LONG time no post...

It has been a LONG time since my last post.  Mostly because the weather here has been SO hot and dry, that there hasn't been a whole lot going on in my flower beds.  Fall has come, and we are getting some relief - relief from the heat, but not the drought.

Last week, we visited our son and his family in Iowa.  I got to visit their community garden again.  They started getting rain a month or so ago, so they had lush lawns and colorful flower beds.  It was interesting to see how they had freshened up an older flower bed, and the different annuals they used in other areas.  You can see the difference from last year from this link.

I really liked this shrub, but have no idea what it is

This area was opened up a lot more than last year.  It has an interesting half circle wrought iron bench. 

This area has been spiffed up a bit and made into kind of a Fairy Garden

It was nice to see some of the 'old' regulars doing so well

There weren't a lot of blooms left on their double Coneflower, but it did better than mine this year

While we were there, we were camping at Pinicon Ridge Park.  I must commend Iowa on their park system...they put Nebraska's to shame.   There was an area of wild flowers growing, and the campground hosts had potted flowers and two Hummingbird feeders that had many visitors while we were there.  This year, they constructed a foot bridge that goes over the Wapsipinicon River, which ran through the center of the park, cutting it in two.  It is named for Mary Lundby, who was a member of the House of Representatives, and Senate.  She was an advocate for conservation and the environment for the state of Iowa - it's only fitting the bridge is named for her. 

There are colored lights down the center of the bridge that are lit 24/7.  They were really pretty at night, but I couldn't get a good photo of them.

Just a hint of color change was starting

A wonderful bridge for the handicapped to fish from

It was a successful weekend for our favorite fisherman!!

 I thought this tree trunk was interesting - I wonder what caused it to grow this way

Sorry to be so long.  In a week or so, I'll post photos from Decorah Iowa, where we visited their fish hatchery and their famed Bald Eagle pair that nest there every year, lay eggs, and raise their young.