Yesterday while walking in Central Park with my daughter and new baby granddaughter, a new variety of Oak Leaf Hydrangea caught my eye. The leaves on the bush look just like the Oak Leaf Hydrangea I have at home. All the varieties are in full bloom with gorgeous white clusters of flowers, but the shape of the flowers on this one were new to me. Amateur Botanists, do you know what this is called?
My hydrangea bushes in Pennsylvania are ready to bloom again this week. I’m reminded of my daughter’s wedding on June 30, 2012 when my hydrangeas were in full bloom by my back door.
It’s fun to see different colors on the same bush! The blossoms are so delicate.
Hydrangeas also remind me of Cape Cod, because they thrive there and look so pretty against the weathered shingled houses. How do hydrangeas make you feel?
In honor of the first day of summer — a season that seemed to begin at least a month ago — I went for a swim. Not in the ocean, just at our club’s swimming pool. The folks in Hawaii no doubt took a dip in the Pacific Ocean, like these body surfers I spotted on Kauai two years ago.
Check out my new website for more images from Kauai, where ordering prints is a snap. www.cathykellyphotography.com.
Father’s Day this year is extra special for my son-in-law who became a Daddy last week. This portrait shows him gently cradling his daughter a few hours after her birth. From our family to yours: Love your Dad. Thank him for a lifetime of love and support.
Sometimes you have to drop all your routine activities and focus on family. Last week, when my daughter Caitlin went into labor to deliver her first baby was one of the those times. I packed my car the next morning and drove 8 hours from Pittsburgh to New York City, hoping to see my first grandchild on the day she was born. While I inched along in traffic approaching the Lincoln Tunnel, Caitlin called my cell phone. “We have a new Kelly girl,” she announced with equal parts pride and joy. (Caitlin and her two sisters were affectionately known as the Kelly girls.)
It was so exciting to hold my first grandchild just a few hours after she came into the world. God gave us all a beautiful gift, and our hearts are filled with love.
June 16, 2016
The experts say PNC Park is one of most beautiful major league baseball park in America. My experience is limited to about 7 ballparks, but I think the experts must be right this time. A sunny summer evening watching the Pittsburgh Pirates at home is one of life’s finer pleasures.
Baseball is one of those great American traditions that hasn’t changed much over the generations.* But the parks keep getting nicer. The Pirates started at Forbes Field (which was torn down), shared Three Rivers Stadium with the Steelers from 1970 to 2000, and finally have a proper ball park with a fabulous view of a beautiful skyline. Having lived in Pittsburgh for the past 28 years, I might be biased. What do you think?
*This would be a great prompt for a heated discussion!
All the world were filled with orange tulips. It’s my Friday fantasy.
Creative exercise with tools from Photoshop and Topaz Simplify. Enjoy and share!
Macro photography lets you take a careful look at a flower’s center. I also find that the irregularity in a flower makes it special. I was attracted to the darker pink streaks on the petal in the back. In this image, I find my eye is first drawn to the delicate yellow tendrils of the flower’s center. In the asymmetrical composition, that yellow center needs a counter weight, which the fascia-streaked petal provides. Does your eye move the same way? Is your vision attracted to color changes, defined detail and edges?
Blog: Cathy Kelly Photography 