photographs – Page 13 – Surprised By Joy

Photos of the Week: June 24

June 24, 2023June 23, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs63 Comments

“Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a 4-year-old wearing a batman t-shirt.” – unknown

How is it that I never realized that my tent can fit two twin mattresses until this year? I totally should have thought of it the year Miss O and I did a backyard campout when I was 8 months pregnant with Mr. D. Sure, it would have been awkward carry those up to some of the places I’ve used the tent, but it’s way more comfortable! And it works great for the backyard.

I can’t claim that we don’t jump in puddles when it’s cold out — but it is WAY more fun when it’s warm out!

Yard work with my mom (Nana) and Father’s Day with my brother, the fun uncle.

In the yard – racoons on the fence and Calla lilies in a pot. I have been fortunate that those lilies just keep showing up year after year – but I didn’t know that until my friend, Deirdre, informed me that they aren’t that easy to grow and I’ve been breaking all the rules. Hmm, now I’m grateful and love the flowers even more!

The neighborhood skeleton and a sign. Put together and we have the summer of love??

Photos of the Week: June 17

June 17, 2023June 16, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs41 Comments

“It’s sad to grow old, but nice to ripen.” – Brigitte Bardot

Celebrating getting older. I just noticed in the picture with Mr. D and Miss O – he has a marshmallow gun and she has a fishing pole. Had she caught a fish — I think they might have been in for a surprise!

The Halloween costume that keeps on giving.

Life goes fast – and so do children!

Pure sweetness. And the homegrown strawberries are nice too.

Sign of the week.

Photos of the Week: June 10

June 10, 2023June 9, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, summer68 Comments

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.” – International kids chant

Ice Cream Joe made us run for 3 1/2 blocks in bare feet to catch him. But it felt like a rite of summer – and maybe of childhood too.

We went on a hike with Deb – yes, Closer to the Edge, blogger friend Deb!!! Before we met her, the kids were wondering how I knew her, and why we were friends but had never met. Afterwards, the kids were wondering how often we can see her. Yes, she is just as delightful in person as she is on the page!

Sprinkled with joy…another rite of summer!

We ate dinner at a firehouse and our friend let the kids test out all the rigs. I really think Seattle Fire ought to consider adding the kitty cat headbands to their official uniform.

Around home and the neighborhood

Miss O is the strawberry of my eye. Mr. D is glad we are growing them. He says, “Yum, I really like the leaves.” More fiber that way? 🙂

Sign of the week and heart of the week. The heart is a puddle left by the car on the garage floor. It rained on June 9th after 17 straight days of no rain. I’m afraid if this trend for dry, hot weather continues, Seattle is going to ruin its reputation.

Photos of the Week: June 3

June 3, 2023June 2, 2023Posted in psychologyTagged photographs, whidbey island58 Comments

“It is very important that we relearn the art of resting and relaxing. Not only does it help prevent the onset of many illnesses through chronic tension and worry; it allows us to clear our minds, focus, and find creative solutions to problems.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

In accordance with this quote, all these pictures are from our long weekend on Whidbey Island.

Whidbey wildlife. And yes, that’s an eagle standing on the beach.

I’m showing great restraint to only post three pictures of my evening beach walks because it was such a highlight of the weekend away for me.

Swimming season has started. Mr D is applying the lessons in kicking to other pursuits but I don’t see the “kick gambit” becoming a trend in chess.

Driftwood David (caption courtesy of my friend, Eric). It’s hard to resist the gazillion bawdy puns that come to mind but I’m doing my best.

As the 4th largest island in the contiguous US, there are a fair number of farms and ranches near where we stay on the beach. We are always happy to horse around when not at the beach or pool.

Forts (not built by us) and windows

Signs of the week.

And the heart of the week is charcoal on driftwood to fit with the beach theme.

Photos of the Week: May 27

May 27, 2023May 26, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, summer38 Comments

“And so with the sunshine and the great burst of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Miss O bravely tried to see if a kneeboard worked for paddling. It didn’t….for paddling but still was a lot of fun.

Birds, bunnies, bugs, and borrowed dogs.

The first tries on a pedal bike with training wheels for Mr. D came with a lot of victory, walking the bike, and frustration. Here’s a pic of the former.

Water balloons!!

A heart in slime

Signs of the week

Photos of the Week: May 20

May 20, 2023May 19, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged mother's day, photographs43 Comments

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Actually – can you burst my bubble? It’s kinda cool looking?

My Mother’s Day gifts…and the rose is nice too. 🙂

We haven’t outgrown backyard fun — but we have outgrown some of the toys.

Do you think the ducks and goslings celebrated Mother’s Day too?

I’m a little unclear on the current decoration theme for the neighborhood skeleton. Spring?

Photos of the Week: May 13

May 13, 2023May 13, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged dandelions, photographs48 Comments

“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or sea.” – Isak Dinesen

We spent an evening at the beach this week and it was glorious to dip our toes back into Puget Sound.

A field full of wishes and Mr. D showing us how to release them for their full effect.

Hanging around at home. Miss O wanted to mow the whole lawn herself for the first time. Mr. D said there was a lot of traffic on his imaginary road for pink cars…

Two dogs = one attentive audience

I found the perfect birthday gift for my friend that has everything.

It’s egg-sactly heart shaped. And Miss O must be eating all the right things since she’s spotting things as small as this heart on the pavement.

Signs of the week…

Photos of the Week: April 29

April 29, 2023April 28, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs44 Comments

“Gather the crumbs of happiness and they will make you a loaf of contentment.” – anonymous

This yard in our neighborhood gets more and more impressive every year and I’m only capturing a portion of the bulbs they’ve planted!

Worms, wetness, and wheels

Learning to whistle

Exactly how I like to party these days!

Heart of the week….Hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Photos of the Week: April 22

April 22, 2023April 21, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged earth day, mountains, photographs, sunrise60 Comments

“Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth. This we know. The Earth does not belong to people; people belong to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.” – Chief Seattle

In honor of Earth Day and inspired in part by Michelle at BoomerEcoCrusader, I’m changing up the photos of the week to be some of the things I’ve been lucky enough to see on planet Earth.

Mt Elbrus (part of the Caucus Mountain Range) in Russia

The Mexican Volcanoes

The Himalaya including Tengboche Monastery, the Khumbu Icefall and Mt. Everest left to right in the bottom row.

And my home territory – the mountains of the Pacific Northwest

And the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Happy Earth Day, Everyone!

Photos of the Week: April 15

April 15, 2023April 14, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged peeps, photographs47 Comments

“Please excuse the mess, the children are making memories.” – unknown

This is an experiment that is an offshoot of Vicki’s post about Fresh Peeps and Pink Parasols last week. My kids love putting marshmallows in the microwave so why not a peep? Deb and Vicki, I hope you enjoy the results of this experiment and if you’re going to do it at home, 15 seconds should be good. More than that and you might need to refer to the quote above…

Speaking of bunnies and chicks, we were out visiting our neighborhood animal celebrities. Daisy and Hopper, the bunnies and the ducks, PJ & the New Guy – which isn’t really the duck’s name but seemed like an apt substitute.