Category: Photo of the week

“Be an opener of doors.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We did some backyard camping this week. It was hot (for Seattle) and like most homes in the city, we don’t have AC. So nature’s AC when it cooled down at night felt great!

Cooper the dog felt like he was on the wrong side of the door. The cat didn’t care.

We went to an open house night at the kids’ school. Fifth grade Miss O can now reach the monkey bars while standing flat footed. First grade Mr. D can jump onto the bars without any assistance. Amazing to see how much they’ve grown.

But they still like to wait out from to wave to the garbage man. I imagine from the garbage collector’s point of view, they experience the progress from excited kids to indifferent adults as bittersweet.

The kids had rock climbing camp and also their first introduction to tennis.

It was hot on the tennis court. As the sign of the week says, I think we could have made omelettes. But mostly we were just sweaty.

“The years teach much which the days never knew.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our cat has walked with Cooper and me so often that I forget how funny it is until someone makes a comment. She runs when she’s behind and then lounges if she gets ahead. This week we ran into two friends walking three dogs and she just sat there about 10 feet away looking bored. She takes catitude to a whole other level!

My two favorite water pictures of the week. In the first, googles catching some summer rain. And the second is a dog water bowl suspended from fire hydrant at our local fire station.

Miss O turned 10 years old! Makes me a little (a lot) teary thinking about how much she’s grown in 10 years, how much work it has been, and also how much fun we’ve had!

The sign of the week is by six-year-old Mr. D who elected himself in charge of safety at Miss O’s birthday party. Hope you all have a great weekend – and Be Safe!

(featured photo is mine – downtown Seattle from Lake Union)

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” – Booker T. Washington

We are back from vacation! My kids let me pick them up for a picture on the Whidbey Island ferry. It mirrors a picture we did three and a half years ago — but I think this might be the last year I can pick them both up at once.

Then we were happy to be back home to see Cooper!

And Simone, the cat — and be in a neighborhood where interesting characters that watch us out their windows.

The kids did a sailing camp this week which was good for beating the heat — including taking dips in Puget Sound and running through sprinklers at home.

Sign of the week — and Cooper being his most intense!

(featured photo is mine of Shilshole marina on the Puget Sound)

“Relations are like electric currents. Wrong connections will give you shocks throughout your life. But the right ones light up your life.” – unknown

This week we were lucky to have one more week of vacation staying on the beach on Whidbey Island. The feeling that I have after these two weeks is of greater connection – in my little family, to nature, and to the flow between rest and productivity. I’m so grateful we were able to spend this time together.

Four of my favorite beach pictures from the week.

Horses and Shakespeare. We went to see a performance of Much Ado About Nothing and it was great! And Miss O and Mr. D were able to spend some time grooming and riding horses – and loved it. I’d call Miss O’s reaction to the horses – Much Ado About Something!

Taking photos. Behind me is the Deception Pass bridge.

Sign of the week and family picture of the year!

(All photos are mine. The featured photo is the full moon over the bay).

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not man the less, but Nature more.” – Lord Byron

We have been on vacation on Whidbey Island this week. It’s been a wonderful week of Ws…

Water

Waiting

Wildlife

And… Windows for the sign of the week. Hope you’ve had a great week! 🙂

(images are all mine)

“Believe with all of your heart that you will do what you were made to do.” – Orson Swett Marden

Mr. D’s 6th birthday fun

The ready position

Time to jump…and bloom

Cooper demonstrating the smile to go with the sign of the week.

“While the world is full of wondrous sights, inner peace comes from staying home.” The Tao Teh Ching

We returned from our week on the road. Seeing the Starbucks building always makes me feel like I’m in Seattle. And I don’t even drink coffee!

The cat didn’t bother to jump up and greet us. After all, she’s a cat and has an image to maintain.

Cooper on the other hand was so happy to see us that he pinned Miss O down. I think that’s his strategy so we won’t leave again. Miss O assured him that our roots are at home!

Miss O was able to join Mr. D’s summer sandlot baseball team so they are teammates for a few weeks and loving it! The featured photo above is the gorgeous old tree at one of the baseball fields. Nothing like summer time blue sky and early evening baseball.

I was walking Cooper early one morning this week when I was shocked to see this huge snail. On second look, it was just a compostable bag and a paper plate. But you see it too, right?

And the sign of the week is a little shocking too!

Do you have a landmark that makes you feel like you’ve arrived home?

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, be no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

Miss O and Mr D celebrating earning a green belt and red belt respectively in Aikido.

Two different types of community building. The first is the annual neighborhood car show. We love attending because we run into lots of friends and see cool vehicles like old fire trucks.

The second is Cooper ringing the bell for the cat so someone will open the door for her.

I believe the soda display is showing the Mariner moose, our MLB team’s mascot. And I love the sign of the week – makes me laugh every time!

“You’ll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things.” – Jamie Tworkowski

Pictures from our trip to San Francisco. Riding a surrey down the beach to the Golden Gate bridge and Miss O trying oysters. I’m not sure which one was more brave – because that surrey was hard to pedal!

Big and small animals looking cute.

Water balloon baseball in the back yard. Please forgive the alignment of the second picture – the pitcher/photographer was in the splash zone…

Fortunately the sign of the week reminds me there’s a solution. 🙂

(featured photo is mine – the sunset over The Presidio and San Francisco bay)