Monochrome Monday – Monochrome Madness – On the Farm
The Gloves Are Off
Look at all that wear. Those gloves have been busy!
Country dress code? I could manage this.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Escape to Country Calm
A little time in Effingham County gives this city boy a breather. We found a rest on a quiet farm. Lay down the work life and settle into the calm life. Tell me about the place you head to when you’ve had enough bustle.
What sends you looking for calm, and where do you find it?
““I’ll happily embrace the country. Just remember, admiring those work gloves doesn’t mean I’m volunteering for more yard work! I can always head back to the city.”
— Robert
📍Springfield, Effingham County, Georgia
Collection Monochrome Monday – Monochrome Madness – On the Farm
Butterflies flutter by, and I do mean by sometimes, even before I can get a photograph! While spending time at a little country farmhouse in Springfield, Georgia, this Cloudless Sulphur gave me a chance.
A snapdragon pit stop. Apparently, this bloom was worth a little longer.
He stopped at the yellow snapdragons and stayed long enough for me to catch his good side.
Multiple times! Gee, you know I was happy about that.
A Flutter Between Flowers
Yellow beside yellow. Those little wing spots give him away. A few flowers in the garden, and suddenly I have plenty to photograph.
Neal and I took time this week to escape city life for a bit of the farm life. So calm that it’s quite exciting!
Here’s the whole stalk, with our little visitor near the top.
One little flutter by, with a whole stalk of snapdragons to choose from.
I’m quite happy to spend a little time looking at this corner of the garden.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Stay Awhile and Wander Back
There’s always room for another quiet spell in the garden here. I’ve shared my yellow visitor; I’d enjoy hearing who keeps you company outdoors.
What would you happily watch with nowhere else to be?
“Learn from a butterfly, land where you can and rest awhile!”
“When someone opens a garden gate to share what they love, I’m happy to wander in.”
– Robert
If you have a chance to visit a private garden when its owner welcomes visitors, go take a look. Bring a friend, leave yourself time to wander, and keep that camera handy! I usually carry two and a macro lens.
Excuse Me, You’re in the Picture!
During our Memorial Day weekend visit in 2024, a green fella caught my attention in the sitting area. Hold on. You’re neither flower nor vegetable!
“Yes, Robert, this is my good side.” Well, thank you for turning!
A turn of the head, a golden eye, and now I wanted a closer look. These flowers would have to wait their turn.
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Wander in the Garden
I noticed how easily I give myself a job when I bring a camera somewhere. Find the angle. Watch the background. Get that photograph. Remember Robert, you came for a visit too! There’s room to enjoy Pat’s garden without turning every step into another assignment.
That’s one reason I like the word “wander.” It leaves a little room in the plan. Neal and I can bring friends along, enjoy being there, and let everyone find something different to admire. Sit a spell on a cool patio with fans, talk with folks you know and some you just met. Sip a beer, or mimosa… in the garden. Fun and Yum!
I may still stop for another picture. You knew that was coming, didn’t you?
Frog in the Garden
I was walking around Pat’s garden, trying to use my photographer’s eye on those flowering marvels, when this beautiful green fella appeared in the sitting area. Flowers and vegetables were in abundance, but he called for a different sort of identification.
Time for my go-to, the iNaturalist app’s visual search. I knew it! A Green Tree Frog! I’ve linked my observation here. (So cool!)
There you are! A green fella worth interrupting my garden wandering for.
“A garden party gets even better when one of the guests can climb the wall. Ha!”
– Robert
“Lovely party, Pat. I’ll just show myself up.” Ha!
He quietly moved up the wall while I watched, giving me a few moments to enjoy those long legs and wonderfully spread toes. “Leaving so soon?” Well, he had his own plans. Not long after noticing him, he hopped away.
Yeah, exciting!
Back to wandering the garden, with one more guest to remember. Now where is the garden cat “Grizabella”?
A Closer Look at Those Toes
Before we wander on, take a look at what was holding him up.
Those toes deserve a closer look. I would need a ladder!
Pat provides the garden; this fella provides his own climbing equipment.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Tell Me What Hopped In
Your latest surprise deserves a turn here too, whether it climbed a wall, crossed your path, or appeared while you were looking for something else. Bring that story along when you visit again.
What hopped into view lately?
“Give your eyes permission to wander beyond what you came to find. Somebody else may be waiting for a photograph.”
