August scenes...

Rain, humidity, heat -- that's been the theme for August so far.
I keep hoping that September will be better, but some forecasts say it will be a very warm autumn.
Sigh...
I can only dream of cooler days and nights while snapping a few more summer scenes.

Rain at last!

We really need a full day of gentle rain, but at least it was good to finally get a few gulps!
The leaf photo was taken Tuesday morning after the storms; the clouds from Monday night speak for themselves....

Awesome autumn

After Wednesday's rain and the stormy night that followed, today proved to be a wonderful time to capture some of autumn's beauty around my property….

 On the car and through its window...

And then just a gorgeous stroll...

Neither rain….

Nope, no stopping the Red, White and Blue Parade in Upper Salford. A little bit of rain won't stop us from celebrating!!

Take time to smell the flowers...

OK, I am not a huge fan of summer, as everyone knows.

And this summer has been so hot, humid and lacking in rain, it's enough to make even the most avid summer fan a bit weary, I'm sure.

My yard is dried up, cracked open and crunches when you walk on it .... at least I don't have to mow.

But the flowers that we planted -- and water every day -- are having a rough go of it. Even one of my forsythia bushes looks ready to throw in the towel.

And the tomato plants? Don't ask,

But there still is beauty to be found.

You can sit and watch the butterflies that touch down lightly on the flowers and even drink from the birdbath.

You can listen to the cicadas sing their summer song.

When we're lucky, there's a lovely breeze in the evenings.

And right now some of my favorite flowers are in bloom -- Queen Anne's Lace and cornflowers.

Some may consider them weeds, but I think they are beautiful. And they seem to stand up the elements fairly well.

I snapped these photos today of the beauties that just come up wild along my lane. I consider them a special summer gift. And they make it a little easier to tolerate these long, hot days.

Hurricane Irene ... after the main storm

My daughter is a much better photographer than I am, so here are a few post-hurricane shots.
Thanks, Danielle, for the photos... and thanks for the company in the basement last night with the cats during the tornado warnings...

CORN DAMAGE ON NEIGHBOR'S FARM IN UPPER SALFORD

A NEW CANYON IN MY DRIVEWAY ... THANKS, IRENE!

LUCKILY THESE TREES STOOD FIRM...

BIT OF A MESS AT THE END OF MY YARD...

AND A BIT OF BEAUTY

April showers...

... mean that a whole lot of people in this area will, once again, be driving with their windshield wipers flapping but without their vehicle lights in operation.
WHY??


This photo show how easy it is to drive with your lights on. But as I see every day, people refuse to do so.
Like a broken record ... not that anyone knows what a record is anymore... I will say again -- it's the LAW! If you have your windshield wipers on, your lights must be on. I really wish the police would enforce this every now and then.
I especially love all those gray cars that blend in with the fog and the dusk whose operators refuse to switch on the lights.
I truly wish someone would explain this. Why won't you turn on your lights? Why is it so difficult?
Why are you so ignorant?

What's that? Rain!

REPORTER FILE PHOTO/MARK PSORAS

It seems like forever since we've had any appreciable rain.
Maybe that's why everyone was having a bit of a hard time navigating the roadways this morning.
There WAS a lot of water on the roads and that leads to the danger of hydroplaning.
Add the school buses, people who still refuse to turn on their lights when their wipers are in operation (hey, it's the LAW), and the commute this morning was even more fun than usual.
Let's hope everyone made it to their destinations safe and sound.
And please, use some common sense when driving ... not only when it rains, but even in perfect weather.
Let's keep everyone safe out there.