Maritime Reflections

Just a girl and her camera

{and her iPhone camera}

on a ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard.

When we got onto the ferry, the fog cover was thick,

but the sun quickly burned it away

and we were treated to a perfect-blue-sky kinda day!

My favorite sight during the short journey was the sailboats against the horizon.

I was particularly pleased to catch their reflection in the ferry windows!

Enjoy the weekend folks!

Joining James for

Weekend Reflections

Enchanted Forest

On Sunday I visited Martha's Vineyard for the first time.

No, I didn't spot the President.

And yes, I did walk along a gorgeous beach,

have breakfast at The Black Dog

and visit some lovely artisanal shops.

Mostly, I drank deeply of time and conversation with dear friends.

These friends are dear enough,

and know me well enough,

to understand that any visit to a new place only feels complete for me

if I have some quiet, solo wandering time with my camera.

So wander I did.
Through a thoroughly magical space!
Acres and acres of private 'woodland' that borders a pond that hugs a private beach.
I have NEVER seen anything quite like it.
The light danced through the branches,
kissed the mossy ground...

...and led me to savory blooms and tiny beings.

No fairies...but plenty of  beautiful little wings!

"Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim."

Lord Byron

Joining Tamar

Orange Sky

Well, I had a dream

I stood beneath an orange sky

Yes I had a dream

I stood beneath an orange sky

With my brother standing by

With my brother standing by

I said, "Brother, you know you know

it's a long road we've been walking on

Brother, you know it is you know it is

Such a long road we've been walking on."

{Alexi Murdoch, lyrics}

Sometimes,

when you've been feeling like crap,
a good thing happens in the middle of the pity party you've been throwing.

Your brother sends you cute photos of your little nephew.

Photos of his family

and some play time in the water.

And the sunshine smiles brighten your {otherwise} miserable day.

And the knowledge of how

completely

stinkin'

happy

your brother is brings tears to your eyes.

The good kind of tears.

And then...

you really start to miss him.

And feeeeeeeeeeeel all those many miles that separate you.

And you get all nostalgic

and start looking at scrapbooks.

Then,

because you're already nursing the worst cold in the history of mankind,
and this is, after all, a pity party,

you get all

"woe is me"

and

"where did the time go"

and

"why am I not on a beach...."

So,

you go to bed.

And dream.

And, as is often the case,

when my brother is on my heart,

he is also very close to me in my dreams.

At some point last night,

as I fitfully slept and coughed and slept some more,

we swam together.

And for that moment
there was no cold,
no melancholy,
no distance...
only peace
and laughter
and
the two of us.
Still together.
As close as ever as we navigate this
long road called life.





Joining Kathy for
Song-ography

Six Word Fridays ~ Green

Against a backdrop of summer green,

autumn is sending us hints of

all that she's about to bring.

Bushes are bursting with juicy berries

and stems bow gently as the

wildflowers begin to wither and fade.

Each leaf arrives to celebrate fall
in their own time ~ some on
the early side...while others make
us wait...as if they know
how to show up fashionably late.

Summer has given generously of her

sunshine, heat, gardens and grand adventure.

Now it's autumn's turn to share

her treasure...crisp air, colorful landscapes

and comforts of hearth and home.

Join me here and share your story,

Six Words at a time!

I'm also linking today with

LIttle Things Thursday

and

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Give Thanks

Wandering along the shores of a crystal clear mountain lake,

my camera and I discovered some magical, winged creatures.

Their wings remind me of stained glass.
And I could wander in search of their beauty for hours.

You see,

when I'm alone and find the mystical, winged beauties,

I take a deep breath.

I rest.

Still and present.

There is only that moment.

And there is gratitude.

For the moment.

For the place.

For cool, clear water.

And driftwood.

And sunshine.

For blue skies and tall pines.

For family, and summer time, and fresh air and dragonflies.

"To give thanks in solitude is enough.
Thanksgiving has wings
and goes where it must go.
Your prayer knows much more about it than you do."
Victor Hugo



Linking up with
Saturday Critters

Black Crowned Night Heron

In the big trees,

behind the town hall,

a large, extended family of herons have moved in.