— Robert
📍 Vilano Coffee Shop, Vilano Beach, Florida
Collection Portraits of Me, Ordinary Life, Sweet Treats
Good Eats – Family Traditions – Honey on the peaches, love in the skillets!
Cooking Is Love, Pass It On!
Peaches and bratwurst in one pan, peppers and onions in the other.
“Kitchen is open!”
These cast iron pans belonged to Neal’s grandmother, and we love cooking with these family treasures!
Put me in the kitchen with something good to cook, and I’m happy.
“Cooking is Love! And around here, love comes with something to eat. Better grab a plate!”
– Robert
A cookbook, an email suggestion, a YouTube video, or a dish I made up. I just love cooking and baking! Today, the cast iron is getting a workout.
Two Family Treasures, Dinner for Two
Chicago Style Italian sausage with peppers and onions gave me the idea. Such an iconic sandwich. Then I went with German style bratwurst instead and brought peaches into the picture!
Both pans belonged to Neal’s grandmother. Family treasures, still helping us get dinner on the table!
Grilling honey on the peaches, and our mouths watering while we waited. Taking food photographs like it’s for a magazine while we’re hungry?
Robert, you do like to make things difficult for yourself and your tummy! Ha!
That Peach Has My Attention!
Come a little closer. You’ll see why waiting was a problem!
Time to share! Or should I claim this peach first? Ha!
Those peaches had me ready to put the camera down and pick up a fork. And with goes with the bratwurst? We needed some spicy mustard!
Too bad we ate them up without you seeing the finished results. Hey, in the Saye-Smith house you better eat while the food is hot on the plate.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Pull Up Your Chair
There’s a place for you at our table. Tell me what sounds good for supper while I find that spicy mustard!
Tonight, are you cooking or eating out?
“Come over for a meal! I’m happiest in the kitchen, and I’d love to cook something for you.”
A feather pen, familiar poems, and memories worth revisiting.
Thoughtful Thursday – Poetry
October, You Have My Attention
On an afternoon walk Neal and I purposely directed our path towards a seasonal treasure. The cooler weather and earlier evenings said “Get out, be among the first to see!”
When we arrived, Wow! It did not disappoint!
Well, somebody has October’s writing desk ready. I brought my camera!
I look down at that feather pen, standing over those books. “Click!” “Blog worthy”, I thought.
It was part of a larger Fall and Halloween display at a historic downtown home known for its seasonal decorating, this year with a nod to Edgar Allan Poe.
“Nevermore” came to mind, but October is a month I’m happy to welcome back! Yes, you can quote me on that… Ha!
“October makes me want to revisit a poem and see which memory comes with it.””
– Robert
It’s one of my favorite times of the year, a season for pausing and looking a little longer. So please, October, give me a comfy chair and a familiar poem, and I may stay awhile.
A Feather’s Worth of Possibilities
That feather pen looks ready for something more dramatic than my grocery list.
A Few Words Before Winter
That display sent my thoughts from Poe to the other poets who have given October a voice.
There’s room for all those moods this month. I can enjoy a Halloween grin and still find myself lingering over a line that brings an earlier autumn to mind.
Ellis Parker Butler’s “October” belongs here, too, with its bright celebration before winter arrives.
“Let October have its carnival. I’m happy to linger over the words.”
The forest holds high carnival to-day, And every hill-side glows with gold and fire; Ivy and sumac dress in colors gay, And oak and maple mask in bright attire.
The hoarded wealth of sober autumn days In lavish mood for motley garb is spent, And nature for the while at folly plays, Knowing the morrow brings a snowy Lent.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Leave October a Line
I’d love to read a line from your own October, whether it begins with a memory or something you noticed today.
What is October asking you to put into words?
“I’m grateful for poems that keep an autumn close, even after the season has passed.”
A morning walk with Neal, one roadside buddy, and a name still up for discussion.
Toadstool Tuesday – Down Among the Pine Needles
Down Among the Pine Needles
Neal asked me to join him on a little walk while we were staying on Skidaway Island. We often travel the same limited routes and occasionally veer off on paths that join the different neighborhoods.
“Walk with me 10 feet and I may have spotted 10 things to photograph.”
– Robert
Perhaps I didn’t notice before or recent rains caused its growth but a gorgeous mushroom had sprouted from the ground next to the road. Time to leave our direction and step into “Fungi Hunter Mode”. Okay, TIB (truth in blogging), I just made up that term, but I like it!
