Vivo Holiday Artist Gallery.....WOW! Its one of my pictures in the ad.

The Vivo Holiday Gallery ad is showing some of my work. Wooo Hoo! LOL now I feel special.

Take a look and be sure to visit online or in person.

http://www.vivoannapolis.com/Top_of_the_Hill_Artist_Gallery.html

My Sister's Art and Photography.....Its Official

Check out our site for great art and photography for sale.

http://mysistersart09.blogspot.com

Holiday Art Display

Julie and I will have a holiday display here: http://www.vivoannapolis.com/

Should be a lot of fun and maybe a money maker too. Check it out and stopy by and see our wares around the middle of November.

Vivo the Arts!

We have our own Monarchs here in the US.

Last days of the butterflies in the Botannical Garden.

Golden Curls

She was juried out and not in. What do those jurors know anyway.......

Back to Chatham

http://www.nps.gov/frsp/chatham.htm

Star trails Try # 2

My 2nd try with enhanced color. Seemed to be a lot of noise so I am thinking even lower ISO.

George Washington's Wine Bottle?

Well maybe that is a stretch. This bottle is almost 300 years old and was found at the Pope's Creek Plantation, Wakefield, where George Washington was born and live until age three. S0 maybe he didn't drink out of the bottle but its fits that time period. It was found during excavations in the trash area of the plantation.

First Try for Star Trails

I realize it needs work, its the first try. More to come as I learn and make adjustments. Learning to use the tripod too.

Flight of the Bumblebee .....

Fuschia

Green DragonFly - Cape Fear Botannical Garden, Fayetteville, NC

Few and Far Between.......Along the river bank at Cape Fear, NC

Summer Flowers - Day 212

I thought I knew the name of these. But when I researched I was incorrect. Someone fill me in if you know. I really liked the way they looked. Anyway I think they are pretty pinkish/purplish "summer" flowers.

Broken - Day 211 - Butterfly

Though you probably can't tell if from this shot, this buttefly was broken. He was a newborn and seemed to have the failure to thrive syndrome. His keepers said he probably wouldn't be around tomorrow. They told me his body was to heavy for the wings and he just kept flopping instead of flying. Poor thing, that's so sad.

AMAZING - Day 210 - Atlas Moth - Lewis Ginter Botannical Garden

The largest moth in the world at Lewis Ginter Botannical Gardens.

The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, southern China, common across the Malay archipelago, Thailand to Indonesia.In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity; unlike that produced by the related Silkworm moth (Bombyx mori), Atlas moth silk is secreted as broken strands. This brown, wool-like silk is thought to have greater durability and is known as fagara.Atlas moth cocoons have been employed as purses in Taiwan.
Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier. (The largest lepidopteran in terms of wingspan is thought to be the White Witch, Thysania agrippina. A record specimen of Attacus atlas from Java measured 262 mm while Thysania are claimed to be about 270-280 mm or 11 inches. Based on some spread specimens and angle of wing, actual measurements of around 289 mm have been estimated. Atlas moths are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns. In Hong Kong the Cantonese name translates as "snake's head moth", referring to apical extension of the forewing, which bears a passing resemblance to a snake's head.

Garden - Day 209 - Restaurant Poulbot

I really enjoyed this entrance to the restaurant. It reminded me so much of a garden with all of their decorations. It seemed very friendly and welcoming. The colors were really bright too.

Historical - Day 208 - Moulin Rouge

There are probably many themes this picture could fit with, but I chose a more tasteful approach.

There is quite a "historical" connection with Moulin Rouge. First, it means red windmill. There were quite a few people vying for pictures of this building at the very least from the outside. Here is the history, taken from Wikipedia.

Moulin Rouge (French for Red Windmill) is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the facsimile of a red windmill on its roof.

The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for adult visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.

Quirky - Day 207 - Chicken Point's

Okay, maybe someone else can comprehend this picture of this restaurant. It seemed to be an Indian restaurant. I guess it can qualify for quirky. It baffles me, why Chicken Point's?

Not Your Mother Tongue - Day 206

I don't really know what this says. I recognize a few words but not enough to translate. Maybe its the thought that counts.

Black and White - Day 205 - Butterflies

These two butterflies has just been released into the butterfly house. I assume they were newborns so to speak. One was a monarch and I didn't catch the name of the other one. They both seem to have their share of "Black and White" color. They only paused for a second before they were off and running with the hundreds of others in the room. I only had a chance to get about 2 shots before they flew.

Orange - Day 204 - When Pigs Fly

I never notice cloud formations. I thought this "orange " sky was nice. And if you look in the center you can see a shape of something. Maybe I have a wild imagination, but I would swear its looks like a pig with wings, yea sure "When Pigs Fly".

Curly - Day 203 - Where's Waldo

At the botannical garden, this cute statue, let's call him Waldo, seems to move from place to place. They place him in different rooms with different flowers depending on the season. Its sort of like the book "Where's Waldo?" at the botannical gardens. I like how he seems to use his "Curly" tail as his security blanket no matter where he is.

Global Village - Day 202 - Lotus Flower

I tried to find a good theme for this picture. Maybe I should be finding a picture for a theme, I don't know, I tend to do things differently. So I researched the Lotus and here is what I found. I think this qualifies it for the "Global Village".

The flowers, seeds, young leaves, and "roots" (rhizomes) are all edible. In Asia, the petals are used sometimes for garnish, while the large leaves are used as a wrap for food. In Korea, the leaves and petals are used as a tisane. The flowers, seeds, young leaves, and "roots" (rhizomes) are all edible. In Asia, the petals are used sometimes for garnish, while the large leaves are used as a wrap for food. In Korea, the leaves and petals are used as a tisane. The rhizome (called ǒu (藕) in pinyin Chinese, ngau in Cantonese, bhe in Hindi, renkon (レンコン, 蓮根 in Japanese), yeongeun (연근) in Korean) is used as a vegetable in soups, deep-fried, stir-fried, and braised dishes. Petals, leaves, and rhizome can also all be eaten raw, but there is a risk of parasite transmission (e.g., Fasciolopsis buski): it is therefore recommended that they be cooked before eating. Lotus rootlets are often pickled with rice vinegar, sugar, chili and/or garlic. It has a crunchy texture with sweet-tangy flavours. In Asian cuisine, it is popular with salad, prawns, seasame oil and/or coriander leaves. The stamens can be dried and made into a fragrant herbal tea called liánhuā cha (蓮花茶) in Chinese, or (particularly in Vietnam)[citation needed] used to impart a scent to tea leaves. The lotus seeds or nuts (called liánzĭ, 蓮子; or xian liánzĭ, 鲜莲子, in Chinese) are quite versatile, and can be eaten raw or dried and popped like popcorn, phool makhana. They can also be boiled until soft and made into a paste, or boiled with dried longans and rock sugar to make a tong sui (sweet soup). Combined with sugar, lotus seed paste becomes one of the most common ingredients used in pastries such as mooncakes, daifuku, and rice flour pudding. Various parts of the lotus are also used in traditional Asian herbal medicine. All info taken from Wikipedia.

Open- Day 201- Just a Sip

I had the hardest time getting these butterflies to "open" their wings, its as if they knew I was watching them.