Wednesday

~ Shades of Gold ~

 Sunflowers.. in all their golden beauty.
Earlier in the year, of course, as the frost and fall season have made the sunflowers fade.
 Their cheerful faces ...
 rows and rows.
 Fading sunflower.
Seed heads. Plenty of sunflower seeds for next summer.
 The meadow.
A few weeks ago, as the sunflowers were fading. Golden sunset against the mountains.
 Golden sunrise.
Can you believe how vivid and gold the clouds are?! This picture is 100% real!
As we were driving to Phoenix this last Friday, the skies just lit up in gold colors that were almost unreal. Our daughter and I went to Phoenix to see the Bonnie Raitt concert.
Her gift to me for my birthday, this past Saturday.
We left so early, and it was still dark, but as we were going through the canyon the sunrise and the gold clouds were simply gorgeous!!
 On the road.
Golden Fall foliage through the canyons.
 Back home again.
The meadow is beautiful, with golden grasses, and golden leaves.
A few clouds hang on the mountains and foothills.
We feel so fortunate, and blessed that these are our daily views.
 The sunflower patch today.
Faded to dark amber~gold.
Most of the seeds that were left in the sunflower heads have provided a feast for the birds.
I already cut and dried all the seed heads that I wanted to save, in order to have plenty of seeds for next year.

 The faded sunflowers are still beautiful in their own, golden~amber, Fall~ish way.

Final shade of gold.
We've decided to leave most of the sunflower stalks up during the winter.
It will provide a bit of a windbreak, and place for the birds to rest.
And, I honestly think that they are still beautiful .

~Attitude of gratitude.
~ I'm so grateful for good and true friends.
~Feeling thankful for the simple things in life.
~Grateful for prayer.
~Feeling thankful for pumpkin bread. ... what a delicious seasonal treat. I'm so glad that we have pumpkins!
~Feeling thankful for Fall festivals, pumpkins a~plenty, and scents of cinnamon in the air.
~Grateful for my sweet husband, and that we had a great date night last night and went to see the Odyssey Dance Theaters production of Thriller. I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to do that!

19 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday. How fun to see BR. Glad you and your husband enjoyed your date night, too. I agree that the seed heads are lovely. The birds will enjoy the stalks so much. Those golden clouds are fantastic. Have a great day!

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  2. Kerin, I just love this post. There are very few things prettier than a sunflower, no matter what the stage they are in. Dissected, they are such an interesting piece of nature. I agree that there are not many places that can compare sunsets with Arizona. So beautiful, but your views are spectacular and so are your photos..Happy Wednesday..xoJudy

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    1. That sunrise was a Utah sunrise, and the most vivid and golden sunrise ever :)
      Not too far from home, actually.
      We lived in AZ. for a while though, and I agree with you... those desert sunrises are beautiful.

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  3. I too wish you a belated Happy Birthday.
    Also love sunflowers. The birds are having a feast with the seeds at my place.
    The scenes are beautiful and that golden sunrise is awesome in the true sense of the word. WOW.
    I am thankful that you are posting again. : )

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  4. I love the colors of fall, especially the bright yellows! (and oranges...and reds!) Happy belated birthday! Sounds like a fun trip!

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  5. Happy Belated Birthday! I bet you two had fun at the concert.
    This was a lovely post with such pretty photos. I love sunflowers in all stages!

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  6. Its all so beautiful. I love all of the wonderful colors. I love your meadow. It would be so awesome to wake up to that every day. I also like your drive through the canyon. Lovely photos today.

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  7. How nice to have a date night! Happy Belated Birthday. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous! :)

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  8. Wow, everything is so beautiful! Love sunflowers!

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  9. Some pretty pictures. I love sunflowers.

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  10. So, so pretty!
    The sunflowers are amazing!!

    M : )

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  11. I adore sunflowers! Mine didn't do as well this year and I just had a few, but I sure enjoyed them. Enjoyed seeing your beautiful photos! And your view is amazing!
    I'm behind on blogging and visiting, but I still wish you a Belated Happy Birthday!!
    xo Cheryl

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  12. Kerin,
    Great pictures and Sun flowers are just way to happy,nature is a wonder. Love your pictures of the old farm houses too, so charming.
    Nancy Jo

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  13. I have really enjoyed seeing the beauty of sunflower...

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  14. It was nice to see the beautiful sun flower:)

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  15. Ahhhh, I have to say a Bonnie Raitt concert was a PERFECT birthday gift!! ;) Just stopping by to wish you and yours a WONDER-FULL 2017! blessings and big hugs ~ tanna

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  16. Just stopping by to say hi and hope all is well with you. It's been so long since you posted and I miss them.

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  17. Hi Kevin :)

    What beautiful pictures! It looks like you're taking a break from blogging, like I did. I hope your 2017 is going well, my friend.

    xo,
    rue

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