The Dark (K)night

I had been out for an hour or so this particular evening, testing settings for long exposures of the stars at night, when it occurred to me to include our house. I managed to get set up and ready just as an airplane was passing overhead. This exposure ended up being only just over a minute, but I love the trace the plane leaves behind - each of its blinking lights marked in individual dots.

I hope I'll get an image of long star trails soon, but every evening spent testing is time spent learning!

Don't forget to look up, people!

Gardening Style

I wonder if my homeowner's association would let me plant an old, broken-down truck in my yard and use the bed of it as a flower bed?

I'm guessing they won't.

Oh, well. I think this looks amazing anyway. I spotted it at the University of Tennessee Gardens yesterday while I waited for the boys to be finished with their standardized testing. It's one of those places that I have intended to go for a very long time, but somehow it has escaped me. I'm so glad I finally made it there. It's a lovely, peaceful oasis in the middle of a very busy city.

There were lovely pathways that wound through shadowed areas. This one led to a labyrinth surrounded by irises.

And there were bright, sunny spots to soak up the springtime light. I particularly liked this planting wall - full of succulents and annuals. I really think I need one of these in my yard - I think it will go over better than the broken down truck. I also loved the lavender stain on the wall, fences and planters in this section of the garden. It was a perfect background to all those shades of green and yellow.