Om Mother's Day, we flew to Seattle to visit a friend we hadn't seen in 28 years. The next day Linda drove Judy and me, and her dog Theo, north three hours to the Canadian border. We took a 2 hour car ferry to Vancouver Island, drove an hour north, and took another ferry (without the car) to Lasqueti Island. A neighbor took us across the bay in a small motor boat to her cabin that had the view below of False Harbor. We had a terrific time bonding with this dear friend whom we met 48 years ago in Herrin, Illinois. We had come a long way from southern Illinois. This image is a merger of two images via Lightroom that I took on the last morning that we were there. What a great time we had!

One of the current exhibitions at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Nashville is "Bellissima! The Italian Automotive Renaissance 1945-1975". Judy and I escaped the heat of the day by going to see the cars. This is the second automotive exhibit at the Frist since we have lived here. And these cars are remarkable. And this one, 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, is one of only 39 made to compete in world FIA racing events. Needless to say, it is very expensive, a similar one sold at auction two years ago for over $38 million. No wonder I don't have one in my garage!

Now for some more amazing info with details of the photo. Camera: Sony 7rii, lens 90mm macro, exposure f/8 at 1/160 second, and the iso is 25,600. I didn't dare use that high of an ISO with any of my previous cameras. I am amazed. So I was able to take the photos I wanted with the museum's restrictions of no flash and no tripods.

Do you have a favorite? I'd have to say that at least 40 of our 50 varieties rank as a favorite. Maybe all 50. There are some that bloom and bloom. They urge consideration as a favorite. Wyatt's Cameo is one that could be considered.

By the way, this image is from my new Sony camera 7rii with the 90mm macro lens. Exposure data: iso 3200, f/5.6 at 1/640 second.

Judy had always, ALWAYS, wanted to see the Grand Canyon. So we went on an extended trip (through 10 states, including Tennessee) in February to visit dear friends in Colorado, and then on to the Grand Canyon. It was awesome. We spent parts of four days and one night in the Park; the other nights we stayed in Williams, Arizona (a picturesque Route 66 town). The weather was mostly warm with fewer tourists. We loved it!

When we first moved here, we brought with us a dozen or so varieties of daylilies. I thought that there was a perfect spot near the pool and deck. The garden grew. I added a section north of the first one and brought it up to the level of the pool deck by adding lots of soil and 122 concrete blocks. And then I expanded the first bed. And I'm thinking about making it a little larger. We now have over fifty varieties. Some are already finishing for the season. Everything started to bloom about two weeks early. And each new bloom bring so much joy. It's not peak yet.

SONY DSC

Would you believe, dinosaur tracks?

After we spent the night in Yuba City, we saw a sign that advertised "Dinosaur Tracks".  Judy had read about this location in the guidebooks and wanted to stop. It was already sunny and warm, even if it was February, and the Navajo couple welcomed us to their rustic display shelter. She had jewelry of various kinds and explained that her husband would guide us. And just as we were about to set out across the dusty red rock landscape, she called him back and handed him a bottle of water. I wondered if we were in for a long walk and whether we ought to get our water as well. But, no, he used the water to spray in the depressions that were left centuries millennia ago in the mud by creatures that must have been larger than us. We were fascinated and awestruck at the footprints that were everywhere.

Utah. Moab. This past February. On our way to the Grand Canyon.

A morning ritual at our house during the summer is to stroll though the daylilies, to see which new ones are blooming that day. Sometimes, there are surprises, like the visitor on the petal of Joan Senior. I only noticed a few minutes ago that just above the snail there are areas missing from the petal. Families members report that daylily petals taste sweet, like sweet pea pods. The snail appears to agree. And I thought it was just looking.