Dahlias!

It is the last days of summer and we are slipping into fall very quickly. I lament the end of the summer flower season- it is always a long winter's wait for the return of garden flowers. Although I buy most of my flowers at the wholesale market, most of the dahlias I use are grown locally and soon their time will be past. I did a session last week with garden dahlias and zinnias; these are outtakes from the session. I've seen bigger and more showy dahlias than these, but I love the blush dahlias for their almost peony-like presence. Hopefully I will be able to do a last session with the locally grown flowers before the leaves start to drop.

It is putting me in the mood for fall tabletop shooting, though. There are lots of great things to cut out in fields and side-lots to places around town. The various asters, golden rod, late sunflowers and crab apples are next in line to be photographed.

New Vrindaban

 No, this is not India! This is New Vrindiban in West Virginia! Located outside of Moundsville WV, way out on a country road, New Vrindiban is one of the most unique places to visit anywhere in the United States. It is an intentional community of followers of  ISKCON  (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), otherwise known as the Hare Krishna's to most Americans, and is a vacation retreat for Hindus from all over. This part is the so-named "Palace of Gold" which was built initially to serve as the home of Hare Krishna founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; it is now a memorial to him as he died before it was completed. It is a very Indian style of building and the crazy thing is that it is in the most unlikely place- West Virginia- really?! They welcome visitors to both tour the Palace of Gold and visit the active Hindu temple and small community just down the road. I have visited twice now as a curious traveler and a vegetarian with shared sympathies and have always enjoyed the hospitality and openness of the people there. The image below is a huge waterlily pond with the rolling West Virginia hills in the background, and then a guardian lion outside of the Palace of Gold's upper stairs. If you travel near Wheeling WV and have a couple of spare hours, check it out- you will be surprised in a good way at this really unusual place. Banish the old images from the 60's and 70's- those days and ways are long gone. There are still some saris and saffron colored robes among people in more conventional attire, but you will find this a very tourist friendly and lovely place to visit.

 This is just a small departure from my usual photo interests, but I was going through images and really like these- I'll get back to things floral and shabby to be sure. I shot all morning today for greeting cards, but now it is raining and I've lost my good outdoor light, so I thought to spend a few minutes going through my image files. I like shooting scenics and more journalistic things too; I actually crave getting the "money shot" when it comes to events and action scenes- I am out there with my aging Nikon like I was a photojournalist when I travel. I have viewed so much of my life through the lens I can't put the thing down- almost anywhere I go I have to have some kind of camera with me, even if it is just my phone. Maybe next year will see a new camera in my hands, but my old reliable D80 is still doing the job for me.

Raspberries!

About the only thing in my garden that actually thrives are my run-amok raspberry vines. This is a wonderful 19th century split wood berry basket with some traces of paint. It is my favorite basket but it usually lives on top of a pie safe with heaps of redware and stacked boxes where it is camouflaged and lost in the excess. I love bringing it out for photos where it is better displayed.