ejmc's photostream  

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This beautiful Lace Cactus was blooming at the wildflower center in Austin late in April. This flower is about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter and the cactus was about 6 inches (15 cm) high. While I was photographing this flower the center stalk (Pistil?) started moving and then after a few seconds a bee came up out of the mass of yellow stalks (Stamen?) and flew off. I did not see him enter so he must have been there for over a minute - taking a nap maybe? There is so much to see in a garden if you have patience.

A field of Bluebonnets just after sunrise in Driftwood, Texas. This has been a really good year for wildflowers in central Texas. Notice the Longhorn standing in the trees to the upper left center of the picture. He was camera shy this morning and never came out to pose for me.

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This Drummond phlox was blooming on a bright February Sunday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. We have had regular rain this winter in Austin so the wildflowers should be plentiful this spring. They will be especially welcome after last year's drought made last spring one of the worst in recent memory for wildflowers.

These flowers are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and they grow to maybe 2 feet (50 cm) tall.

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This is a timed exposure of Valrie fire spinning at Spider House Cafe in Austin, Texas. See a video of her spinning at You Tube.

Most Thursday nights local fire spinners meet up on the back patio at the Spider House Cafe near the University of Texas Campus. There is a DJ and a friendly group of spinners and watchers enjoying a brew and a little dancing.

Today was cool and overcast to create nice soft lighting on these trees seen from the parking garage at work. It's a week before Christmas so we are starting to see some trees turning colors in Austin. This was taken with my iPhone camera - the new 4S is the first cell phone with a decent camera.