A Name Would Be Handy!
Time for my handy-dandy Google visual search and my go-to, iNaturalist. Both suggested Russula, the brittlegill genus. Sounds great, except there are hundreds of species. Fellas, could we please narrow that down a little?
Getting closer gave me more to look at. Naming it? That needed a little help.
Oh yeah, ask Siri AI! Its suggestion: Hygrophorus Milkcap (Lactifluus hygrophoroides). Another possibility for the same roadside buddy. Ha!
I’ve uploaded my photographs to iNaturalist; observation one, two, and three and I’m waiting to see whether someone can help settle the name.
It looked well established to me, though looking at its size wasn’t going to give me its age.
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Leave a Little Room for Looking
I’m noticing that a lovely morning walk needs a little room for unscheduled stops. Neal and I can follow the road, but my attention may wander off to the side. Something catches my eye, and suddenly I want a closer look. Getting anywhere takes a little longer that way! Just ask my walking companion.
Then there’s what happens after the walk. I can look through the photographs, notice a detail I missed, and ask someone who knows more than I do. Wandering gives me somewhere to begin then paying attention gives me something to bring back and share. I rather like having a question tucked in with my photographs.
One more angle for the identification department. That includes you, if fungi are your thing!
The underside had my attention, but I wanted a look across that curled cap, too. Here’s another view to add to the discussion. My roadside buddy is getting quite a portfolio!
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Oh My, Let’s Learn Together!
Mushroom, fungi or toadstool…Oh My! A little yellow brick road spirit has followed us onto Skidaway Island. Stop beside this roadside buddy for a closer look. Share a clue if you recognize it, or tell me about something that sent you searching. We can compare notes here as the identification unfolds.
What’s the last thing you stopped to learn about?
“I like a walk that sends me home with photographs and something to look up. If you know a little more than I do, come walk beside me.”
— Robert
📍 Skidaway Island, Savannah, Georgia
Collection Toadstool Tuesday, Friday Fungi, Nature Walk
Neal and I brought our iPads along to Vilano Coffee Shop in Vilano Beach, Florida, for some ice cream and blogging time to ourselves.
One scoop or two? Yum! Well, look at that cup. I seem to have answered generously.
And yes, readers, I took my Ultra Dairy Digest pills beforehand. Me-time requires a little planning! Lactose has no power over me right now!
“Time to give the toppings my full attention.”
– Robert
Hello! Just me, making another appearance in Portraits of Me. Today the camera gets pointed my way. This is a bit of my life I want to keep.
My sweet cat pin came along for me-time. Apparently, we coordinated our colors.
Which Cup Looks Like Me?
Before we go any further fellow bloggers, take a look at our orders. You know us well enough by now. Any difficulty telling whose is whose?
Same outing. Two very different ideas about when an order is finished.
Neal’s scoop looks perfectly content without any decoration. Mine needed a very healthy serving of sprinkles. Health in quantity, folks! Don’t judge me, Ha!
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
A Coffee Shop, Hold the Coffee
A coffee shop makes me think about a cup of coffee and something to do while I drink it. We even brought the iPads. Then there’s the ice cream, offering a perfectly good reason to sit down before I’ve opened anything. Look at my table! I already have something worth giving my attention to.
I took a seat at a table, and Neal settled onto a nearby lounge couch. Close enough for company, with room to enjoy our own things. I like that about going somewhere together. We can bring the screens, choose our seats, and let an afternoon happen without having to organize every minute of it. Hmmm, hear that, Neal?
A table for my treat, and a thank-you already attached. How thoughtful!
Childlike with Sprinkles
Neal ordered his plain-looking scoop. My turn! I was wearing my gay cat pin (what a sweet cat pin), and I asked for a very healthy serving of sprinkles on my own ice cream.
Well, what did Mr. Neal Saye do? Called out that it was mighty gay to have sprinkles! Excuse me?
The cats on my shirt and I were doing just fine before the ice cream joined us.
Is that not a huge container of multicolored confectionery dots sitting just above the tubs of ice cream?
What else would you use them for? Coffee? A cheese Danish? I’m standing here with the very thing they belong on!
Extra sprinkles, please!!! Thank you. Look at that cup, a child’s dream, and it’s all mine.
Neal is still in the picture. I’ve simply given him a less demanding role.
“Take time to grow yourself, to know yourself, to love yourself.”
