Tag: Hipstamatic
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2020 – A year behind glass
Hey there 2020, I’ve spent so much time silently glaring and swearing at you it’s hard to believe we’re almost at the end. Like many of you I’ve read and followed each ugly news story knowing I need to stop the doom scrolling but it’s tough to turn away from…
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2019 The Year of Small Surprises and Second Chances: Weeks 14 & 15
The year of small surprises and second chances… To be honest I think this might be how I approach the rest of 2019. Embracing those sneaky, small surprises and allowing for second chances. The first set of images is a throwback to my 2016 photo project when I took one…
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2019 The Year of Black and White: Week 11
While the easy title for this week’s post was “Black and White” I could have also added something about it being the last full week of winter, or how my earliest memories of enjoying photographs were with books full of black and white images. All of these would have been…
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2019 The Year of This and That: Week 10
Have you ever had a week that felt busy in the moment but didn’t result in a list of accomplishments? My best case scenario for a week like this is that everyone made it through without any major problems and each busy day lead to something good later so by this…
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2019 The Year of Mountain Tops and Flowers: Week 9
It’s sunday afternoon and the sun is shining but the air is still too cold for comfort and I am really ready for winter to be over. I know the calendar says we’re a few days into March and warmer days are coming soon so I’m pinning new PNW hikes…
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2019 The Year of Looking Back to Avoid Seeing Today: Week 7
Looking back to avoid seeing today… not something I usually recommend but every once in a while it’s a coping technique I can get behind. We’ve been snowbound for weeks and while I’ve promised to post a photo a day I was tired of looking at icy pictures so after…
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2019 The Year of Crisp White Snow and Icy Blue Skies: Week 6
What a change from last week’s soft pinks and rosy afternoons! This week passed by in a frozen shade of blue all due to a sudden return of winter. We’ve had snow days, ice coated roadways and a first for this blog, icicles. Brrrr All the images above are from…
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2019 The Year of Comfort: Week 5
If you’ve read a few of these 2019 posts you’ve probably noticed each title begins with the same “2019 The Year of” then changes to a short descriptive phrase from the past week. In the past I’ve tried to keep yearly project titles more consistent but my objective with this…
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2019 The Year of Changing Views: Week 4
This week has been a bit of change for me since I spent all of it at home resting so my photo choices are a mixed gallery of memories, sights from a typical work week, followed by a slow Saturday walk along the waterfront. Changing views indeed. We started the…
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2019 The Year of Sunshine, Soft Colors and Decatur Island: Week 3
Sometimes a look back at soft, summer pastels is a nice way to pass through the dark days of January. Our warm winter continues but by this time of year the short days start to wear on me and I dream of long evenings outside until 10:00 pm enjoying the…
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2019 The Year of Lakeside Dreaming in January: Week 2
As I type this on Saturday afternoon the sun is shining, birds are chirping and if I close my eyes I can almost pretend I’m sitting in the lovely sun room at the Lake Crescent Lodge in the Olympic National Park. I’ve already written a few posts about our strange,…
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2019 The Year of a New Daily Photo Project: Week 1
Will 2019 be my year of living dangerously? No that’s not it… a year of self-control, or reckoning, discovery, relaxation? Sigh, I’m terrible with resolutions. Honestly whenever I try to think of a theme or title for the new year all I come up with are overused movie quotes and…
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Happy Halloween 2018
Many of you know Halloween is John’s favorite holiday and the planning, preparation and decorating for this year’s display started months ago. A close look might reveal some familiar elements from previous years but somehow he managed to out do himself and present a completely new environment for this spookiest…
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The Reds and Greens of Autumn
“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.”– Unknown “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables “Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a…
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The Last Few Days of Summer
There is a time in the last few days of summer when the ripeness of autumn fills the air. Rudolfo Anaya Even though the calendar says we’ve passed from summer to autumn the few weeks between September 21st and the middle of October always feel like an extended summer in…
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We Will Welcome Summer’s Ghost
We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost. Henry Rollins Sigh, “summer’s wreckage” is a pretty fair description of my yard and garden today. The peak heat of August has passed leaving a tangled mess of overgrown branches,…
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The Scent of a Lake in the Mountains
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains. Diane Ackerman My favorite childhood summer scents all conjure up memories of water. Fresh, salty and earthy they all say summer to me.…
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Summer is the Annual Permission Slip…
Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds. Regina Brett For the second summer in a row our traditionally beautiful August has…
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Tour Guide – Olympia, WA in Black and White
Labeling this post a “tour guide” might bit of a stretch as I’ve left out all the touristy bits about landmarks, photo-ops and directions but it fits the theme of the weekly photo challenge and it’s been years since I spent time in our State’s Capital so when we took…
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2018 – A New Year and a New Look
While I say I like to reach out and try new things, deep down I’m really a creature of habit. Many habits. If I find a breakfast or lunch I like I’ll eat it every day for a year or longer, I play the same albums over and over and…
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Merry Christmas
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas filled with love, light and happy memories. John, Ryan, Finn and I are enjoying the surprise snow and lighting candles. Presents are wrapped, dinner is cooking and Santa is on his way…🎅🏼 🎁
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Shades of Blue: Part 11 – Happy Halloween!
