Blue Thistle, Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

When the blue thistle blooms, I know it is the middle of summer and the long, slow slide to winter is beginning.



As soon as the starburst appearance starts changing to little flowers, the bees are happy to visit.

They enjoyed this one.

A stunning flower at any stage!

Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's a perfect summer evening on Bartlett Pond in Manomet as the last rays of sun illuminate the high clouds.



The variety of flowers is attracting bees and hummers to enjoy the hard work Amy has once again put into her garden.



It is good to be alive.

More Signs of Summer, Amy's Garden, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Cedarville, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I thought the blue thistle days in Amy's garden were over but, I sure was wrong. (Click on an image to view a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).













The humans aren't the only ones who like the thistle.








Yes, that green muck (algae bloom) still covers a good bit of the pond.  The good news is that as you approach the shoreline, thousands of frogs who are perched on the surface all jump into the water at the same time. The very same frogs that provide the nightly serenade.



The birds and critters ate most of Amy's garden blueberries so we went elsewhere for pickin'. (Thanks, Louise!)



There was something defective in the process, though. It took a really long time to accumulate the berries in the container.  It seems that most were detoured into my mouth instead.

Even perfect summer days must end and, as the sun sets at White Horse Beach........



.....the almost full moon rises in the opposite sky over Manomet Point.......



......and the golden glow covers our world to welcome another warm summer night.  Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" at this link if you are so inclined?

Blue Thistle, Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Join me for another trip into Amy's Garden.  Today, Blue Thistle is the emphasis.



There is so much other color in the garden that the blue thistle in the right foreground barely catches the eye......



....but look closely, they are pretty spectacular! The following series captures different views, different contrasts, and different depth of fields.



Don't ask me to pick a favorite - I like them all.



















Wow! Another magical experience in Amy's Garden.

More from Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It is difficult to capture the width and breadth of Amy's Garden. This image is an attempt using the Photoshop Elements Photomerge panorama tool in post-processing by stitching two images together. The detail is sharper than using the built-in panorama function in the camera but, frankly, for blog purposes since most readers view it on a smartphone, the difference is minimal - click to view full width if your device supports that action. Regardless, no image captures the full beauty and grandeur of standing here.



A close-up of the path entrance.



The blue thistle is starting to blossom into its classic fireworks explosion appearance.......



....... I'll have another post about this beautiful wonder in a few more days.  This image captures less depth of field than the previous one so the distant background is blurred more. I couldn't decide which of the two I liked better so, I included them both - you decide.



It is hard to beat a warm summer evening in New England in Amy's Garden on Bartlett Pond.

Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I am not a gardener - but Amy is - wow, is she ever! For seventeen years she has toiled and trimmed, dug and planted, slowly but surely shaped this patch of land to yield maximum beauty. Now, for the brief time at the peak of a New England summer, she gets to enjoy and share the visual bounty of her efforts. Her vision, hard work, coupled with water and sunshine has wrought such staggering beauty from the earth.

I say my blog mission/goal is a "photoblog about beautiful and/or interesting sights in our world - some close by, some far away." No sight more beautiful than right here at home - in Amy's Garden.

The images speak for themselves.........

Life is good on Bartlett Pond in Amy's Garden!