sure there would be no frost, and I decided this year that I'd only work 3 or 4 hours a day instead of 8 hours a day, as I did last year.

Again, this is a true hillbilly garden! I use items from around the farm to make the perimeter structure, for the tomato stakes, and to hold down the black weed barrier. And of course, the old TV antenna "scarecrow" is in the corner, along with the large plaster owl, to keep the birds away. Pop cans and small muffin tins rattle in the breeze to keep the critters away, and the garlic and habanero pepper mixture that I spray around the perimeter keeps the deer and raccoons away (so far!!!!)

I used some broken wooden stepladders to hang the old cane pole which will serve as the pole bean trellis. I also have Alaska peas and Fordhook Lima beans growing in the corners. Along with tomatoes, hot Hungarian and sweet banana and Jalapeno peppers, broccoli and spinach, new to the garden this year are cucumbers, radishes, small watermelons, okra, white onions and lettuce.

The side of the Morton building will (hopefully) produce zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash and butternut squash.

Also beside the Morton building is the spearmint patch. I transplanted a small bunch from my Mom's house several years ago, and now I'm trying to keep it contained! I continue to share starts of it with my friends and neighbors. After all, how can you make a decent Mojito without the spearmint ???

I've already harvested some spinach, lettuce, green onions and three little radishes for a delicious salad over the weekend. I can't wait for everything to come in!! I plan to can some hot peppers, Grandma Margie's sweet pickle chips (the recipe also works for a yellow squash and zucchini sweet chip recipe) and maybe a bit of salsa.

I still need to figure when to plant cilantro and dill to coincide with canning, but other than that, I only need to give this year's garden some TLC.

Here's hoping the weather suits the veggies this year as well as it did last year!!!

Sue

Fun, fun, fun......

2010-05-17T18:39:00.001-04:00

Last week, my niece asked me to come to her Showtime 2010 dress rehearsal for her high school show choir. I took my camera and took plenty of shots for her and the cast. It was a fantastic performance, and I got a couple of unexpected shots which I thought were quite interesting........

What a great opportunity for these talented students to showcase their artistic flair! Best of all, they looked like they were having SO MUCH FUN!
Best wishes to all of them for a wonderful and fulfilling future!
Reach for the stars...............

Oh, the snow and the cold......

2010-02-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

.... in photos:

Icicles at Sunset

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Wagon Wheel

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Frozen Pond

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Mulberry Tree Covered in Snow

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Snowy Sunflower

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Snow Covered Branches

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Enough said. THINK SPRING!!!!!!!!

Sue

Exciting News (multiplied by two!)

2010-01-18T18:45:00.001-05:00

First exciting news item:

I just found out that one of my photo submissions won 2nd Place in the 2009 Ohio River Sternwheel Festival Photo Contest!!!! I was so excited when I got my letter (and check) in the mail this week. Here's my winning photo:

"Reflections by the Levee"

This was also the site of my infamous "slip and split" while taking photos that day (see this link for THAT story.) But at least my aches and pains were worth it!

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Second exciting news story of the year:

My husband and I became great-grandparents this month (I know, hard to believe we could be SO OLD!)

So without further ado, behold Ariel and John's beautiful baby boy, Jacob Patrick:

Winking at Great Grandpa

"Please, I'm trying to sleep!"

"Yes, I have lots of hair, too!"

So great news to start the year. Here's hoping you have a great start to your 2010 as well!

Sue :)

Winter Wonderland....

2009-12-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

I'm not a cold weather lover, but I had to appreciate the glorious snow we saw over the weekend! Everything was covered in the beautiful white stuff.......

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The cats weren't too fond of the snow, either, so of course we had to let them in!

Mamma Kitty in front of the heater.

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Caramel Kitty managed to get in several naps.

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And Fluff preferred looking out the window at the snow!

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So we have our White Christmas!

Here's wishing you a beautiful Christmas, too!

Sue (& Dave)

Big Buck - the one that got away......

2009-12-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

I haven't had time to post here for a while, but I got some photos of a monster Buck in our back yard..... in the city! No wonder he is such a huge buck - - no one can hunt him!