If you’ve been reading my Shades of Blue posts from the beginning you might notice I’ve skipped ahead a little from late summer but we’re hours away from Halloween and some pictures really need to be shared in the moment. John thinks/dreams/plans for Halloween year round and by mid-summer he…
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Shades of Blue: Part 7 – Crab Pots and Donuts
As an antidote to the wet, windy weather outside I’m remembering a sunny day in July and returning to my Shades of Blue series. Today’s post is picture heavy with only a few words so we can all enjoy the pretty blue skies, colorful flowers and peaceful waterfront views from…
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Shades of Blue: Part 6 Summer Skies and Garden Flowers
Football is on the television, fresh rain is clearing the last of the forest fire smoke and I’m reaching for a fleece vest while looking back through my pictures for another summer gallery. Today’s choices are all about summer skies, summer flowers, summer nights and summer salads. Plenty of flowers…
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Waiting…
“The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.” ― Stanley Coren Labor Day has come and gone, our summer weather is turning to fall and after a long stretch of quiet days Ryan is back to school…
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Shades of Blue: Part 5 – Dusty Corners
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…
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Shades of Blue: Part 4
I’ve got a photo filled post for you this week as we continue my June walks through town and along the beach. You get to see my mother’s day flowers blooming by our backdoor, views from the marina, an accidental shot of beach sand when I was trying to put…
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Shades of Blue: Part 3
I’d better pick up the pace with these spring themed posts or I’ll still be working through May photos after the 4th of July. 🙂 Today you get to see Ryan and I out in the neighborhood looking signs of spring, roaming the beach skipping rocks and finding interesting driftwood/seaweed…
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Shades of Blue: Part 2
Continuing my thoughts from last weeks post about Hipstamatic and Shades of Blue I have a new series of small photos from my walks around town. This was a surprising spring morning filled with fog that could have passed for fall if you looked past the brave new blooms. The…
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Shades of Blue: Part 1
If you’ve been with me for a while you might know I take all my photos with my iPhone and if you are a details person you’ve noticed I typically tag each photo or post with the editing app used in case a reader wants to try something new with their own…
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Reading, Good Company and Reflection
Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him. John Locke We live in a house full of books. Stacks and shelves of printed pages line our walls, our phones and Kindles have digital titles for break time and the cars usually have an audio…
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Wanderlust
You don’t even know where I’m going. I don’t care. I’d like to go anywhere. John Steinbeck While the word wanderlust brings to mind images of grand vacations and months long backpacking adventures I have the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to thank for a definition that makes sense to those of us who…
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Earth Day 2017
If we do not permit the Earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food, either. — Joseph Wood Krutch I hope everyone took a moment today to appreciate, acknowledge and protect the earth around us. Happy Earth Day all.
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Blossoms and Time
The creative process is not like a situation where you get struck by a single lightning bolt. You have ongoing discoveries, and there’s ongoing creative revelations. Yes, it’s really helpful to be marching toward a specific destination, but, along the way, you must allow yourself room for your ideas to…
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My Year In Pictures: January Week 3
The third week of January was a big one for us here as our country transitioned from President Barack Obama to Donald Trump. While it’s clear that Trump lost the popular vote and the majority of the country remains firmly against his platform we are all waiting and watching, hoping for the best while planning…
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My Year In Pictures: January Week 1
Hello 2017! In Kennedy family tradition our year began on the beach and as you can see we’ve been trapped in a cold but beautiful weather pattern all week. I’m a native Pacific Northwesterner so I don’t let a little cold (or wet) weather keep me from enjoying the great…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 5
The week between Christmas and New Year’s is typically quiet here with kids out of school, parents on vacation and all of us eating too many cookies while binge watching tv shows we missed during the fall. I did continue to work through the week but in an effort to simplify things…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 4
The days leading up to any big holiday are always a busy blur and you’d think by now I’d have found a manageable way to balance the demands of work and family and fun but I guess that dream will always be bit of a work-in-progress. I do try to slow down…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 3
We’re deep into the holiday season now and depending on your point of view I expect you’re having a wonderfully festive time, scrambling to keep up with expectations, tired of shopping or you’re one of those people who finished everything before Thanksgiving. Guess where I fall. 🙂 This weeks set of…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 2
A week filled with Christmas preparations and winter weather make for a merry and bright set of images today. In typical Pacific Northwest fashion we’ve had our first SNOW freak-out, lit up the short and gray days with plenty of bright lights, enjoyed peppermint mochas and spent a little time…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 1
Now that we’re into December I can officially start the end-of-project countdown! After two years of taking and posting daily photos it’s time to try something new and even though I’ve learned a lot about social media accounts and refined my view of the quiet little moments that bring beauty…
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My Year In Pictures: November Week 4
Well November is almost over and the holiday season is in full swing but for me the biggest sign that December is coming are our rapidly shrinking daylight hours. I try to ignore early Christmas music and decorations but there’s no hiding from the fact that there are only about 8.5 hours between…
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My Year In Pictures: November Week 3
Sometimes my weekly photo subjects are selected in advance so each blog post shares only a small peek into our days and sometimes the collection of images tell a story all on their own. This week I think the story of old vs new came through pretty clear as we spent the majority…
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My Year In Pictures: November Weeks 1 & 2
It’s felt like a true roller-coaster ride carried us through the first two weeks of November with days of fun, family, flowers, sadness and wine. We had a great visit with my Aunt, enjoyed John’s over-the-top Halloween decorations, listed new items in our Etsy shop, drank some wine as the election results started…
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My Year In Pictures: October Week 4
Sometimes these weekly recaps have a theme and sometimes they are really just random snapshots of what it’s like to run through our week. There are times when I like to tell a longer story and have plenty of photos to stretch the event over a few days and then we run…
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My Year In Pictures: October Week 3
I know I felt scattered and pushed for time last week so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that the resulting set of images is a random grab bag of topics but I’m still a little impressed I managed to include dark shadows, Halloween decorations, ugly Christmas sweaters, a Lego…
