Mourning dove

I know these birds are almost as common as pigeons, but I still love them.  I especially like their quiet calls in the morning.  They also have a strange sounding squeak when they fly away.

Maybe zebra?

I'm not sure what this animal is supposed to be, but he makes me happy every time I drive by.  He seems so carefree.  

He sits at on a busy street at the entrance to a small stripmall parking lot.  The stripes make me think he's a zebra, although the shape could be anything.  

Cloudless Sulphur

This butterfly was flitting around the front yard in the morning.  I had to stalk him to get this picture.  I looked him up and he is a "Cloudless Sulphur" butterfly.  They appear in the late summer and fall here in North Carolina.  They're called the "wrong way" butterflies because they fly north in the fall.  See here for more info.

The three graces (new school)

This portrayal of the Three Graces caught my eye at the NC Art Museum.  The work is by Michalene Thomas.  I think it was the rhinestones that made it so eye catching.  Here's a link.

Stop and smell the flowers

This guy has been standing out by the neighbor's mailbox so long that the flowers have grown up around him.  It looks like he just stopped to take a sniff.

Yates Mill

Yates Mill is an historic mill south of downtown Raleigh.  It has been restored and is now a Wake County park.  The mill still works, and every 3rd weekend of the month they actually grind corn in period dress.  see here.

Yet another fountain

Why does North Hills have so many fountains?  Probably because it is soo darn hot, and the fountains make you forget about that.

Fountain on a hot day

Looking at a fountain on a hot day is very soothing.  It doesn't seem so hot if you can see water splashing.  It's hard to keep little kids from climbing in though.  We saw a few little ones in wet cloths as we walked through North Hills.

Theme day: photographing the photographer

This is a mirrored tree trunk in the JC Raulston Arboretum. It was interesting finding all the angles.

First leaf of fall

It seems too early for leaves to turn.  And this was the only one I saw.  But summer is on it's way out, and here's the proof.  The first leaf of fall.

North Hills

North Hills mall seems more like a small city for shoppers.  There are small shops on several blocks of streets along with large stores like Target and JC Penney.  Also there are lots of restaurants and of course three different Starbucks.

Fawn

This guy and his mom were feeding right beside the Abbot Creek Greenway.  They weren't concerned by bikers, walkers and dogs going by.  He did stop and watch us while we were watching him.  

Ghost Forest

I've been reading about the "ghost forests" developing along the Carolina coast.  As the sea level rises, areas that used to be freshwater are turning salty, killing the forest and leaving dead trees.  This area along the Abbot Creek greenway is a wetland where a forest used to be.  I think the housing development nearby changed the way water drains and created a wetland.

Guarantee

This sign is painted on the front of  Arrow Barbering in Cameron Village shopping area.  According to one of the reviews, they do deliver on their promise.  

First Baptist

The First Baptist Church of Raleigh sits at the corner of Salisbury and Edenton streets downtown.  It was organized in 1812 and is one of the oldest churches in Raleigh.  The building was completed in 1859.

Flowers by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss could have imagined these odd daisies.  

Benches no one ever uses

I see benches all over town that no one would ever sit on.  It looks like something out of a Southern Living magazine.  Sometime people even change the pillows to match the season.  But no one ever takes a seat...

Street Knight

This brave knight guards the stairs to the second floor of the Cameron Village library. He is the creation of Joseph Carnevale.

93%

Raleigh was in 93% of the eclipse yesterday.  We opted to skip the cardboard glasses and a long drive into South Carolina to see  a total eclipse.  Instead we looked through a pin hole at home.  My daughter sent me this picture, through a colander.  

The leaves acted like a pin hole also, making little suns all over the deck and on the sidewalk.

The pinhole itself was a little bit hard to photograph.  

But there was no way to actually get a picture of the sun without a good filter.

Morning Dew

The sun comes up on the morning dew, or was it rain from last night?  Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's just humidity condensing or a real rain.