I can’t believe it but I have reached the end of the challenge! It took a little longer than expected and I had to fudge the rules sometimes but despite all of that I made it! I want to thank everyone for following me during this photographic journey. I really appreciate all of your comments and likes. There were many times, for a number of reasons, I was not sure I would be able to finish. Thank you for sticking around through all of that. Your support and encouragement really meant a lot to me during that difficult time. xo
What happens next? I’m taking a break from blogging until after I’m recovered from back surgery. I will resume blogging on my new blog (Photo Walking Through Life) sometime in January of 2017. I know that seems like a long time from now but the way time likes to fly it will be here before you know it! In the meantime, I will be visiting the blogs I follow so you will still see me around the blogosphere. 😀
“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” –Nathaniel Hawthorne
“Asters are the grande finale to the perennial garden, displaying vibrant fall colors in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white. They’re also one of the last great feeding opportunities for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. For gardeners, it’s a two-for-one deal: beautiful blooms and a flurry of attractive wildlife.” To read more 
“This showy flowering shrub grows to 8 feet tall and wide and features dark green, compound pinnate leaves on bristly stems and pendant clusters of fragrant, pea-like, rose-pink flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies in late spring and early summer. The flowers are occasionally followed by bristly, reddish-brown seed pods. Native to the southeastern United States, this aggressive shrub spreads by suckers and is considered invasive in Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington. All parts of this plant are at least mildly poisonous.” To read more 
“Cornus kousa, commonly called Kousa dogwood, is a small, deciduous flowering tree or multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 15-30’ tall, with a vase-shaped habit in the early years but eventually maturing to a more rounded form. Bloom occurs in late spring. The showy parts of the Kousa dogwood “flower” (3-5” across) are the four narrowly pointed petal-like white bracts which surround the center cluster of insignificant, yellowish-green, true flowers. Flowers are followed by berry-like fruits (to 1” diameter) which mature to a pinkish red in summer and persist into fall. Fruits are technically edible, but are usually left for the birds.” To read more 
“Chrysanthemum comes from Greek word ‘Chrys’ meaning golden (the color of the original flowers), and ‘anthemon’, meaning flower. This name was given to it by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist who is also known as the father of modern taxonomy. The Chrysanthemum flowers bloom in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. Chrysanthemum blooms come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes and in a wide range of colors. In addition to the traditional yellow, other popular colors are white, purple, and red.” To read more 
A Year In Photos 