Tag Archives: nature

A Tribute to Nature’s Golden Smiles

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🌻 Celebrating National Sunflower Day: A Tribute to Nature’s Golden Smiles

Every year, National Sunflower Day bursts onto the calendar like a ray of sunshine, reminding us to pause and appreciate one of nature’s most cheerful and iconic blooms. Whether you’re a gardener, a flower enthusiast, or simply someone who loves a good dose of positivity, this day is a golden opportunity to bask in the beauty and symbolism of sunflowers.

 

Sunflower and butterfly 2018 photo credit Deb Neumann

🌞 Why Sunflowers Deserve Their Own Day

Sunflowers aren’t just pretty faces in the garden—they’re botanical powerhouses with deep cultural, ecological, and emotional significance:

  • Symbol of Positivity: With their bright yellow petals and sun-chasing behavior (heliotropism), sunflowers symbolize happiness, optimism, and warmth.
  • Pollinator Paradise: Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators flock to sunflowers, making them essential for biodiversity.
  • Edible and Useful: From sunflower seeds to sunflower oil, these plants offer nutritional and practical benefits.
  • Artistic Inspiration: Think Van Gogh’s iconic sunflower series—these blooms have inspired countless artists and creatives.
Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Stock

🌻 How to Celebrate National Sunflower Day

Whether you’re going big or keeping it simple, here are some joyful ways to honor the day:

1. Plant Sunflowers

Start your own sunflower patch! They’re easy to grow and come in a variety of sizes and colors—from towering giants to petite varieties perfect for containers.

2. Visit a Sunflower Field

Many farms open their sunflower fields to the public during blooming season. It’s a perfect photo op and a serene way to connect with nature.

Sunflowers

Field of Sunflowers photo credit Deb Neumann

 

3. Create Sunflower Art

Paint, draw, or craft something inspired by sunflowers. It’s a great activity for kids and adults alike.

4. Share the Sunshine

Gift a bouquet of sunflowers to a friend, neighbor, or loved one. Their vibrant presence can lift spirits and brighten any room.

5. Learn and Reflect

Read up on the history, symbolism, and science behind sunflowers. You might be surprised by how much depth lies behind those golden petals.

🌼 Fun Sunflower Facts

  • Sunflowers can grow over 12 feet tall!
  • They’re native to North America and were cultivated by Indigenous peoples long before European settlers arrived.
  • A sunflower head is made up of thousands of tiny florets, each capable of producing a seed.

🌻 Final Thoughts

National Sunflower Day is more than just a celebration of a flower—it’s a celebration of joy, resilience, and the simple beauty that surrounds us. So whether you’re planting seeds, snapping photos, or just soaking in the sunshine, take a moment to let the sunflower’s spirit brighten your day.

Happy Flowers

Happy Flowers photo credit Deb Neumann

Let’s spread the sunshine—one petal at a time.

Altitude Sickness?

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Is It Really Altitude Sickness???

Altitude Sickness is the real deal! My first day (not counting travel day) and unlike my usual go go go self, my go go has gone gone. I’m headachy and tired in spite of going to bed at 5 pm yesterday. I dragged myself out of bed for a shower and went in search of breakfast. The restaurant in the lodge is only open for the Happy Hour and the dinner crowd.  Maybe I’m just hungry.

Wendy’s Again

I drove through downtown Breckenridge but didn’t see any open restaurants. I retraced my steps from the drive in and located another Wendy’s. A bacon, egg and cheese biscuit later and I still didn’t feel any better.  Maybe I did have a touch of Altitude Sickness. The little convenience store next to Wendy’s was advertising oxygen so maybe this is common for us sea level types.

City Market

I don’t want to have to search for breakfast every day, so I stopped at City Market in Downtown Breckenridge to pick up some basics. I made sure to get a 12 pack of bottled water while I was at it. Then I returned to the condo and went back to bed.

Bullwinkle

When I finally started moving again around 1:30 it was still hard to catch my breath, but the headache was subsiding. I decided to drive down to check out the gondola. It goes right over the road when it swings up the mountain. I plan to ride it before I leave but I’m waiting for my system to acclimate before I add another 2000 ft to my altitude. I never got there.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a couple of cars pulled over and the occupants trying to cross the road.  Being the nosey type and having seen this behavior before I pulled over too. Sure enough, this was sure to be the start of a critter jam. There were moose in the field and not just one. At least 2 males with impressive antlers, one juvenile male and a female. Of course, I didn’t have the camera with me. Just my ancient cell phone.

Seeing those moose was the best boost I could have gotten.  You can be sure that my good camera & lens will be in the car the rest of the week!

Cruise to Alaska Begins in Canada

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The Alaska Adventure starts in Vancouver

Our Alaska Cruise departs from Vancouver, Canada. We flew into  Vancouver the day before we had to board. This time we were cruising on Princess Cruise Lines. So far I’ve been on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and now Princess.   I had been to Vancouver years ago for a convention. Its a beautiful city.

