Unpacking the Harvest

This is the basket of produce from my vegetable garden this morning.

Here's a closer look at what's in there.

Two heads of lettuce.  There's lots more to come there.

Zucchini and yellow squash, though 3 of these were harvested yesterday.

A very long cucumber which was a surprise since the plants are dying and I don't know why.

And a Jimmy Nardello pepper.

Almost the last tomatoes.  There will probably some Juliette yet but the others are basically dead.

Three butternut squash.  In cutting the largest one off the vine I cut the entire vine not realizing that at the other end were very small squash starting to develop.  Oh, well.  These are headed to cure in the sun.  I don't know why I do that other than my mother did it with her plentiful harvests of butternuts each fall.  Maybe a fellow gardener can enlighten me on this tradition.

Joining Daphne's Harvest Monday

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, AZ

Two years ago we visited Arizona where my brother and sister-in-law live.  We took a side trip with them to Sedona and one of our stops was the Chapel of the Holy Cross sometimes referred to as the Rock Church.

Here are the photos I took while there.

It's not very big but quite a tourist stop.  Parking can be difficult but volunteers steer you in the right direction.

I didn't get a photo of the chapel against the Sedona hillside but I think these rock formations qualify as spires, don't you?  

Above taken mid-day and below at sunset.

Joining Inspired Sunday

What is This? (4)

Northern Pennsylvania towns must have a thing for pianos on the street.

Above in Selinsgrove, PA

Below Wellsboro, PA

4th in an irregular series on "art" captured on the street.

Moon Flower

When I started my project to keep the deer out of the backyard and protect the gardens from their damaging eating habits, part of that plan was an arbor with gate to block their entry from the west.  [See more about the D.P.P. here.]

The arbor I purchased was crying out for a vine and I selected a Moon Flower.  It gets its name because it blooms at night.  It has grown quite well in this spot but I haven't really seen it bloom until yesterday evening.  Before then I would see the spent blossoms or the buds but not the big white flowers.

I spotted this one as we sat and ate dinner on the screen porch.  As I face the perennial garden I could see the white of the blossom.  

The blossoms are as big as the hibiscus.

This morning there were two blossoms with many more buds set to open.  It is lovely but unfortunately will not last the winter.  Who knows what I'll plant there next year.

The second blossom's petals must be too heavy to fully open out.

 Or maybe that petal is caught behind?

Here's a new bud showing the promise of more to come.

By the way the D.P.P. has worked wonderfully this year.  Fishing line has done the trick to keep the deer out even when we were on vacation and those critters always seem to know when we're gone.  I still have hosta in the Glen Garden that in past Augusts would be just stems by now.

New Camera

Getting used to my new camera.

Goldfinch on the vegetable garden fence.

Hummingbird on the porch.

 Not sure I have the focus right yet.

A Harvest the Colors of Christmas

Don't you agree looks like Christmas decor in the basket?

And in other news, I purchased a new Canon camera - PowerShot SX530 HS

It has wifi and I've managed to connect it to the iPad.

Still learning how to use it though.  Fortunately some of the commands are the same as the PowerShot SX230 HS I've been using.

Zoom potential will bring me closer to subjects but have to figure out how to lessen my ET (Essential Tremor) in my hands.  Anyone else have issues with that and can make suggestions?

Joining Daphne for Harvest Monday

Red Church

Not the best quality or composition because I took it as a drive by on our way to the Grand Canyon of the East.

At first look it appears to be brick, but closer inspection reveals it to be clapboard painted red.

Linking with Inspired Sunday.

What is This? (3)

Another in the irregular series of sharing the strange "art" captured from the car in our travels.

Enjoy!

Joe Pye Time in the Pond Garden

Joe Pye weed is blooming in the woods in PA.  Spotted this stand while hiking in Hills Creek State Park.

At home my Joe Pye weed is a bit taller.

It hangs over the pond which is buried in greenery.

Black eye-susans are also in bloom.

Here's a younger stand of Joe Pye weed, seeded from the parent plant.

Miscanthus grass and foxtail are sizable at this point in the summer.

Here's my study window and the photo following the wild scene I view.

A great change from this earlier this spring.