random reflections

Take Three Thursday: Garden Vibes

It's been a few weeks since I joined in with Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday meme. Last night we attended the George Eastman Museum's "Garden Vibes" concert on the lawn of the mansion and I thought I'd share three photos from the event. It's been a favorite summer activity of ours ever since we joined the museum and found out about them. Typically there are three concerts during the summer---one each month. This year, however, there are only two because the gardens are undergoing extensive renovation this summer. We missed the first concert last week while we were at the lake, but the weather was much better last night---a nearly perfect summer evening in the high 70's with a gentle breeze. 

Songs From the Road Band from Asheville, North Carolina was terrific! They're a bluegrass band that perform highly original remakes of a few familiar songs and lots of their own compositions. All four are excellent musicians but two are truly outstanding--the mandolin player and the fiddler. The fiddler has won two National Fiddler Championships.

We arrived an hour before the concert, knowing it gets crowded, and we had great seats. It's bring your own chairs, your own supper, and your own wine if you'd like. We stopped and got delicious wraps at a new deli, and did bring a bottle of wine, so waiting was not a problem. The crowd was appreciative and it was a perfect way to spend a summer evening

I'll be anxious to see the renovated gardens next year, and equally anxious to get to the Garden Vibe Concerts which they promised would return in 2020.

Take Three Thursday: Flowers in the Yard & Patio

I could share a lot more photos from the yard this week, but here are three of my favorites. We've spent a long time in the yard this week, getting ready for summer. We got home just in time to enjoy the gorgeous blossoms on our peony tree.

These pretty dahlia came from our favorite nursery on the North Shore. Tracy gave me a generous gift for Mother's Day so I was able to purchase several plants and a few pots as well. The cool container came from a store in the Adirondacks last summer.

Last, but not least, a close-up view of the double petunias in a hanging basket on our patio that I purchased as we were walking out of the Rochester Public Market early Saturday morning. Later I'll try to post a photo of the whole basket which includes some other flowers. Love this purple colors.

Hoping the weather soon improves so we can spent more time on the patio. It's been pretty cool, and frequently rainy this month. Joining in with Mary-Lou at Patio Postcards for her Take Three Thursday meme.

 

Take Three Thursday: At the Birdfeeders

We have a variety of bird feeders in our front yard, and enjoy watching the birds from our kitchen table. This week we've had three pleasant surprises. The first was the return of the yellow finches. I love the little one on the top of the crook.

And then a bigger surprise: the rose-breasted grosbeak. We see them only occasionally, and often just for a day or two on their way north, but this year they've been here for a week already. Yesterday I counted 6 males and 4 females in the yard at once! We've never seen that many before.

But the biggest surprise was this morning when, for the first time ever, we had a visit from some Baltimore Orioles. There were four of them and they returned multiple times today. I hope they'll stay awhile like the grosbeaks.

I'm joining in with Mary-Lou for the Take Three Thursday meme--just getting this posted at the end of the day!

And one final photo of three of the Baltimore Orioles in the tree across the street. They are such a brilliant orange you can see them from a distance. Watching both the orioles and the grosbeaks fly about is just beautiful. They are even more gorgeous in flight.

Take Three Thursday: Signs of Spring

A quick post to join Mary-Lou at Patio Postcards for her Take Three meme. A walk around our yard just now produced a few photos of signs of spring. We live in an old neighborhood with lots of trees so some places are much farther along than we are. I have some daffodils on the dining room table that bloomed on our back hill, but the ones in the front yard are just beginning to open up as our house faces north and doesn't get sun until late afternoon right now. 

These pretty blue flowers are one of the first to bloom, and there is a carpet of them just below the patio.

We're probably a month or more away from seeing the peonies in bloom, but I was happy to see them poking through the soil.

The hellebores is in full bloom. I have a dish of floating blooms on the coffee table.

Hoping to get a walk through the park before the rains come, but for now I'm happy to see signs of spring in the yard.

 

Spring Flowers - Take Three Thursday and Two Challenges

It warmed up yesterday afternoon, and we were out for a walk, but there aren't really any spring flowers to be seen. A few snowdrops peeking up, a few crocus, and not much else. I'd be more encouraged if there wasn't snow in the weekend forecast. Maybe they'll be wrong for a change!

