In between the rain.....

Hi Everyone, It started out today as a nice clear day with a few clouds, and a promise of rain before the day ended. Beth and I went to the pool to do our morning exercise and the water was so cold that we turned blue and could hardly get off the first step into the water. Forget just jumping in. It took me about ten minutes to finally get in water up to my neck. But in time, I quit shaking and warmed up, did a bunch of jumping jacks and jogged and just generally fooled around until finally it felt pretty warm and quit refreshing!  I had a watercolor class to teach today and came home, gathered up my supplies and the painting below to use as an example of how to paint character faces and off I went . 

I worked one whole day and about 1/2 another on this painting the other day. I liked the way it turned out. I love doing character faces; by that. I mean older faces with lines and distinguishing characteristics, such as this old man's beard. I haven't done people in a little while, so this one really got me in the mood to do some more. My class will be ending for the summer soon, so I will have more time to pursue this.

As I started home from the class, guess what? A big heavy rain came up, so I went through a drive-thru and got an ice cream (bad girl) and sat the rain out, enjoying my ice cream. What with the rain and the cold treat, once again, I nearly froze! Isn't it amazing how when you are acclimated to hot weather, the least little cool nearly freezes you. Soon the rain quit, the sun is out and I walked out to the garden again to see how things are fairing in all the rain we are having. Most things are lush, but I see the zinnias are getting some black spot or some such disease, caused from too much rain. They are still colorful, though and pretty.

So I gathered some zinnias and cosmos and made a little bouquet for the studio.They are so cheerful and bright. Maybe I will paint them.

Hot Summer Blooms

Hi All, Today was a nice sunny, lazy sort of day. My friend, Beth, and I went swimming for an hour early this morning at KOA  and then I took a little walk around the garden to see what is blooming. The crepe myrtles are gorgeous and I have 2 shades of pink and a lavender one.  The lavender is a little later to get in full bloom, I think, than the pink.

I can't remember the name of the above perennial, but the blooms are very pretty.

There are a few Sunflowers in the garden and the bees and birds love them.

Zinnias are really my favorite summer flowers as they don't mind the heat and are easy to grow.

The flower garden usually has several kinds of butterflies. They seem to love the bright colors of the zinnias.

And I will end this post with a painting I did of zinnias. Hope you are enjoying the hot days of summer!

A Hydrangea Wonderland!

Hello everyone, Today a friend and I went to another friends home out in the country and saw the most spectacular  display of hydrangea bushes full of bloom that I have every seen! She had them planted all around her house. As you can see, the colors were just splendid! The same plant would have many colors. Amazing! You can see how lush everything is, because this is the rainy season in Florida and we have had lots of rain.

Hydrangea love water and my friend has a big fish pond on her property that feeds her watering system and I firmly believe that that is why she has had such great luck with her plants. They were all started from one bloom that was in a cut flower bouquet that her son gave her many years ago. The mother plant is still beautiful and she has started dozens of plants from it. She simply applies Root Tone to a woody cutting and starts them in the ground or in a pot!

We were given lots of blooms to bring home to hang up and dry, some for bouquets and woody cuttings to try and root! I am so excited! Of course, I will have to buy fish fertilizer to try when they are established because I have no fish pond!

I am not sure which color is my favorite.All the blues are gorgeous, but so are the lavenders and pinks. I love the dark pink and the periwinkle color of blue is gorgeous!

But just look at this color above...Wow. By the way, this one is on the Mother plant...She only had 3 huge blooms, but she is a huge bush with very lush greenery and she resides by herself beside the front door....very deserving of the honor! To think that all of these plants came from her!!

The trees in the background were also planted by my friend and she gave me a Maple tree seedling to try.

Hers turn beautiful Fall colors in the Fall just like up north. 

She has Papaya trees there in the background and if you enlarge this, you can see the fruit growing.

So I end this post with one of my paintings....a tribute to the beautiful hydrangea!