Another B & B

The Arbor House sits above Lake Tomahawk, with great views. 

Garden Post

Another view of Hank's garden, showing a lovely painted post.  We used to call these Peace Posts (back in the 80's maybe) and they had all the words in different languages for Peace painted on them.  This one is all about gardening however, and is brightly painted.  It's a manufactured piece, but still costs quite a bit.  I think it's lovely and you sure won't see one in every garden!

I'm including this in Friday Fences, though it's kind of late.  Hope I can get it in this week. Come over there to see other beautiful photos.

Flag by the lake

I think this flower would be called a flag, rather than an iris.  Do you think so?  Oh maybe it's a special kind of Iris.  The white stone wall keeps the bed from washing into the water below.  And that's not a streak across the water, but the string across the edge of the flower bed.

The sign tells about the Evening Primrose plants which will be enjoyed by strolling folks at dusk.

June blooms

June is almost gone, and here are some more lovely June flowers, mostly from H.'s home during the Art in Bloom tour June 15, 2013.

H. grows roses in one bed right between his vegies.  I love mixing flowers with food plants.

My gardenia hasn't been fertilized much this year, and the blooms sure show it.  Time to get the fertilizer to work.  And I think I won't do just the water from the aquarium this time!

En pleine air

 Yes there's a fence between calf and woman with camera!

 

H. talks with visitors about his Monet color scheme for his house and gardens, while photographer captures cows in the background.

Ann is the first artist I've seen who uses an orange wash under her paint, which was oil.  Her style is slightly impressionistic.

Plein-Air Artist, Ann Devane at H's home for Art in Bloom June 15, 2013

Bird nesting

A "glued" nest according to H. on whose porch this family decided to raise their young.
Different than twigs.  But none of us recognize the bird.  (Sorry for out of focus, with my zoom probably still set for closeups)

During the Art in Bloom visit at H.'s house, he sat with visitors in his front yard frequently.

Every time someone had to go inside, passing right by that center piller where the nest was just under the roof, we appologized, kept low, and didn't look up.  Sometimes the bird stayed on nest, sometimes she/he flew away.  I spotted it flying a few times, and it didn't have the split tail of a swallow, though that had been my first guess seeing those long tail feathers.

Totally grey-black.  What a lovely little gift from nature.

Art Space school

The Art Space public school is on US 70 between Asheville and Black Mountain.  Very convenient for several of my younger friends who go to this Charter School.  I also know the art teacher!

In the PINK!

Can you name them all?

More scents to enjoy

A sign besides the Lake Tomahawk bed of Primroses.

Maybe you can click the photo and enlarge it...

These are Primrose plants...waiting for a few blooms and just the right evening.  I will check it out and see if they are blooming yet.  (and take pictures of course!)

Conflict of interest

Often our canine friends are being walked around the lake, where ducks take their territory pretty seriously, at least as long as there's a leash on the dog.

Humans pay little attention to great riding mowers which provide these pretty lawns.  But what about geese and ducks?

Canada Geese were all set for their morning nap.

And this Mallard family moved quickly from one shore to another, as mower and then myself with the box in front of my face seemed to follow them.

Hope these tiny little ducklings didn't wear out completely.  At least they float!

Happy Summer Solstice!

Ha, never got the picture loaded here did ?  (at least at 8 am when I checked it out...but now I'll give the rest of you something to look at since only early birds will have seen my blank posting wishing you a Happy Summer Solstice!

Unconditional love...?

Violet flowers

OK, this time of year, you can live in Alaska and see pretty flowers.  And I wish I could see more of theirs...which are quick to grow and bloom, as they have to be.

But here are some more from the Richmond Hill Inn property, which is now the Oshun Mountain (OM) Sanctuary.

What a beautiful garden!

I think this lovely lady had a scent which drew me to her.

Blue what?

At first I noticed these strange pods along a walk.

How can those spindly leaves and stems produce such large globular seed pods?

Then there were these blue beauties blooming right on the same stems...so I'm a bit closer to knowing what they are... do you?

Art, flowers and cows

It was great visiting H. at this Art in Bloom tour of his gardens.  And I met some neat other volunteers...more pics of them later.

First let's look at the view from H's front porch.

There were just four, two adults and two six month old calves.  And they may have been merrily munching, but certainly paid attention to us curious folks with cameras in front of our faces.

I can't resist submitting this lovely couple, a brother and sister, to Friday Fences...if I'm not too late!  Go check out other photos with fences featured there!

And I'm not forgetting to let you know more about Art in Bloom...besides garden tours throughout the area, there's a special gallery exhibit of art objects with a designed flower arrangement to follow the theme of each object or painting.  

Since we aren't supposed to take pictures of those exhibits, I just will let you know that to see this show you must pay a small fee for it.  Local floral artists are given a chance to make a pretty arrangement based on a painting or sculpture, or very occasionally a piece of pottery.  It is only on display for 2-3 days I think.

There are other events, like entertainment and a special dinner.  I don't know if there's still an afternoon tea and fashion show, except it wasn't at the Center for the Arts this year.

I think the best part is buying a ticket that's good for 2 days, and getting maps to all the neighborhood gardens which are hosted by volunteers like me.  A pleine air artist may be working in the garden as well.  If the weather is nice like it was this year, it's a great opportunity to see fabulous gardens in Black Mountain.

Art in Bloom garden fun

I will see if Macro Monday is still publishing links for you to see other pretty things.  And here is one from my garden adventure on Saturday, as well as a shot of the lovely home where I helped hostess visitors to Art in Bloom.

What, there's dirt on that blossom!  Yes friends, it rained the day before!

H's home with raised begonia bed.

Ah, there's a new macro Monday link here. 

I'm holding this post till it opens today, cause last week had over 70 blogs linked to it.  Who would ever look at that many blogs, anyway?  But it's great to see that that many bloggers are congregating with this photo interest!

So here is my one macro for this week. 

What's Art in Bloom you might ask?  Tomorrow I'll tell you all about this annual event sponsored by our Black Mountain Center for the Arts (and it's over for this year, so you've already missed it.)