The World Through My Eyes

Posted 31 Comments by dogear6

Unless otherwise marked, images were taken at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia.

This week’s photo challenge is to share the world as we see it through our eyes.

As much as I love writing, my photography has improved tremendously and is a big draw to my blog.  The saying goes that a picture is worth a 1,000 words and it’s true.  Pictures show so much more than words can describe, something I wrote about recently when I saw the play, Hamlet.

So when I’m out with my camera (or even when I’m not!), how do I look at the world?  What am I attracted to?

I love blue skies.

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The roses were so pretty this year!

And white clouds, lots of white clouds.  Especially when I can lay on the deck and make up the images I see floating by.

View from my driveway - I think it looks like a whale eating a smaller fish!!
View from my driveway – I think it looks like a whale eating a smaller fish!!

I like to look up and see the landscapes, to look far.

Shenandoah Valley taken from Skyline Drive in Fall 2011.
Shenandoah Valley taken from Skyline Drive in Fall 2011.

I also like to look close, to see the beauty in the details.

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All kinds of asters are in bloom this week.

I like the sun, in whatever form I find it.

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This is much easier on my eyes than looking at the sun!

Although green and water also satisfy my soul.

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I always enjoy standing here for a few minutes and listening to the water tinkling over the rocks.

I like the unusual. . .

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This coneflower is truly this bright pink.

. . . and the ordinary.

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Queen Anne’s lace is such an ordinary flower, yet it’s so very pretty, even with a friend. It’s a sure sign that summer is here when these appear.

I can find beauty nearly everywhere I look, whether in a small space between office buildings in downtown or

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These coneflowers are to the right of the door where I exit the building for my lunch time walk.

. . . going out to my favorite places for photography.

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The greenhouse at the botanical gardens is a favorite place to visit.

There is beauty everywhere.  All we need is to look for it.

I cannot resist chasing the bees with my camera lens.
I cannot resist chasing the bees with my camera lens.

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.
~ Anne Frank

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure.
There is no end to the adventures that we can have
if only we seek them with our eyes open.
~ Jawaharlal Nehru

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious –
the fundamental emotion which stands
at the cradle of true art and true science.
~ Albert Einstein

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Nature Weekly Photo Challenge

dogear6 View All →

I am a backyard adventurer, philosopher and observer, recording my life in journals and photographs. Visit my blog at www.livingtheseasons.com.

31 Comments Leave a comment ›

    • Thank you for the compliment – that means a lot coming from someone as accomplished as yourself. I enjoyed very much looking at your photography. If you’re interested in other shots I took of the Shenandoah Valley, I gave some links in another comment on the post.

  5. You have some great shots. That PINK coneflower is so different; the photo above it with the waterfall is somewhere I’d like to sit a while.

    • Thanks Patti! I’d not seen that pink of a coneflower before and I took a lot of pictures of it. The waterfall is actually at the botanical gardens here in Richmond. It’s much small than the one in Norfolk, but it has about as much stuff. It’s much closer together and not as spacious is all.

  6. What a taste treat for the eyes! Living here in the desert (Arizona) seeing the Queen Anne’s Lace brought back so many memories of growing up in Michigan. Fields and fields of Queen Anne’s Lace, but oh how it made my mother sneeze! Beautiful pictures!

    • Not just the Queen Anne’s lace, but also the wild blue chicory along the roads. Both are signs of summer in the Midwest (I grew up near Chicago).

      I’m glad you enjoyed the photos! Thanks for leaving a note.

  9. I LOVE LOOKING AT YOUR PICTURES, THEY MAKE ME SMILE. I LOVE THE LITTLE BEES INCLUDED IN YOUR PICTURES. THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT. KEEP IT UP, I APPRECIATE GETTING THEM……….

  10. Oh my, these are all absolutely beautiful photographs and you have such a beautiful view from your driveway! Photographs like these always make me smile! :-)

    • The builders preserved a lot of the old trees and it’s made our subdivision much nicer for it (unlike the one next door that was razed flat before they started building). I’ve gotten a lot of good shots right in my own backyard and out the garage door.

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post – making you smile means I succeeded in what I was doing!

      • Ah, I feel the same way! Making someone’s day with a blog post is what it is all about! Some times bloggers get all caught up in “Stats” and feel the need to have tons of followers, but I blog because I love it. I blog about the things that make me happy, and when I can bring a smile to someone’s face by something silly that our dogs do, then I have succeeded! This is far more important than stats. Have a safe & happy Fourth! :-)

        • Thanks for the encouraging note back. I don’t check stats anymore – there are blogs out there that I cannot figure out why their stats are so much higher than mine when their content is so bad. Supposedly I have 200+ subscribers, but I only hear regularly from a small handful. But you know what – I’ve made friends with them (such as yourself) and enjoy the “penpal” aspect of blogging. It is satisfying getting a note that my post meant something, much more so than how many people are following me.

          • I agree with that too! I used to think that I wanted all of these “followers”, but realized that is not what I wanted at all. It is not in the quantity, but the quality. Lovely people like yourself truly make my day and I hunt and peck through my inbox of junk mail to find your posts – – now that is priceless! :-)

        • Thank you for the lovely compliment! I have to say though how much better I’ve gotten to know you through Pinterest – I love seeing what you’re up to. And you’ve given me some great pins for my boards too!

          • Now isn’t that the sweetest comment ever! You win the award today for being so sweet! Pinterest is truly very inspiring and I love it. It has given me so many good ideas. I am glad that I can “fill up” your boards with “pins”! Have a super duper nice day! :-)

  11. Good morning, Nancy – what a wonderful post to read first thing on a Mon morning – the photo of the roses with the blue blue sky is just absolutely stunning! I feel much the same way about the beauty I am in the midst of each day – it is a joy and blessing. Have a great week – K

    • That was the best compliment – I’m glad it started your week off with joy and blessing.

      Enjoy the holiday! Right now I have a snoring beagle by my feet. Doggie daycare sure does wipe them out.

  13. Your pictures are all so lovely, they make me feel good. I love what you said, There is beauty everywhere. All we need is to look for it. This is so true!

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