Is Summer Almost Over Already?

Yes, but today we celebrate Willy Nilly Friday.

1. The sun was hot today, the air was humid. Then a breeze picked up and dark clouds blew in. Uh-oh, a hard rains gonna fall! It did, but it didn't last long. I took this cell phone picture in a parking lot just as the clouds in the west started to pull apart, letting patches of sunlight break through. 

Sharing with Skywatch and Black and White Weekend.

2. I just read something surprising about carrots: they contain cannabinoids. So do cloves, black pepper, echinacea, broccoli, ginseng, and (of course) hemp. Don't worry, carrots won't make you high, but they might make you healthier.

Orange You Glad It's Friday?

3. Gabriel Arthur was an English colonist who explored the colonial frontier in 1673, reaching the Little Tennessee River. Here we see him portrayed by history enthusiast Doug Wood.

Arthur came to Virginia as an indentured servant. When he was only 19, his employer Major General Abraham Wood sent him and a small team to explore Indian-occupied areas west of the Blue Ridge. His remarkable year of adventures was written down by his employer after he returned.

4. The pretty landscaping is at Eastham Park in Front Royal, overlooking the South Fork.

Floral Friday.

5. This highly-altered peony is an old image I made around 1998. I used Adobe Photo Deluxe, the predecessor to Adobe Elements.