Category: Photo of the week

“The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.” – Margaret Atwood

Views from the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island with my brother.

Hitting and hiking on our weekend trip to a cabin on the Washington peninsula.

We tried to do our share of work while we were there.

Then we came home and had a week with snow in Seattle. Even the pets thought it was pretty cool. Well, the cat doesn’t think anything is that awesome (because she’s a cat), but she did at least go out in the snow.

The ducks down by the lake seemed less impressed with the snow. There was a lot of quacking which I interpreted as “What the duck??” 🙂 Mr. D also found that wet snow is heavy to shovel.

Snow angels…

We get very little snow — so we were determined to do as much with it as we could.

The sign of the week — and a gelato lid that made us smile!

“Everything we say at funerals should be said at birthday parties instead. We leave so much love unspoken.” – unknown

Mr D saw this coating of frost on our railing and said, “It snowed!” Wow, is he going to be surprised when it really does snow here!

Our beautiful, clear skies have led to chilly weather. Chilly for the PNW at least.

Kids at play. I am still marveling at that 12 foot hedge our friends have in their yard. The kids can climb into it and pop out the top.

This week our family made a point of going to eat at this long-time, family-owned restaurant near the University of Washington because it’s going to be torn down to build a big apartment complex. We have generations of memories here because it was my grandmother’s favorite place to eat.

Speaking of food, we went to my brother’s for dinner the other night. He made fresh pasta and my sister-in-law made a chicken-broccoli sauce. When my brother went to serve the sauce to five-year-old Mr. D, he said, “It looks like prison food.” He may never live that one down.

All I can say is that it was delicious. I don’t think they serve that in prisons — but I don’t know because I haven’t been to prison either.

But it makes the picking up garbage project that Mr. D and nine-year-old Miss O did for MLK day even funnier. It was community service but not in a “time served” kind of way.

My devices share a photo gallery with Miss O so sometimes I open my photos and find sweet surprises like this image she created. So here’s some love to go along with the sign of the week.

“If what you believe in does not impact how you behave then what you believe in is not important.” – Shaykh Yassir Fazaga

Cooper appreciates all the kind thoughts afger dog park incident, especially those who suggested chicken (thanks, Todd). Please rest assured that he’s gotten plenty of treats (like a pup cup from Starbucks) and rest. Also shown, our less photograph family members- the cat and the gecko (asleep under the plastic axolotl).

The moon on foggy mornings.

My kids thought I looked funny on our spa night. They might have a point but not everyone can look as cool as Miss O.

The night after our spa night, Mr. D looked at me so seriously and said he was going to draw my portrait (first picture). Not sure whether the spa night pic or portrait is more flattering. 🙂 Personally, I think Mr. D’s “I licked a lemon” pic takes the cake!

The weather has been cold here (low 40’s) but not cold enough to preclude being out on wheels.

Miss O and Mr. D wanted to walk to the neighborhood grocery store on their own. I found this pic on my phone when they returned. I love the peek into what they were noticing along the way. Also, Miss O said she heard the longest dog howl ever and saw a crow pecking at a wire. Fascinating these leaps of growth and independence.

The sign of the week is a tune we are going to keep on playing. Thankful to people who have shown us how like Martin Luther King, Jr..

“Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou

The featured photo is the NY Eve morning sunrise on Whidbey Island where we spent the week after Christmas.

I selected two pictures from a whole sequence — and I don’t think Cooper was running from the heron. But looking at the photos, it just cracks me up!

Sticks and stones may break my bones — but they are SUPER fun at the beach!

The beach at winter – where kids and imaginations run wild.

Indoor vacation fun

We went to visit the Ballydidean Farm Sanctuary on Whidbey Island one afternoon. We met old cows, blind ducks, abandoned goats, and neglected pigs. What was incredible about the visit was the story of the couple that started it.

The couple wanted to have kids – but couldn’t on their own. They started down the road of adopting a child and didn’t know how long it would take. So they decided to pursue their other dreams — namely starting an animal sanctuary. Within a month of closing on the property for the sanctuary, they’d been matched with a baby and accepted two animals. Now they have a six-year-old child, over 100 animals and a non-profit in full swing.

