Rain garden

This little shelter at the Art museum has a roof that drains into an area planted with a "rain garden".  With all the rain here, it seems unnecessary, but an interesting idea.

Lime Bikes

Lime Bikes have even hit quaint little White Street in Wake Forest.  

A different kind of bird

These Birds are seen all over downtown.  I've seen groups touring along, as well as businessman types on their way home from work.  There's some controversy about leaving them around on the sidewalk, and people being run down by riders on the sidewalks, but it's a cool idea.

Hummer

This little hummingbird was checking me out, or maybe posing for the picture.

Up on the roof

When this old world starts getting me down,

And people are just too much for me to face—

I climb way up to the top of the stairs

And all my cares just drift right into space ...

I don't think this is what Carole King had in mind.  6 Black Vultures visited one morning.  Sat for a while,

And then moved on.

Classic

This beautiful car is a 1967 Firebird.  How do I know?  The owner wants everyone to know.  It's his license plate.

Love is Love

I caught this mural from a parking garage downtown.  It's called "Love is Love" by Casey O'Connell.  It was commissioned by Red Hat, my new favorite tech company.  See here for the story.

Angles

The NC Museum of Art building has some interesting angles.

The Neuse

The Neuse River is still at flood stage downstream from Raleigh.  But here in Raleigh it is lower than normal.  Falls Lake is a reservoir and flood control dam on the Neuse.  It appears to be holding back water to keep as much as possible from adding to the flood waters downstream.

Lazy day

The elipse at the Art Museum is a great place for kids to play, and parents to sit under the umbrellas and watch.

Color Pop Corner

This little area is called "Color Pop Corner".  At Morgan St. and Blount downtown Raleigh, it is the creation of the Marbles Children's Museum.   It's part of the new expansion of the museum.  See here for more info.

Not all mushrooms are beautiful

I thought this one was just an old dead mushroom until I started to see them all over the forest floor.  I  think he's an Old Man of the Woods mushroom.  (here) How appropriate!

Here comes the sun!

I feel like singing!

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right

On Monday, unexpectedly, the clouds moved aside and the sun came back!


You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way,
Turn your love my way, yeah.

Good old Sunday (Monday)  morning, bells are ringing everywhere.
Goin to Carolina, it won't be long and I'll be there

more orange mushrooms

These guys are very small, but oh so bright!  They might be Red Chanterelles, here or...Vermilion waxcap, here.  I see why it's so difficult to identify mushrooms.

And now the rain

The wait was over Friday afternoon.  The rain bands started moving across Raleigh.  It is predicted to rain for 3 more days.  As of Saturday morning we had nearly 5 inches of rain.

Light rain, gusty winds

Looks like Florence gave Raleigh a pass.  As of Friday afternoon, we had .3 inches of rain, and small gusts of winds.  There's a little bit of survivor's guilt as the pictures from Myrtle Beach and Wilmington come in.

Waiting

Thursday was a day of waiting. 

 The sky was gray.  Most people's hurricane prep was done.  Schools closed early, businesses shut down.  There were almost no cars on the roads.  Everyone was just waiting.

We saw pictures of the storm hitting the Outer Banks, but Raleigh was strangely quiet.  

Waiting...

Goodbye to the garden

One part of my hurricane prep has been to say goodbye to the garden.  We took down the netting we had to protect from hungry birds, and then finally picked everything that could possibly ripen.

Florence is expected to make landfall today, but who knows where she'll go.  She had been pointed directly toward Raleigh, but now looks to go farther south.  I feel strange hoping she changes course knowing that just means a different area will be in danger.

Calm before the storm?

The threat of hurricane Florence is imminent here in Raleigh.  Events are being cancelled, the stores have run out of water, bread and toilet paper.  We're busy taking in yard furniture and freezing water in case the power stays out.  But today, the sky is blue and the clouds are very nonthreatening.

Mushroom walk

On a recent walk through Annie Wilkerson Nature Preserve, the mushrooms were everywhere.  This little one looks like it needs an elf. I think it's an Amanita jacksonii (here)

Yellow Garden Spider

This rather large beauty has been sitting in the garden for a few days now.  He's a Yellow Garden Spider, Argiope aurantia.  (see here)

Here he is from the back.  

Fall is definitely spider time here in Raleigh.

Reading time

These little readers sit at a strip mall in front of an ice cream store.  There's even room on the bench to join them, although the metal bench gets hot in the sun.

Fungus

Our humid weather gives us some beautiful fungi.  I think this is a Yellow Brown Bracket Fungus.  One website says it's edible, another says it has medicinal properties.  I would leave it alone and enjoy the picture.

Interloper

Sometimes plants escape from the garden and become "naturalized."  This Cleome, called a Spider flower, is native to Asia, but I found it in a marshy forest.

Shelly Lake

I've posted pictures from this exact spot before, but Shelly Lake is sooo photogenic!

Little Skink

When skinks are young they have blue tails.  This little guy was definitely a baby with his bright blue tail.

Who could resist?

I think this is a clever way to fill the tip jar at Two Roosters Ice Cream shop.  Who could resist voting for their favorite summer spot. 
 PS, the beach was winning.

Block city

I watched this city being built out of small planks, like Jenga blocks.  One pair of kids started it, with help from a 2 year old who carefully brought them pieces.  Their parents dragged them away, and another set came in to add to the plan.  

Kids don't need fancy materials just imagination and time!

Late summer

Enjoying the green trees before they change.  Fall is wonderful, but so is the color green.

Teach your children well...

This month's theme is "Teach"

The motto for the Marbles Children's Museum is: Play is our favorite  way of learning.  Instead of "teaching" the philosophy is to get out of the way and let children learn through play.  And they do play!