Here are some flowers that I caught with my camera while they were drying...still full of color, only different colors than when they had just arrived....and to me, still very beautiful....I love the way the petals begin to curl at the edges....the part that is farthest away from the center where the 'new' flower is still somewhat recognizeable....
I love the gradations of color...that bright yellow deep inside.....then moving into that pinkish-orangeish....then almost red into brown, and again, those curling drying up edges....I don't know why I am so fascinated by the change in these flowers except that maybe they are like a metaphor for my own life....and a metaphor for so very many people I know.....the fading as we age, yet there is still a lot of life in us, too.
Oh, I think this one above is particularly beautiful....something about the paleness of the colors in this one....And that center...Magnificent in it's disintegration....much has fallen away, yet....yet, there is still life in the old girl.....
This one above....the color is still so lush and rich....again we have such wonderful gradations of color, and again, those curled up almost burned up, 'burned out', edges....beautiful and sad, too.....
And another beauty....at a slightly different stage of life....a Rununculas with the center still looking almost whole....the colors still rich, the shape still pretty good.....this one hasn't completely fallen apart yet....oh it will.....we know it will, because that is the cycle of life.....but, right now it is still pretty together....
Now the one above has fallen apart, a lot.....yet you still can see the remnants of it's former beauty....And look at that center...still vibrant with that tiny dollop of color right there in the middle....still filled with the promise of life.....
And this one above is so filled with life, stilll.....Look at those colors...just gorgeous, aren't they? There is still a lot of hope here....still a lot of life here.....at least for a little while more....Oh, I've depressed myself so....I have to post some more flowers....a reminder of things past....a reminder of hope.....a reminder of new life.
And this next one, too....so full of life...such lovely colors....
And then this one, too, before 'the fall'....
And then this beautiful group....
It's no wonder I long for fresh flowers and love to capture them in my camera....to remind me of what once was and what still can be, or at least, what beauty there is in nature....even when the flowers are fading and drying.....
More To Come.....
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had this to say:
Hi Naomi, I'm still smiling at your comment about the pool game Marco Polo. I never got it either!
You can hang flowers and herbs upside down from the rafters to help them dry and maintain some color. I'm drying oregano right now. I don't use cayenne in cooking either (except for chili) but I keep it handy for so many health reasons.- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 2:49:00 PM PDT
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Exquisite, as usual, Naomi. I think I like looking at your dying flowers as much as the fresh ones. Michele sent me back!
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 3:02:00 PM PDT
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it seems that as they dry they become a study in textures..?
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 3:06:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
As the petals of your flowers curl, you can smile at how beautiful they still are.
On my desk there's a little vase with the remnants of two beautiful pink Peones, part of a memorial for a resident whose passing at 95 I still miss. Every morning that he passed by my desk I asked How Are You, and he answered the same two words ..."ALWAYS GOOD". That makes me smile and so do your lovely flowers.- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 3:44:00 PM PDT
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I wish I knew how to dry things well. They always look so pretty in arrangements or hanging in the kitchen. Wonderful pictures as always Naomi. I like it when they dry in pretty colors.
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 4:05:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
They still look nice and intact, My mother is particularly fond in preserving flowers or plants through drying or pressing it in bewtween books
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 4:20:00 PM PDT
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The colours are lovely. You've got some great shots of them.
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 5:33:00 PM PDT
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You have a true appreciation for flowers Naomi, in all their different stages of life!!
- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 7:05:00 PM PDT
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I hope I have said this before: your blog is a work of art.
I chose you from Michele's blogroll tonight, but I'd already been here earlier. I don't always comment, but I always want to.- Sunday, June 10, 2007 at 11:23:00 PM PDT
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You have captured the circle of life beautifully with these photo's! The colours are beautiful. The dried flowers ahve a more brittle quality to their beauty don't they?
