Mosaic Monday/Outdoor Wednesday...or...Backyard Visitors

Several families have moved into my backyard this Summer and I would like to introduce them to you! First, there is this family of little green lizards who have moved into my flower garden! They sit very still and check me out while I snap their pictures! The one in the upper right is a tiny baby, only about an inch long! Cute!



I also have a bluebird family! They are working on their second set of babies this year, but in the same nesting box. The mommy is still sitting on the eggs, but since it’s plenty hot here during the day, they take nice long breaks to catch a few worms!



Here’s a baby fly visiting my hydrangea. Yes, I know…yucky, but you’ll have to say that his iridescent green body and big, buggy eyes along with those rainbow wings make him worth a look!



I planted verbena for the first time this year and the butterflies love it! I know this photo looks like I colorized it in some way, but I didn’t! I think this is an Eastern Black Swallowtail.

But the best visitor is the one that got away! Here’s our CEO Ozzie checking out the flower bed along the shrubbery. She had been like this for a long time when we heard a terrible ruckus coming from the downspout! The staff ran inside and I went to see what it was. I removed the end piece and finally a baby bunny came out and quickly hopped away! Darn! Where was my camera when I really needed it?? I guess the little guy was trying to get away from her and tried climbing inside the downspout! There was never any real danger, as Ozzie is basically a lovable dust mop with legs! lol But don't tell her I said that!



UPDATE! I have since been able to sneak a photo of the cute little rascal lurking in the outer reaches of the yard! Needless to say, the staff has been confined to headquarters until the little thing figures out how to get out of the fence! They only go outside in my company for very short romps anyway!
Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed meeting my visitors. To see more mosaics, please visit our gracious hostess Mary for Mosaic Monday at her beautiful blog Little Red House to see who is participating this week!
And to see some wonderful photos of the great outdoors, please head over to visit our hostess with the mostest, Susan at her amazing blog A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday! See you next time! A la prochaine!

Happy Birthday to Baby Kitty, Our Special Co-Host!

It's time for a special celebration! The management and staff here at Plate Addict are excited to salute our very own celebrity co-host on his birthday! Yes, Baby Kitty is turning six years old on July 23rd!


In honor of the occasion, we have searched the tablescape photo files for a few shots of the little gentleman at work! His co-hosting abilities were discovered quite by accident. It seems that playing with dishes proved to be one of his many hidden talents . That, along with his sparkling wit and irresistible charm have made him the perfect co-host!


As with many famous personalities, Baby Kitty's tale is one of rags to riches. Many of you are already familiar with his amazing story. Abandoned by his mom at birth in the neighboring driveway, he quickly found his way into the hearts of the Plate Addict management, who bottle fed the little rascal around the clock until this glorious moment arrived ... his first meal! (Oops! Feet in bowl! Once again, Miss Janice, I must ask you to forgive his bad manners!)


He has since become an international celebrity, featured in newspapers, magazines, television and even his own billboards!


And who can forget his appearance in Times Square on New Years Eve? Ryan Seacrest was quite charmed by our Baby Kitty!


Of course, he has fans among the feline set ...


... But we never imagined that he would become a favorite among the leaders of other nations!


He has even been influential as a fashion icon ...


... With his own chain of clothing stores!


Who could have guessed that such a scrappy little guy would grow up to be such a handsome fellow? So on this, the occasion of Baby Kitty's birthday, we wish to salute our special little man and wish him the happiest of birthdays! And yes, there will be a candle on his can of special cat food!


And management would like to give a big hug to the rest of the staff, who also wandered into our hearts from the streets, but without any special date that can be celebrated! You are all very special and much loved!!

A Mosaic for Outdoor Wednesday...or...Roussillon, France

This week, we are taking a little trip to Roussillon, France in the heart of Provence! It’s a hilltop village like Gordes in my previous post…but with one big difference. Can you see it? The entire village has been painted in beautiful earthy shades of red, orange, yellow, pink and brown. It’s a small village with narrow, winding streets surrounded by bright red ochre cliffs covered with deep green pine forests…such a breathtaking collage of colors!

Roussillon sits on one of the world’s most important deposits of ochre, once used as a natural pigment in paintings. The many shades of ochre covering the walls of the village reflect the seventeen shades of ochre that were mined here. But since natural ochre is no longer used, the quarry is now a tourist attraction. I must add here that, as a Georgia girl, I was right at home among all of the pine tree forests and red clay!!

