Sneeze Factory

Can you guess what this is?

Here... I will back up a bit.

a bit more...
It is Pine Pollen on my driveway... from the many pine trees around here.

This fine yellow powder coats everything! When I dust my furniture the rag is covered in yellow dust not brown dust. Even my face is finely powdered with pollen so I have been sneezing and sputtering for a couple weeks now. I hope it rains again soon we need a washing!

Aa a Chooo!

Poppy Love

Last Friday my Poppies bloomed. It was a big deal.
You see, all over town there are giant deep orange-red Poppies and I NEED to have some in my front flowerbed so last year I bought two plants and they bore no flowers. I actually thought they wouldn't come back this year but they did! Boy did they. They started like this and then last Friday... POW! They are magnificent don't you think?

but they are Pink! Ugh!

It isn't that I have something against pink, I just seem to end up with pink, pink and more pink when it comes to flowers. I have Hollyhocks that I planted many years ago and they were supposed to be Hot pink and they ended up melon pink, almost all of my Columbine is pink. I avoid pink and I get it anyway.
Oh well...

They are so bold and exotic... even in pink! ;0)

Parade Day

Independence Day was a gorgeous day filled with Small Town Patriotic Fun. As usual we had the occasional mule team ramble down our street on the morning of the parade.We strolled down to the festivities and there were artists creating amazing works of art using chalk on the pavement... the theme was "Alice in Wonderland".

I wish I had gone back for more photos. This one was my favorite.

See the dappled sunlight on the painting? It isn't real, it is part of the painting.

Here we go... the parade is starting.
The Marines...'nough said.

They say the good guys wore white... but...

Oh this man used to terrify me... my Algebra teacher!

Local Cowgirl and cashier at the market, it is a very small town.

Local Pack Outfit from Red's Meadow Pack Station.

Mammoth Huskies... our football team.

OK... this is a biggie. Every year, well for the last 25, our mountain has had a bicycle race called the Kamikaze... you can imagine why it is called that I am sure. It is a Crazy race for Insane people!

The float was so cute. Little bears are riding the chair lifts up and riding their bikes down the mountain.

Kamikaze Bears! Scary to think about.

This is a boring one... a truck... but wait! Who is that in the back of that truck? One of my former students and long time friend wearing one of our Tie Dyes!

Awesome, I love this float! Dogs... Mammoth Lakes is a dog lovin' town. I think I was a bit drawn to all the pups ( more than usual) this year because we lost our beloved Gypsy Boots just a week before. She was very old, blind and getting feeble and it was time for her to go... she died on June 28th. We miss her so much. :0( maybe I'll be able to post about it later... maybe not.

There were so many cute doggies at the parade... sweet little white ones,

and frisky Husky ones.

Local water punks... the swim team.

such fun...

There were hot black labs...

ah... fluffy beige pups...

OH... doesn't he look regal?

Rescue doggies ...

I wonder what this guy lookin' at?

The Titanic!

The highlight the parade every year is "The Johnson Family" float.

They never disappoint, last year they did a Star Wars float. They have made an amazing "Black Pearl" from the Pirates of the Caribbean and one year they did The Wizard of OZ... that one was so cool, they had built a very tall float that was the emerald city with all the characters skipping along side but the kicker was when the float passed and you saw the backside the flying Monkeys were back there!

The white spiky thing in front is an iceberg. It was spinning and circling the ship and when it came too close... boom... the back of the ship broke away! Genius. I ran all along the parade route trying to get a shot of the ship while broken but I just missed it every time. You can see a bit of the crack in the side there.

It did feel very strange with everyone smiling, laughing and cheering as the ship that killed so many went by. I am not sure how to put my feelings in words when it comes to that. I can't wait to see what movie the Johnson's pick next year.

until next July...God Bless

I Heart Bleeding Hearts

One of my favorite flowers, it is impossible for me to choose just one or...ten, is the Bleeding Heart. This photo below is a shot of my pink Bleeding Hearts last month...They are to the left of the photo. and here they are today!

The plant is covered with drooping stems of heavy pink hearts each one dripping a bit of white. As I watched them bob and bounce in the breeze I pondered over the symbolism of the fresh full young heart and how it splays open and reveals the white "blood" inside as it ages. I am sure someone has written a wonderful poem about it.

Actually I think "Love Hurts" by Nazareth seems to fit.

May your heart stay fresh and young while still gaining wisdom. J