I'm hoping to find his shed antlers after winter... they will definitely look great on a table.

With two sets of drop tines, I can't even count the points on this buck.

This would surely be in the Ohio Big Buck category.

The doe he was following was a huge doe, so that should tell you how big he is...

he was sitting about 12 feet behind her.

~~~~~~~~

Well, that's it for now.

If I don't get back here before the end of the year,

please have a Merry Christmas

and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Remember....keep looking up at the sky

(Santa may be there!)

Sue

It's All About the Shapes.........

2009-10-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, I realized that when I take photographs, I often look for the shapes in my surroundings. I walk around looking at things that most others don't: The negative space working with a piece of architecture, the way items work with (or against) each other to make interesting composites. Yes, I often miss the shopping experience because I'm outside with my camera, but it's what I enjoy.

So without further ado, here are some images from a joyous weekend that allowed me to enjoy both the company of my fabulous friends and the fun of creating my own style of art with my camera.........

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Until next time.....

Smile for my camera if you see me :)

Sue

Halloween's right around the corner.......

2009-10-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

There's a chill in the air, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are quickly changing color. Halloween is just around the corner, and these photos reflect the feeling of the season:

Baskets of squash at the open air market.

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Piles o' pumpkins.

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Beautiful, colorful leaves.

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More pretty maple leaves.

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Scary black cats.

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And something even scarier:

My dentist appointment today!

I'm just teasing. It was painless:)

That's it for tonight. I'm really not ready for Halloween or the cold weather, but both are on the way whether I like it or not. So time to get out the coats, gloves, and scarves and dig in for another Ohio winter :(

Oh well. Think spring!!!!

Until next time.......

Don't forget to look up at the sky!

Sue

Some blogs that are featuring my photos.......

2009-10-12T22:10:00.009-04:00

I found that my photos have been featured in two other blogs today:

Please click on this first blog: tapestry 316, then come right back.

This is the blog of Etsy seller Kathy, who informed me on her blog that I had won an ACEO from the "Odd Angles Blog to Blog Treasure Hunt." It was really fun to look at the participating blogs and....... I can't believe I won! (In case you were wondering, an ACEO is defined as "Art Cards, Editions and Originals.")
Be sure and stop by Kathy's Etsy shop, too, by clicking here.

The photo featured in this blog can be found in my Etsy shop here.

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Now please click on this second blog: amala beauty, then come back here again.

This blog is featuring photos that reflect "beauty in nature, in the pure and simple, and in sharing that beauty with others." I'm thrilled to be featured today on this blog as well. Please visit the amala web site here to see their beauty products.

The photo featured in this blog can be found in my Etsy shop here.

I also found out that I won two other ACEOs from two other Etsy shops:
Thank you to Carole of RSully shops: RSully2Photography and ReadingSully2. Visit her blog Art Plus here.
My other winning ACEO comes from Marlene at her Etsy shop: LazyHawk. Visit her blog at Marlene's Musings here.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now please don't forget to stop by my Etsy shop at sknights.etsy.com. It's time to start thinking about the gift-giving season, and my art photographs will make beautiful gifts at a reasonable price, and they are ready for you to frame! Or you can order greeting cards using any photo in my entire shop here. And for the month of October, the SHIPPING IS FREE to anywhere, worldwide! So start browsing, and be sure and convo me on my Etsy site if you see a photo you would like in a larger or different size.

I'll be out trying to catch some sunshine, gorgeous skies and autumn leaves this next week, so be sure and smile if you see me :)

Until next time,
Sue

Etsy Front Page 10-1-09

2009-10-01T07:22:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo!!! My Iris photo made the Etsy Front Page today!!!

More Photoshop Fun.....

2009-09-23T17:58:00.005-04:00

My dear friend Kay Saniga is a talented artiste in New York City. She has been my mentor for my Photoshop introduction and has helped me so much in my learning process. She's been talking me through the myriad steps, over the phone, to show me how to turn photographs into art. (She is talented AND patient!)

