Red Sunflowers and Studio Tour Saturday, September 1st

In late May, I carefully put in the ground 45 sunflower seeds from the OSC seed company.  The seed pack for Tournesol Fantasia showed a variety of colors and shapes.  What actually germinated was a row of really tall(over 7 feet tall) red sunflowers!  They made a great subject for my kaleidoscopes...

Spiderwebs and The BOOK

A series of 8 kaleidoscopes-- all of them have a spider web in them with some more obvious than others:

My book is done with 155 images!

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/nature/kaleidoscopes-emphasizing-geometry-in-nature-and-symmetry-7849036  You can preview and order from this link.

Next week I have a series of red sunflowers for you which are probably my most striking images yet.

In the Midst of the Spiderweb Series, I became Distracted with Dahlias

The annual end of summer dahlia spectacle is in bloom at the Roosevelt Campobello International Park at the Roosevelt "cottage" grounds. Every August I impatiently await this spectacle.  I don't grow them myself as they take a lot of care:  staking, removing the bulb from the ground in winter, protecting from slugs and earwigs, etc, etc.  If you don't believe me, read all the instructions on this site for the care of dahlias:  http://www.dahliabarn.com/dahlia-care.phtml.  Luckily there is a platoon of gardeners to deal with the dahlias in the RCIP.

Next week I promise there will be spiderwebs and hopefully a book announcement.

Poppy in My Garden--3 Different kaleidoscopes

I was going to do a series on spiderwebs, but I took a photo today of a poppy I grew from seed that I knew would make a great subject!  Here is the original photo:

I am deep into finishing my book of the best kaleidoscope creations of the past year.  I expect to announce it next week!

Sneezeweed, Smokebush, and Gooseneck Loosestrife

These odd sounding plants are in their full glory now in my Campobello Island gardens.  Although a little dry this summer, I don't think I have ever had a better year for my garden than this one.  My mints are over 4 feet high, my sunflower is over 5 feet high, and everything is doing incredibly well.  The fireweed has passed though and the old-timers say when the fireweed goes to fluff, the cool weather is not far behind.  Well the fireweed is beginning to "fluff"...

We are winding down the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery and have repopulated the Gallery with paintings Michael has brought back from the St Andrews show today.  Come visit us at 822 Route 774, Welshpool, NB E5E 1A6.  Don't use your GPS or Google Maps to find us as they seem to have wiped out all the data on the Island for those of us on Route 774 and despite lots of effort, I can't get the addressing corrected.  See our directions at:  http://www.friarsbaygallery.com/  I would be happy to give you a tour of my gardens!

Below are kaleidoscopes of the 3 plants in my title today!

Gooseneck Loosestrife and Spinner

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Smokebush

Sneezeweed in Full Bloom

You will have to visit to see the plants from which I have created the kaleidoscopes!  Maybe you will take home an original painting with you!

Bald Eagles on Campobello Island 50th Year Bridge Celebration

Kaleidoscopes at bottom of blog--see the bald eagle in these photos!

This was a big weekend on Campobello Island as we had two events celebrating history and many important people visiting the island such as members of the Roosevelt Family, Senator Collins, Senator Harkins, Member of Parliament John Williamson, and the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Healthy Living in New Brunswick.  As usual the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission and Employees did a fantastic job putting the events together.  One of my favorite moments was when a bald eagle paid a visit to Mulholland Point just moments before the Bridge Celebration began.  I decided to do 3 kaleidoscopes from 3 different pictures this week each featuring the bald eagle.

Campobello Island is a beautiful place and I truly hope the proposed wind turbine doesn't drive us and many others to sell our properties and leave this wonderful paradise in search of a less industrialized and quieter place.  I don't travel 3500 miles twice per year to live for 6 months within earshot of a wind turbine and I am sure others will feel the same.  We hope our nascent town government makes the appropriate decision and does not issue a building permit or endorse this poorly sited project in the heart of historic Welshpool.  Join us in our fight!  http://campobelloheritage.ca/links.htm

Bald Eagle on Post at Mulholland Point

 

Bald Eagle in Flight at Mulholland Point

Bald Eagle on Post by Beach Roses

3 different kaleidoscopes from the same picture at Head Harbour Lighhouse Area on Campobello Island

Pictures of water make very interesting subjects for a kaleidoscope as they are very dynamic and have lots of movement.  For this week, I am going to display the original photo first and then the three variations:

Rocky Island

off East Quoddy

Rocks in Water--Lionshead

Rocks in Water--Colours

Rocks in Water--Patterns

As always, these are for sale in an 8" by 8" format, $50 framed