Weather or not

Yesterday we had one of the most beautiful sunny blue sky days I've seen so far this year. And it meant that I would head to Snohomish to join my friends so we could play together in the sky. Here you see my playmates: Kevin and me standing, with Cindy, Dave and Linny in front. These are some of the friends I fly around with in the air. Yesterday I only made two jumps, but of course Ninja Linny made four, staying until sunset while Smart Guy and I headed north to Bellingham. The traffic was not fun. We would have gone back again today, but we awoke to wind, rain, and low clouds. So I took pictures instead.

Some of the visitors to our front yard that don't bother me at all, the deer, drive the flower people who live on ground level a bit crazy, since they LOVE to eat the tender little shoots as they come up. This one is watching the people traffic to make sure nobody is interested in chasing away the local wildlife. Nobody was, so he (she?) spent quite a bit of time on the lawn figuring out what to eat next.

Poppies must not be on their list of favorite things, because these guys hadn't been touched, and I had been meaning to take a picture when they were in their first bloom, they were so beautiful. Now they are a little past their prime, but I walked out just now to capture this picture to share with you. Now all I needed was a bit of blue, and they would be perfect for the holiday weekend.

The penstemon planted in my little planter on the front porch comes up every year whether I take care of them or not. I originally planted them for this reason: they are irresistible to hummingbirds. This is my third season in my planter, and I love to watch these little hummers come to taste them. Although I have an almost identical picture from last year, I have no idea if it is the same little guy or not, and these are blooms from this year's plants. Don't you just love those pretty little wings? And if you enlarge this picture, you can admire those teeny tiny little legs tucked up to reduce drag.

And with that, I'm off to the Y to swim laps, and then to the movies with Judy. We're going to see Midnight in Paris, which is, I'm told, a delightful movie. I'll let you know. I truly hope you are enjoying your weekend, and Happy Independence Day to one and all!
:-)