Morning Flowers at the Provo City Center Temple

I took pictures at one of my favorite places this morning.

The Provo City Center Temple has been open for 3 months.

I was not the only visitor.

My mother always planted a few snapdragons each year.  I can't help but smile when I see them.

I was puzzled by these water droplets in the flower bed.  They were only in this one spot.

Once I got home, I realized they were entangled in a spider web.

I need to visit more often.

A Study in Hummingbirds

I'm working on another Sunday School lesson with the back door open.

Well, I was.  Hummingbirds are surprisingly noisy.

My camera's best feature is a 50x optical zoom.

However, I'm only 6 feet from the feeder.

I am determined to learn how to make my camera focus on these delightful little birds.

This one pushed everyone else out of the way.

He knows he's beautiful.

Maybe he was studying me.

Or showing off.

I have adult children visiting next month who have fancy cameras and lenses.  Maybe they will teach me a little.

Perhaps this will be a fun goal to work on this summer.

Lucky Shot

I used the sport setting on my camera this morning.  While I have learned that water guns often make good pictures, sometimes I am just lucky.

Dallas World Aquarium

The Dallas World Aquarium is a fun place to take grandkids.

Exotic seahorses live there.

So does this shark.

Flamingoes are a colorful addition.

Brazos River Boardwalk

My travels to visit grandchildren often take me to exotic places, such as a boardwalk along the Brazos River.

My little granddaughter was delighted to spy a baby turtle.

This turtle spied us.

I noticed that Texas turtles are very different from the turtles we saw along the Erie Canal last month.

However, it's obvious that turtles enjoy a beautiful morning as much as people do.

Associated with this nature boardwalk is a sea center.  A few years ago one of their large tanks lost all its coral.

I found myself retelling the story to our granddaughter, about the time her dad restocked the center's tanks with coral from his tank.

Jetty Tank

My oldest son Dave keeps saltwater tanks. I enjoy watching him feed the anemone.  The night before, this guy's shrimp dinner was snatched from his grasp by a fish in the tank.

Dave tried again the next evening, feeding a shrimp to the anemone with extra-long chopsticks while his son distracted the fish with food.

I was actually talking to the anemone, telling him to hurry.

He closed in the nick of time, but that didn't keep the fish from dive-bombing the anemone, trying for a scrap.

Attacked by a Hummingbird

I'm working on a Sunday School lesson with the back door open.  The hummingbirds are so distracting.  I stepped out to take a picture and this little guy came right over and studied my camera.  I had to step back to the door for fear he might fly inside.