Last week I went to a local garden store to pick up some new pots for my African violets. They had a special display of primroses for $3.50 apiece so I brought three home. One for the kitchen:

One for the coffee table in the living room:

And one for my desk:

I'm joining Mary-Lou today for Take Three Thursday with three things you've noticed this week. Actually, these are three things I've truly enjoyed this week. Almost all my time at home is spent in one of these three rooms, and they've brought some joy and a touch of spring into my week.

Speaking of spring flowers, that's the challenge for Work it Wednesday at Simon Says for the next several weeks. The Simon Says weekly Wednesday Challenge is "Anything Goes," so this springy card will work for both challenges.

Of all the images I watercolored while I was away, this is the most colorful. Here's to Spring! The image is another Papertrey Ink "Bold Blossoms" for watercoloring.

Like the others I've posted, I used Altenew's 36 Pan Watercolor set. This time I added some details with my Polychromos pencils and a white Signo pen when I got home. Before mounting it on a card, I used the W+9 "Gift Card Layers Die" to create a stitched edge. 

The sentiment was stamped and die cut with Papertrey Ink's "Penned Elegance" set.

 

Take Three Thursday: Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt

I'm joining Mary-Lou for Take Three Thursday with three photos taken in the last week or so for the Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt organized by Eileen at A Bracelet of Days. For some reason it's taken me some time to get into the groove for this years scavenger hunt. I now have six of the items, but will share three today.

The first prompt was "At the end of the day." We arrived by boat in Disney Springs just at sundown. I shared a similar photo on this post.

Here's Hannah, "Dressed for the Season," #11.

"Flight" was #15. I took this as we left Orlando, headed back to cold temperatures and lots of snow!

Take Three Thursday: Day One at Disney World

We arrived in Florida late afternoon on Tuesday. Our first day at Disney World was yesterday, and I thought I'd pop in with three quick photos from the Magic Kingdom. 

Balloons on Main Street

Caleb and Sarah on Dumbo's Flying Machine

Hannah and Adam waiting for a ride

Tracy and I took a day off from Disney World today and drove to St. Petersburg for lunch and a bit of shopping. We're meeting the family for dinner in about an hour, and will spend two more days in Disney World before five of us head home to Wisconsin. Sarah gets another week in the warmer temperatures while attending a conference. I doubt she'll get a lot of time outdoors, though. It was chilly today, but way warmer than it is in Wisconsin, and the temperatures are climbing back into the 70's tomorrow.

Take Three Thursday

For this week's Take Three Thursday, I thought I'd share the three purchases we made at the Regal Nurseries in Virgil, Ontario on Friday. We got our first significant snow yesterday (with more on the way tonight!) Although I'm definitely not ready for snow, and there are still LOTS of leaves on some of our trees, I have to admit, the yard looked beautiful covered in the fresh snow. So I pulled on some boots and went out to take these photos.

Tracy spotted this lawn ornament, and we both love it. The bell rings when the wind blows, and there's a red pinecone (covered in snow) to the right of the bell. We've already seen birds perch on the top of the letter J next to the cardinal. 

Actually Tracy gets credit for all three purchases. He took me back to see a variety of bird feeders. We liked this one because it has an "arts and craft" look to it that goes with the light on the front of our house, our porch railings, and a wrought-iron hook we purchased this summer that's also in the front yard.

Although we both liked this feeder we couldn't figure out what kind of bird seed would work since there is no cylinder inside the feeder. Turns out there are suet balls, and we just didn't know about them. We have another suet holder that holds a block of suet and had never looked beyond those.  They look pretty cute in there. 

Turns out the birds like all the feeders. There are now four in front of the kitchen window. Come summer, we'll move some of them to the patio, but we'd never see the birds there in the winter.  

Take Three Thursday: November 8

I'm back again this week to participate in Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday where she encourages us to be mindful of what we see each week. It's hard to miss these beauties. Our "Christmas" cacti are in full bloom. Although the outdoor foliage is later than usual, our cacti (which always bloom around Thanksgiving) are earlier than usual. They've never been true Christmas cacti. I'm adding two extra photos today of close-ups of two of the cacti.

It's been very windy here the last two days, and the leaves are falling like crazy. We're going to need a lot of indoor color like this very soon!

 

 

Take Three Thursday: Fall Leaves

Days that have been good for a walk outside have been few and far between the last week. But Mary-Lou's Take Three Thursday meme encourages me to pay better attention when I do get out for a walk. One day this leaf with the water droplets (from our seemingly endless rain) attracted me. 

Once I spotted it, it wasn't hard to find a couple more that attracted me as well.

It's rather amazing how the water droplets stay on the leaves for so long after the rain.