Wild Rose Treasures

It's amazing the treasures one can discover just going on a simple walk-sometimes not far from one's door! This is a telling of such treasures. I live in an apartment community in Amarillo, TX, & during these Summer months, it can be hot, & dry, & people don't always venture outside when it's over 95* outside in the afternoon! So usually people plan to do things that involve walking during the early morning, or the evening, when the temperature has cooled a bit. This is what my husband & I had decided when we took our cat to visit our local vet.

The clinic is within walking distance, so we decided to just leash & harness Berzerker, put him in his carrier, & walk there. We were scheduled to meet up with the vet around 10:10am, so it would be a prime time for walking. Although, even then, it was almost 90* that day!

I am an amateur photographer, aspiring to perhaps one day be more, & am a writer as well--so am always looking for content to write about. And I am amazed by nature & animals, & the world around us; I love being outside! And always carry my digital camera with me when we're out--whether we're going to Mass, or on a road trip, or downtown, or---well, everywhere! You never know when the sky may suddenly be GORGEOUS! Or you may catch the funniest bill-board you've ever seen!

Anyway, this particular day, I was in for a treat. I had noticed on a couple of other occasions that just past our apartments, someone had planted an entire line of wild flowers--wild roses, irises, daisies, etc.--that were beautiful in color, but not taken care of very well; it had been dry, & many of the flowers were dying or dead (though it does not seem so from the photo). I had made a mental note on other walks that someone should get some pictures of the pretty ones before they were all dead...then forgot it.

But that morning I had brought my camera, & I was ready! While my husband walked with the cat, on the way to & from the vet's, I was going to capture forever the beautiful flowers that were struggling in the blinding sun & not long for this world!

On our way there, I took pictures of the wild roses. Many of them were dead, but several were just beautiful! My little Nikon CoolPix 2100 doesn't do them justice of course, but they caused my heart to tingle, just the same, & I wanted to share them with the world.

The first one I want to highlight was a pretty orange-ish garden rose, which I believe was a Toulouse Lautrec rose. They were almost completely wilted, but one or two stood out as being photographable. The one I pictured was a bit more orange than yellow, making it an almost peach color. Beautiful!

As far as yellow is concerned, though, the yellow garden roses were tops. You can see in the photo a bit of a wilted one. it's amazing how many of them were dead, yet the roses on these bushes that were alive, were very much so!

And of course a classic favorite is the pink garden rose, of which there are many varieties. They are known for their very strong fragrance, & this one was no exception!

And finally, my absolute favorite flower amongst the wild roses growing not a block from my home--the gorgeous dark orange Naranga rose. I was blown away by the color of this flower. I couldn't even accurately describe it!

I lagged behind my husband, taking photos while he walked ahead. The rest of our day went on as scheduled, and we were soon indoors with our air conditioner on full blast, hiding from the heat. But I couldn't help but thank God for the precious moments I'd spent with nature that morning, & for the beautiful wild roses I'd been able to capture. And for whoever felt like planting them there, for the pleasure of us treasure-hunters.

So keep your eyes & heart open, there are treasures of beauty waiting just outside of your door too, I'm willing to bet!