The Royal Photo Blog

Remembering Summer

2010-10-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

We didn't have a very good summer. The rain seemed to last forever. However, we did have some lovely flowers and other memories, and this is the first chance I've gotten to post the pictures.

Remember the "Curly Stranger" from last year? We were told by our good friend Far Side of Fifty that it was a Leopard Lily. Below is the only bloom we got this year.

But we found one at the garden center and planted it in a pot to see if it was the same thing. The Curly Stranger from our forest is about 1-1/2 to 2" long. As you can see, the blooms on the plant we potted were as large as my hand. So different from the delicate flower we thought it would be. But still they are the same.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Duchess

A Few Leftovers

2010-07-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures I liked but they didn't make it into Emma's blog. They are from our July 4th camping trip.

Emma Rose

Mister Higgins

Sir Bear

Thanks for stopping by!

The Pink Peony

2010-04-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Every year I am amazed at the brilliant color of this flower.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Duchess

Vacancy

2010-04-15T18:41:00.001-07:00

Here Comes The Sun!

2010-03-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

My Heart Girl

2010-03-06T20:25:00.001-08:00

The Sun Shines for Mister Higgins

2010-02-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

You Are So Beautiful To Me

2010-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Blue Moon

2010-01-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

I forgot about the Blue Moon until early this morning. And on a whim I decide to grab the tripod and go outside before the sky got any lighter. I should have changed lenses, but it didn't even cross my mind until hours later! I shot a series of photo's as the clouds were crossing the sky. Yes, there is a moon in that bright spot. I could see it through the clouds, but the camera didn't. The last three pictures were taken about 30 to 40 minutes later when the sky had lightened considerably. This was my first attempt using the night setting on my camera. If I knew what I was doing it probably would have turned out better. However, I enjoyed it, so I consider that a success!

Chillin' With Dad

2009-12-20T19:01:00.001-08:00

Puppy Love

2009-12-20T18:58:00.001-08:00

Seeds and Bugs

2009-12-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

I never got around to planting those seeds from the mystery tree. I meant to. I looked at the little zip lock baggie almost every day, intending to file the hard shells and plant the seeds near the fence out back. But I never quite got around to it. Then one day I noticed there was a bug inside the baggie with the seeds. Icky. How did he get in there? Well, at least he appeared to be dead. Weird!

Now, several weeks later, there are two bugs in the baggie. And they are alive. And they have bored perfectly round holes in the seeds. How strange is that? I think the whole bag is going in the trash now. Seeds I like - Bugs I don't!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Duchess

Bugs

2009-10-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

A bug flew in front of me and landed at my feet on a leaf. I happened to have my camera, so snapped a shot of this yellow flying creature.

The details captured by a DSLR camera never cease to amaze me. My camera sees far more than my eyes ever will. Simply amazing. (click on picture to enlarge)

The Mystery Tree

2009-09-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Every year at Lake Roosevelt I tell my husband I want one of these trees. I don't know what they are but they are hardy. Summers temperatures average 100 degrees and the winters are harsh with many feet of snow. The trees are beautiful.

They have tiny leaves. I imagine they make a good mess in the fall.

This year we noticed the pods for the first time. Most of them were green.

However, we found a few that had dried and turned brown. So we picked them and stripped the seeds from them.

The problem now is - How to get the seeds to grow a tree! We have twenty seeds. They look similar to a watermelon seed but they are brown. Very smooth and the sizes vary.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! I have never grown a tree from a seed before and don't even know if it is possible :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunflowers

2009-09-07T20:04:00.001-07:00

We planted a variety of sunflowers this year. Different colors and sizes. I love sunflowers. They are so happy - they just make you feel good.

Thanks for stopping by!

Madrone Tree

2009-08-05T20:25:00.001-07:00

I was told this is a Madrone tree. They were plentiful in the area where we camped last week. I was intrigued by the bark and the colors. It looks like brown paint peeling off with a smooth green paint underneath. Evidently this happens every year. I hope you can see it ok when you enlarge it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Forest Findings

2009-07-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

While working out back I noticed all kinds of different things growing on the dead tree limbs that we were stacking in piles. The more I looked, the more interesting it became to see how many variations I could find. I have no idea what any of them are - except the second photo is your basic moss, I think. You need to click on the pictures to really see the textures and colors. They are all softer than they look. the first one is very delicate. Can you identify any of them? It would be fun to know what they are!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Duchess

Something's Blooming

2009-07-10T17:42:00.001-07:00

We took a walk around the yard and snapped some pictures to share.