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My Year In Pictures: October Week 1
October is here, the weather is changing and my thoughts are turning to late garden color, cozy accessories, movies and spooky lights. My week in a nutshell! After ignoring our yard for much of the summer I had fun at some end-of-season plant sales and shipped my first warm scarf of the…
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My Year In Pictures: August Weeks 3 & 4
It’s Labor Day Weekend here marking the end of summer and the window above my desk is filled with fog, rain and maple leaves that are starting to turn. Here on the blog however we’re still in the middle of sunshine and summer days as I haven’t posted an update since August…
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My Year In Pictures: August Week 2
My photos this week are a fun blend of hot colors mixed with cool mountain air and ocean breezes. It’s finally started to feel like summer again even though there’s a heat advisory in place we’re spending as much time as possible outdoors, enjoying every minute. Sunday afternoon we tried to…
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My Year In Pictures: August Week 1
At first glance this week’s photos look like a typical set of my daily random images and on the surface that’s true but with a little more background they really tell the story of what’s been occupying our time and how we’re trying to capture some feel-good summer moments in the middle of our busy days. When…
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My Year In Pictures: July Week 1
In the middle of a super busy week my thoughts turned to holidays and games as an escape from our over scheduled days. Looking at the gallery above you can rightly guess this has been a challenging stretch! Not only are there 3 holiday related images and 2 game photos there is a moment…
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My Year In Photos: June Week 2
I see a lot of blues, grays along with some warm patches of gold in my latest set of photos which is just about right when it comes to June in the Pacific Northwest. Blue skies and flowers mixed with heavy gray clouds and warmed by the sun during our longest…
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My Year In Photos – May Week 5 & June Week 1
After nearly 1.5 years of taking and posting daily photos along with a 2 year tradition of regular weekly wrap-up posts here on the blog I’m finally throwing my hands up and admitting this time around I’ve totally blown my self-induced deadlines. I hope you like this super-sized post covering two weeks…
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My Year In Pictures: May Week 2
We’ve turned the corner into the middle of May and as spring fades to summer our family focus has been on growth and new beginnings. A quick scroll through this set of seven images really highlights what’s captured my attention: pretty, soft colors, natural science and good health. We’ve enjoyed fresh…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up January With Hipstamatic (week 4)
Today I’m going to jump right into my last “shake it up” recap so we can get to my final thoughts about this project and start talking about where I’m going for the next phase of my photo-a-day challenge. Sunday was a little too cold and wet for my comfort but perfect…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up January with Hipstamatic (week 3)
After a difficult stretch mid month we were ready for a quieter week here and I think all of us had their fingers crossed hoping for a few days to catch our breath. Looking back I see we did indeed find a little peace mixed in with a few signs of spring…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up January With Hipstamatic (week 2)
I know I started this random photo a day project as a way to acknowledge the good in every day but there are some weeks when I just want them to hurry up and be gone. This week was definitely one of those and while nothing terrible happened sometimes a series of complications…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up January With Hipstamatic (week 1)
We’ve reached the final month of my first year-long photo of the day project and even though I still have 4 weeks of images to share I can tell I’m going to miss at least a few parts of the process when we’re finished. In truth this has been a love/hate…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 5)
It’s fitting that on the day I decided to check off the last remaining items from three old “to-do” lists I’m ending it by writing a post that bridges the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. It’s a day to clean house, both literally and figuratively and according to WordPress my three-year blogging anniversary.…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 4 – the Christmas edition)
In the few hours left before our New Year’s Eve countdown I’m here online to recap a 7 day stretch that was filled with Christmas. We spent last full week of the month surrounded by festive displays, holiday decorations, good food, and family. Next week will bring a fresh start and end of the…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Challenger’s Choice (Shades of Finn)
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve joined Sally’s weekly photography challenge but I’m ready to end the year on a high note and jump right back in with two images for this week’s theme of challenger’s choice (animals). When I opened our Etsy store in November I knew it would mean…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 3)
Now that our shopping is finished, the house is almost clean and I have a few minutes of quiet before cooking Christmas Eve dinner this set of photos from mid-month is a reminder of what it took to get us here. All in all we had a good week and…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 2)
I’m pretty sure I read hundreds of “how to” articles before starting this blog in January of 2013 but only one piece of advice really stuck in my head, “never apologize.” At first I thought this was just a throwaway line from the kind of person who thinks manners don’t matter on…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 1)
Hello everyone! I didn’t plan to be away for so long and don’t think I’ve ever gone 10 days without a post but sometimes life just gets in the way… One thing I didn’t let go though was my daily photo habit and even though this set of 7 images…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up November With Hipstamatic (week 4)
I’m still shaking my head at the fact that as I write this there are only a few hours left in the month of November. Our wintry weather, family activities, busy work days and holiday decorations are all telling me the end of the year is almost here but I swear it we…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up November With Hipstamatic (week 3)
“Wow what a week” is all I can say as I after seeing this set of 7 photos together in a gallery waiting for my post. It’s been another non-stop whirlwind of activity broken up by a major wind storm, a night without power and some chilly days. Brr…winter is coming.…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up November With Hipstamatic (week 2)
If I had to pick one word summarizing the past week I think I’d choose “stormy.” Our surprising Pacific Northwest drought is coming to an end as a series of “Pineapple Express” weather systems have delivered more rain in the past 10 days than we usually see in the whole month of November with plenty more…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up November With Hipstamatic ( week 1)
As I sit in front of my computer tonight, three days after the day I wanted to finish this post I’m reminded one more time why this random image, daily photo project is important. It’s so easy to get lost in our busy days. I rush from work to evening events, the laundry room…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up October With Hipstamatic (week 5)
As promised I have a few more spooky images from John’s latest creations in my newest recap. The past week was filled with Halloween preparations and you can see he really had fun designing and displaying new vignettes. I mixed in a few “daily life” photos to keep my theme…
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Happy Halloween 2015!
