Hello there & happy Friday!
I thought I'd pop in for a short visit with some sunny summer petals.
I can't believe some brights are popping in on these hottest days.
The big yellow dahlias finally popped open.
Leave it to nature to inspire paint colors galore.
My garden is really happy in late summer and fall.
Everything grows so tall in summer, and then blooms madly as days get cooler.
Although, the days have not been cooler at all yet.
We're still melting.
I'm so grateful for the blooms that grace us in this ridiculous heat.
I adoooore when the marigolds, in their ruffled yellow, turn up.
The wisteria is giving another wave of blooms.
The hollyhocks have kept up all summer.
The California giant zinnias have started blooming after growing ever so tall.
It's all so much fun.
So, I thought I'd wish you a happy Friday…
With a smattering of color inspiration from nature.
Paint, yarn, fabric, pencils…
For some reason the colors of the petals inspire all sorts of artistic whims in me.
As I take my photos Miles wades in his pool while take big sloshy gulps of water.
He had a giant pool, but for some reason they prefer the little one.
I went hiking this week.
What a huge adventure.
It was really hard at some point.
Mostly because the air was so thin and the sun was so bright.
But the low area heading up to 9,000+ feet and the trek back down through the forest…
Oh my, talk about inspiring.
Streams, butterflies, toadstools.
You name it, the forest had it.
It was beyond fairy tale goodness in ways I can't even describe.
Well, you know what I mean if you have a forest.
I squealed and swooned the whole way.
Getting to the top seemed like the biggest task ever at about 3.5 miles uphill.
It got so hot and sunny as we left the dense forest headed to the top.
We had to go 4 miles uphill.
So my friend and I did a total of 9 miles in the end, it was great.
I try to do about 5 miles a day with hills, so it was a great challenge to tackle this hike.
Definitely not for the faint of heart, but the view from the top…
Totally worth it.
Did you know that at the top of the Santa Catalina mountains (which you see from Tucson) is a wonderful place called Mt. Lemmon?
And did you know, it's a forest?
Yep, a forest right smack in the middle of the desert.
Such a gem.
What a great week.
And now, I'll put my petals in proper vases, and perhaps pick up the yellow paint.
You can peek in on my instagram account to see more pics and videos of the forest.
The forest really is a magical place, isn't it?
I feel inspired and delighted with all I saw.
I should go up there more often.
How are you out in your neck of the woods?
Happy weekend!!
Love, V
You are a mighty hiker artist woman! What wonderful photo and views, my goodness me! Aren’t the skies and colors grand and glorious this time of year in the beautiful desert monsoon season of deep bright color. I love it.
We added a new fur to the Delicious pack for a total of three wonderful pups full of pure love.
Have a great day
Always,
Queenie Believe
I still don’t know where you find the time to do all that you do! Do you have a time turner like Hermione? Do you sleep at all? 🙂
love & blessings
~*~
ps…hugs & kisses to Matty and Miles!
Oh Vanessa, did you see me waving to you from Mt.Lemmon last weekend? :~) No place I would rather be to beat the beast of summer in Phoenix! Only 71 glorious degrees!! Stunning and just pure heaven.
We also took in San Xavier Del Bac, it had been awhile and felt the call.
Your flower garden always melts my heart…sigh.
xxoo
I miss Arizona so much, but not as much this time of year! I love dahlias. I hear that they are difficult, and that they are hard to arrange in bouquets….that you have to really be educated to mess with them. Yours are so pretty. I have pinned so many dahlia arrangements. 🙂
Lovely post. Kudos to you and your friend…..lots of miles going uphill! Wow.
xo,
RJ
I’d like to see more hiking photos from you Vanessa. Your climate and landscape is so different from ours. Different things/challenges to consider.
Your flowers are such glorious colors! They are such a lovely, artist-inspiring, palette.
Mountain air is so cleansing. I haven’t been camping for a while, but it is always such a treat to wake up and cook breakfast out doors. The smells of the food cooking are so tantalizing and you can taste every little scrumptious flavorful bite.
It was with delight that I saw a glimpse of a what you are painting…paper doll girls??? Swoon!!!
I am glad to know you are doing well and enjoying your surroundings with treks into your mountains. Totally fabulous!
XO
Miss Teresa
Gosh…a forest? Dreamy! My garden seems to do better in the Fall as well! Lovely flowers! xo Jen
Our rains in Florida finally calmed down a bit and the flooding has subsided, thank goodness. My car had a thousand dollars worth of damage…ugh…but insurance is going to cover most of it. Yay/finally. LOL.
Your flowers are so lovely. That’s such a daydream kind of thing for me. My Don Juan rose bushes were loving all of the moderate temps, cloudy skies, and rain — one of them runty bushes even sprouted new growth — which made me terribly excited.
I love, love, love that view! And puppy is cute too. 🙂
OH what lovely flowers, and finding magical places in the wilder-woods is always wonderful, no!? We need to go again, ourselves….we found a new waterfall trail last month, and it was so SO lovely and much fun with little Miss!!