Circus Elephants and Bastille Day

 

"Alice" by Jill Mayberg

Above, my new teeny print from Jill Mayberg.  I loved catching up with her yesterday at Bastille Day in Portland's Pearl District. And though I'm guessing she'd probably prefer to see elephants in their native habitat rather than under the Big Top, who could resist this cheerful image?   In fact, Jill's images are generally irresistable and it was pretty difficult to carry on a conversation given the steady stream of customers to her booth. Unfortunately, my camera had no batteries, so I was unable to capture the essence of the event, but trust me it was wonderful and the weather was glorious.

Lavender in our garden (in lieu of a photo of the vendors' lavender at Bastille Day)

  

Could someone please tell me what intelligence allows the bean plant to climb the support?

 

And how about the swirling pattern of these Phlox petals preparing to unfurl? Very yummy -- like miniature ice cream sherbets.

 

And isn't this St. John's Wort just a little bit circus-like?

Blueberries, ripe for the picking.  Ah, the bounty of a backyard garden in the Pacific Northwest....

(And by the way, Julie Whitmore has also recently produced a charming porcelain circus elephant.  If you take a peek, be sure to look for the little dog in the vignette!)

Thanks for your visit and have a wonderful week!