This red day lily has never been a favorite,

but this year it looks better than in the past.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

This is the first bloom on the purple Clematis.

And pop, they exploded within 2 days.

This is the promise I love to see.
It tells me my favorite blooms are getting very close.

I really love these pink Calla Lily's.
Every year they multiply, which delights me to no end!

And this is that wild Sweet Pea - It is getting out of control.

I say "Go for it girl!"

And of course, no "garden" is complete without the Black and White "blossom"!

(She made me do it!)

What's all this fuss about flowers for?

When you have a Queen, your pictures should all be of her royal furness!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Duchess

R.I.P. Curly Stranger

2009-07-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

I got up bright and early, grabbed my camera and headed out to the forest to find my newly discovered flower. I wanted to see if the bud had opened and what it might look like in the early stages. However, I could not find the darn thing. I was sure it was right there next to the path, so I called my husband over to help me. Suddenly the look on his face told me the whole story. Yesterday evening while doing some clearing he ran right over the Curly Stranger and killed it. He was mortified and I was truly dismayed. Now I can laugh, but it was not funny at the time. If it was a rare and valuable gem, as my friend Far Side of Fifty suggested, we will have to wait and see if it grows back next year. I am making him put a little fence around it!

The guilty party holding the Curly Strangers lifeless form.

R.I.P.

Curly Stranger in the Forest

2009-06-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

While bemoaning the fact that there are no flowers in the forested part of our property, I happened upon this little beauty. I have no idea what it is, but it was so colorful and interesting I decided a portrait was in order! The color is actually more orange than yellow. I will be watching it to see how that last bud opens.

Wild Sweet Pea

2009-06-24T18:46:00.001-07:00

This wild sweet pea is growing along our fence. Last year, just as it was about to bloom, my husband sprayed it with Round Up. This year it came back with a vengeance. I know I should probably pull it up before it takes over, but it's so pretty I can't bring myself to destroy it!

The Birth of a Peony

2009-06-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

Loving Sir Bear

2009-06-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.

--- Sidney Jeanne Seward

Cicada

2009-05-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

While working on the fence yesterday we found this "bug" crawling in the dirt. Our neighbor, Greg, said he though it was a Cicada. I have never seen one but I knew about the noise they make. We slipped a piece of paper under it so I could get a better picture of it. It has a hard body like a beetle. Not very attractive. (Be sure to click on pictures to enlarge)

Later in the day we were shocked to find this iridescent fragile looking thing had emerged from the ugly shell in the first picture. I was completely enchanted by the colors of this new creature so I just kept snapping photos.

The dark green dot on his wing is a drop of liquid. When they "molt" they are covered with this brilliant green fluid and then they hang on a branch to dry. I assume they cannot fly until their wings are properly dried out.

Maybe we will hear his music in the trees sometime soon.

Things are Blooming!

2009-05-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

The little Azalea Bush

The Oriental Lily for Mother's Day

The hanging basket Fuchsia - also for Mother's Day

The Peony Tree

8 Years Old Today

2009-05-03T15:55:00.001-07:00

Where do the years go my love? Too swift, much too swift.

Trial Run with the New Nikon D60

2009-04-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge!

This picture was taken while driving down the road. Click on it to see hundreds of geese.

This also was taken while driving. I liked the looks of this little market.

This is a tunnel we drove through.

This was shot through the window of the truck at 60 mph.

This little "camp robber" was always nearby.

This was supposed to be a picture of the blue jay. But the bird got blurred out and the pine needles were so crisp it turned out quite interesting.

This is a tree top filled with little birds.

A morning shot of O'Dell Lake.

Robin on a snag. Testing the zoom.

Another nice shot of the lake.

Our "friend" again.

Jazzy and Friday.

A zoom shot of a little bird. I was very pleased with this because the bird was so far away.

The Snow Queen

So thoughtful.

Jazzy and Friday in their Cabela's coats.

Sunrise on the lake.

This was taken from the truck going 65 mph on the freeway. Not bad!

Blogger's Community Photo Challenge - The Great Outdoors

2009-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of our neighbors old barn, taken for the Blogger's Community Photo Challenge. It was taken in Clackamas County, Oregon on April 18, 2009.