So without further ado, here are some of my newest works:

This is the original photograph:

Here's a TTV (Through the Viewfinder) variation:

Next is one in black and white with a different TTV frame:

Here's another with red tones:

Here are three variations of the TTV style with different subjects:

A black squirrel in motion!

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A retired '58 Chevy Apache Truck

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...and a resting black and white cow.

I've already listed some new TTV work in my Etsy Shop here so be sure to check out those photos as well.

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Have a great evening. Dave's cooking supper, so I better scoot :)

Cheers,
Sue

The Noble County Fair & The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival

2009-09-15T22:38:00.002-04:00

Well, here we are, half-way through September. Where did the summer go????

It's been a busy couple of weeks. First I made a trip to Caldwell, Ohio to take as many colorful photos of the Noble County Fair as I could.

Here are some of my favorites:

The Paratrooper Ride in the Sky

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Frozen Fruit Cones Stand

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Inside the Tent - "Step Right Up and Win a Stuffed Fish"

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Mmmmmm...... Ice Cream!

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Rubber Duckies - with an Andy Warhol flair.

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This was a great day for me in Caldwell, Ohio, and a big "thank you" to all the vendors and operators at the Noble County Fair!

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Last week brought the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival to Marietta, Ohio. I decided to drive down and take some photos of these fantastic riverboats:

The Ohio River Sternwheel Riverboats lined up

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Silhouettes against the Sky

Two of the Riverboats

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The Historic Lafayette Hotel, Downtown Marietta, Ohio

"A Grand Riverboat Era Hotel"

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The "Betty Lou" Sternwheeler

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The Maid of the Mist - 1957

This little boat in between two of the sternwheel riverboats was one of the many "Maid of the Mist" boats that took tourists under Niagara Falls back in the 1950s!

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Reflections and Cobblestones

This is one of the final photos taken on my visit to Marietta last week, and it is the scene of my unfortunate slip on the green moss on the cobblestones. Yes, this is where I did a SPLIT, camera in one hand, balancing with my other arm in the air as my left foot slipped forward, my right foot stayed back, and I came within an inch of taking a dip in the Ohio River. YIKES! Just some bruises and scrapes on my right leg and foot, and for that I'll be getting a tetanus shot tomorrow! Oh, joy :) Actually, a small price to pay for over 200 great photos!

If you ever get an opportunity to visit Marietta, Ohio, it is such a beautiful city. Marietta was the first permanent settlement of the United States of America in the territory North & West of the Ohio River. It is one of my favorite towns in our fine country.

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So that's it for now. Have a wonderful autumn, and if you're in a part of the country or the world that has the beautiful changing seasons such as in Ohio, be sure to drink in all the colors and enjoy the scenery!

Until next time.....

Sue

Fun with Sunflowers and Photoshop......

2009-09-01T17:32:00.002-04:00

I'm still a rookie at my Adobe Photoshop Elements program, and I figured it was time I did some exploring:

Here's my original photo of a sunflower in my garden:

Next are some variations of this image:

WOW!!! This is just amazing. This has opened an entire new aspect to my artistic creativity.

Next is a variation of a different photo of an apple on a quilt. First, look at the original:

Now take a look at a "liquified" version:

I can't wait to experiment more with Photoshop. This was FUN!

Later,

Sue

A very busy month......

2009-08-26T16:19:00.002-04:00

August has been a busy month for me!

First, I attended the most wonderful high school class reunion the first week of August! It was so great to reconnect with so many people who meant so much to me and helped form so many lasting memories.

Here’s one photo of some of the gang from my old homeroom class.....

You can see more photos from the class reunion on my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sknights/

.............

