Orchids…orchids…orchids!
Orchid display, Atlanta Botanical Garden
They are among the most beautiful, most ornate, most extravagant, most delicate of all flowers. And the Atlanta Botanical Garden is featuring orchids for the next two months. Many of them are permanent denizens of the glass houses that create habitats similar to their native homes. There are also displays of potted orchids arranged for maximum effect.
The newest member of my plant family - a moth orchid
A Rainy Night in Georgia
- Valentine Rock
Actually, it’s a rainy morning, too. Sundays here are always laid back. People go to church in large numbers in the South, and there are many large and small houses of worship within several blocks of my house. Things pick up by lunchtime. Or brunch time. I understand Atlanta is known for extravagant brunches, particularly the buffet-style affairs, usually involving mimosas – orange juice with champagne. Read the rest of this entry »
Black-and-White at Big Bend
Moonrise over the Window, Chisos Mountains
I decided to do something different and go retro – back to black-and-white. These are a few of my favorite BW images of Big Bend National Park in far west Texas. I worked and lived in Big Bend for two winters, and it is truly a special place. Of course, these are all digital images. Read the rest of this entry »
Louisiana Fog – Springtime
Azalea in Fog
I have a nice set of Louisiana fog images that deserved their own post. Growing up in Louisiana, I don’t remember as much beauty as I have experienced as an adult visitor. March and April are indeed the prettiest months, and the most comfortable. See for yourself… Read the rest of this entry »
Louisiana Vignettes
Evergreen Plantation, oak-shrouded lane
I have a stack of paper scraps with hastily scrawled notes, meant to help identify photographs. Some of these notes are 24 years old! Being home with a cold is a good time to sift through these memories, and to present vignettes of a state at its most beautiful in spring. Read the rest of this entry »
Atlanta Skyline
This view of Atlanta’s downtown is a few blocks from my apartment. I expected more ribbons of light during morning rush hour. Read the rest of this entry »
Red-headed Woodpeckers
I have only gotten glimpses of red-headed woodpeckers in Micanopy, Florida and Manhattan, Kansas. Now I have a chance to feast my eyes on these colorful birds here in Atlanta. The bare oaks in Grant Park make it easy to find them poking the bark for grubs. Read the rest of this entry »
Brown-Headed Nuthatch and the Atlanta scene
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Atlanta
I haven’t been birding since I arrived in Atlanta two months ago. I’ve seen (and heard singing) Carolina wrens, American robins, song sparrows, and a fleeting hawk in my neighborhood, along with juncos, house sparrows and pigeons. So I made a sightseeing trip north along Peachtree Street, aiming for the Chattahoochee River.
First stop, Starbucks to use a gift card, then Barnes and Noble to check out picture books on Atlanta (nothing very artsy – perhaps a future project?), and to familiarize myself with the area. Finally I arrived at one of the riverside parks run by the city of Roswell, GA. I had plans to visit the High Museum of Art during their “Pay as you wish” day in honor of MLK’s birthday. I wanted to be there around noon, so I didn’t make it all the way to the Chattahoochee Nature Center. But I did have a nice flurry of birds once a Carolina wren took exception to my proximity to its foraging place under an upturned canoe on shore, and created such a ruckus that other birds came to check it out. Read the rest of this entry »
Atlanta Nightscapes on the Last Night of 2011
It was a mild evening – and the Big Peach was going to drop at Five Points. It’s an 800 pound peach. Times Square drops a Waterford crystal ball. Atlanta drops a peach. So I had to see it. I walked down Auburn Avenue, my new neighborhood.
It only took a few blocks before I left the relative safety of my street of restored historic homes and wondered about the wisdom of continuing these few blocks to downtown. Clusters of idle men on one corner… a man hauling buckets of water to wash a car (his?)… another talking to himself. You get the picture. And I wanted mine. Since I was using a tripod, perhaps they didn’t suspect I was some kind of narc. A few wished me a Happy New Year. I wished them back.
The Oldest Black Shop in Atlanta