Thank you for dropping by and checking about my mum. I have posted an update. It's mixed news but she was much brighter which is always good! Your well wishes and little visits are much appreciated by me :)- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 4:00:00 AM PDT
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My fav of those pix are numbers 2, 7, and 11. I also like your metaphor for the human lifespan.
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 5:27:00 AM PDT
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Beautiful flower photos and such a great analogy. I have noticed that also-- my gradual fading with aging. I have also seen how many women who were glamorous stars in their prime are now pouring on tons of bright make up and hair dye that is darker than it was when they were young and I thought it's probably their cry out against that fading which is part of our natural process. You confirm what i have felt that it's better to be like the flowers and your friend, Betty Garrett, and become that naturally beautiful old woman. We are missing that beauty of the fading flowers when we try to do otherwise. Thank you for this post
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 9:05:00 AM PDT
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Nature is beautiful in all of its ages and stages, Naomi. Thank you for the (as always) lovely pictures, and the reminder than age and beauty can be synonymous --it doesn't just have to be the first fresh blooms, but the full flowered have loveliness even as their vibrant colors soften and fade... It IS the eye of the beholder, isn't it !
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 12:43:00 PM PDT
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Are you feeling a little delicate today, Naomi? You seem to be reflecting more on death and passing on than usual. I guess we're lucky in that we last a lot longer than flowers. Your pictures are beautiful. I love them and you're quite right about how the colors change about as the flowers dry.
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 12:53:00 PM PDT
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I like this post, Naomi! Just beautiful photos of fading and drying flowers. But they are still beautiful! I love in those photos the gradations of color! And I agree with Rain, such a great analogy.
Thanks for your visiting and kind words! Have a nice week!- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 1:24:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
I saw a beautiful pale pink rose the other day, it was large & in full bloom. It made me think of you. I thought of taking a picture, but I don't think I could capture it's beauty.
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 2:17:00 PM PDT
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I linked my photograph today to your post, Naomi. The analogy between drying flowers and human aging was too apt not to borrow and use on my blog too. Thanks!
- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 3:07:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Hello,
I love the peace and beauty of your blog so I duck in here often to lurk and enjoy and read of your day.
Would you tell us the name and model of your camera, please? Your snaps and close ups are so clear and the colour true. I am due for a new camera.
Thank you for the time you put into your blog. I appreciate it all..- Monday, June 11, 2007 at 10:40:00 PM PDT
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Beautiful, and what a beautiful metaphor about life. There is much elegance and style as the flowers fade. And the quiet and known secret of beautiful past moments.
- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 3:51:00 AM PDT
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Naomi, you have such a gift for seeing the beauty in the ordinary. As for leading you to a human sunrise -- I see one right here in you.
- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 7:24:00 AM PDT
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Those flowers are gorgeous! They almost look like paper mache'.
- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 10:04:00 AM PDT
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oh absolutely stunning...I like the metaphor of the eternal beauty of something, even past its best - there is always more to the story.
There's joust footage on my blog, not brilliant, but it's hard to pin any down. I definitely have to borrow MB's new video camera next time.
And I have found pictures of my Black Knight - just waiting for permission to borrow them.
cq- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 1:26:00 PM PDT
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I love the greens, peaches, salmons, golds and oranges all glowing together in those photos. Lovely.
~S :)- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 1:35:00 PM PDT
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what a beautiful reflection today, Naomi. Hugs and hugs and hugs to you , most beautiful lady and friend.
- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 3:28:00 PM PDT
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The flowers ARE beautiful - no doubt! And the way that you capture them is amazing!
- Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 8:02:00 PM PDT
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I remember my sister wanted to have her bridesmaids dresses in that wonderful golden peachy amber. Sadly - in the end we ended up in Royal Blue.
Beautiful shots!- Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 7:41:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
Such gorgeous photos. You should think about enlarging some of these...they're really stunning photos!
- Monday, June 18, 2007 at 2:11:00 PM PDT
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