Glad you're back safe and sound, Ryan! What lovely blooms to come home to! I can't recall if my Picotee was tall... but it sure wasn't as nice as yours! That's a beaut!

And that Dancing Queen... oh my! You're going to make me change my mind about collecting doubles! I do have a few, but I was more into the singles and cybisters because they always have the equipment necessary for breeding... doubles, not so much! However... between my Red Peacock and your Dancing Queen... I don't know... I may have to rethink my stance on doubles!

Thanks for sharing, Ryan... those are spectacular!

Beatimus! What a tall Picotee...wow! And Dancing Queen is rocking out. Those shots look like they should be in a magazine!

I bet those Clivias were amazing. I saw one in bloom at a garden center the other day and I had to restrain myself from buying it also.

Where are the Clivia and whale pictures?

-Frank

OK, wait a minute...WHY do I not have a Picotee?? I keep saying every year, "I need to add a Picotee"! The simple beauty and the statuesque scape on yours, Ryan, makes me ask myself again..."WHY do I not have a Picotee??" lol yours is scrumptious! (HAH new adjective, guys!!)

Jodik-- if it is the last thing I do, I will convert you to the Holy Church of Doubles! I'm telling you, more doubles offer up breeding opportunities than you might think.

Frank-- I didn't get any Clivia pics, sadly-- I just never thought to-- probably because I was so taken by them all. The whale pics aren't much either-- but I will post some pics from my trip in due time. I'm an artist! I need time to perfect my work. ;o)

Cindeea-- You have no picotee? Its like saying...I dunno... you have no air to breathe! ;o) You have to add this baby to your collection. Its simplicity is not to be ignored or overlooked... it is amazing in person.

Anyway, San Diego pics are yet to come... but they need their post processing. Nothing major, except that I specialize in High Dynamic Range photos, which take a ton of photos of various specifications and put them together to capture a dramatic scene-- they do take time.

Ryan

San Diego at pre-sunset:

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San Diego at post-sunset:

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If you want more, visit the gallery for the trip. I don't want to go off posting San Diego pics on a garden forum!

Cindee- Check your mail in 2-7 days... a little birdie told me something may be on the way to you.

Ryan- WOW! You are a fantastic photographer! Your images are breath-taking! I understand being so taken by something you forget to snap photos. We'll just have to image those Clivias...haha!

Wow, those San Diego skyline pics are amazing! I've never been, but someday. You must have some high tec gizmos and mad skillz! The colors are just jumping out. I say, post away Mr. Arteeessst (french accent) but do take your time to perfect the masterpieces! We can't wait to see more!

-Frank

Fantastic photos!!! Wow! picote is a beauty & the dancing queen is a looker.
Jan

Wow, Ryan! Nice skyline shots! Those are awesome! Let's see... last year, I shot a Chicago photo layout... and now we have San Diego... what city is next? C'mon, people, represent! :-) It would be sort of cool if we each shot a few photos of the largest city near us... whenever we got there, that is... I don't live in Chicago, but it does look cool in the eye of the camera! I really didn't know that San Diego looked so nice in photography, never having seen it like that before!

Ryan, I'm not sure I want to fully convert... Doubles, Singles, Trumpets, Cybisters... I guess I could combine my beliefs! Surely, there's a Church of the Hippeastrum, which covers all of them?! :-)

Cindee, I may have some leftover Picotee seeds... but if Frank has surprises going on, I'm sure these seeds are nothing in comparison! Speaking of surprises, I picked up some sterling earring wires yesterday, so we're one step closer to shipment, here! These are the type that close, so you can't lose them! Now, I've gotta locate the right beads and stones, which are here somewhere! I'm digging! :-)

Thanks for sharing, Ryan... awesome photos!

Thanks all! Like I said, I put a lot of work into my shots. I may not have the heart-stopping shots of the flowers but I can hold my own in other arenas. The shot of San Diego was taken from Coronado, the island in the Bay of San Diego that is the home of the Navy Base Coronado and the town that has the same name. We stayed in a hotel on the island and it is the cutest little town! Plus, because the Navy is King there, the place is immaculate, which is always nice.

But as I sit here and write this, I miss San Diego and its much warmer weather while snow falls outside and we have a temp of 12F. *single tear*

Don't let that tear freeze on your cheek! We're not cold and snowy... but we are gloomy and rainy and stormy. I think we need to change the saying so it goes: March showers bring April and May flowers!

And you know what early rains bring... MUD! Every time the dogs go out, I have 8 little feet to wipe off! What a mess!

Ryan, your photographic skills are definitely better than mine! I can almost picture the island you talk about, too! Gosh... it would be so nice to visit the west coast... (major sigh)

Just hang in there, Spring is almost here!!!

Well... all that rainy warmth is gone, and in its place is a frigid wind! I awoke so cold this morning that I had to relight the heater pilot, and close the window that was letting in that fresh pre-spring air! That fresh air is now cold enough to leave ice on top of all the rain puddles, and the wind is fairly biting!

I just hope the leaf tips of the Daffodils and other spring bloomers will survive this cold snap, and live to bloom once it warms up again!

Oh, and you've really got me going on the doubles, Ryan! So far, I've fallen for Blossom Peacock, more Aphrodites, and a few more, though I can't make my brain tell me what names right now... (me and my lame memory)!!

Hi All--

I promised Cindee and Jodi I would post pics of my orchids so here they are-- AND for your enjoyment, I had a visitor yesterday that I will also share...

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My Visitor

Thanks-- Ryan

Ooooh! Nice! They're beautiful! I love them all, though that green one is really sharp!

And I took a look at your visitor... your captioning is hilarious! I was literally LMAO! I hope no one else heard me... because Larry's not here, and I'm alone upstairs! He went north for the weekend... and here I am, laughing loudly by myself! Whomever is downstairs right now probably thinks I lost it! LOL!

