Tag: summer

Photos of the Week: July 6

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”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.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

It feels like we’ve settled in to summer. Here’s how I know:

Because we’re hiking.

Swimming

Enjoying the 4th of July

Adopting Rusty the Crested Gecko. Okay, that has nothing to do with summer, but it happened this week.

Learning to play the ukelele, celebrating a yellow belt in Aikido, and the because the sign of the week reminds us to go the beach every day!

Photos of the Week: Sept 2

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“Spend unbroken chunks of time with the most important people in your life.” – Brian Tracy

The kids are accusing me of only taking pictures of Cooper. Which is unfair because I let them be in pictures with Cooper. 🙂

Squeezing in the last bits of summer – going out for ice cream and even spending some time down on the Seattle Waterfront.

The heart of the week is a water dot on Cooper’s forehead. A bit of a stretch, I know. So I’m making up for it with a cool Shakespeare sign of the week.

Photos of the Week: June 10

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“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: May 27

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“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: June 25

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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?

Out in the Open

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“One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art in conducting oneself in lower regions by memory of what one has seen higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.” – Rene Daumal

Last night we sat on a picnic blanket eating our umpteenth meal outside and on the go, I marveled that my kids rarely fuss when we are outside. It reminds me of a story I once heard about a Hindu sage and his apprentice.

The apprentice was constantly complaining so the sage put a handful of salt in a glass of water and said, “drink the water.” The apprentice took a drink and when the master asked how it tasted, the apprentice said, “Bitter.” Then the master took a handful of salt and put it in a lake. He asked the apprentice to drink from the lake and when the master asked how it tasted the apprentice said, “Fresh.” The master then said, “Be the lake, not the glass.”

Sitting on the picnic blanket with my kids leaning against me, a gentle breeze keeping us cool, looking up at the vivid blue sky, it was easy to be the lake. Reminded me of Ella Fitzgerald singing, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” It must be why God made summer. Having these times to practice easy living and the expansive view makes it easier to remember being the lake for all the rest.