Today's photo is a stargazer lily in full bloom. These oriental lilies were introduced in 1974. You may be surprised to learn that the name stargazer has nothing to do with the heavenly color or the dreamy speckles that you may have imagined resembled the night stars. Its name has a less romantic origin. It was given the name stargazer because the open lilies face the sky as though gazing at the heavens.

Regardless of how they got their name, I like to think of the stargazer lily as a little piece of the heavens growing peacefully in my flower bed.

Today's photo is the rays of the rising sun shining through fog and mist. This photo was taken from the bedroom balcony at our new house. Not only does the balcony provide a great sitting area for viewing the stars, it also gives me a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area.
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Because we are near a lake with a backdrop of small mountains, fog and mist is a common sight. Recently, we have been experiencing hot, humid weather which has also given rise to fog, mist and haze, turning the morning sun to a bright orange. 

I look forward to sharing more photos of our scenic view in the future.

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