Categories
Hobbies

Flower Photos

I quite enjoy taking photos of flowers. In the beginning, I was using extension tubes on a film SLR, to take extreme closeups. (self reminder to digitize some of my early macro photos.)

These days, I’m much less ambitious, but I’m still always on the lookout for beautiful light falling on interesting colourful flowers. Irises are my favourite flowers, so I’m enjoying the fact that we are currently smack dab in the middle of Iris season.

Here are a couple of Iris photos I took today.

Siberian Irises in our backyard
Irises on the Arbutus Greenway
Irises beside the Arbutus Greenway
Categories
Family

My Great Grandmother

I’ve recently become interested in my great grandmother. Grandma Deas was my mom’s dad’s mother. Her and I only overlapped briefly on this planet, she died when I was three. I don’t have any memories of her, but according to my mom I spent a fair bit of time with Grandma Deas.

Starting out, I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the aspects of her life that I’d like to write about:

  • the general arc of her life
  • the house in West Vancouver where she lived for 40 plus years
  • her siblings
  • her various stages of motherhood

For now, I think I’m going to start with Hydrangeas. My mom has a thriving Hydrangea behind her house. She recently told me that it came from a cutting from Grandma Deas’ garden. I’ve made a couple of attempts at starting some cuttings, but so far no success. Perhaps third time’s the charm!

While I’ve been disappointed at my failed attempts at transplanting this hydrangea, I’m looking forward to the day when I’ll be able to look out in my backyard and see a plant that is a direct descendent something that was grown and tended by my great grandmother.

Insert catchy sign-off phrase here!

Catherine Deas, with Jack (on the left) and Jeannie (on her lap)