Northwest Frame of Mind

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Shades of Blue: Part 5 – Dusty Corners

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Lisa

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Walk, run, cycle – When you live inside your head for such long periods of time, you have to open the windows, air it out a bit, let sunlight stream into all the dark and dusty corners of your mind. Twinkle Khanna

I like to think of summer as a time for some personal “deep cleaning.”  There are vacations to look forward to, school routines are forgotten and we open the windows to fresh air both literally and figuratively.  I knew this year would be a little different but my plan was to spend at least one day each week outside enjoying the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  I could take plenty of photos along the way and re-emerge in September with months of new post material and a renewed outlook on life.

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. Today is September 1st and Ryan and I made it outside for 5 days of hiking, I have a library full of new pictures to share and as I write this my windows are wide open but I’m still searching for that sunlight moment that means the cobwebs have been brushed aside and the corners are clean.

We’ve had a busy three months as a family, John started a new job, Ryan rested and recovered after a stressful school year and some oral surgery, I’ve continued to work my two jobs as well as run our two online stores so our days are full from morning to night.  When you add in politics that I just can’t turn away from, weeks of forest fire smoke that put a damper on our hiking calendar and now the hurricane in the Gulf States and I have to admit finding my focus for creative work and blogging has been a challenge.

Through it all though I’ve continued to take pictures and hope soon I’ll be ready to start sharing them because there is plenty to love about 2017 and I’m determined to shine some light on the bright sides.

The photos in my first gallery above are from some lovely June nights while the gallery below is from the hike we took on my birthday.  Our first outing of the season and the beginning of my summer quest to get outside of my own head.

 

9 responses to “Shades of Blue: Part 5 – Dusty Corners”

  1. Carrie Rubin Avatar
    Carrie Rubin

    From what I’ve been reading online, 2017 has been a tough year creatively for many of us, so you’re not alone. Your pictures are lovely though. They offer a nice pick-me-up in these sour days. Here’s hoping the fall gets our creative juices flowing again and that 2018 makes up for any loss in productivity.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Lisa Avatar
      Lisa

      I agree, Carrie it looks like 2017 has been hard all around. I’m really set on moving back into a more creative path this fall, fingers crossed… Thanks for your nice comments regarding my photos today. I have so many that I want to share including a set from yesterday’s hike that was just amazing. Look for more to come soon!

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      1. Carrie Rubin Avatar
        Carrie Rubin

        Yay, I will!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Mabel Kwong Avatar
      Mabel Kwong

      I agree with you, Carrie. So far this year I haven’t been as creative in my writing as I want to be due to lack of time. We’re heading into Spring here in Australia, so maybe the incoming warmth will help…

      Lovely to see you get out and about, Lisa. These are some wonderful photos, and hope to see more soon. It does sound like you got a lot going on over the last few months and maybe for the rest of the year ahead. Don’t stress and take care. Happy Autumn and best wishes 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Lisa Avatar
        Lisa

        I hope your spring shapes up to be a creative one filled with new words and ideas, Mabel. 🙂 Thanks so much for liking my photos, there’ll be more soon. I promise!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. sustainabilitea Avatar
    sustainabilitea

    Thanks for focusing on some positive things, Lisa, and hopefully you can get back on track a bit with whatever you want to do this month. I had some plans for the summer that I never got around to doing (my own fault), but I had some splendid travels, so I can’t complain. I’m starting a new part time job next week, so training and learning all the ways at a new place. 😦 It’s supposed to keep my brain young, right? 🙂

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Lisa Avatar
      Lisa

      You did have some splendid travels, Janet. 🙂 I hope to start some creative projects this weekend so if all goes well I’ll be more visible again here and on IG. Good luck with your new job!

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    I love the quote at the beginning of your post, Lisa. And your photos are beautiful. I really love the one of the drink on the table. You captured such an interesting pattern of the table showing through the glass! I SO relate your statement that you can’t seem to “look away” from the conflict, confusion and chaos we find ourselves in right now. I definitely need to get out of my head! Maybe we can all encourage each other to step back a little and feed our creativity with more focus and intention. Shining light on the more positive aspects of 2017 is so needed. Thank you for the reminder! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Lisa Avatar
      Lisa

      Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments, Debra. I love the idea of encouraging each other to step back a little and feed our creativity and will make a point to do so more often now. 🙂 Tonight I’ll raise a glass and “cheers” you from the deck while in pursuit of positive thoughts and memories!

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