To all my Halloween celebrating friends I hope you have a happy, spooky and safe Saturday night! We’ve got plans for a relaxing evening filled with good food, scary movies and lots of candy to share. You’ll see several more holiday themed pictures in my next “Shake It Up” post but…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up October With Hipstamatic (week 4)
We’re reaching the end of October and in a house where Halloween is everything even our simple, daily views are magically transformed into something spooky. This week I’ve included a few glimpses of our newest decorations and some surprising examples of ordinary moments seen in a new light. Sunday is a shot of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up October With Hipstamatic (week 3)
October is finally settling into a true fall like feel here in the Pacific Northwest. Apples are dropping, leaves are turning and scarecrows are popping up all over town. Our Indian summer continued through mid-week with one last stretch of 70 degree days but by Saturday afternoon rain returned and the…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro (Portrait of Jan de Leeuw)
October is John’s favorite month of the year because it means he can start installing his latest Halloween creations. I’ll be sharing little peeks of spooky cheer throughout the next two weeks beginning with this portrait of Jan de Leeuw. The original painting by Jan Van Eyck was painted in…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up October With Hipstamatic (week 1)
The first full week of October blew through the Pacific Northwest in true fall fashion. We enjoyed a stretch of sunny days filled with blue skies and fall colors, our summer-brown lawns and dry plants started to green up again and the sun rise is now late enough that I can enjoy…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Nature (Baby Birds and Gun Batteries)
I’m slowly working my way through hundreds of photos from our 2015 Staycation and in typical fashion 90% of them are of trees, beaches and the natural vistas that make the Pacific Northwest such a beautiful place to live. I’ve got so many potential images for this weeks “nature” challenge it’s difficult to choose just one…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up September With Hipstamatic (week 5)
If our fourth week of September was all about crisis management the fifth was about going with the flow. I guess the best we can hope for is that everyone ends the week healthy and happy and this time I’m relieved to report we did just that. Finn is on the…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Travel (Chetzemoka)
Cheech-Ma-Ham (Chetzemoka) Cheech-Ma-Ham was 40 years old and chief of the S’Klallam tribe when the first white settlers arrived in Port Townsend, WA. These settlers decided his name was too difficult to pronounce so in 1848 they changed it to Chetzemoka and gave him the royal nick name Duke of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up September With Hipstamatic (week 4)
As you can see from the big red, white and blue emergency sign this week did not follow my carefully constructed plan for a normal stretch of days. The early shots capture some pretty sights and colors that caught my eye but a phone call Friday afternoon changed everything. Regular readers have watched…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up September With Hipstamatic (week 3)
September has been a busy month for us filled with growth, change and some pretty big adjustments. The first week of the month was all about wrapping up summer and preparing for a new school while the second week was filled with last minute preparations for high school, first day nerves,…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up September With Hipstamatic (week 2)
I’ve erased dozens of opening sentences tonight trying to sum up my experiences from this past week and finally decided to just start with a few thoughts about the process. It’s hard to find your balance when every day is extreme in its peaks and valleys but in the end,…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Nature (Freedom on the Beach)
Kids + Beach = Freedom to Run Put two kids on the beach together and they naturally fall in step, running toward the open water, sunshine and surf. Ryan and his cousin Sophia were my inspiration for this week’s “nature” challenge at Lens and Pen by Sally.
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up September With Hipstamatic (week 1)
The last two days of August and the beginning of September passed through the Pacific Northwest with a season changing storm that’s rare for this time of year. Usually our summer continues for another six weeks and we count on a September filled with pretty fall color, cool nights and sun warmed afternoons but…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up August With Hipstamatic (week 4)
It’s been a crazy week here in the Pacific Northwest and my choices of trees for the first and last images in this series is no accident. We’ve faced blazing hot weather, unhealthy levels of smoke in the air, end of summer berries and a record setting windstorm. I’m writing this…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Challenger’s Choice From Under the Sea
We’re almost through the fourth week of August and it’s time for a round of Challenger’s Choice over at Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge. I’m a little late to the party but the weeks not over so I still have time to share a few underwater views from our Staycation 2015 visit to…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up August With Hipstamatic (week 3)
This past week was a quiet one, maybe the last we’ll have for a while since my calendar is full of end of summer appointments and back to school activities. Ryan spent the week with my parents enjoying a bit of grandparent spoiling and cousin fun time while John and I…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Black and White (On the way to Wallace Falls)
One of the first things you see on the trail up to Wallace Falls is a set of enormous power lines and their two towers. Instead of complaining how ugly they were I decided to treat them like the old growth trees we planned to see at the top of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up August With Hipstamatic (week 2)
This set of seven photos reminds me one more time that interesting things really can be found in the middle of a regular day. I started this random photo-of-the-day project during a dreary February week and here I am, six months later, still looking forward to going outside and finding something new every morning.…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up August With Hipstamatic (week 1)
Well, it’s Monday morning and our staycation week is over but sorting through my new photos to find one image from each day has been a fun trip back through our latest adventures. Our goal was to visit at least one mountain, island, river, beach and city while trying new things…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up July With Hipstamatic (week 5)
Another beautiful week has come and gone here in the Pacific Northwest and I’m happy to say we spent every minute possible enjoying outdoor living and a bit of travel. Sunday afternoon Ryan and I hiked to the lovely waterfall from yesterday’s post along with my aunt, sister and her…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Close Up In The Garden
This week, discover the hidden details that can only be seen up close. Brie Anne Demkiw – The Daily Post During our walk to the grape vines from my previous post we passed a colony of bees harvesting pollen from this lovely border of sedum… Posted as part of the Weekly…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up July With Hipstamatic (week 4)
This week’s set of seven photos perfectly illustrate why I love summers in the Pacific Northwest. The temperatures are generally mild, flowers are in full bloom, gardens are at their peak and the beaches are wide open. I’m a day later than usual with this recap because Ryan and I just got home from long weekend…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up July With Hipstamatic (week 3)
Another pretty week in the Pacific Northwest has come and gone but thanks to my random photo a day project I have some nice souvenirs to remember the season. Sunday afternoon was the perfect time to sit outside for lunch and believe it or not I didn’t plan to match my food…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro (Boom!)
It’s been a hot dry summer here in the Pacific Northwest and for safety’s sake many towns around the region banned fireworks over the 4th of July weekend but these little boxes of TNT Poppits were apparently ok for the general public to throw at the ground for maximum noise…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up July With Hipstamatic (week 2)
I think I’ve mentioned before that some weeks I’m surprised by a theme weaving through the photos when I sit down to write my recap. There are plenty of weeks that feature random yet interesting moments but every once in a while I see a trend in my choice of subjects that wasn’t apparent…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking up July With Hipstamatic (week 1)
I have a quick little recap today since we just got home from a weekend away with family celebrating the 4th of July. Ryan is spending the next 5 days with his Grandparents and John and I are on our way to pick up some take out for dinner so we can…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up June With Hipstamatic (week 4)
The fourth week of June was a fun one that began and ended with family time and was filled with what’s turning out to be a stretch of warmer than usual summer days. Since we don’t have air conditioning we’re doing what we can to keep cool and I’m using the high…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Muse And The Spirit of Our Inner Child
“The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.” Stephen Nachmanovitch When I saw “muse” was the theme of the latest Weekly Photo Challenge I knew the days ahead were going to be full of beautiful photos and posts as bloggers around the world let us peek behind their creative curtains while…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Cold Brew Coffee On A Hot Summer Day
Picking a subject for Sally’s Challenger’s Choice week is always fun because with 11 categories to choose from pretty much everything I like to photograph fits the bill. To keep things interesting I try to move through Sally’s list without repeating myself and this month I settled on food photography. I know this is…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up June With Hipstamatic (week 3)
Hello everyone! I’m back from a whirlwind week of end of the school year activities, annual appointments, a work trip to New York City and preparations for Father’s Day so the dads in my life can take some time off to relax and be reminded of how special they are…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up June With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Sometimes these weekly recaps highlight random, un-linked moments from my days and sometimes an unexpected theme emerges. Flowers, flowers and more flowers filled the second week of June. We filled our empty deck planters Sunday afternoon and before they were finished I snapped a photo of a few of the bright colors…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Vivid Peonies
Can I have one of each? I couldn’t walk past this flower stand without picking out a few for myself! Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Vivid.
