Feathers in My Beard

The bearded iris is an elegant flower.  It comes in many colors and combinations of colors. It's amazing when you find a white one trimmed in purple or a pale yellow iris with shades of rust painted on the petals.  But this is the first time I've noticed these strange "feathers" attached to the beard.  I don't know if it's an anomaly or bred into the flower.  Whatever the cause I think it's cool.

"Feathers in My Beard"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Dinner on a Side Canal

Venice is one canal after another.  No streets, no cars, just canals as a means of moving about the city.  Most tourists stick to the main channels such as the Grand Canal.  But the treasures of the city can be found by taking a less traveled path down the smaller side canals.  I came across this restaurant on a "Ghost Tour" of Venice one evening.  It was fun and gave us a glimpse into another side of the city.

"Dinner on a Side Canal"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Radio City Hall's Rockettes-March of the Wooden Soldiers

My husband and I watched this a few years ago and I loved their Christmas show! I was very impressed with the march of the wooden soldiers.

Image from http://www.nj.com


A line of wooden soldiers is shot by a cannon and blown over. They fell like dominoes! What a great performance!

Image from http://www.naplesnews.com/


Thought I would put the video here also just in case you might want to watch it. Have a good one!



The cannon comes in about two minutes into the video.

The Rockettes are a well-known precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 75 years. Perhaps their best-known routine is an eye-high leg kick in perfect unison in a chorus line, which they include at the end of every performance.

Image from http://365thingsaustin.com

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is performed annually at Radio City Music Hall and in numerous other American and Canadian cities by a touring company of Rockettes. It is one of the most-watched live shows in the United States, with over 2 million viewers per year. The Rockettes perform annually at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (since 1957) and the America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit. The NBC Rockefeller Center Tree-Lighting Ceremony also traditionally includes a performance by the dance troupe.

Image from http://www.nelsoncountylife.com

Related articles

• What to Do in New York City on Thanksgiving (homeandgardenideas.com)
• New Dates to Dance with the Radio City Rockettes at a Macy's Near You! (prweb.com)

Me and My Brother

On the patio outside my bedroom is a mourning dove's nest in the calliandra bushes.  I watched the nest being built and hoped that the gardeners wouldn't disturb it before the babies hatched and were safely on their way.  Luck was with us and last week they left the nest.  Thank goodness as the gardeners have given the bush a big trimming.  But the two young doves have stayed close to home along with their mother who still feeds them.  Some day soon they will be gone and I'll miss their beautiful cooing sounds.

"Me and My Brother"        © Kathy Dunham 2011

Easter Time

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter with lots of goodies and time spent with family and friends.

"Easter Time"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

White Rhododendrons

A great sign of spring......  blooming rhododendrons and azaleas.

" White Rhododendrons"     © Kathy Dunham 2011

German Couple-Volker and Christa Kraft's Outdoor Easter Egg Tree

I received this from a friend of mine in an email and wanted to share it with you. The Easter egg tree is glorious!

A feast for the Easter Bunny: German couple decorate their garden tree with 10,000 painted eggs

Easter comes but once a year - but one couple have turned it into a lifetime's project.

German pensioners Volker and Christa Kraft have decorated the tree in their back garden in Saalfeld for Easter for more than 40 years.

The tree now drips with more than 9,800 colourful Easter eggs, painted with pastoral scenes and religious icons.

Volker Kraft adds to the 9,800 Easter eggs hanging from the tree in garden of the home he shares with his wife Christa

Each egg must be painstakingly emptied of yolk and whites, to ensure it will not go bad, before they can be hand painted and hung out for all to see.

The easiest way is to pierce two holes in each end of the egg with a hat-pin, then blow out the contents through a straw.

The better equipped can use a syringe pushed through just one hole to extract the gooey gubbins. But be cautious when handling raw eggs - they may carry salmonella.

Symbol of life: Carefully packed and intricately decorated Easter eggs lie waiting to be hung from the Krafts' tree

The egg is a pagan symbol of rebirth, widely used in spring festivals before its adoption by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.

For followers of Christianity they are symbolic of Christ rising from his tomb two days after his death on the cross.

In ancient times, the Zoroastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the spring equinox.

