Summer Colors
The summer doldrums came early this year. Last year, I didn’t complain about it until nearly the end of August. This year, I’ve been languishing in it for the last several weeks.
It didn’t stop me from going to the botanical gardens several weeks ago to see if possibly – MAYBE – I could find something to take pictures of.
Maybe I could.
Or maybe not :)
Or maybe you have to look very closely at the center of this rather mediocre picture to see that oh wow! Nancy got a hummingbird in her picture! And she did it with a fisheye wide angle lens that was full out opened up, because she didn’t have time to do anything except swing the camera up, snap two pictures and this was the best one to show everyone!
Because if you want to know what a picture looks like when a fisheye wide angle lens does when it’s all the way open, this is what you get (and that bridge is actually straight):
Elsewhere in the garden, the roses were still in bloom, although you didn’t want to look too closely at most of them. Still, you can see how green everything is. We’ve had rain and rain and rain and . . . well, you get the picture. Hopefully there are no hurricanes anytime soon. The ground is so saturated, we could lose a lot of trees if the winds got too bad.
It’s been much more fun to come home from work, sit on the deck for a while, eat supper, read, play with a few photos and then go to bed, then to do just about anything else. I’d say sorry about that, but I’m not. I’m enjoying it while it lasts.
Did you like the roses in the very first picture? Did you notice there were two bees in the right one? They weren’t fighting either. In that photo, the wide angle lens made the roses really pop out while the ones behind receded very nicely. Kind of the opposite of the bokeh effect that I usually do (where the background is blurred).
And now I’ve used up the rest of the pictures that I uploaded. Time to go. Bye!
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Seasons Virginia Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens roses summer summer doldrums
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.
Living The Seasons 
Oh my, I do not know how I missed this post of yours, but these photographs are outstanding! Absolutely beautiful! I would have loved to have gone here with you to take photographs! We would have had a great day! I have never used a fish eye lens before and you got some great effects with it! Nicely done my friend!
I like the effects of the fish-eye lens. I couldn’t tell that was two bees, but it did look a bit odd. Thanks for clarification.
You’re welcome!
Beautiful pictures indeed!
Thank you!
Well, we are too busy floating away to have doldrums – I think at least 10-12 inches of rain this week – we NEVER have rain this time of year – except for the very random summer thunderstorm – It has been just unbelievable. The ridges have usually thinned out from heat and drought by this time – we look like we live in a tropical jungle this year – Crazy!
Love the hummingbird – kind of a wheres waldo!- and the purple coneflowers are my fave except for the bees – love them too!
A happy and soggy pat to my favorite beagle boy! K
It’s rained almost every day here – it’s so green and by now we’re usually two months into a drought. The James River should be at its lowest for the year, not at a record high. I’m glad you liked the photos! I’ve been reading your blog, just haven’t been leaving photos (kind of hard to do at work). Will try to get by this weekend.
The beagle wags back at you!
Nice shots, Nancy. I particularly like the landscapes. Have you considered doing the 365project? I just started it and blogged about it yesterday. http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/the-365-project-a-self-portrait/
Let me know if you decide to do it.
Thanks Christine! I did two 365 challenges in 2011 – the blog and a photo challenge:
https://livingtheseasons.com/2011/12/01/why-a-photo-challenge/
http://dogear6.com/2012/01/30/doing-a-daily-blog-challenge/
They’re really great and I encourage you to do it. It’s a great way to increase your photo inventory and increase your power of observation. Thanks for the invitation to do it with you, but I don’t think I’ll do it. One of the big problems I had is if I didn’t get out during lunch, I was pretty limited what I could do by the time I got home from work. After a while, it was just too hard and despite an unlimited amount of dog pictures, even those got to be too much after a while.
Beautiful photos and yes, the colors are enough to cheer up those of us who have been coping with perpetual rain. We have had two whole days of sun now. Hurrah! Your pictures are just what I needed for a pick-me-up.
Thanks Dor! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Rain! Rain! Rain! Twice this week, rain caught me on the road traveling – once a 3 hour trip turned into 6 1/2 hours; and the other time – a 10 minute drive to the bridge to get into the city took me over an hour, and flood roads made it impossible to get to the bridge. I am so over the rain this summer.
