Fig Leaves

My friend has a very prolific fig tree. The leaves are such a beautiful shape that they almost make up for the fact that critters are the first to grab most of the ripe figs. The fig is the third tree mentioned in the Bible. Fig leaves are permanently associated with Adam and Eve. In the early 1500s, church officials tried to reduce the nudity in artworks of the day. Fig leaves were added to already-completed statues and paintings. This fig leaf addition continued for centuries, which is why "adding a fig leaf" implies covering up something that everyone knows is there. One of the larger leaves here in my photo would be big enough to fashion a bathing suit bottom that would have been considered modest in 1960. I'd prefer for the leaves to just stay on the tree where they belong.

CherryTomotoes

It is finally tomato time at the farmers market. The cherry tomatoes look like beads carved from semi-precious stones: amber, carnelian, citrine and jasper. Their imperfect roundness contrasts with the square boxes, an attempt to instill order amidst mild disorder. I love the blue edges, little lines of added color. All red, all yellow, mixed colors, big ones, little ones, they are at the farmers market waiting for you---deliciously beautiful. 

Dotty Beads

It's almost impossible for me to resist the urge to paw through a cache of beads. Becky Hancock, proprietor of Saint Theresa’s Textile Trove, has uncounted numbers of beads. She knows where they came from and how each type was made. This box is my current favorite. Most of the beads sport dots; vibrant little punctuation marks that encourage me to keep looking and touching their cool, bumpy surfaces. Some are eye beads, thought in many cultures to help ward off bad luck. No bad luck here, just joy in a box of beads.

Fireworks Over the Potomac

Alexandria, Virginia celebrates its founding with fireworks on the Saturday after the Fourth of July. A riverside patio is an ideal viewpoint. Years of mixed success have taught me to spend only a small portion of the show shooting a few photographs. I want to enjoy the evening breezes, the flashes of color, the whizzes, bangs and pops. Last July, I came home with just a few images, all underwhelming. For fun, I experimented with filters and tried balancing the light this way or that. Surprise! My image suddenly looked the way it felt to be there! I try to adhere to reality in the photos I post, but perhaps, sometimes, it takes more than that to capture an experience. 

Really Big Dandelion

This is the largest dandelion plant I've ever seen. Three feet high and an arm spread wide, it managed to take hold in almost no soil and has flourished along the front of an otherwise tidy building. If the wall was painted a nice shade of blue or green, it might  look more decorative or even artistic, but against a sickly red, the plant is impressive mainly for its size and sheer determination. Something to think about, the next time you dig a dandelion out of your lawn...