We got a tour from the incredible woman who, along with her husband, founded the sanctuary. She smiled and told us, “We just said ‘yes’ to almost everything.” And wow, what a difference it makes.

It strikes me that we often can’t see the mark we make until we look backwards. So I love the guidance of the sign of the week.

(all photos are mine. I got the Maya Angelou quote from Real Life of a MSW)

”Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” – Roger Miller

Featured photo is one I took of a heron standing one-legged in a steady rain. Anything looking that peaceful seemed worth stopping the car to take a picture of.

Playing ball. Miss O had a busy choir performance schedule so Mr. D and I spent a good amount of time mixing up our sports metaphors (like the football jersey, baseball mitt, and tennis ball in the second photo)

Ice skating and meeting Buoy, the Kraken mascot.

Using leverage in all sorts of ways!

Spending some time with Santa (and my brother and his wife). I think Mr. D wore his Santa hat all week in preparation.

One of Mr. D’s holiday creations on top of a beautiful hand-crafted hot chocolate mug he received as a gift. A lot of heart in those gifts. 🙂

Happy Holidays, Everyone! Here’s to a great 2025! I’ll see you in the new year!

You can find me on Instagram @wynneleon .

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“The job of the artist is to always deepen the mystery.” – Sir Francis Bacon

Isn’t it amazing how kids can tilt and bend?

Kids and pottery. What could go wrong? Actually, everything went great.

Doing pottery reminds me of a story I heard about living life according to the ancient tradition of pottery. First you have to envision how you want it to be. And then you paint layers with colors that do not match what they’ll be in the end. Finally, only after the intense heat of the oven does the finish product appear.

Cooper getting photo ready — and then doing his best duck impression.

Cooper with attitude. And Cooper with the mark of a Playfinder. Now he thinks he’s a demi-dog. That’s a Moana 2 joke for anyone that’s not hanging with the Disney crowd… 🙂

Photos of kids with cameras — it’s a little meta, isn’t it?

The signs of the week. The first was made by Mr. D because he put a wet floor sign on his Christmas list. I told him we could make one. [note to self: teach kids to dry floor instead of just putting a sign up.]

“Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, drives our curiosity, fuels our love and carries our friendship, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limit…A passion for life is contagious and uplifting.” – Jon Krakauer

The flavor of the week starts with gingerbread house making.

Throwing rocks and riding bikes

Sword fighting and going for a sleep-over. No, I didn’t send them away BECAUSE they’d been sword fighting. 🙂

Miss O in a panda suit and bowing out after earning her orange belt in Aikido. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do the test in the panda suit.

The Christmas cactus that I’ve had for 33 years. My dad helped me buy it when I was 22 years old. Now that he’s gone, the cactus is one of the ways I feel his love for Christmas all around.

And another treasure – my mom. Who is pretty good at juggling balls!

Cooper wants to start a writing career. I hope he doesn’t lose interest…

“Success is not a doorway. It’s a staircase.” – Dottie Walters

We were moving things around in our house and had to temporarily remove a couple of doors. Which gave me a great opportunity to talk about the origin of the phrase “coming unhinged.” And to show how to put things back on their hinges.

Taking turns

Interesting things seen in the neighborhood

Making friends at home; and at one of our favorite winter rainy day places — the viewing room at the dump.

Getting ready for Christmas and our Thanksgiving Day outfits. I just want to say — Mr. D did his ALL by himself. Including tying the pair of gold Converse shoes.

We woke up one morning and discovered a car parked directly across our driveway. The kids were so excited to investigate – which really was going around and talking with all our favorite neighbors. When someone suggested that it might be stolen and noticed that the driver side door was jimmied, we tested the door and it was unlocked.

Miss O and Mr D wrote down all the clues and we reported it — and then about 15 minutes later, we looked out and the car was gone! Impaired driver? Stolen car? Still not sure…but boy did they have fun with the mystery! And talking to all the neighbors who were amused by the enthusiasm.

The heart of the week (a potato chip) and the sign of the week. It may be the last day of the month, but I think this “No” vember sign could still apply to all our holiday interactions and beyond.