Butterfly exhibit

Are you wondering why there's a random bridge at the beginning of this post?  Well, let me relieve your curiosity.  It goes like this:  Once upon a time, or the other day, this bridge made me think of my Aunt Kathy, so I put it here for her to see.  The End.

 We took a day trip with some friends to see a butterfly exhibit at a public garden.  I have come to the conclusion that I like photographing flowers much more than butterflies.  They're not as skittish.  :)  And there were lots of beauties.  Like this...

And this...

I did, however, manage to get a couple butterflies.  It was so exciting!  After chasing them around for several minutes, I can sort of tell why guys like to hunt, with the adrenaline rushes and all.  Except I still don't understand the part that involves blood.   Don't worry, that's as graphic as it's gonna get.  :)  Anyway, the fact that I don't understand is okay.  Dad can hunt, and I can eat. It works.

Come to think of it, that statement might get me in a lot of trouble in the future.  To avoid confusion, I will now proceed to put limits on it:

I can eat it as long as:

1. I do not have to touch the raw meat with my bare hands in order to prepare it.
2. It is not something disgusting.  And yes, Uncle Earl, squirrel is on the list of "Disgusting Somethings."  As are quite a few other things.
3. It is fully cooked.  I don't foresee this being an issue, but I included it for clarity's sake.
4. It was not found on the side of the road.  Technically, that's not hunting, but I don't want anyone to get crazy ideas.  :)

As you may or may not have guessed by the above list, I am not an outdoorsy type.  Nor do I eat wild game very often. 

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  Which was what, again?  Gun control?  Oh, no, it was butterflies.  Good!  Let's proceed...

Can you believe the vibrant blue color of that last picture?  It isn't even edited.  I like to try to imagine what God was thinking when He made certain things, like emeralds or oaks or ice cream (say what you want, I am convinced that nothing that delicious could come from anywhere else.) or that shade of blue on those butterfly wings.  I don't know, of course, but I think He must have been pretty happy.  That's how it makes me feel.

A photo shoot and random facts

      When I was younger, I wanted to be a photographer.  I love colors and pictures, and clicking a button is infinitely easier than trying to force my fingers and pencil into submission with drawing.  Can I get an amen?  Anyone?
     Although I no longer want to do it professionally, I still enjoy taking pictures.  On Tuesday I walked around our yard, trying to find something to photograph.
     Now, here's the plan for this post, since I don't want you to get completely lost on me.  I'll be sharing some pictures, but also telling something about myself with each one.  Okay, here it goes...   

Top photo:  Queen Anne's Lace

     A couple years ago I started putting in a flower garden.  Until then, I hadn't realized how much fun planning and planting actually is.
     Well, this year, the only contribution I made to the garden was informing my dad that I wanted him to grow soybeans so that I could eat fresh edamame.  Convicted by my lack of involvement, I decided to take the job of weeding the veggies upon myself.
     You may be wondering what that all has to do with the picture.  Well, I haven't been very diligent about my job, and Queen Anne's Lace is a weed.  This particular one was not near the vegetables, but my gardening conscience still smotes me every time I look at the picture. 

Photo #2:  Yellow flowers  (I'm not sure what these are called.)

Yellow was my first favorite color.  I still like it, because it makes me feel sunny and cheerful. 

Photo #3:  Some cute geraniums

I can't think of anything to write for this photo.  How about you leave a comment with a fact about yourself related to this picture?  This should be interesting.  (Julianne smirks as she passes the difficult task onto others)

Last photo:  Blackberries

I enjoy blackberries.  I think that they are rather interesting visually, and they taste good.  The only problem is that they have a natural defense against consumers, like me, who try to pick them.  It's called thorns.  Thankfully, I've discovered that I can usually wear jeans and come out all right. 
This photo brought an end to my camera time.  As you can see, I had a lot of berries to pick.  :)