1 text note and 1 more picture in a note above! :)

Steve and I live in sunny southern Oregon, and it gets very hot here during the summer. Therefore, if anyone wants a garden, daily watering is vital. Every morning I go out to visit the flowers and I usually take pictures before I water them because it seems a little bit like "cheating" to sprinkle the flowers before taking pictures but I also think it's fine as long as you tell people that you did it! :) (On the other hand, I think that removing things like sticks, dirt, postprossessing elements out of the image is fine and often necessary. What do you think? :) )

Our water is very "hard" and will leave spots on the petals when they dry, so if I hope to get pictures of the blossoms, I must take pictures before I water them, since it's next to impossible to keep water off the plants. (I really should see about putting in a drip system!!) Also, even though I have the setting at a light "shower", the flowers will often fall over. When I saw this flower, I first thought, "Awwww, darn it! And THEN I took a closer look and immediately dropped the hose and ran into the house for my camera! :D

Laozi or Lao Tzu; also romanized as Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Laosi, Laocius, and other variations) (fl. 6th century BCE) was a philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching (often simply referred to as Laozi). His association with the Tào Té Chīng has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism (pronounced as "Daoism"). He is also revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoist philosophy, which often refers to Laozi as Taishang Laojun, or "One of the Three Pure Ones". Wikipedia: Lao Tzu

Explored on July 6, 2013. Highest position: page 1 (#20).
Explored on Flickr on July 5, 2013. Highest position #278.