spring iris

 

You might think this is the ubiquitous spring iris photo.  Think again.  This is the end result of the first steps to reach a desired goal.  I have long admired the digital photographic art of Roxi Hardegree and wished to do something similar.  To get this far, I had to learn how to use the camera on my new tablet.  Then I had to upload the  Snapseed app (with more apps to follow) and then play with its applications.  I know there is an easier way to get the photo from the tablet to the blog but until I know how, this was a four-step endeavor!

 

My Backyard

the obligatory (or is it ubiquitous?) spring iris photo

iris

 

Today is a good day to post the obligatory spring iris image.  We are counting the number of "red flag alert" days we can have in a row -- today is #3.  According to the National Weather Service, this means:

     WIND...WEST NORTHWEST AT 25 TO 35 MPH. 

     HUMIDITY...NEAR 10 PERCENT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.        TEMPERATURE...MID 70S TO LOW 80S

     BLOWING DUST...LIMITED VISIBILITY

At my recent visit, the lady at Clark Gardens apologized for the lack of irises.  They were victims of the last freeze.  There were still limited varieties to see' overall the gardens have been affected by the severe weather as well as the drought. 

Clark Gardens
Mineral Wells, Texas
4.25.2014

 



"budded on earth to bloom in heaven"

 

Young Joseph is buried in the Estacado Cemetery. The cemetery, started by the 1879 settlers, is one of the first on the Llano Estacado or Staked Plains.  This child's gravesite is marked by a cast concrete stone with a bas relief lamb.  Early  2oth century tombstones have a variety of engravings and sculptures as symbols marking the life or passage of a deceased loved one. Baby lambs represent a lost child and innocence.  What's more remarkable about Joseph's site is the presence of irises.   "White cemetery iris" are found throughout rural cemeteries.  These flowers survive--considering lack of water and attention.  We've been in drought conditions for three years and this winter has had snow and freezing weather yet there is still a touch of green in this clump of iris.  They probably weren't planted by Joseph's mother in 1912 but by the beautification committee in 1939 when the land was deeded to the cemetery association.

Estacado Cemetery

Crosby County, Texas

2.1.2014