Dense is the weekly Photo Challenge at WordPress
From Florida trip in February – this photo came to mind when I saw the word of the week dense
Tag: nature
Right to the Heart
Celery heart visible when I was making soup for my DIL the other day. 
Rainy Day Gifts
Although I’m back with my sister in NYC tonight, I found these images from our recent Alaska trip.
They are gifts from a rainy day.
Remember the Wildflowers Painted by My Friend?
The Pennsylvania wildflowers were painted on her beehives -see the Wildflower paintings on Beehives by Joan
Here’s one jar of the thirty pounds of honey she harvested with the help of two fellow bee experts.
They brought their extractor with them to show and teach her how to harvest the honey.
She shared the honey with them and learned how to do it herself but was best with the team. (I’m sorry I don’t recall how long it took but a few hours.)
And I can tell you that it tastes beautifully delicious, full of summer flowers. I’ll have to ask Joan what she does to prepare the beehives for the winter.
In case you want to learn how watch video
Incidental iPhone Shot
After supper, Maura asked to go to the playground. Walking down my driveway, back from playing across the street -I saw the sinking sunlight through this weedy leaf.
Such bright green. The rays a bonus, shooting into sun.
The phone so readily available from my pocket. One quick shot. Just like that.
Capture of the day. A week of flowers and growing things. Summer at peak!
Stone Bench Shadow
Sea Turtle Tracks- it’s nesting season!
St.George Island, Florida.
The enormous sea turtles crawl out of the water at night and make their way over the sand to dig a hole and lay their eggs. Keep your porch lights off so the baby turtles aren’t attracted to the lights and travel in the wrong direction.
If you see an actual sea turtle, you shouldn’t get closer than fifty feet. Their nests are called a clutch.
You can see the tracks- their shell making the flat middle and the side tracks from their flippers. Sea Turtles
St. George Island Sea Turtlers are volunteers who make the rounds at dawn, checking turtle activity. Marking the nests so people don’t disturb them. Seaturtle.org says
“St. George Island is one of three barrier islands near the mouth of the Apalachicola River. It often hosts the largest nesting population of Loggerhead Turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico.”
Information sheet at the rental house about keeping the beach clear of your personal items chairs, toys, tents, rafts etc.from 9 PM – 7 AM.
A tag on items left out overnight.
Dogs and humans walk along the water’s edge.
Seagull Sentries- St. George Island
St. George Island, Florida. June 26, 2016
McCloud Mountain- LaFollette,Tennessee. Guest Blog
My son Mark sent me this panorama of McCloud Mountain in LaFollette, Tennessee.
The Cumberland Mountains are a section of the Appalachian Mountains.
How about this road sign?
Click for History of LaFollette founded by brothers Harvey and Grant LaFollette in 1890.
I found another blogger’s post with a YouTube video of McCloud Mountain to give you another view. (Click for McCloud Mountain post and video)
Wildflower Paintings on Beehives
My artist friend Joan paints Pennsylvania Wildflowers on her beehives. I learned there are different parts to a beehive. (see article link below)
Her bees were busy and didn’t want to be disturbed but Joan assured me she keeps an EpiPen in case I was allergic.
Trying to photograph the hive without agitating the bees as the hive is tucked in between lush rhododendron.
One thing for sure, the bees will know which hive belongs to them and where to return
First she sketches onto the white super
Blocking them out over the pencil sketches.
As you can see, Joan has painted lots of flowers onto things in her home, too.
View from an artist’s studio
Joan’s garden provides for the bees.
If you’re interested in learning the basics of beekeeping and the parts of the hive, here’s an article A beginner beekeeper’s guide to the parts of a beehive. by Anita Deeley at BeverlyBees.com