Great shots of that hawk, Ryan! That IS a hawk, right?!

Wow! Thanks for sharing everything! Totally made my day! :-)

Ryan, that's great. I enjoyed the captions as much as the pictures. What a great bunch of photos of your visitor. And the orchids looks great too, of course. Thanks for bumping this thread back up - it reminds me of what my little bulblet is going to grow up to be. I'm hoping Blossom Peacock is doing ok - I was worried it would slide around too much in the tube. i think a box is a better way to go. I'm packing up Jan's this weekend to go out Monday and I think I'll pack it in a box. (Jan, heads up!) Alana

Jodi--

Glad you got a kick out of it!!!!! The hawk,...and yes it is a hawk... was all about hanging out on my balcony yesterday and really didn't seem all that bothered by my pup, Lucy. I think its because the rabbit population here is huge and there are a lot of dog owners so I think it just got use to it. But Lucy got in trouble for barking at it so instead she spent the rest of the day emitting these tiny "grrs" out the window. She is a great dog but not very nice to other dogs, cats or animals. We think she's a bit judgmental and has no issues committing hate-crimes against other dogs-- NOT a good thing!

Jodi-- since we're both always in pursuit of better lighting these days I wanted to share with you a good website-- its about orchids of course. There is a section about lighting that I was able to replicate with my own camera to test to see how much light my orchids are getting in their window. I estimate about 1000 foot-candles, which supposedly phals will grow in. That was WITH a cloud over the sun and my rudimentary conditions. So, I can only hope that as the summer solstice approaches, the light will only improve for the orchid's growing season. God-willing!

I don't know WHAT I'm going to do with my plants-- I'm so sad for them having to spend time under these pathetic lights. I may go on craigs list and find some ballasts-- but I just know Carrie will hate it :o( I seriously need to find a friend who will let me rent some greenhouse space.

Alana--glad you like them too. Just so you know, the tube packaging worked perfectly. With the exception of a wayward leaf, ALL of the leaves have bounced back and are growing just fine. In fact, when I removed the material from around the roots, I discovered the root growing brand new shoots-- no kidding. They were bright white and not dirty white like the others. Do you put your bulbs on roids? Sheesh!

If you picotee bulb doesn't make it for whatever reason let me know, momma bulb is busy making a new baby.

WOW Ryan!!! You got Blooming Orchids! I thought you were just getting bare root. WOW is the yellow-green the "Brother" orchid? I love my brother series.

The Hawk is wonderful. You captured his curious expression perfectly in the 3rd frame. We get a lot of red-shouldered hawks here. A hawk family lives over in the burnt lot.

Hi Cindee!

Yes I think it is a Brother orchid-- Brother Passat is the photo I found that came closest to mine. And yes, I do have a bare one but my wife, Carrie, got these guys at the local Big lots....can you believe it?? BIG LOTS!!!! I thought for sure they'd be in awful shape but I repotted them and they have full healthy roots, loads of leaves and seem over all very healthy!

Actually, she got two orchids...and then upon putting them in the living room she decided it wouldn't do, we needed the purple one to balance it out. LOL So this is for the record-- MY WIFE got these plants, NOT ME. I, of course, have taken up the challenge to care for them, like any loving husband would.

I love our hawk-- she was back today for another cleaning. I think she likes all the plants I have out there-- a little green oasis for her. I draw the line at nest building, though.

RMR

Ryan, depending on what breed(s) of dog Lucy is, it's not uncommon for aggression toward other dogs and/or animals to show itself... this can be controlled through strict obedience. At least you know she's not a cur! :-) I have the same issues with my bulldogs, though I'd be worried if they DIDN'T show that aggression! Momma ain't raising no quitters! Mine know, however, that when I say "no", I really mean it... and they settle down.

That's a very informative orchid website, and I'm shocked it's not already in my bookmarks! I must have over a thousand! I've marked it for later perusal. It looks to have some really well written information. If you're completely serious about growing orchids, or any plant type, indoors... there are lots of different lighting set-ups you could invest in. The better ones are costly, of course, but much better at emulating the sun. Consummate growers spend quite a bit on lighting, CO2 set-ups, the whole nine yards! But, they get some amazing results for their efforts and expenditures!

I'm cheap, so it's warm and cool florescent shop lights for me! I've currently got a few 48" T12 fixtures hung over my alcove area, each containing one cool T12 tube, and one T8 warm tube. Supposedly, that's enough to simulate a decent amount of sunshine... plus, I keep them on a timer at about 16 hours of light per 24 hour period. So far, everything is responding very well.

Down in the Seed Dungeon, I'm really pushing the envelope on growth, only giving the plants about 4 hours of darkness a night. That's probably a minimum of rest, giving them just enough time to aspirate, if I'm using the word correctly... exchanging oxygen for CO2. I finally got fans running, circulating the air... it's hopeful that will help keep any mold at bay. The basement is damp and musty from being a very old and unused farmhouse cellar.

I'm doubting your hawk will nest on your balcony... it's probably just a very good place to use as a lookout post. It apparently feels safe enough to sit there, and I bet it does like your plants! If I were a large bird in a built up environment, I'd be looking for a nice oasis, too!

We have a pair of HUGE owls that live in the woods across the road... I hear them every night, though they don't usually show themselves during the day. A few nights ago, they were making a ton of noise in the trees, and Larry said they were probably breeding. Everything on the mini-farm here is thinking spring, it seems!

I really laughed at your captioning on your hawk series! It was perfect!

Those Orchids are the business Ryan! The Hawk was amazing, but your story and "Marge" cracked me all up. You know how to take such amazing photos...I am just in awe. Thank you for sharing them with us!

-Frank