5 more pictures in notes above! ENJOY THE FLOWER SHOW!!! :D

Today Steve and I needed to go into Medford for some shopping and other errands, and I brought my camera along for a change of scenery! Everywhere we went, I wandered around outside taking pictures. It was a lot of fun! In fact, I got too many pictures to process today, but I did finish 6 to share!

My biggest treasure trove was just inside the doorway to a store called Trader Joe's, where they had many beautiful Strawflowers for sale. Though the light was bad, I managed to get a bunch of really pretty images!

However, my pick of the day was found at one of our first stops. Steve needed to go into a bike shop for some parts, so I enjoyed myself looking for interesting things to take pictures of outside. I found a perfect orb web on a bush but was so bummed because the spider wasn't there! *tears* I found a neon green leafhopper that was so cute, but too small and far away to get a proper picture of. I found a tree with a huge eye on it (which I'll try to process!), and then I went around the side of the store and found interesting berries in different stages of development, and under them... I found the leaves you see above! The second I saw them I got excited because I knew they would look fantastic as a picture! (Thank you so much to Alida Maspero for identifying these leaves as coming from the Nandina plant, otherwise known as "Heavenly Bamboo", though it is not actually related to bamboo!)

When I got home and started working on this picture, all I needed to do was select the leaves, which were already on a very dark background, place them on a new layer, make a black background, and add a bit of my standard sharpening filters to the leaves and a touch of saturation to match what I saw, and PRESTO! My Picture of the Day!! :D

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske (October 15, 1830 – August 12, 1885), was a United States poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. She detailed the adverse effects of government actions in her history A Century of Dishonor (1881). Her novel Ramona dramatized the federal government's mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California and attracted considerable attention to her cause,[1][2] although its popularity was based on its romantic and picturesque qualities rather than its political content. It was estimated to have been reprinted 300 times, and contributed to the growth of tourism in Southern California.Wikipedia: Helen Hunt Jackson

Explored on September 8, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.