Second, my garden has produced a bounty of goodies…. and produced and produced produced! I’ve been canning (cold packing) for several weeks now: spaghetti sauce, whole tomatoes, hot pepper slices and pepper rings, and my favorite, bread ‘n butter zucchini & yellow squash pickles.

This is my first time canning anything other than homemade salsa, so although it’s been a lot of hot work, it has been very rewarding.

Next year, I’ll know what to do with the zucchini and yellow squash earlier in the growing season (love those pickles!)

I’ve also baked and frozen some tins of stuffed hot peppers in tomato sauce, some with a meatloaf-type stuffing, some with ricotta and mozzarella cheese stuffing, so now I can just pop them in the oven like Stouffer’s lasagna!

I’ve got Hungarian peppers and medium hot peppers to make into pickled peppers this weekend, and then I think the garden should be slowing down. I am waiting for one more thing: my Brussels sprouts are starting to develop, so I can’t wait to harvest them.

I forgot that I also canned some “Dilly Beans” last weekend, too. I’ll have to let you know how they taste, since I haven’t opened them yet. The pole beans were great this season.

............

And third, I’ve also become my own “Geek Squad” tech as my mom is now the owner of a great new Toshiba laptop computer and she’s learning all the ins and outs of the World Wide Web! This is her first computer and once and a while, she needs a little help from me. But believe me, she is rockin’ it!

Way to go, Mom ;)

................

Yikes, I almost forgot to mention the fourth thing for August... my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on Monday. How could I forget to write about that?!? Too much in one month for an old girl to remember.
Love you, Honey!!!

Until next time…..

Don’t forget to look up at the sky!

Sue

Etsy Front Page 8/16/09

2009-08-17T16:39:00.003-04:00

This great photo of our barn made the Etsy Front Page!!
It's one of my very favorite images :)

Etsy Front Page 8/16/09 memoworkshop
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

Food, Friends and Fun.....

2009-07-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

I had big fun with my pals a couple weeks ago. We got together for a great dinner, lots of laughs, great food. We dined on a colorful salad, jalapeno cornbread, summer squash and zucchini on the grill, along with a melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin, followed by a blueberry tart and elegant little cookies for dessert. Yummmm….

I decided to share my Jalapeno Cornbread recipe, since the peppers are growing like crazy in my garden right now:

JALAPENO CORN BREAD

3 c. corn bread mix (2- 8.5 oz. boxes Jiffy or store brand mix)

1 c. milk (I use ¾ c. Heavy Cream w/ ¼ c. water)

3 eggs

3 Tbs. bacon drippings

2 c. canned corn (I use yellow-and-white sweet corn I’ve cut off the cob and frozen)

½ c. fresh chopped Jalapeno peppers, seeds washed out (or use pickled canned Jalapenos) Want it a little hotter? Use ¾ cup peppers.

2 ½ - 8 oz. pkgs. (hmm, guess that’s 20 oz.) cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat variety – mixes easier, but regular or a mix of both will work once at room temperature.)

6 tsp (6 individual packets) Splenda (or you can use sugar)

½ tsp. ground white pepper

Open peppers, wash out seeds. In a bowl, combine corn bread mix, milk, eggs, Splenda, corn, Jalapenos. Mix well, then add bacon drippings (warm in microwave if it's been refrigerated.) Mix cream cheese into the batter (the cream cheese can remain in medium-sized chunks…. no need to mix smoothly or dissolve in.) Spread mixture into a greased 8 ½ x 11 baking dish (I use spray oil.)

Bake at 425 degrees uncovered, for 25 – 30 minutes. Top should be golden w/ some brown, edges should be quite brown, toothpick should come out clean.

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Speaking of Food, Friends and Fun, alliteration came to mind. I decided to go through my photos for alliterative titles.

Without further ado, please enjoy some Fitting “Foto” Folly!!

Fantastic Fiddlehead Fern

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Fat Fluffy Feline on Fence

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First Fall Foliage

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Fine French Florets

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Flourishing Fringed Flowers

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Floating Flat Flotilla of Fall Frondescence!

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Have an Extra Enjoyable Evening :)

Until next time,

Sue

Clouds, Clouds and More Clouds.....

2009-07-20T20:41:00.000-04:00

Clouds! Oh so pretty!

Spectacular skies, truly a natural wonder! Simply, water evaporating as vapor and forming mist in the sky, lighter than air.

I love seeing the clouds at home, at the farm, or as we travel. Sometimes I get lucky and get a great photograph, too!

Please enjoy this variety of clouds from all over North America…...

Ohio Sunset Clouds

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Lake Chautauqua, New York

