photographs – Page 14 – Surprised By Joy

Photos of the Week: Sept 23

September 23, 2023September 26, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs46 Comments

“Keep your feet on the ground and your thoughts at lofty heights.” – Peace Pilgrim

From the top left – turns out the Miss O is very good at winning games at the Washington State Fair. She also likes the rides, ans it turns out that I don’t. It’s as if I needed a reminder that I’m an endurance person, not a speed person. See my expression on the bumper cars. And on the swingy-swingy thing. Ugh! Miss O is the one with her arms out wide. I’m the one with my eyes closed.

Hence the quote selection for this post – yep, keep the feet on the ground. And yes, I’m totally fine with you laughing with/at me. 🙂

I’d entitle this grouping “Mr. Cooper goes to Washington” but since we’re already here, I guess that’s not exactly accurate. Instead, its the Adventures of Mr Cooper: he goes to school, learns to drive, hangs out at the dog park, goes for a neighborhood lie-about, and then decides he decides riding in the car best of all.

The heart and the sign of the week which sums it all up beautifully.

Photos of the Week: Sept 16

September 16, 2023September 16, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, spokane51 Comments

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” – Robert Frost

Our road trip to the other side of Washington State. Such a wonderful pleasure to see my kids enjoying the attractions I loved as a kid including the garbage goat and the carousel. (Yes, the goat sucks up garbage fed to him). I’d count those miles well spent!

Cooper has grown so much in the 5 weeks he’s been with us that he doesn’t chase cars, he eats them!

The heart and the sign of the week – a two-fer with a two-fer.

Photos of the Week: Sept 9

September 9, 2023September 8, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged camping, cooper, photographs26 Comments

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzo

Celebrating the unofficial end to summer with a campout and a cookout.

When the weather didn’t cooperate with our end of summer plans to go to a spray park, we put on our Seattle best and enjoyed it anyway, all by ourselves.

Cooper is growing up, or at least growing bigger. The last picture is him soaking up being the only “kid” at home after school started.

Mr. D is doing his best to make the cat feel better about dog invasion.

The heart and the sign of the week.

Photos of the Week: August 26

August 26, 2023August 25, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs47 Comments

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” – Andy Bernard

Someone’s growing up…and by that, I don’t just mean the dog.

Clockwise from top left:

I suspect that climbing route might be the closest experience my kids have of a telephone handset.

Miss O and Mr D vying for honorary Seattle ambassador status.

It didn’t take long for Mr. D to get someone to ride on the back of his motorcycle.

Mr. D puts the service in service station.

And speaking of service, the bottom left shows a special forces soldier doing mailbox reconnaissance.

Heart of the week is an air pocket in a baguette. And the sign of the week is courtesy of my tea bag. It feels like the message might be a koan. My head isn’t quite sure what to do with it but my heart feels like it’s true.

Photos of the Week: August 19

August 19, 2023August 18, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged cooper, Lifestyle, photographs65 Comments

“Recognize what is simple. Keep what is essential.” – Lao Tzu

Mini Cooper is figuring out his world.

Mr. D has perfected the pose to ward off unwanted puppy attention. I told him he doesn’t need to scowl when he does it, but it’s quite the look! His pose reminds me of this sunflower in the community pea patch.

Whether it be Mr. D’s scowl, or the fact that Mini Cooper gained 4 pounds in a week so he won’t be mini for long, the squirrels coming into the yard to eat plums will likely not be doing that for too much longer!

Tricks for having fun in a heat wave.

But it wasn’t too hot to play.

The heart and the sign of the week.

Photos of the Week: Aug 12

August 12, 2023August 11, 2023Posted in loveTagged photographs50 Comments

“A Joyful face is always a beautiful face.” – Sadhguru

Meet Cooper! And thank goodness a picture is worth 1,000 words because I’m too tired to write anything.

In fact, the whole getting a puppy thing has been so monumental this week that I pretty much forgot that we also did other things this week like going to IKEA and building a loft bed, an outing on my brother’s tugboat to see the Blue Angels perform, and other usual fun until I looked at the pictures. So here are two pictures from SeaFair.

The sign and the heart of the week (raspberry cookies from IKEA) as demonstrated by Miss O.

Hope you all have had a great week!

Photos of the Week: August 5

August 5, 2023August 4, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs51 Comments

“A bird is safe in its nest – but that’s not what wings are made for.” – Amit Ray

Riffing off the quote of the post – apparently wings are made for rides at the fair. At first the tame rides we’re fine but it wasn’t long before Miss O wanted to try out the Tornado. At the end, we talked to a turkey and that was Mr. D’s favorite part. I think he invited it over for Thanksgiving.

Meet Cooper aka named Mini Cooper for his puppy stage. He’s coming home on August 11. At which point you should all expect this blog to go to the dogs!

Except for Mr D and Miss O, of course!

The sand castle heart (aka Castle Heart Island) and the sign of the week.

Photos of the Week: July 29

July 29, 2023July 28, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, shakespeare, whidbey island57 Comments

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

All these pictures are from our week vacation on Whidbey Island – starting with Whidbey wildlife. I’m unclear why deer go down to the salt water. Are they licking the rocks?

Beach hi-jinks. Mr D was super interested in fishing which is not my forte so he wrangled three turns reeling in a rod from someone he befriended. Then he said (after 3 tries), “Why do you keep missing the fish?” Before I could tell him it’s called “fishing” and not “catching” for a reason, he turned and found a dead flounder floating in the surf and proudly proclaimed he caught one. The pic is his imitation of how the fish looks.

Some of our visitors: Deirdre (my meditation teacher and guest on podcasts), my mom (note: Mr D is wearing my shoes and they don’t even look that big), and Mr. D’s birthday train.

Two of my favorite pictures of the week. Mr. D carefully following in Miss O’s path. And the beach cartwheel (one of the at least 1,753 Miss O has done this week).

The heart and the sign of the week. Miss O and Mr D got to see their first Shakespeare play – Romeo and Juliet as performed by the Island Shakespeare Festival. It’s possible I could have prepared Miss O better for the play because near the end she looked up and said, “Romeo isn’t going to die too, is he?” But even though we started with a Shakespeare tragedy – she loved it!

Photos of the Week: July 15

July 15, 2023July 14, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs40 Comments

“Time wasted at the lake is time well spent.” – unknown

Endless amount of fun in the cool clear waters of Spirit Lake in Northern Idaho

Hiking, swinging (with a mist for a twist), and reading at the lake.

Miss O and Mr D figuring out how to work together to get Cheerios at the hotel on the way. Amazing how Cheerios can bring a family together! 🙂

I kinda thought Mr. D would be done with time in the car for a while, especially after we took an extra 20 minutes on the way back from the lake for Giving Lift. But he was ready to jump back in and go for a spin.

The kids learning how to pick lettuce in the garden with the best sign ever (see below) and the only rule is that you have to eat what you pick. That doesn’t apply to dandelions!

The heart and the sign of the week thought up by my brilliant friend Katie (from the family gardens at Spirit Lake).

Photos of the Week: July 8

July 8, 2023July 7, 2023Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs43 Comments

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

4th of July!

And the guest of honor for the 4th of July show was blogger, Betsy Kerekes (Motherhood and Martial arts blog, formerly Parenting is Funny) who came with her hubby to spend 2 days in Seattle. So fun to hang with this dear blog buddy in person!!