Tag: whidbey island

Photos of the Week: February 22

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , 77 Comments

“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions.” – Henri Nouwen

Our photos this week come from our mid-winter break time on Whidbey Island. Mr D is a young naturalist. Cooper, not so much, but he’ll happily run about in nature.

The AirBnB cabin we rent is cozy which is good because the weather wasn’t great.

So we did a lot of indoor activities like drawing and snuggling. My friend, Eric, took the kids bowling. I think we’ve all done that stand on one leg and lean move Mr D is demonstrating when we want the ball to curve. Right?

We also lit things on fire. But only things that were supposed to be on fire — as long as marshmallows count.

Whidbey Island has really neat place called the Earth Sanctuary. It combines being a sanctuary for birds with some great meditative spots for humans. We walked the labyrinth, observed the wildlife, and tried to cultivate a peaceful spirit.

In that peaceful spirit, here are some prayer wheels and the sign of the week.

Good For the Soul In All Senses

Posted in inspirationTagged , , , , 72 Comments

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” – Paulo Coehlo

I spent this past Valentine’s Day weekend up on Whidbey Island with my friend, Eric, my kids, and Cooper the dog. It’s taken me a while to figure out why repeatedly going back to this same place is so good for my soul – even on cold, cloudy weekends in winter.

It’s because it lights up the complete sensory experience.

Cooper the dog experiences everything through his mouth.

Nine-year-old Miss O runs barefoot through the sand singing and dancing.

Five-year-old Mr. D gets up close and touches everything.

My friend, Eric, handles everything with his sense of humor. That counts as a sense, right?

I visited this beach a few times before I had kids. It’s a lovely spot. But to come here with these young spirits changes the whole experience to a full immersion. Instead of just walking through and taking pictures of what I see, they remind me to embrace the experience with all my senses.

And to stay close to the people that make you feel alive.

(all photos are mine)

You can find me on Instagram @wynneleon and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/

I co-host a storytelling podcast featuring authors and artists with the amazing Vicki Atkinson. To tune in, search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Pocketcasts (and subscribe) or click here. Or the YouTube channel features videos of our interviews. Please subscribe!

My other projects include work as a CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), speaking about creativity and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association, and my book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.

Photos of the Week: August 17

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , 42 Comments

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar;
I love not man the less, but Nature more.” – Lord Byron

When we were on vacation, there was a seal that swam every night in the bay. Even though I knew roughly when he’d show up and where, the best I could do is a snap of his face and his splash. I salute the patience and talent of wildlife photographers.

It made me even more grateful for the herons and eagle that sat still long enough for me to photograph them. So very cooperative!

Cooper was happy to have us home. Unfortunately, he got a little piece of grass stuck way down in his ear and had to have it surgically removed this week.

Picking plums from our tree – the hard way and the easy way.

Rock climbing camp with a side of foos ball.

And the sign of the week paired with one more image from the bay.

Photos of the Week: August 10

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , , 62 Comments

“Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.” – Kristen Butler

This crow has been honing his ability to pick up bread crusts all week. He picks up one, two, three, four, then drops one. It seems he’s figured out that three is his limit and then he carries them away. The bunny has nothing to do with the process but he’s in the yard looking cute.

We are still on vacation. Nonetheless, there is a lot of productivity and creativity going on.

We’ve spent a little time paddleboarding every day this week. I’m not sure what’s going on in the third picture – but the water is pretty cold so perhaps Miss O is tell Mr. D to get out!

Beach time, pool time and son shine!

My kids have been finding me the most beautiful tiny shells on the beach. They get down low and bring back tiny treasures like miniscule shells, a sand dollar smaller than a dime, and scalloped shells smaller than my pinky fingernail. The shells are so tiny that it’s almost impossible to take a clear picture of them. The more that I ooh-and-aah, the more that they bring me. It’s so fun – just like the sign of the week.

Creatively Unwinding

Posted in writingTagged , , , , , , 63 Comments

“The discipline of creation, be it to paint, compose, write, is an effort towards wholeness.” – Madeleine L’Engle

It’s captivating to watch all the different types of creativity at the beach. Unless someone has found a way to monetize sand castles, I believe what I’m watching is some of the unique ways people use their leisure time.

There are all sorts of way to unwind, aren’t there? Here on this beach in the Pacific Northwest, building forts and sand castles top the list.

Almost nine-year-old Miss O likes to create some version of a crab café every time we come to this beach. It’s got scalloped dishes, seaweed garnish and salt and pepper (sand) shakers made from crab claws.

Others have made beautiful and intricate forts out of driftwood. Some of these structures are so sturdy that they last for months and years between our visits.

Someone else makes driftwood sculptures. And our neighbor on this trip has made a sort of hanging sculpture from the wood on the beach.

When my friend, Katie, was here, she challenged the kids to come up with their own Beach Olympics. Would their event be Shell Shotput or Beach Balance Beam?

As I jot all this down, it reminds me that writing is another activity to add to the list. Not only am I writing this down for a post, but I can also imagine all the poetry, prose, and photography inspired by time away at this place.

I’m struck by how intertwined creativity is in what we do, even when unwinding. Maybe as the quote for this post from Madeleine L’Engle suggests, it’s all part of working towards wholeness.

Photos of the Week: August 3

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , 54 Comments

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” – John Muir

We’re on vacation on Whidbey Island this week. In a few words, this is what we’ve been up to.

We started by washing the windows so we could see the view.

On the beach. We found the clams but don’t dig them up – just try to avoid the spray.

Hammocking and stick ball.

Playing in the water.

Whidbey wildlife.

The scene and the sign of the week

Photos of the Week: April 13

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , , , 47 Comments

“A friend is someone who helps you up when you’re down, and if they can’t, they lay down beside you and listen.” – Winnie the Pooh

We went to our favorite beach for a weekend and really dug it.

Our favorite pony, Charlie Brown, and Miss O both like to be fed.

The beach vacation was really intended to be a lot of fun for Cooper before we took him to the vet to be “tutored.” I’d like to think the cat was sympathetic about the cone…but she’s a cat.

But we’ve tried our best to sweeten the cone situation. Mostly by way of the Winnie the Pooh quote for this post.

My bad Latin joke of the week. My kids misunderstood veni, vidi, vici to be: we came, we sawed, we left the saw in the tree.

And the sign of the week? Right!

Photos of the Week: December 16

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , 37 Comments

“If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it.” – Toni Morrison

Cooper’s first vacation. I think he enjoyed it – and the rest of us did too even in windy and stormy conditions!

Cooper – wondering what to pack. And the cat showing that she might have even missed him just a little bit.

How is it that Mr. D can look pensive about chocolate chip cookies but enthused about worms? I’d question his taste…but maybe it’s just some sort of wormhole effect. (To the extent I know about wormholes, it’s just enough to know that there’s no relation to real science or astronomy in that statement.) 😉

The latest grocery store soda display and the sign of the week. Seems like with inflation, the charge should be higher.

Photos of the Week: July 29

Posted in Photo of the weekTagged , , 57 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: June 3

Posted in psychologyTagged , 58 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.