Sculptures in the ruins of Persepolis, their capital, show people carrying eggs to their king for the occasion 2,500 years ago.

After their kids moved out of the house, it seemed the Easter Tree would finally catch a break, but grandsons arrived and the Krafts went back to decorating their giant tree. The number of Easter eggs hung by the tree’s branches grew every year,and in 2010 it reached an incredible 9,500 eggs. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Happy Easter!

The Empty Bench

A solitary bench in the early morning light.  Will someone sit and enjoy the view today?  Maybe relax and read a book?  What else are benches good for? 

"The Empty Bench"       © Kathy Dunham 2011

Italian Paint Job

What a taxi!!   I spotted this in downtown Florence, Italy.  If nothing else it should make you smile.  And there isn't a bare spot on this PT Cruiser.  

"Italian Paint Job"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Curly Qs

I don't have a clue what this flower is but I was fascinated with all the curls as they unfurled. 

"Curly Qs"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Chinese Magnolia #2

When I was young, my mother had a Chinese Magnolia tree in the front yard, just outside my bedroom window.  She loved it as it was an early harbinger of Spring as they opened their blossoms on naked tree branches.  So every time I see one of these magnificent trees in bloom I always think of Mom. 

"Chinese Magnolia #2"       © Kathy Dunham 2011

Don't Eat the Flowers!

It seems sheep enjoy the wildflowers as much as humans do, just a bit differently.  This field was covered with small yellow wildflowers and what seemed like as many sheep as well.  I'm sure they enjoyed their treat.

"Don't Eat the Wildflowers!"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Not a Yellow Daffodil

It's amazing how many different color combinations daffodils come in.  They aren't all yellow anymore.

"Not a Yellow Dafffodil"       © Kathy Dunham 2011

On the Hunt

The bees are really busy this time of year.  Lots of pollen for them to spread around.  And thanks to them we get to enjoy the fruits of their work, no pun intended!.

"On the Hunt"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Faucher Family Christmas Lights

HGTV

The Faucher family of Delaware loves to decorate for Christmas. There are over a million lights decorating the house! WOW!! I can see the glistening in Clark Griswold's eyes!  :)  The electric bill totals more than $82,000 a month...oh my gosh...hard to believe! Now this is a lot of "exterior illumination" as Griswold would say!

Rich Faucher

Image from http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/2002/dec/01/

Poppy Time

One of the beauties of living in California is getting to see large expanses of of our state flower in bloom this time of year.  But even if it's only a plant or two tucked in a small garden spot, the California Poppy is a cheery reminder of Spring. 

"Poppy Time"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Drops on a Web

I"m not sure the spider that constructed this web was ready to turn it into an obstacle course, but he's going to be challenged getting from one end to the other.

"Drops on a Web"    © Kathy Dunham 2011

Spring, Spring, Spring

Nothing says Spring like a cherry tree in full bloom.  I've never seen the ones in Washington, D.C. but hear it's a spectacular sight.  This was the best I could in Southern California. 

"Spring, Spring, Spring"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

In the Pink

I love cactus blooms.  They come in so many different shapes, sizes and colors.  And here in Southern California it's easy to find them just about anywhere.  I found these outside the library at Pasadena City College.

"In the Pink"      © Kathy Dunham 2011

Traditional Christmas Carol Medley-Judy Garland

This is great!! They just don't make Christmas shows like this anymore! Judy is joined by Mel Torme, Jack Jones, her children (Liza, Lorna and Joey) and others in this traditional Christmas Carol Medley. From December of 1963.

Lilac Season

There's a special section at the Descanso Gardens in La Canada that's devoted to lilacs.  Yes, a small forest of them.  All colors, sizes and shapes.  And they were all in bloom this weekend.  The aroma you smell walking among the young trees is overwhelming. 

"Lilac Season"     © Kathy Dunham 2011

Stop and Smell the Flowers

This cutie was having fun today enjoying the spring flowers at Descanso Gardens.  Tulips, daffodils, primroses, foxgloves and many more were in full bloom.  Definitely worth the trip this week.  Get there before they're gone.

"Stop and Smell the Flowers"       © Kathy Dunham 2011