Sunset & Sea Grass

“It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.
"Are—are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

—The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 5) by C.S. Lewis

The end

Liriope spicata

(commonly called "monkey grass")

This is one of the last pictures I snapped around our apartment, before we moved. These grasses were planted in a little courtyard plot, right near our front door. They were just green for quite some time, and then they bloomed. I love the simple purple blooms. These poor plants suffered much abuse from cigarette hurling neighbors and dogs that left their "mark" on them. But, I always thought they were pretty, just the same. 

Now, we're homeowners! And we're loving it! While our house is old and has its quirks, it's all ours, and we were so ready! No more loud neighbors, or dog poo to deal with. Ahhhh. We couldn't be happier about it. Now, I just have to get the rest of our stuff unpacked and catch up on my photos. :o)

Grass

This picture is so ironic to me! These grasses are planted en-mass in a teensy little garden outside our apartment. The ironic part is that the people who live above us throw all their nasty cigarette butts into this poor little garden, and have let their dogs . . . well, you know . . . in this garden and NOT picked it up. So sad! All that said, these hearty grasses are really pretty, so I thought I would help them look glorious through photography. I just got close up, and snapped the shot. So, if you see our neighbors, tell them to clean up their act! :o)

I Heart Faces, Week 16, “Collages” Photo Challenge

I've never done a collage in Photoshop before. I know . . . *gasp*! So, this week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces was a good exercise for me. I went to MCP Actions to do a little research and learning, and this is the finished product.

These pictures were all taken the Saturday before Easter at the Arboretum. My daughter loved being able to explore the meadow, and pick and smell the dandelions. It was too cute! I love this stage! Now that she's proficient at this walking thing, I love nothing more than to let her run around in a large field of grass.

Boardwalk at Big Lagoon State Park

I was recently at the beach . . . recently. But, I'm not right now. Can you tell that I wish I was? *sigh*

Well, we had fun while we were there, at least. And, on our visit, we visited Big Lagoon State Park in the Florida panhandle—right next to Alabama. I'm starting to really enjoy this little state park. I haven't done too much exploring, but they have this really great observation tower. I was standing at the top of it when I took this picture. The sun was setting, and the lighting—well, "c'est magnifique." It was definitely a fun chance for me to play with my D90. If you were to follow that little creek out to the left of the picture, you would be in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a really beautiful spot.

While we were there, we had a close encounter with a Great Blue Heron. I'll be posting pics of that soon.

On the Empire Bluffs Trail

Empire Bluffs trail

Earlier this Fall, my mother-in-law and I went on a short hike on the Empire Bluffs trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It's a hilly, 1.5 mile (round trip) hike through beech-maple forest, fields, and dune plants. The day was perfect—blue sky, mild temperatures, light breeze, and blue, blue water. We had such a good time being outdoors, and taking in the wonderful fresh air. This was the only sunny day during our week-long visit.

Grass

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?"

—Matthew 6:30

I can't remember where I took this picture, and I actually didn't like the original that much. But, after I played with it in Photoshop a bit, I was happier with it. The grasses were really pretty with the stream, but it just didn't seem to come through in the original picture. I hate it when I see something beautiful that inspires me, and I just can't seem to capture it the right way.

Lake Michigan beach at Point Betsie

Ahhh . . . a beautiful day on Lake Michigan