Cruise terminal

MountyWe didn’t have much time to explore but we did get a chance to walk along the waterfront after breakfast and before we headed to the ship. The staff at our hotel, The Best Western Sands,  were awesome; helpful with our luggage and transportation to the ship.

Strolling along the Seawall

Our morning stroll started in a sculpture garden. The main sculpture is  A-Maze-ing Laughter by the Chinese artist Yue Minjun.

laughter

Even though it was raining the gardeners were working on the landscaping so flowers were abundant.

gardening

So were the birds. There were Herons, gulls, ducks, geese and loads more that I couldn’t identify. I shouldn’t have been surprised about the rain. Vancouver and much of southwestern Alaska are part of a temperate rain forest! Who knew? I think of rain forest as the Amazon or Brazil but the Pacific Northwest is also rain forest! Little did we know that the rainy Vancouver morning foreshadowed what we would experience on our cruise.

Great Blew heron in Flight

Time to head to the ship

The morning flew by and before we knew it, it was time for lunch and then we needed to find the ship. The hotel concierge told us we were close to the port but with our luggage we felt a cab was a good choice. The front desk made a call bringing a cab right to the front of the hotel. It really wasn’t far to the port but there was a lot of traffic. We probably could have gotten there faster walking but I’m pretty sure we would have gotten lost! Taking the cab was the right choice.

Waterfalls of Yellowstone

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Waterfalls are everywhere!

So you want to see waterfalls? The concierge was waving a map at me. If it’s waterfalls you’re looking for you have come to the right place he went on. We’re better than Niagara Falls! He handed me a map with the best spots all circled and marked for me. I’d seen geysers and animals. Now it was time to concentrate on the water features, waterfalls.

Grand Teton Waterfalls

His map started with Yellowstone so I asked him if there were any waterfalls in Grand Teton National Park. He said yes but most were only accessible by hiking to them. The Yellowstone waterfalls are often near the road with parking  areas and look outs. Since my back injury makes hiking difficult Yellowstone became my destination again. They pulled my car around and I got started. It’d be a good hour before I reached the southern entrance to Yellowstone. I was determined not to get side tracked.

Horses at Elk Flat Ranch

The Elk Flats Distraction

I was hustling along pretty good until I got to Elk Flats again. There were photographers pulled over taking pictures of the horses grazing in the pasture to the left. They paid no attention to the 2 pronghorn antelope frisking around in the field to the right. Yes, I had to stop. You have to take these opportunities as they present themselves.

Prong horn at Elk Flats

The Bison are back

Bison in the morning

Just over the rise I found the bison herd. No elk this morning but the bison had moved much closer to the road. They were even jumping over the rail fence. The bison paparazzi were brazen. They were right up to the fence the bull had just jumped. Too close for my taste. In front of me two bulls were head butting, getting ready to spar. A bit of Nat Geo Wild right in front of me. As much as I was enjoying the show time was passing and I hadn’t reached Moran Junction yet, much less Yellowstone. Time to get back on the road. 

 

Jousting BisonGet ready to fight

The Afternoon is for Animals

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A is for Animals

The animals have been hiding so far. Yellowstone is known for it’s wild animal viewing but so far I’ve only seen one lonely bison. The thermal features are impressive enough that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. It’s about 3:30 in the afternoon so I thought I should stop my exploring here and start back to Jackson.

B is for Bears

3 bears out for a stroll

Lots of signs along the way remind you that you’re in bear country. My Gaperguide repeatedly suggests bear spray when hiking and not to hike alone. Even so, I’d not seen any sign of  bears so far. That was about to change. I’d just entered Grand Teton National Park when as I approached one of the many bridges that cross the streams and rivers I saw cars lined up along both sides of the road. I had no idea what they were stopped for but I stopped too. Grabbing my camera I quickly headed over to the edge of the crowd. I didn’t have to ask what it was. Right there in plain sight was a Mama Bear and 2 cubs. Big Mama looked black in the afternoon light but one of the other spectators quickly pointed out the hump that identified this bear as a grizzly.

Bear 399Mama and Cubs

Mama and cubs paid no attention to their audience as they ambled off to the nearby woods. As the spectators headed back to the cars I overheard one bear watcher say that this was bear 399. Bear 399 was made famous in the book Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek, a book by photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen and writer Todd Wilkinson. Mama 399 is now 21 years old which is quite old by wild grizzly standards and even more rare that she is still breeding.

 Long Lived and Well Loved

“Every year that 399 has remained alive, raising successive broods of cubs, staying out of trouble with people, has been for those of us who enjoy her presence a gift and a miracle.”

In her two decades of life, 399 has given birth to three sets of triplets, one set of fraternal twins, and two single cubs. Her daughter, identified as 610 by researchers, has also raised four cubs of her own; 17 total cubs descended from 399: 18 total bears if you count her. Pretty Awesome!

Into the woods