photographs – Page 18 – Surprised By Joy

Photos of the Week: Aug 20

August 20, 2022August 20, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, whidbey island43 Comments

“The eyes experience less stress when they can look upon a wider horizon.” – R.D. Chin

I think all vacations that start with a ferry ride are off to a good start. And this one ended with Miss O drawing out our activities which provided a nice summary before our ferry ride back.

A week of a wide horizon of sun, sea and surf.

On a walk that my friend and Mr. D took, they saw a bunny run under a hedge. My friend started to say, “I bet if we are quiet, then we can…” Then Mr. D., already understanding the point, interjected, “Sshhh!”

Regardless of all there was to look at, it seemed the most popular place to be for the 7-years and under set was in the pool.

The windows of Langley, a picturesque little town on Whidbey Island near where we were staying, were stenciled with little quotes. Although one of them seemed to have the idea backwards, at least to my way of thinking.

Any quotable lines and good stories from your week?

Photos of the Week: Aug 13

August 13, 2022August 13, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged beach, photographs, Seafair, seattle21 Comments

“The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you are the pilot.” – Michael Althsuler

Seafair in Seattle – an incredible show on a beautiful day. (Anyone that wants to see the Blue Angels’ farewell flyover video I captured see my instagram @wynneleon)

Also spotted at Seafair – a kayaker with a dog wearing googles. Nothing more Seattle than that!

Mr. D practicing his breakfast chef skills. Buzz Lightyear and the fire truck are there in case something goes wrong.

I don’t think I’ve ever gone to the Seattle beaches as much as summer of 2022.

This sign reminded me of Julia Preston who is always luminous but was especially so this week.

What lit you up this week?

Photos of the Week: Aug 6

August 6, 2022August 6, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged candles, lake, love, photographs37 Comments

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

We were lucky to spend the last day of the PNW heat wave with friends at a lake cabin. It was definitely the right way to beat the heat!

For the kids’ birthdays, the Tumblebus, a full-sized bus that has been converted to a mini-tumbling gym, pulled up front for a fantastic party bus. It was so impressive to watch the guy parallel park the bus!

The August mornings have been a little bit darker which is delightful for my morning yoga and meditation time. The kids are great at staying in bed and not interrupting my sacred time – but the cat not so much. She brought a baby bunny in the house early in the morning (see corner of the room in the picture) and then I had to get creative about how to get it safely out of the house without waking the kids. Good news – the bunny was just fine and lived!

What were you running around doing this week?

Photos of the Week: July 23

July 23, 2022July 23, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged bellevue park, carkeek beach, photographs, rock cairns, wading pool23 Comments

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss

We went to a playground we don’t visit very often – with double-sided swings (featured photo), trampolines and spinning circular things. But my favorite was a picture I captured of Miss O on a swing that delighted me because of its similarity to one when she was 3. A little bit older now but still the same exuberant spirit!

It wasn’t as hot in the Pacific Northwest as the rest of the country but we still a lot of time hanging around water.

Mr. D loves to clean with his grandmother. Such a productive pair!

Apparently we weren’t the only ones looking for water. I snapped a picture of this raccoon early in the morning checking out all the likely water sources.

Walking home from the wading pool the other night we passed one of my favorite yards decorated with rock cairns. That’s how our week stacked up. How was yours?

Photos of the Week: July 16

July 16, 2022July 16, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged moon, pedicure, photographs, slip n slide, stadium, swing29 Comments

As I was going to bed this week, I spied this beautiful almost full moon shining through the window. It inspired my choice of the quote for this week, “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” – Allen Ginsberg

I got a pedicure this week. The price was right and I didn’t have to wait…

My kids and I rode the light rail downtown, stopped at the ball park to buy some roasted peanuts and then snapped this picture of a plane as it was being transported on a train, passing underneath the arch of the baseball stadium.

Hard at work making the Oreo crust for their uncle’s birthday mud pie.

Taking the slip ‘n slide idea quite literally – although I guess in this case it’s a slide ‘n slip.

I’ve been doing yoga with the doors wide open on these beautiful summer mornings and it feels so refreshing!

It feels like we are in the full swing of summer here. How was your week?

Photos of the Week: July 9

July 9, 2022July 9, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged family, firemen, horses, leavenworth, photographs31 Comments

“The eyes experience less stress when they can look upon a wider horizon.” – R.D. Chin

Every morning this week I’ve driven Miss O to camp and been treated with the view of Puget Sound shown in the featured photo. This view literally takes my breath away and starts my day with a little nature and awe, which as beginnings go, is right up at the top of my list.

We spent last weekend in Leavenworth, WA which is a Bavarian themed town in the Cascade Mountains. It was there we rode horses and went bananas dancing in the aisles of stores.

Mr. D and I bumped into an incredibly nice crew from Seattle Fire Department who let Mr. D hold their chain saws and cut sticks and lift dumpsters with the jaws of life. If they think showing almost 3-year-olds their gadgets is an effective recruiting tool, they are right.

Miss O gained a gap-tooth grin when she lost her front tooth. I gained a little more perspective about how quickly this blessed job of parenting goes.

What are you smiling about this week?

Photos of the Week: July 2

July 2, 2022July 2, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, rock climbing31 Comments

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling alive.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Nothing like the feel of sand between the toes!

Miss O did rock climbing camp this week. I can’t describe how much I love seeing her climb at the gym I’ve climbed at for years – the first indoor rock climbing gym in the US! (She’s not in the middle picture but I think that’s the most impressive wall at this gym.)

Backyard pool fun!

This is the kind of pizza Miss O likes to eat! What was on your plate this week?

Photos of the Week: June 25

June 25, 2022June 25, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged beach, photographs, sensory deprivation tanks, Space Needle, summer29 Comments

Oh, sweet summer sunshine!

“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Beach time! Miss O is very good at collecting crabs. Apparently, she wanted to look at a dozen of them up close before letting them go. Thank goodness they didn’t end up all over her face or down her clothes…

A foggy morning view and a sunny morning view of the Space Needle.

Fountains and cotton candy – nothing better!

I was given the gift of a float in a sensory deprivation tank. It was just 10 inches of water, a bag (or so) of Epsom salt, me and my thoughts. At first I thought, “I’m going to do this for an hour?” and then I fell asleep. I was hoping for a conversation with God or major epiphany and while that didn’t happen, it felt like I’d been rebooted like a computer.

How was your week?

Photos of the Week: June 18

June 18, 2022June 18, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged end of school, happy birthday, photographs27 Comments

Featured photo: Either the bench grew legs or everyone chose the same hiding place for toddler hide and seek.

Quote for the week: “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” – Louis Armstrong

And hide and seek isn’t the only old game we played this week. The kids were loving the WII games that must be about least 15 years old. But hey, they still work for amusement apparently!

Probably because the other thing to play with is the garbage can. It was two doors down the street before I realized it had “grown” legs and started walking.

Our other theme this week was giving inappropriate foods to animals. We caught a squirrel at the park commandeering a birthday cupcake and at home we practiced singing happy birthday with the cat.

When you learn to open the sunroof, the sky’s the limit!

Walking out of the gate on the last day of school.

How was your week?

Photos of the Week: June 11

June 11, 2022June 11, 2022Posted in Photo of the weekTagged photographs, week in review18 Comments

“Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart, rather than a piece of our mind.” – unknown

My Dove wrapper picture from last week made Mark (from the Swinged Cat blog) wonder what was on Snapple caps these days. So the featured photo of this post is the answer.