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up June With Hipstamatic (week 1)
I don’t know why the month of May always ends with everyone in our house sick but once again we’ve spent the last 7 days suffering through a cold that simply will. not. end. Sick or not life must go on and our week was full of some nice weather, end…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Nature and Organic Produce
I know summer’s right around the corner when I can count on a quick trip through our local garden market to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. This morning we filled our bags with apples, strawberries, rhubarb and big bouquet of peonies picked fresh a few hours earlier. The house is…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 5)
It’s hard to believe June starts tomorrow but the photos above are proof that our unseasonably warm spring is leading right into an early summer. Next week will bring some rain back into the Seattle area but until then we’re enjoying these sunny last days of May. Hipstamatic’s random processing of Sunday’s…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Street Photography (A Quiet Memorial Day)
Most of our downtown businesses were closed Monday in honor of Memorial Day leaving anyone looking for afternoon entertainment with the choice of coffee at Starbucks, some tasty Gelato or the matinee showing of Tomorrowland in a 91-year-old theater. We went to the movies. 🙂 Posted as part of…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Broken
The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks. Tennessee Williams While today’s photo doesn’t include violets or mountains it still reminds me of Tennessee Williams’ quote from Camino Real. Symbolic opposites are incorporated throughout this play illustrating a world full of harsh contrasts and in the end we learn the only thing that conquers the broken is…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 4)
One of my favorite parts of this daily project/weekly recap series is an “aha” moment when I realize there was a trend to my week that I hadn’t noticed in the middle of the rush to finish each day. A little distance is a great tool for gaining perspective and I’m really starting to…
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Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Black and White Succulent
I’m always looking for something new to share as part of Sally’s weekly mobile photography challenge and while some weeks find me stretching for ideas other days an interesting composition is literally in front of my face. This little succulent was part of a pretty display of air plants hanging in the middle…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 3)
It’s been a quiet week here filled with normal life and unpredictable spring weather – just the way I like it. Sunday was Mother’s Day and the boys treated me to flowers, a relaxing afternoon and dinner at home. Ryan and I stopped at Starbucks for Frappuccino’s before walking to the beach while…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped in the Marvelous
The life of our city is rich in poetic and marvelous subjects. We are enveloped and steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvelous; but we do not notice it. Charles Baudelaire Our everyday lives are filled with marvelous moments just waiting to be acknowledged and the richest of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Today’s recap is a quick one while I wait for Ryan to finish his math so we can start our Mother’s Day walk to the beach. It was another beautiful spring week here in the Pacific Northwest filled with plenty sun and very little rain. We are all a little concerned about a dry…
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iPhoneography Tuesday: Nature’s Cycle in the Tulip Fields
The showy blooms have faded and it’s back to work for these hardy rows of tulips. The Roozengaarde family has farmed tulips in Holland and the US since the early 1700’s and their 1,000 acre farm in the Skagit Valley is filled with tulip, daffodil and iris fields earning them the title of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 1)
Sometimes I wonder if seemingly random choices are really influenced by real-time events in our lives. These seven randomly processed images from the past week surprised me today with their faded colors and soft focus and also by the fact that they are a visual interpretation of how I’ve felt here at home. I…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April With Hipstamatic (week 4)
This past week was a good example of how nice it is to have a few things to look forward too spread out over the course of seven days. We had just enough time to keep our regular life running smoothly while enjoying a birthday celebration, crazy spring weather and meeting…
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iPhoneography Thursday: Black and White Tiki and Happy Birthday Wishes
Each spring two Robin families make themselves at home below our decks and build these lovely nests raise their babies. Last fall John moved the old ones up to the back porch and they’ve weathered the winter protected from the worst of our wind and rain. This nest has a new resident reminding us…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April with Hipstamatic (week 3)
Another busy week has come and gone but over all it’s been a good one here in our little corner of the Pacific Northwest. While my days fly by in a blur of work, family, driving and if I’m lucky a little bit of blogging I’ve been trying very hard to recognize those quiet moments…
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iPhoneography Challenge: Macro (Spring Trillium)
When we lost the large trees in our front yard I thought my favorite patch of shade loving trillium was finished but we carefully transplanted a few hardy specimens to the back side of our house and this little seedling is growing strong tucked away under a leafy rhododendron. Posted as…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Even though I was away from blogging last week I continued my attempt to take one random photo every day and am here for a quick Sunday night post recapping the past seven days. Ryan enjoyed a relaxing spring break while I had a great time exploring new ways to structure my time and really…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April With Hipstamatic (week 1)
This past week was a fun one filled with lots of work, the end of the school quarter, crazy spring weather and Easter preparations but thanks to this “shake it to randomize” series I made sure to stop at least once every day and look for something pretty that would have…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Blur (Morning in Westlake Park)
Ah, lives of men! When prosperous they glitter – Like a fair picture; when misfortune comes – A wet sponge at one blow has blurred the painting. Aeschylus I spent some time searching quotes this morning looking for a starting point to accompany the word “blur” and of the many pages of quotations…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 4)
I think any week that starts with a big party is bound to go well and this past one was no exception. Our Sunday began in Bellingham with a beautiful lunch in honor of my mom’s birthday and ended with the discovery of these pretty, pink camellia blooms. I’ve been…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh (Pike Place Market)
I’m pretty sure this “fresh” sign is meant to advertise freshly caught fish at Seattle’s Pike Place Market but each time I walk up this ramp I read the two signs together and think “fresh restrooms” below… Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh.
