summer starts

School is officially out for the summer. But Bob forgot and didn't change the alarm from 5:30, so I've been up and moving since then. Between the bike ride and the walk, I'm ready for a nap. Still, getting up and moving early is better than slowly letting myself fall into the pattern of getting up later and later in the day.

These purples have been catching my eye this week as they've bloomed. There's another flower that is a deeper purple and blooming in a globe shaped net that no one in this neighborhood is growing. When we're traipsing around at garage sales, though, I see them. One more reason to bring the camera!


This would be a really good day to spread out on a blanket and see what shapes the clouds will take. That and take a nap. Did I mention that already?


So many of the blooms are fading now, but the water droplets on these were worth a shot.


The stuff that will stay the longest around here is xeriscaping, which is the landscape made specifically for our arid climate that grows naturally with little water.

I should have gotten closer on this one. The purple flowers with the yellow centers are really pretty. I seem to have a purple theme going this morning in most of the pictures.

So we got back to the house for breakfast and while I was gazing off at the sky and glancing around the backyard, I realized I was being watched.


This little guy was in an antique store, set inside an old birdcage, carved out of a single piece of wood and I was smitten. Lynne bought him for me on her first visit here, although she probably doesn't remember it. He's graced the kitchen window since then, but this morning, with the right angle and light, he looked like he might just come to life and join me.