How did the red cliffs of Roussillon come to be? According to a Provençal legend dating from the Middle Ages, the beautiful Lady Sermonde was the neglected wife of Raymond d’Avignon, the lord of Roussillon who was frequently absent for long hunting trips. The lonely Sermonde fell in love with Guillaume de Cabestan, a young troubadour, but their affair was discovered by her vengeful husband. Raymond invited Guillaume to accompany him on one of his hunting parties, had him killed and then cut out his heart, which he had cooked and served to Sermonde. When she discovered that she had eaten her lover’s heart, she threw herself from the cliffs of Roussillon and they have run red from her blood ever since! Yikes! The kinder, gentler version has something to do with the fact that this part of France was under the sea at one time!

Please head on over to Susan’s amazing blog, A Southern Daydreamer, to see who is sharing some gorgeous outdoor scenes for Outdoor Wednesday! See you next time! A la prochaine!

Mosaic Monday/Outdoor Wednesday...or..."A Good Year" in Gordes, France!

Does this setting look familiar? It’s the amazing little hilltop village of Gordes, France, in the heart of Provence! If you think you recognize it, that may be because you saw the movie A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, based on the book of the same title by Peter Mayle. Doesn’t it look like a postcard? Our visit was one of the highlights of my retirement trip in June, 2007. The scenes centered around the café belonging to the character Fanny were all filmed in a marvelous little restaurant called Le Renaissance here in Gordes!

I must add that we ate dinner at Le Renaissance, having asked for a table where Russell Crowe sat…I’m such a goofball!…and got an additional bonus! While we were eating, the director of the movie, Ridley Scott, and his party came to the restaurant and sat beside us! It seems that he has a home nearby and frequents this restaurant! How fun is that?? And no…I did not dare to say one word to him! lol
(photo of Russell Crowe from 20th Century Fox)


The restaurant pictured in my header photo was also located in Gordes. Its name translates my father was a pastry chef! Isn’t this just so frenchy? Sadly, the restaurant has now moved to St Rémy and modernized its decor!

Also nearby is the magnificent 12th century Abbaye de Sénanque, known for its beautiful fields of lavender, which unfortunately, were not in bloom yet. Getting there is an adventure along a very high one-lane road with two way traffic!! See the tiny car way up high on the cliff?? Yikes! Next time I won’t be driving!
Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed my photos. To see more mosaics, please visit our gracious hostess Mary for Mosaic Monday at her beautiful blog Little Red House to see who is participating this week!
And to see some wonderful photos of the great outdoors, please head over to visit our hostess with the mostest, Susan at her amazing blog A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday! See you next time! A la prochaine!

Outdoor Wednesday...or...What Is It?

Can you identify this object? Is it the starship Enterprise, traveling at warp speed through the outer reaches of the universe, boldly going where no man has gone before? lol No? But you have to admit that it does look like it!! Perhaps the fact that I am joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday will give you a hint!



It is actually the inner workings of one of my purple wave petunias taken in digital macro by my Canon Power Shot SD 630! It was a very sunny morning, thus the light streaming in from behind in the first shot. Isn’t it amazing?? I am definitely exploring strange new worlds with this camera!



So I don’t guess that there’s any way I can convince you that this is some kind of alien space craft that has soft landed on the surface of a strange new purple planet?? No? lol It’s actually some sort of very fat moth/butterfly that was visiting my petunias! Isn’t it a beauty?? Do you see the insides of the petunia just beyond its head?



And I don’t guess you will believe me when I tell you that this is a rare new breed of man-eating orchid that has recently been discovered in the deepest, darkest jungles of Africa? Hmmmm…I didn’t think so.



Does this view help? I’ll give you a hint! Those of you who are cat fanciers and grow your own will know exactly what it is!!



It’s catnip in bloom! And here is Baby Kitty checking it out to see if it’s ready. Judging by the look on his face, I would say that it is! My staff loves to chew on this stuff!



Thanks for dropping by and playing my guessing game! I hope you enjoyed it! Please be sure to drop by Susan’s beautiful blog to see some wonderful outdoor shots and find out who else is playing along! I’ll see you next time! A la prochaine!

Mosaic Monday...or...Blobs of Art!

I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday this week to share some pictures of my grandson’s visit to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia! Be sure to drop by her beautiful blog to see more mosaics and to find out how to play along!
The purpose of our visit was to see Monet’s water lilies, as I explained in an earlier post, but we took advantage of our day there to check out the permanent collection, too! When we stepped out of the elevator on the floor showcasing modern art, he exclaimed very enthusiastically …"Blobs of art!!"

Of course, I loved seeing it all through my grandson’s eyes, but there were things for me, too!! I loved the antique English china! And yes, that’s a frog peeking out of that overturned mug! Can you imagine the surprise?? lol What a fun day!
I hope you enjoyed my mosaics! Thanks for dropping by! Be sure to head on over to Mary’s too see more interesting examples from this week’s participants! See you next time! A la prochaine!