Almost as if a switch had been thrown, our weather changed from excessive summer heat to below normal temperatures. With lows in the 50’s at night and highs only in the 60’s and 70’s we had a real hint of the end of summer. Life has sped up knowing that fall can’t be far away, and although we may have hot temperatures again during the daytime, the nights will cool off considerably as our hours of daylight shorten. Knowing this made these beautiful pink cosmos seem even more special when I found them in a wonderful garden today. Their lightness was a reminder of the carefree feeling of summer – enjoy it now because it’s fleeting, soon to be followed by the deeper smells and rich colors of autumn.
florals
Geraniums by the window
We had a “free” Saturday this weekend and decided to hit the back roads of Minnesota. We traveled about an hour or so south to Faribault and explored the town, in particular the antique and consignment shops as we were on a very specific mission for old picture frames. We had some success early on, but decided to keep looking as we wandered our way home. Alongside State Highway 57 in Wanamingo we found the Lars Larson log home., nestled under the town’s water tower. This area of the state was first settled by the Norwegians and this small one-and-a-half story log cabin was built by Lars and his son Edward in the 1850’s. It was completely restored in 1974, and as we drove past it truly looked like someone was living there. The town of Wanamingo has the most lovely red geraniums in the window boxes on either side of the front door, and the gardens along the front were full of black-eyed susans and lilies. With the blue and white gingham curtains, the white trim of the windows, and the red of the geraniums I couldn’t help but think that the Larsons would be most proud of their little log house that was built so many years ago.
California poppies
A short haiku:
summer’s bright morning
golden poppies dance lightly
blue heavens above
Kilian Donahue clematis
We have had an unusually wet spring with over nine inches of rain during the month of May alone. Although that has been a challenge in trying to schedule training miles for our upcoming bicycle ride, one of the wonderful benefits of all the moisture is that our vegetation and yards are gorgeously green and verdant. We’re fortunate to have a large variety of clematis gracing our yard, and this has to be one of the very best years to enjoy their beautiful blooms. Our Kilian Donahue clematis is in full bloom – lush with blossoms. The blooms of this particular clematis actually change colors from a light pink to a deep fuchsia to a pale lavender. It is a treat to be in the yard and see all the clematis colors, from the pinks to the purples, the reds, the whites, and the palest of lavenders.
Spring pastels
My earlier spring photographs have been bright and full of color. But today’s photo is more of a pastel, with shades of blue and purple. I was at the spring flower show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory today. And just as cloudy and gray as the skies were outside, the flower show was full of colors – blues, pinks, reds, and greens. It was a wonderful sight and yet the colors were almost too many and too much. My eye was drawn to this lovely crocus that was stretching skyward and set off by the blue hydrangea behind it. The subtlety of the colors was wonderful and the bit of orange that the crocus threw skyward was the perfect accent color. The blues reminded me of the bluest of skies that we can get after a spring rain as well as the lovely blue lakes that grace the landscape here in Minnesota. So I’m now adding pastels to my palette of colors of springtime.
lindastaatsphoto.com 