Duldrums? Yes, moving. I love where I am moving; I just don’t want to pack, change address, etc.
You photos make me happy! I love every one, but daisies are my favorite flower. I think the hummingbird picture is so funny and beautiful. And bees in the roses – perfection. Thanks for brightening my day :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed my blog post. This rain has been very wearing – it’s been almost daily here!
I hope your move went well. I’m not keeping up on anything very well right now, but hope to start getting back into it.
Thanks (as always) for stopping by.
Your photos never cease to amaze me. You should definitely take up the profession… :)
I’d love to make a living from it, but my husband has been doing it for years and to be honest, people do not want to pay for it. We already live a reduced lifestyle for his art; I don’t feel like total poverty so people can look at it, say how pretty and then tell me how they can do the same thing with their point and shoot (like they do to him).
Thanks for the lovely compliment though. I’m glad you enjoy my photos! It’s a nice hobby, but that’s it.
Lone the pink and yellow daisies, gorgeous pictures :-)
Thanks Jen! I’ve been loving watching your blog (haven’t been leaving comments from my work computer though). You’ve really been busy!
Thanks, I appreciate the comment. I suppose there’s only so much you can get away with when using work computers for personal time. (I’ve never been in this situation, so can honestly only say from what I’ve read and heard)
Yeah, I don’t mind doing quick reads for a short break from work especially since I don’t stand around talking much. But I don’t want to be doing a lot of typing up of comments. My employer doesn’t particularly track that I’m aware of, but I don’t want to push it either.
:-)
What lovely flowers :) Totally love #1 and #2
Thank you!
Doldrums here! It’s so hot. I’m so tired of being indoors.
Thanks for the great pictures…I’ll just pretend these are window to outdoors
Fall is coming early here, but with the rain and humidity, we still can’t get outside hardly at all. Lately the pictures on my computer are about all I’m getting of the outdoors too.
Very odd – I swear I saw birds in V formation yesterday afternoon
I first noticed them in V formation the beginning of August, which was about a month early. Fall started early this year, as did the cooler weather. The goldfinches and cedar waxwings have both come early too.
LOVE LOOKING AT YOUR LOVELY PICTURES. I FEEL LIKE I COULD ALMOST TOUCH THEM. YOU ARE A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER…..THANKS FOR SHARING…….LOVE, MOM
Lovely, these just feel good to see. :)
I totally agree and that was a great way to describe it!
Such pretty flowers and lovely pictures!
Thank you!
Great pictures, very colourful .Love the roses. Sorry to hear about all the rain. I live in one of the wettest parts of the country and yet we have just had an entire month of July with no rain. Unheard of. We are not complaining, just astounded. Perhaps your August will be sunnier.
The weather’s not improved much in August so far! It’s been rainy and humid nearly all the time. Augh!! I did have a nice visit with my daughter though and now it’s my busiest time of the year at work.
I hope all is well with you and the new book is coming along!
Summer doldrums? I don’t think I ever experienced those before (winter, on the other hand – let me not get started!). I don’t really feel like we’ve had a “real” summer yet, it still feels like a very prolonged spring, at least up here in the highlands… But I was in Roanoke today and could feel the difference – very humid and considerably warmer. All this rain keeps everything lush and green throughout the summer – something to celebrate.
I envy you your easy access to the Botanical Gardens – always fun to play around there with the camera…
August always does this to me – wanting to squeeze the last few lazy days out of summer before it ends. It comes from growing up in the Midwest with those endless summer days, which doesn’t quite happen here in the mid-Atlantic. On the other hand, they also don’t have the endless winter nights in Virginia as badly as in the Midwest.
The access to the botanical gardens is awesome and only 20 minutes from my house! That’s why I buy an annual pass. I can go for 2-3 hours and usually go every other week, weather permitting. Even Colonial Williamsburg is only an hour drive away, although with the beach traffic, driving there can be problematic on the weekends.
Thanks for stopping by as always. I’ve been reading everyone’s blogs, but not commenting as I’m at work. I’m too tired at night to get back to it. But I’m enjoying seeing your photos too.