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iPhoneography Monday: Travel (Underground in Seattle)
The fourth week of every month is Challenger’s Choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge so for March I’ve chosen this shot of the upper walk way through Seattle’s Bus Tunnel and Westlake Station. I visited the tunnel a few weeks ago looking for…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 3)
Just when we thought this strange, sun filled winter would last forever spring arrived and brought some much needed rain to the Pacific Northwest. This week was exactly how March should feel in Washington with lots of fresh green growth, wet petals on the ground and flashes of bright sunlight. Sunday…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking Up March with Hipstamatic (week 2)
At least once a day I shake my head and wonder where the time went. I know rushing through weeks, feeling let down because I couldn’t finish an unrealistic “to do” list is a bad habit but one of the benefits of this weekly series is visual proof that I did find time…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 1)
These past seven days are exactly why I need a project like this shake-it-up series. Every day was filled with things to do and tasks to accomplish but working through each item that needed my attention meant I had very little time for creativity. Usually I end a stretch like this feeling…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up February With Hipstamatic (week 4)
It’s hard to believe February is over but seeing as this is March 1st it must be true! The last week of the month flew by in a blur of work and events but the simple task of looking for one new thing to photograph and share has really helped me…
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iPhoneography Monday: Animals (Fun with Finn)
Well, at least one of us was having fun… This was my first day experimenting with Hipstamatic’s shake-it-to-randomize feature and Finn was being a good sport but really all he wanted to do was sleep. Both images were taken with my iPhone 6 in Hipstamatic using Bettie XL and Big…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up February With Hipstamatic (week 3)
While most of the country is trapped in a sub-zero weather pattern our strangely warm Pacific Northwest winter brought bright blue skies and temperatures in the 50’s. No one knows quite what to do here but we’re trying to spend as much time outside as possible knowing the rain and chilly air will be…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: The Rule of Thirds at North Creek Park
Ryan and I spent a fun fall afternoon exploring North Creek Park’s peat bog and floating boardwalk but when it came to photos I couldn’t decide which element I liked more, the wild grasses, the blue sky or the curvy path leading us across and around the water. I finally…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking up February With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Even though it’s hard to believe February is half over I have a new group of 7 random images to share marking the passage of each day in this little month. My “shake to randomize” Hipstamatic project is turning out to be more fun than I expected and not only…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Symmetry in Seasons
There is in all things a pattern that is part of our universe. It has symmetry, elegance, and grace – these qualities you find always in that the true artist captures. You can find it in the turning of the seasons, the way sand trails along a ridge, in the…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking up February With Hipstamatic
February is a strange little month. The big family holidays are over, our days are short and wet, someone is usually sick and I’m running on empty when it comes to creative thoughts. I shouldn’t be surprised as the same things happen every year but once again we hit the end…
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iPhoneography Monday: Street Quotes
I don’t know how many times I’ve walked past this wall of bronze tiles outside the Westlake Park Starbucks in too big of a hurry to notice what was happening around me but last month I finally slowed down enough to see several of them are actually inscribed with interesting quotes.…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Serenity
I’m a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar. Serenity – Hoban “Wash” Washburne For this week’s photo challenge Cheri asks us to share our interpretations of serenity. I’m sure the prompt was meant as an encouragement to explore calm, peaceful feelings and I’m happy to do that with a photo but…
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iPhoneography Monday: A Light in the Dark
Finding a well-lit macro subject inside my house on a dark January afternoon is a challenge but yesterday I spent some time studying an old ship’s lantern on our mantel. The brass and glass light above is one of a set of three from my father-in-law who spent his working years sailing the world,…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Shadow
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. Buddha A place to clear my mind and fill shadows with joy…
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iPhoneography Monday: Nature (Pike Place Market Flowers in December)
The long arcade full of beautiful bouquets and local flower vendors is one of my favorite parts of Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA but our wet winter days mean these farmers need to be creative if they want to fill their shelves year round. Once the fall flower season…
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Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015!
I’m back for a brief visit during my internet vacation to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve! Regular posting resumes in a few days but I want to close the year with this fun collage of 1st day photos along with some exciting news about my participation in a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow
The middle of the road is for yellow lines and dead armadillos. Jim Hightower I’m glad John and Ryan chose the side of the road for their summer walk. Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow.
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Gone, But Not Forgotten
The remote beaches and rugged coastlines of the San Juan Islands are frequently mentioned as one of the top vacation destinations in the world but travel magazines rarely mention their history as a haven for turn of the century smugglers and rum runners. Famous privateers made and lost fortunes smuggling drugs, immigrants and…
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Macro (Summer Hydrangeas)
December in the Pacific Northwest means plenty of wet days and early sunsets. Today’s 8:33 hours of daylight passed far too quickly but these bright blue Hydrangea flowers remind me that summer is just a few months away. 🙂 Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Macro.
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Nature (Fall in my Backyard)
It’s hard to believe December is already here but it’s the first Monday of another month and time for Sally’s creative Phoneography challenge: Nature. I’m happy to be back from a busy few days filled with Thanksgiving visits, half-finished home projects and the general stuff that piles up when I try to do too…
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Portraiture (Ryan in the Hoh Rainforest)
While this isn’t a traditional forward-facing portrait I think it captures Ryan’s sense of adventure and his belief that nature is full of magic. If he has his hat, camera and a stick he’s prepared for anything and from my second-in-line trail place I’m ready to document our travels. This moment is…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Angular
“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” Dali Lama Libraries have always seemed like magical places to me and the freedom to walk aisles full of stories and information is a luxury I never take for granted. Through my childhood, school years and now as an…
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Black and White (Heritage Park)
I’ve shared a few mushroom photos from my recent visit to Lynnwood’s Heritage Park but the real purpose of this park is to provide a safe space for the restoration and preservation of some South Snohomish County’s historic buildings tagged for demolition. This 1917 Superintendent’s Cottage and Water Tower was part of the…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement
We have a small patch of wild strawberries growing in the backyard that are pretty to look at but the birds and squirrels always beat us to eating the fruit. Since I haven’t been able to taste one I don’t know if the berries are tart of sweet but this year the…
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Macro (Canna Leaves)
Some of you might recognize this canna from a mid-summer black and white photo challenge but I couldn’t resist going back for a new angle to take part in Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly phoneography challenge: Macro.