They like the running water of the small dam under the bridge

in the center of town.

The townfolk

stand on the bridge,

chat,

sip their starbucks

and watch their new neighbors.

And the herons?

Well,

they hang out in the tree tops

and watch the townspeople watching them!

Joining Eileen for

Saturday Critters

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Prineville Reservoir is located in the high desert hills of central Oregon.

It's about 16 miles from the town center to the boat dock at the state park.

Apparently my husband and his friends used to ride their bikes out here when they were in middle school - a tale I'd never heard before...which is rare when you've been married thirty years and heard most childhood tales many times over! Especially the ones about cliff diving - he loves telling those!

Those summer days...

those hot days in the summer time...

around here

you grab a friend with a boat

and head to the reservoir!

You claim a beach and set up camp.

If you're grandpa, you find a shady spot under a juniper tree and bring a book.

There's sun bathing.

And more book reading.

And plenty of fun on the water!

To top it off, there was a great summer sunset.
Even when the days are a bit hazy because of the smokey skies,
the scenery never fails to amaze me!

Joining Kathy for the first Tuesday edition of

Song-ography

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Honey Bee

"You'll be my soft and sweet,

I'll be your strong and steady.

You'll be my glass of wine,

I'll be your shot of whiskey.

You'll be my sunny day,

I'll be your shade tree.

You'll be my honeysuckle,

I'll be your Honey Bee."

Blake Shelton

Please join me and share your black and white beauties!

I'm also linking with

Communal Global

Change...and Creativity

Earlier this year, the scrapbooking company that I've loved and worked with for years declared bankruptcy. Their albums, their tools and their core products made up the foundation of how I've created my precious scrapbooks for ten years! So, I took many deep breaths, stayed very calm and waited out all the proceedings they were going through with the court. They've emerged out from under their financial trial, and the entity that was Creative Memories is launching a new company called Ahni & Zoe. Their new mission is clear - they've simplified their product line, and are producing albums which will allow everyone to go from "click" to "print" to "finished album" with ease and speed. (In other words, they're giving us everything we need....from A to Z...to get some albums made.)

Now, at first glance, to me....this was not particularly good news. They've taken the scrapbook concept and pre-designed and pre-printed the pages. Literally all you have to do is adhere your photos and you have a completed 'scrapbook looking' photo album. My first reaction was..."Rats!" "They've taken the creativity out of the process!!" Having learned a long time ago NOT to trust my first reaction, I thought...ok...give this a try and see what happens.

Well...two things happened.

First of all, I realized that change often gives birth to creativity. I decided to take an album, with the pre-printed pages, and play with it. My first new idea - develop my favorite summer photos in black and white. I've never done an album of all black and white photos...so that would be new! And from there, I just took my time and let my creative juices flow. And I'm so pleased with the result! On some pages (like the one below) I simply added my photos to what was already on the page. Done. Other pages called for more - so I cropped a circle, or added a journal box...or punched shapes and added titles. I look at the album and I don't think - Oh, there are a million of these that are just the same. NO!! I think - Wow! This is really pretty!

The second, and perhaps the most important thing I remembered is.... Scrapbooking is all about the photos and about getting our story told. One of the things I loved about Creative Memories when I began scrapbooking was that fundamental message. While I can get lost in the world of ribbons, stamps, stickers, paper and punches as easily as the next person, I fight to keep my "style" all about the photos. What I do around the photos should enhance them....not completely distract from them! Because it's in the faces and places of our photos that OUR story gets told.

And there was something about this "simplified" version of scrapbooking that brought me back to that place. That reminded me to keep it simple, and tell the story.

So, I'm doing what I can to embrace this change! And while I am sure that my days of give-me-a-blank-page-and-a-room-full-of-paper-and-let-my-imagination-run-free are far from over, I'm thinking that having another option only adds to the fun!!

Joining Kim for

Little Things Thursday