Arilbred Iris

 My neighbor introduced me to Arilbred iris.  These originated in the middle east - Afghanistan, Turkey, etc.  The native species there have been crossed with bearded iris originating from Europe to achieve these hardy iris with interesting form and color.  This is my first year trying them out and they seem very happy in my garden.  They like hot dry summers when they go dormant.  The one above is called ".Chocolate Mint".  The one below is called "Genetic Artist"

Kyhber Pass (above)

 

Twin Fawns

 As a drove around a curve in the road near my home, I saw these two fawns walk wobbly to the edge of the road and drop into their instinctive position.  They were perfectly still as I took this photo.

Garden Views

 Well, the tall bearded iris are starting to show their colors now and filling out the landscape with color and texture!  The picture below shows the only window on the west side that was not damaged by our May hailstorm.  We still have our broken windows boarded up and are waiting for an estimate........he came out and measured over a week ago!

Iris in Bloom

Goddess of Luck

 Zoombafoo

 Robin's Nest

Unknown

Beautiful Iris in my Yard!

 Jallab

 Hugs from Heaven

Local Hero

 Logo

Reddy Set

Mixed Media Daily Postcards - June 1 - 8

Iris are in Bloom

 Deep Conviction

 Delirium (the colors on this one really pop!)

 Cairo Love Song

More Iris

 This iris is called Summer Camp.

 Sparkling

 Roz

Morning Show

The iris are blooming!

 Banded Tiger, Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris (I would call this one an Intermediate, though because it is taller than the dwarfs at my house).

 Loudmouth, Airlbred Iris.  This one is very short, about 5" high.  I love it!

 Azap, Intermediate Bearded Iris

 Blue Eyed Blond Intermediate Bearded Iris

Midsummer Night's Dream, Intermediate Rebloomer

My New Boat

 We've been talking about getting a boat for a couple of years now and I recently intensified my search for the right one.  I was thrilled to be able to purchase this one for my birthday present to myself!  We know virtually nothing about owning a boat so we have much to discover.  We look forward to some fun adventures on the water!

Big Hail

 Sunday, May 18 a big hail storm hit Billings, Montana.  At our place, the hail was over 2" diameter.

 The hail was driving out of the west and 7 of our west facing windows were broken.

We have waited over two weeks for the insurance adjuster to make an appearance.  After he left, I called a few local glass companies - they are five weeks out on their house calls.......

Our pick-up is totaled on account of it's age and the amount of damage that was done to the body by this huge hail. 

The roof is a total loss on one of our commercial buildings along with the paint on the siding.  An AC unit is a total loss. 

I lost many iris flowers, stalks and fans. 

It has been a busy time since the storm.

Alternative View of the City

I wanted to share an image of the piece I just finished (working title Primary City) in black and white.
Sometimes, it is helpful during the design process to convert an image of a work in progress into a black and white image or grayscale to evaluate the value, balance, and composition. 

This image makes me think I should do more of these collages with strips and hand printed fabrics - and also, that I should do one in black, white and shades of gray.

Mixed Media Daily Postcards May 27 - June 1

Details of the City