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Minimalist
A few days ago I visited Lynnwood’s Heritage Park hoping to tour a vintage trolley car from the Seattle – Everett Interurban Railway and learn a little about the town’s pre-Depression era poultry boom as the second largest egg producing area in the country. This three acre city park is actually…
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iPhoneography Monday: 11-3-14
Usually fall in the Pacific Northwest means cool nights, warm afternoons and plenty of fall color flashing against bright blue skies. I hoped our beautiful summer would lead to another perfect season but this year has been anything but typical and now one of the wettest October’s on record…
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Another visit to the 2014 Edmonds Scarecrow Festival
Yesterday’s beautiful fall weather was all the encouragement I needed for another walk through town to photograph a few more scarecrows decorating local businesses. Earlier this week I shared Jack Skellington relaxing by a bank and Salvador Dali looking for inspiration outside an art supply store. While I have one more art related scarecrow…
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iPhoneography Monday: 10-27-14
October in Edmonds means it’s time for the Edmonds Historical Museum’s annual Scarecrow Festival. Participants have two weeks to decorate and register their creative displays followed by two weeks of public voting before the winners are announced November 1st. The streets around town are full of some really imaginative scarecrows drawn from popular fiction, business themes,…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 24 Hour Review
When I wrote my first post in the 1 Day 1 World Project series I hoped I wasn’t promising something I wouldn’t be able to deliver. Could I really write 24 posts documenting 24 real-life hours and still publish content that was interesting or worse, would it be like hosting the dreaded…
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iPhoneography Monday: 10-13-14
A few weeks ago our local beach was covered by a combination of slippery seaweed and clear jellyfish. Every step we took carried the potential for an unpleasant fall but I’m happy to report we returned unharmed and I have this photo to share as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the last hourly post in my six month project documenting one hour each week for 24 straight weeks! Back in May I thought we would have fun watching the time pass through different seasons and countries but I never dreamed this series would inspire so many…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy
I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say. A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you. Roy Orbison – In Dreams Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy.
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iPhoneography Monday: 10-6-14
This relaxed seagull walked over to visit while a some adventuresome kite surfers flew across the waves. Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Nature.
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1 Day 1 World Project: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
One year ago this little corner space beside our driveway was buried under pieces of old asphalt, granite boulders, tree trunks and some pretty big excavation equipment. Bringing some life back to the bed has been an ongoing project and we’ve slowly filled in the soil with new plants that…
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iPhoneography Monday: 9-29-14
Two Lucky Duck cousins ready to play for prizes at the county fair. Photo taken with iPhone 5 and edited in Oggl using the Lowy Lens and DC Film combination. Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Editing and Processing.
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1 Day 1 World Project 9:00 am – 10:00 am
It’s hard to believe 22 weeks have passed since the start of this project but one look at our well used BBQ tells me loud and clear that summer is over. Maybe if we wait a little longer the fall rain will clean it for us… If you have a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime
“How did it get so late so soon?” Dr. Seuss Long summer days are one of my favorite things about living in the Pacific Northwest but nighttime still comes far too fast. Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime.
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iPhoneography Monday 9-22-14
Another full weekend and another happy party. I feel like September has passed in a blur of entertaining and schedules but at least the weather has been beautiful, the company has been great and we’ve enjoyed plenty of good food and drink on the deck. I sat down outside Saturday…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Last month I wrote a popular post about how we’ve made an effort to simplify our food choices and buy most of our fresh food from local farmers and suppliers. One of my favorite changes is our weekly visit from Smith Brothers Farms and our milkman, Josh. Four generations of Smith Brothers…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance
“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.” Ralph Waldo Emerson We made it to the turn around point of our Klahhane Ridge adventure with nothing…
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iPhoneography Monday: 9-1-14
Beautiful, green moss covers most flat surfaces in Washington State’s Hoh Rainforest even this old phone booth outside the Visitors Center at the entrance to the park. Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Nature.
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Travel Theme: Edge
There are several reasons I chose this photo for Alisa’s travel theme “Edge” but my favorite element is the line of Gulls patiently waiting their turn to stretch their wings and fly away.
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iPhoneography Monday: 8-25-14
I snapped this cute little bunny enjoying an afternoon snack outside the Lopez Islander Marina during our visit last month. Rabbits are everywhere in the San Juan Islands today even though they are a favorite attraction for the tourists the critters aren’t native to the area and are seen…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 4:00 am – 5:00 am
I guess a series of 24 posts coming together exactly as planned was too much to hope for and I should really be feeling lucky I’ve made it through the first 16 hours without anything going seriously wrong but I can’t help but be a little frustrated by this one……
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1 Day 1 World Project: 3:00 am – 4:00 am
I’ve been worried about this 3:00 am week since the beginning of the 1 Day 1 World Project and as of last Saturday didn’t have a single good idea for what to do but Mother Nature came to my rescue with the rare, simultaneous occurrence of a Super Moon and the…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette
Some of our best hours in the Olympic National Park were spent exploring Second Beach on the Washington Coast. The one mile forest hike to the beach from a small parking area is just enough distance to keep crowds away and the sound of roaring surf echoing through the trees…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Zigzag
This week, share a photo that foregoes the straightforward in favor of the twisting and winding. Ben Huberman – The Daily Post I’m using a loose interpretation of Zigzag today and sharing a photo of this small blue sailboat that has chosen to forego straightforward, nautical themed decor and try…
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iPhoneography Monday: 8-4-14
For nature week at Lens and Pen by Sally I have a close up shot of the Hens and Chicks on our front porch. I love how these plants thrive with little to no attention and this one has been happily residing its tiny pot for years. Posted as part of Lens…
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Weekly Travel Theme: Simplify
This week Alisa’s weekly travel theme asks everyone to share what comes to mind when they think of the word “simplify“. After a day of thinking about how we’ve tried to simplify one aspect of our busy days I settled on our food choices and a photo of this pretty yellow truck at…
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A Word A Week: Transport
It’s hard to pay a visit to the Puget Sound area and not see at least one green and white Washington State Ferry cruise by carrying commuters, tourists and travelers across the water. These large vessels serve the areas surrounding Puget Sound as well as provide vital and reliable transportation to…
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Travel Theme: Meeting Places
There’s nothing quite like the mix of summer weather, interesting beaches and kids with plenty of imagination and time on their hands. Driftwood forts are a common sight on Lopez Island and each beach we visited had at least one great structure ready and waiting for the next group to meet…
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iPhoneography Monday: 7-28-14
Today I’m taking Sally’s 4th Monday Challenger’s Choice prompt literally and posting a goofy family vacation shot as part of the Street Photography category. Walking back from a lazy summer afternoon at the pool can be just as much fun as playing in the water if you get to…
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1 Day 1 World Project 12:00 am – 1:00 am
How many of us have late night Diner stories ready to share with just a bit of prompting? John and I each have some fun memories of long hours spent with friends in the red vinyl booths of a neighborhood Denny’s. From High School study sessions to after bar closing time in college most…
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Weekly Travel Theme: Purple
My sweet niece, Sophia checking out the amazing flowers on this Butterfly Bush. July 4th, 2014. Posted as part of Alisa’s Weekly Travel Theme: Purple.
