Is that 9ty or 9tee?

How has written language evolved?  There was no formal learning of  words with letters and numbers together.  And yet, when personalized license plates became widely available, the creativity burst forth and all kinds of 'play-words' evolved to be seen on passing cars.  I took a look at Plates4Less: "We at Plates 4 Less love to get creative in looking for private number plates so that we can give your vehicle a splash of personality! Our expert search team have created this page especially for people looking for private number plates featuring the number 9. We have been as crafty as we can, trying out as many different combinations as possible to get the best matches available. We hope you find the masterpiece you’ve been looking for! " The plates4less search team.  What makes a license plate cost 33,000, 306,000 or 6,500 pounds?  Our brain has an innate ability to translate letters and numbers.  This is the title of a post at turnerink.co.uk "F1gur471v3ly 5p34k1ng? How your brain can read words made of numbers" Didn't that make you smile? At the Fun with Words site there are observations about numbers, as spelled out in English, as in "Eight is the first number alphabetically, zero is the last" or this: "Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice In Wonderland, once noted that "eleven plus two" and "twelve plus one" use the same letters and produce the same sum." To conclude, we look to letter and number humour on jokeomania.weebly.com: Why was the 6 sad? A: 7 8 9 What did the alphabet say when it fell down? A: I-M-O-K Which rock channel do they letters of the alphabet watch? A: M-T-V Where does Mr.Alphabet sit when he comes home from work? A: In his E-Z chair What kind of sale did the number store have A: 2-4-1 Which letter and number when put together mean victory? A: I-1 What monsters do you find in the haunted alphabet? A: Killer B's Which letters and what number tell you to be careful? A: B-4-WARNED! What to letters mean good-bye?  A: C-U

Burning Water

Today's image celebrates great sunsets over water.  It is amazing how the sunset colours look like fire dancing on the waves. Here we are in the Labour Day weekend, and we can enjoy a few of the facts about September. - Shakespeare did not mention September in any of his plays. - In 1752 in Britain, September had only 19 days as we changed from Julian to Gregorian calendar. - "My favourite poem is the one that starts 'Thirty days hath September' because it actually tells you something' - Groucho Marx.

Seahorse in Blossoms

What makes a great public garden 'great' is the scale and complexity of plantings, structures, paths and other garden elements in the landscape.  Winterthur has expansive naturalistic gardens that are considered the best in North America.  At the house are more structured formal gardens, designed by Marion Coffin.  The drifts of Azaleas and Rhododendrons frame the house in spring so that the formal and informal merge into a showcase display. At this time of year, the azaleas are reflected in the pond so that the seahorse is surrounded by pink waves.