The pleasure of our gardens, part 12

On Thursday morning, I had just finished taking out the last of the garbage and recycling for that day's pickup and was walking back up the driveway.  I waved at my neighbor across the cul-de-sac who was outside watering her plants.  The time was 8:25 a.m.  It was then that I experienced an "ah-ha" moment. I knew I needed to grab my camera and act fast.  It was too good of a moment not to photograph our roses.

Within two minutes, I was back on the driveway, poised but excited, the sound of the shutter clicking away as I snapped photographs of our roses.  My neighbor stopped what she was doing and, for a moment, observed me taking pictures of our Queen Elizabeth roses.  She understood my "ah-ha" moment and offered me encouragement.

I had observed the interesting way in which the sun peeked through the early morning clouds, reflecting nicely off of the roses, and the swiftness in which the clouds danced across the Bay Area sky overhead.  I wanted to capture my "ah-ha" moment for the ages and share it with others.

This photograph represents the best of the bunch I took of our Queen Elizabeth roses.  I stood facing east and crouched, shooting upward to capture the clouds as a backdrop to the roses, which were at the tip of a six-foot-high vine.  In doing so, it's just the simple enjoyment of nature ~ and the pleasure of our gardens ~ at the right moment of time.

Queen Elizabeth roses
Photographed on Thursday, Oct. 14
 8:27 a.m. PDT