happy summer solstice!

today is the longest day of the year. here in minnesota, on the 45th parallel, that means almost 16 hours of daylight (15 ¾ to be exact). the sun will rise at 5 AM and set at 9 PM. that is almost exactly 7 hours more daylight than we get during the winter solstice. as far as i am concerned, that’s like getting a whole extra day, every day, for the next 10 days. after which, we will once again notice the shortening day-length.  for a photographer who uses only natural light…that is about as generous a gift as one can conceive. 16 hours of daylight today–get out and enjoy it!

blackberry blossoms

hanging by a thread

my friend michele was pulling old morning glory vines off of her trellis and came across this little tiny wren nest built into the vines. michele is an artist. so she knew immediately what to do with the abandoned nest–speed dial mary jo. naturally, we stayed to visit after the nest hand-off. so, it was late in the day when i got home, but i photographed it anyway, racing the setting sun, because i am so smitten with it. this photo doesn’t quite do it justice. it’s so lovely, i am thinking of making a piece of wall art out of it. art and a visit with an old friend…a perfect day.

wren nest in morning glory vines

‘smoke-like’ fluffy flower heads

STILL has a style. it’s spare and uncluttered, often graphic, usually organized and clean, with lots of white space which i call breathing room. most people call is calming. i didn’t consciously create this style, it simple was my style. i like calm, organized environments with lots of breathing room. so i created one here. some subjects, however, don’t want a spare or organized treatment. apple blossoms want to profuse, for example. and, as in today, smoke bush wants to obscure. it has taken me many years to learn to let my subjects be what they want to be. i am doing the same with my teenage son.

american smoketree (Cotinus)

patience and persistence

these wild blue flag irises along our dock are now the highlight of our june. we’ve been babying them for years. spreading their seeds each fall, and clearing the cattails that crowd them. it has paid off, we now have a healthy, thriving colony. we’ve been at it for years. it’s taken both patience and persistence. we all know i have persistence (STILL q.e.d.), but patience is not a trait anyone would usually attribute to me. tending to my wildflowers and ferns is teaching me the power of patience.

wild blue flag iris (Iris versicolor)

right here, right now

my boys (huband steve and son joseph) are off fishing for a week on the outer banks of north carolina. i am home alone, without kids or spouse, for the first time in 23 years!  as i type that, it looks as insane as it sounds. 23 years of constant family togetherness. oh, i would take trips with my girlfriends every year, but never alone. i was either with the whole family, traveling with girlfriends, or on rare occasion, traveling with steve without kids. so, here i am. 57 years old and alone for 9 days for the first time in 23 years. this morning on my walk down to the dock to water the tomato plants we placed at the end of the dock (the only full sun we have anywhere on our property), i came across these two turkey feathers. laying in the grass. like this. marking the spot with an X. it was all the validation i needed to confirm that, yes indeed, i was supposed to be right here. right now. alone.

two turkey feathers