Fish Food and An Exciting Week Ahead

Today was a quiet day around my house.  It was welcomed after a busy week and because Mr. Tide appears to have suffered from dehydration or food poisoning...so NOT good!

So after resting much of the weekend, he finally felt up to taking a stroll down to our dock this afternoon.

We had a leftover french baguette which had become hard and stale, so we decided to see if the fish in the creek would enjoy a little carbohydrate treat!  

We've never fed the fish out back before, but they seemed very appreciative and a little feeding frenzy erupted around each morsel of bread Mr. Tide tossed into the water!  I have no idea what type of fish these are, but some of them had the most beautiful blue stripes along there backs and tails.  And even though you can't tell it from my not so clear photos, they almost looked like tropical fish with those flashes of bright blue as they attacked the bread!

Mr. Quinn was quite intrigued by the whole business of feeding the fish, but I suspect it had more to do with the fact that in his mind we were tossing away perfectly good bread that he would have happily devoured!

Now most of my fellow bloggers can relate to the fact that I rarely relinquish the camera these days.  Ever since I've fallen in love with the art of photography, I've become a bit of a camera hog!  Mr. Tide never minds, and it's not like I hide the camera or take it away from him, but I do tend to take the lion's share of the photos around here since creating my blog.

Today he headed outside with the camera and snapped a few great pictures, and I didn't even break out into a cold sweat or go through any kind of withdrawals!

He shot both of these beautiful trumpet vine photos.  I wish someone would start promoting the use of weeds and invasive species as ideal garden plants since they seem to be the only things which can survive and thrive with high heat and no water!!  Maybe I'll start the movement and see who jumps on the bandwagon.  Just think of all the time, money and effort we could save if weeds were the "new" flowers!

He also captured this gorgeous blue dragon fly perched on a grapevine leaf.

I just love the dramatic blue of it's body and those eyes!!!  We have lots of dragonflies around here in all sizes, shapes, and colors!  The red, orange, blue, and yellow ones are the most dramatic of course and you rarely see the blue ones, they tend to stay further up the creek in the wetlands.

And be sure to check back this week when you'll be treated to a few exciting posts!  I'll be showing you more of this breathtaking beach house owned by my friend and beach glass jewelry artist Julie, the owner of Frosted Trash!  Wait until you see the gorgeous pair of earrings she gave me to use as a giveaway!

And I'll finally be posting the first in a 3 part series about the wonderful women behind AtticMag!  You won't want to miss my interview with Jane F, and you'll get a sneak peek at her country house! 

So be sure to check back this week for the giveaway, and to see some truly beautiful homes!

Make Way For Ducklings and a Long Day

Yesterday was a long day, one where you are going from morning til night.  But it was a very good day too!  

It started in the morning with a photo shoot at the most amazing house!  This one may find its way into a book or magazine, so once again I can't take you inside...*sigh*!

The grounds of this property are equally as stunning!

And the homeowner indulged me and took me on a lovely tour of the property after I was done taking pictures of the inside of the house.

As I snapped away, he said things like...we need to work on this bed, or plant something different here, or we have plans for these trees.  But to me it was all perfect!  Even that tiny little bug that you can barely see just to the right of the flower (not the one on the flower), thought it it was perfect just the way it is!

And the resident barn kitty (I think her name was Isabella) was pretty happy with the way things were as well!

It was a beautiful day after all, with low humidity and cool breezes!

Where breezes fill the air with the smell of fresh herbs!

The kind of day that makes a rooster crow early to welcome the day!

And where ferns enjoy the sunshine without sweltering!

Insects can lounge awhile and take it easy on a day like today!

Flowers will shine extra bright on a day like today, as a way of saying thank you for the cooler temps.   

Yes this was a day for flowers to rejoice!

I read a sign outside a nursery on the way back from my photo shoot that read "Flowers are the Earth's way of Laughing" or something along those lines.

I smiled and thought to myself, what a wonder little saying!  I also thought I would remember it word for word...but on a busy day like yesterday, my brain doesn't always hold everything it needs to!

It does remember to stop and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me though, and for that I am very thankful!

I used to read both of my children the book Make Way For Ducklings when they were little.  And yesterday while touring the grounds of the house I had photographed I was treated to these cute little guys and girls!

The most adorable goslings and ducklings!  So cute you wanted to pick them up and cuddle those soft downy feathers of theirs!

I wanted to stay here all day, and look at the sheep, the peacocks, the goats, and all of the wonderful animals around this beautiful property.  But I had a phone interview to do and a post to work on...check back soon for a wonderful interview I did with the editor of Attic Mag, one of my favorite go to blogs when I'm looking for design inspiration!

So although I was very busy yesterday, it was a good kind of busy, the kind that leaves you longing for more wonderfully productive days just like this one!

Oh, and one last thing...check out this very cool idea for creating unique outdoor votive holders from Wendy at Relatively Unique!