Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Flower Power!

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Andersen.

Temperatures were in the 20s when I went out in the morning to make some bubbles. I took along with me three osteospermum blooms and the two decorative fans I bought at the Dollar Tree in Altoona the day of my mother-in-law's car fiasco.

I don't know what's been going on with my bubble mix but the last two times I went out, my bubbles didn't want to freeze. So it was on this day. But I did get some lovely shots, in spite of that. The bubbles, even when they explode (see photo in extras of this prior blip), are beautiful.

The fans I picked were ones that were made of a silky fabric, not paper. The bubbles make an awful sticky mess on them, but when I'm done, I bring them indoors, gently rinse them off, and sit them up to dry. They have been fine! 

One fan is red and black and gold, with geometric designs. The other is more pastel, with flowers. These two shots feature the floral one. It has a gold foil sort of lining around every single flower. The morning sun really caught and brought out the gold and made it shine.

I typically take my frozen bubble photos using a vivid setting, to maximize my colors. When I upload the pictures onto the computer, I usually up the brilliance, black point, contrast, and definition, to really make them pop. See, I'm giving away all of my secrets!

I am a real sucker for those back-of-the-flower shots. I find backs of flowers sometimes more interesting and more obviously geometrical in style and focus than the front sides. (By our front door, I have hanging a pair of prints - one of the back of a sunflower, one of the front.)

So above is a shot from the back. In the extras is a shot from the front of the bloom. I was laughing to myself as I made these, thinking of them as my winter "flower power" photo set. Winter, I take BACK the power; I celebrate summer in your midst!

Then I remembered the lovely quote from Hans Christian Andersen. Flowers alone may be fine for butterflies; but for me, it's FLOWER POWER, baby!  :-)

I've got two photos so let's have two soundtrack songs. My first song is from Beauty and the Beat, by the Go-Go's; here is We Got the Beat. My second song is Patti Smith, with People Have the Power, which is one of my new favorite songs. Anytime it comes on, you can find me whirling about the house like a dervish! I dance. I sing. I party. I celebrate the good in PEOPLE. I celebrate our ability to overcome adversity, to make beautiful things, to change our thoughts, to choose the right actions for the better of all. I'll include some lyrics from it below. But wait, here's a bunny interlude first!

Bunny interlude: (Sorry there are no pics, but it was dusk.) My husband puts out a tray of food for the bunny around dusk. It usually includes some carrot slices, dried cranberries, and chopped peanuts. He places it under a little yard table. The bunny - at first - acts like it does not see it. Then it goes and chows down. Then it goes back under its hedge. My husband noted the bunny was hanging out by the bird trays that sit on tables on the right side of the yard, so he placed its evening bunny tray under one of those tables. Two bunnies showed up and conferred. We are not sure if only one or both of them typically get to eat. We think the one is mostly a watcher. Anyway, I looked out and saw the one bunny standing back, on its back feet, surveying the table, calculating the trajectory for the leap. Then it jumped up and polished off the food on the bird tray on TOP of the table, as well as all of the food on the bun tray underneath! WOW!

Now for the song lyrics:
The people have the power
The power to dream, to rule
To wrestle the world from fools
It's decreed the people rule
It's decreed the people rule
Listen
I believe everything we dream
Can come to pass through our union
We can turn the world around
We can turn the earth's revolution
We have the power
People have the power

As always, here is a link to my canonical list of frozen bubble tips.