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Stoco Lake, Tweed, Ontario, Canada

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Southern Ohio White Blossoms & Clouds

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Clouds Opposite the Grand Tetons, Wyoming

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Ohio Winter Clouds

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Snow Clouds, & Kitty on the Crystallized, Ice-covered Snow

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Ohio Storm Clouds

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I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour of clouds and dramatic skies from my travels.

Have a great week..... and don't forget to look up to the heavens now and then!!

Sue

LOOK!! Etsy Front Page

2009-07-10T12:02:00.001-04:00

Etsy Front Page 7/9/09 Admin
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

Woo hoo... My photo "Foggy Sunrise" made the Etsy Front page on 7-9-09!

Bugs that Bug ME!

2009-07-08T15:19:00.000-04:00

I love to see and photograph bees on the flowers.
But something's been eating the petals on all the daisies.....

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I found the culprits: Japanese Beetles!

The nasty bugs are eating everything in sight including my Brussels sprouts leaves. My neighbors put traps up, so I put one up this afternoon. YIKES, the trap is filling up fast. Anyone else having the same problem? If "yes" please comment at the end of this post.

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Here's something that does NOT bug me:
A sweet little backyard visitor...

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And speaking of visits, yesterday I visited my "old" college roomie, Candy, and her adorable 4-month old granddaughter, Mallory. Most of my photos turned out blurry, but this next one turned out just great:

"Baby Toes"

Life is beautiful even with a few bugs!!

My First Vegetable Garden!

2009-07-05T17:01:00.000-04:00

I planted my first ever vegetable garden this year at our farm. My back is aching but the harvesting is so much FUN!

Here’s what the garden looked like mid-May:

All the grids and hanging cans and bags, along with scattered egg shells, have successfully kept the deer, rabbits and other critters away. . Plus I’ve used a smelly spray made of garlic cloves and habanero peppers soaked in water. (Horrible, but it does the trick!)

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Next take a peek at how it looks today with thriving tomatoes, peppers, pole beans, celery, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels spouts, and lots of sunflowers.

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Below is the side garden with more beans, yellow squash, cantaloupes & zucchini,oh my!

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Bee Happy…. A Busy Bee at work on a cantaloupe blossom.

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And now, the fruits (or veggies) of my labor so far:

Yellow Crook-Neck Squash

Hungarian, Bell and Jalapeno Peppers

And the best, freshest Cauliflower and Broccoli cooking on the stove (absolutely delicious!)

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The Southern Ohio climate and the extra rainfall we’ve had make everything grow like crazy.

I also grew a couple hibiscus plants this year and the blooms are huge:

And finally, my little kitty cat posing with the flowers by the fence. (awwww isn’t that just the cutest?!)

That’s all for now. Have a fantastic week!

Sue

Celebrations - 4th of July

2009-07-01T11:29:00.000-04:00

^{Time to embrace summer! Coming up: Independence Day in the}^USA^!

^{Happy 4th of July!!!!}

^{Let’s celebrate all things red, white and blue............}

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And a special "shout out" to all my Canadian friends and neighbors to the North:

Happy Canada Day!!!

Until the next time....
Sue

Magic of the Camera

2009-06-28T20:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome one and all to my very first entry of my very first blog! ...and let me officially welcome myself to the 21st century :)

I've been feeding a lot of hummingbirds and here's one I revived after he hit the sliding glass doors.
Below is the little hummingbird as he recovered from his most unfortunate wrong turn after being chased by another male! I never in my life picked up a bird before......

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Here's a shot I took today (thanks to my husband who saw these deer and then turned the car around so I could try to get this shot) ~~ So that's it for my first blog posting. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it and I hope you come back to visit again. Please be patient while I get the hang of this.

You can find hundreds of my photos online in my Etsy shop at sknights.etsy.com. You'll find photographs of flowers, insects, landscapes, barns, architecture, nature, abstract shapes and more.

Have a great week!
Best regards ~
Sue