– Robert
I’m getting to know the Robert who still wants the colorful topping and has no intention of outgrowing it. The ice cream can soften, the sprinkles’ colors can blend and run, and I’ll still want my spoon. Being grown comes with enough responsibilities. I can manage choosing my own treat.
Someone Wants My Spotlight
Anyway, guess who suddenly wants to be pictured with my gay sprinkles? Ha Ha, very funny!
Yes, Neal, we can see yours. There’s considerably less to look at.Now he’s accessorizing my head. Somebody wants a starring role!
My readers, you know him well.
Sorry, Neal!
You’ll have to star in your own WordPress blog post. On second thought, maybe a few of your readers will follow you over here!
These are portraits of me! Ha! All right, come closer. There’s room for you beside the sprinkles.
While we’ve been posing, my ice cream has been getting on with melting. Okay, Robert!
Put the camera down. You’ve got colors to catch with that spoon!
The colors are running. My enthusiasm remains firmly in place.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Tell Me Your Gay Indulgence
Mine came in a cup with enough sprinkles to attract commentary from the nearby peanut gallery. Tell me your gay indulgence; I’ll bring my appetite for the next conversation.
Gay or not, what’s going in your ice cream cup? Don’t be shy. One scoop or two?
“Don’t look at others’ desserts, this really is all about me and my treats!”
— Robert
📍 Vilano Coffee Shop, Vilano Beach, Florida
Collection Portraits of Me, Ordinary Life, Sweet Treats
I stopped during my afternoon walk for a closer look. A practical joke?
Oddly, a pair of sunglasses are hung among the leaves, looking quite comfortable watching the path.
“I came out to look at the trees. Well, apparently, one tree was expecting me!”
– Robert
Follow that vine. There’s something unusual at the end.
Now, this was a mystery worthy of a Sunday stroll. If you are up for the challenge, walk with me! Let’s get closer before I start introducing myself to the foliage.
Shades in the Shade Tree
Look closely. Thin, twisted vines snake through the leaves and around the glasses. Placed at that height, they certainly caught my attention. How many people merely walked on by?
These shades have found themselves a shady address.
Someone may have lifted them off the ground, hoping their owner would come looking. That’s my best guess! Until then, this tree has a rather convincing pair of eyes. Wouldn’t you say?
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
I’d Lose My Head if It Were Possible
I can spend a good part of a walk studying leaf shapes, wondering about a tree species, and deciding where to point the camera. Then I’ll nearly walk past something hanging right in front of me.
So much for my powers of observation! Ha!!
Apparently, I can examine a leaf or tiny insect and overlook the accessory beside it.
And once I do notice something odd, everything nearby gets another inspection. Inspector Gadget Time! Go gadget go!
Was that vine always curled like that? What else did I pass while my mind was busy naming things? I’d lose my head on this path and forget to pick it up if it were possible, although I suspect I’d still stop to photograph something while looking for it.
Lost and Found
With these sunny, bright days, somebody could be missing those shades. I can imagine the search.
First place to check? Your face. Eureka!!! Oh, not there.
Top of your head? You know, like me, you’ve done that before. Nope, not there either.
Now comes the worrying part: did I leave “my precious,” slightly expensive eyewear somewhere today, or have I been so absent-minded lately that it happened days ago?
Back to the car. Check the jacket. That favorite lunch spot near the park? Then remember the trail where tree species and leaf types had your full attention. Bingo!
Finding lost glasses along a walk has made it onto this blog before:
Whoever left them here certainly chose a noticeable lost-and-found counter.
“Have I been so absent-minded lately that it happened days ago? ”
– Robert
The next thing that came to mind? A good Samaritan who knows that sinking “where did I leave it?” feeling put them somewhere easier to spot.
Ok, I’ll leave these well-placed treasures right where they are. Whoever owns them may yet tap into those sleuthing skills, saunter back along this path, and recognize a familiar pair of lenses looking out from the tree line. That reunion can happen without my assistance. No need to wait and see, I’ve already taken the photographs!
Still waiting for someone to say, “There you are!”
One last look before I head on. Such a cool sight on a Sunday stroll! Come on, Neal. Hope your person comes back for you, shades.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Retrace Those Wandering Steps
I know the “I only put it down for a moment” defense quite well. Half an hour later I’m wondering if I really had the item at all! Bring your left-behind story along next time you stop by; we can compare where our wandering steps took us.
What did you go back for, and was it still there?
“The day is not ruined if you take time to walk back and look again.”
