Chatting with a "Mare" & an Iris Garden for my Outdoor Wednesday...

Today was a bit of a downer for me., until I grabbed my camera...and got in my car on my lunch break & took off for the unknown picture I wanted to capture. For months now I've wanted to take pics of horses, this is one I found along the road by a lane. I stopped and chatted with her...what a blessing it was to visit with this lady! ;) She had like six friends too...I'll share more on another Outdoor Wednesday...since I had already completed my post for the Iris Garden to share today.
Another Outdoor Wednesday with Susan from "A Southern Daydreamer"...
Thanks Susan for hosting such a fun Outdoor Day!

I've often talked about the Iris Bulb Sale my mother held two years ago to raise money for a children's orphanage in Peru.

She's actually held the sale two years in a row, the first year raising $1,000 by selling her bulbs for $1 & $2 each. She was 73 the first year, and my sister Becky & I were visiting when she had it. We all camped at the Iris Garden to help dig, load, and sell the Iris's to locals who stopped in over a period of 2.5 days. My mother advertised in the local paper, and with the sign she made all by her lonesome in the pic below. Isn't she a cutie?

Her Iris Garden is the largest I've ever seen. And in the country it offers a great open door backdrop of lush green mountains and a clear blue sky for taking photos! I had a blast that day...literally laying in the grass snapping the pics!
This shot was taken from the underneath of the Iris...it's one of my favorite shots!
This purple one looks so lovely amidst the yellow ones...
This is an "Old Fashioned" Iris... I love the little Zebra looking stripes on the lower petals.
This is a tea photo I snapped., and I used a special filter on this one for my custom photo note cards I sell. I love it, because it looks as if it's a drawing.

I used another filter on this one and also showcased it with a spotlight.

It doesn't even look real, but it is. It's one of her black irises.

Another favorite is this one that has the sky in the background with the clouds.

I layed down on the grass to get this shot., and didn't even get any ticks in my hair. ;)

Full of Smiles is the Solo Yellow Iris amidst some blues in one area of the garden...adorable!

Another Old Fashioned Iris...LOVE it!

This hangs in my powder room on my California Lilac walls...it's so ruffled and feminine!

She had so many varied colors, and they seemed endless...I took about 400 pics that day. It was hard to select the best ones for my photo note cards, but I managed. Many on this post made the cut!

This pic gives you an idea of how lovely they were when the colors were close and varied...

And my favorite Iris... I call Kathleen! My dear friend Kathleen Ellis gave me a cutting of this bulb probably 15 years ago. I gave my mother a bulb, and she since has created many many bulbs as a result of that one. I have given this Purple & White Bearded Iris the name of "Kathleen", since she was the one that shared it with us. Is it not exquisite? Just like my friend Kathleen! ;)

Well...these are just a teency weency part of my Iris Outdoor Garden Tea Party favorites.

Maybe I'll show you more on another Outdoor Wednesday!

Now, don't forget to drop by Susan's to catch all the other Outdoor Wednesday posts!

Enjoy today, the "present", for it is truly a GIFT!

~CC Catherine