A Place with a Presence

Earlier this week, I spent hours walking the streets of Lynchburg, Virginia

and taking hundreds of photographs of historic houses, churches and gardens.

I was stopped in my tracks by this particular house.

What made me pause and put down my camera?

Why did I feel the need to sit down and then circle this property?

Did it remind me of someone’s home in my childhood years?

Was there some architectural aspect that seemed familiar?

Its facade does vaguely resemble the Moses Cone Manor in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Did it remind me of  another mansion or plantation that I have previously photographed?

I tried to recall, but nothing came to me.

Still.  Here I was standing here.  Stalking an empty house in a strange city.

A middle-aged woman in sensible shoes and flowered pants lugging a camera.

(I was trending, not blending.)

This has happened before.  I refer to it as a presence.

The air is thicker, everything slows, there is a peaceful pause in time.

Was it the spirit of one of the Langhornes?

Something pulled me and held me there.

I wanted to stay, but a dog barked and broke the spell.

I moved on to wander and wonder.

FLOW on the GO

 

USA vs. UFO

I have spent some time out of my comfort zone this week.

FLOW has been schooled, but not fooled.

I have tried numerous times to share a bit of information

that may be of use to the USA.

Like a good citizen.

These exchanges could have been mutually beneficial, but weren’t.

The first young woman kept sending me in circles and telling me to do things that I had all ready tried.

Tell me Melish, was it my age or my accent that lead you to believe that I could not use the internet as well as you?

I finally had to inform Melish that the office she kept recommending had been closed since February of 2015.

Then there was Jo.  I guess I had consumed more coffee than she yesterday morning.

She interrupted me to let me know that I did not have to spell everything for her.

I was not using the NATO Phonetic Spelling just the regular alphabet.

What a Charlie Foxtrot!

I think it would be more likely to get help from an alien force.

If you comment on this post, do not expect a quick response.

I will be outside building a signal fire and arranging glow in the dark rocks to spell out

Sierra Oscar Sierra

FLOWWAITINGFORHELPFROMUFO

TOO MUCH

I have seen too much in the past days.

My thoughts are swirling.

I peeked out from behind my veil of privilege, isolation and ignorance

to see things strange, foreign and other-worldly in my midst.

I am baffled by my blindness.

I do not know where this will take me,

but I will go.

I must.

FLOW

Mere Mortals with Magic

I have been fortunate to spend the past few days in the midst of magic.

I was in the presence of the work of two creative minds in the same location

on the night of a full moon.

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I am amazed that both my head and heart did not explode from the beauty and joy.

I was on the grounds of Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

This is the castle created by George Vanderbilt.

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On display throughout the grounds and inside the palace

were the dazzling glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly.

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Their magical spirits created mind-boggling beauty.

I am so grateful when mortals are given a glimmer of higher power

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to share with the rest of us,

as Prometheus shared the flame

to enlighten and inspire

a mere mortal like me.

 

FLOWER

Wrong Turns

I work very hard to be a good vine parent.

I plant them in good soil.  I put them in the proper amount of light.

I feed them. I water them. I support them.

I guide their growth.

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But I cannot grow for them.

The reason I love vines is their optimism.

They reach up and out and grow with faith.

I envy that.

But sometimes they take a wrong turn.

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They grow in the wrong direction.  Somewhere the sun can’t find them.

I try to guide them back.  But sometimes it can’t be done. They are too high, too far gone.

This creeping fig has grown around and around under this stoneshroom cap.

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At first it was cute. I let things progress.

But now it is too late to change its path.

It is clinging to it and will have to be ripped off to get out unless…

I remove the cap and let it cling to this old wrong turn as it reaches up unhindered.

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My daughter is a vine.

God bless us both.

MAMA FLOW

 

Get Your Ghetto On!

Why wait to get just the right garden accessory when a piece of trash will do the trick?

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Blown glass watering balls with broken stems on the tops of plant stakes to prevent impalement.

I feel sorry for folks who have HOA’s (Home Owner Associations) dictating what is allowed in their yard.

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Squiggly plant stake as a handrail beside the step. Nice and sturdy!  Not code though.

Out here in the middle of nowhere, we can slap up any implement in our yards.

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Plant support rings hung up for a trellis extension. Vines growing through hoops.  

I feel sorry for folks of suburbia, all stifled by rules of respectability and what-not.

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Chop sticks protect passers-by from the mean cactus.

I love my ghetto garden.  Anything goes.

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No dog? No problem. This dish is perfect to hold extra water for this thirsty vine.

Reuse and recycle.   Go Ghetto!  (No offense.)

Go with the FLOW

 

Magical Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the flowers of the Fungi kingdom.

I think they are beautiful.

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I had to rush outside with my camera this afternoon and get these photos

before mean Mr. Flower mowed them down.

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No worries, they will be back.

The part above ground is for reproduction, just like the flowers of plants.

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I expect to see another lovely crop after the next good rain.

Some mushrooms like this oak conk do not look like mushrooms. This looks bread.

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Most of these mushrooms have gills

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and stalks with a club foot.

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Some of them have pores under their caps instead of gills.

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Like this blob-shaped, one with a yellow stalk.

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Its cross-section has different layers.

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These tiny groups look like bird’s nests. Rain washes the spores out to spread.

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These two look like potatoes.

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This one is gray like a stone.

Some caps are like funnels instead of parasols.

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I love to find little buttons just emerging from their veils.

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I enjoy finding mounds of mushrooms, too.

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The red-capped ones are my favorite.

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I like mushrooms so much that I make my own out of concrete.

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This lizard uses this one for his lookout post.

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FLOWER loves Fungi

 

 

Vine Time

I love vines, as you probably know by now.

By the end of July they have reached the top of their trellises.

They are finally starting to produce flowers.

Two of my favorites are putting on a show this week.

The hybrid Passion vine is opening several flowers each day.

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I had to get on a ladder to get these shots.

Notice the pollen underneath the stamen paddles.

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Hybrid Passion vine

This vine only made one fruit last year with no seeds inside.

My Moon vine has produced its first two blooms this week.

I missed the first, but caught this one closing this morning.

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Moon Vine

More blooms ahead.

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FLOW