Prescribed Fire and New Life

Here in the tropics, and in many other places, prescribed fire means life. I'm not talking about the horrible conflagrations that come from anthropogenic climate change, just the usual fires that clear the way for the new:

The colors pop, and life bursts afresh. Beautiful!

Weekend Walkabout: Plumeria in the (Scorching) Sun

High temp records have been tumbling all over the globe this summer and last night I think there were a record number of tropical cyclones and invests on the planet at the same time (8!). Is that a record?? Yowza. Walking outside in full sun may not be the best idea for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere right now, but I had to take a few pictures of a neighbor's gorgeous Plumeria, which grow quite well on our sand dune:

Vertical Plumeria, MRobb, August 2015

Pink Plumeria, MRobb, August 15

Plumeria, also known as Frangipani, are native to this part of the world, and grow wild and in cultivation all over the Caribbean, Central, and South America. They are actually a genus of the Dogbane family, woof!, and are cousins to the poisonous Oleander. Just like with Oleanders, the sap can be irritating to eyes and skin, though some people have no trouble with it at all. The flowers have no nectar, but are most lusciously fragrant at night. They mostly attract moths. Growing them from cuttings is very easy, but you have to let the cut stump dry before planting it, or it could rot. They are somewhat slow growing but very tough and hardy.

Some New Ceramics and....

I have been gearing up for the start of the new school year, which is coming very early in 2015. Not much going on in the gardening world, though the orchids continue to bloom- the top one is a Guartonia, so I am told (and, OK, I did show this on July 10, but it's still blooming, really!):

I've finished some new stoneware designs that have worked out very well. Here is a bowl and a couple of plates:

MRobb, Plate and Bowl, 2015

MRobb, Plate, 2015

And I'm trying to do a simple painting each day; I've been managing a couple a week....

"Hills with Green Sky", MRobb, 2015

And I'm finally finishing up some photos from 2009! These are of Lago di Garda in Italy:

"Lago di Garda, Italy, Autumn 2009"- MRobb

A little creativity can really help one get through the more stressful times of year!