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iPhoneography Monday: 7-21-14
I missed last week’s Macro post but apparently had macro on my mind while looking for a black and white image to post today. Our new front deck is the only part of the yard that really receives full, hot sun so I’ve happily filled one side with herbs and…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Containers
From “Don’t judge a book by its cover” to “Don’t look at the jug, but at what it contains” (an old Rabbinic saying), we’re constantly taught that the contents of things are more important than the vessels, wrappers, and boxes that hold them in place. This week, let’s give outer shells their due…
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Travel Theme: Decoration
I thought this cheery beach smile from Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez Island would be fun to post as part of Alisa’s weekly Travel Theme: Decoration.
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1 Day 1 World Project: 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
I’m not really a night person so a good evening for me means lights out by 10:00 pm. Summers are tough because it’s not dark yet but our mornings still start bright and early so finding some interesting material to post over the next few weeks is going to be quite a challenge. 🙂…
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iPhoneography Monday: 7-7-14
The past week has flown by filled with long overdue family visits and way too much time at work but I want to slow down for a minute and share a photo from our 4th of July walk. Some of you might recognize this pretty landscape from a previous Wordless…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Everyone in the Pacific Northwest jokes that summer doesn’t really start here until July 5th. We usually have one or two warm days in June surrounded by partly sunny days mixed with some rain and clouds but the real heat and sunshine doesn’t come out until mid July. This year our…
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iPhoneography Monday: 6-30-14
Today’s iPhone challenge is to share a photo that’s processed using apps. Sally does a great job encouraging every participant in her weekly photo challenges to stretch the boundaries of their comfort zones and try new things with photography so today I decided it was time to finally explore one of the…
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1 Day 1 World Project 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
If you saw my iPhone Monday and Wordless Wednesday posts last week you’ll know I spent last Sunday evening with my parents watching Emmylou Harris perform at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA. The winery grounds are beautiful and behind the main tasting building is a natural amphitheater with a…
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1 Day 1 World Project 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
One of the fun things about this 1 Day 1 World project is that it is pushing me to try new things while looking for interesting posting material each week. So far I’ve taken you with us to enjoy waterfront festivals, local beaches, neighborhood church signs and the streets of…
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Travel Theme: Shine
A sparkly evening water view for Alisa’s weekly Travel Theme: Shine. Happy Friday!
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1 Day 1 World Project: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Twice a week for the past seven years I’ve spent my 6:00 pm hour here at the Lynnwood Recreation Center watching Ryan in his Tae Kwan Do class. When he started I was simply looking for a fun activity that also taught focus and discipline and while he has definitely learned…
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iPhoneography Monday: 6-9-14
It’s Macro week over at Lens and Pen by Sally and my entry is this up close and personal view of a red pepper before adding it to our dinner last night. To see more fun Macro shots please visit Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge.
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1 Day 1 World Project: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The late afternoon/early evening hours are my favorite times of day and since we’ve had a stretch of absolutely beautiful June weather the toughest part of today’s post was choosing which photo to share. In the end I settled on this shot from Brackett’s Landing because even though Herons are a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Room
Every time I walk past our local library I see the backside of a mysterious little house covered in moss and protected by a fern. Each week some new element appears and while I didn’t want to creep around the planting bed to take a closer look I finally gave…
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iPhoneography Monday: 6-2-14
My backyard view from the grass last night looking for a photo for today’s Nature post as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly challenge.
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1 Day 1 World Project: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The early hours of this project have been a lot of fun here at the Kennedy house as we’ve been able to go out and see some new things every week looking for new material to post. I’m still not sure how we will make the nighttime hours look interesting but…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Split-Second Story
Who can get the closest without a soaking? In the summer this fountain is full of happy kids but only the bravest are willing to face the random spray pattern in early spring. Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Split-Second Story.
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Travel Theme: Cities
Alisa’s newest Travel Theme: Cities is a great excuse to post another photo from our recent visit to the top of the Space Needle. This view is looking south towards the Downtown area over Elliott Bay and one shot manages to show you a gray spring day, the Port of Seattle,…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Ryan and I were at the end of our long list of Saturday afternoon errands when he announced he needed a long, thick stick for a Social Studies project due Tuesday. Of course none of our sticks at home would work, he needed a new one. From the beach. I’m…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Twist
In the winter of 1945 the USS Nereus left for it’s first voyage departing Pearl Harbor bound for Japan. Through it’s 25 year career the Nereus supported US submarines across the Pacific and as far north as the Arctic Circle. An Edmonds resident served aboard the ship in 1955 and in 2012…
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Travel Theme: Blossom
For Alisa’s new Travel Theme: Blossom I have one more photo from our spring trips to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. This colorful display was filled with so many varieties it looked like an enormous bouquet!
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iPhoneography Monday
I’ve still got a few hours left in my Monday to post tonight, sorry to those who read this on Tuesday. 🙂 Sally’s challenge for the second Monday of every month is Macro photography and each time I have to admit it’s the week that gives me the most trouble.…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
For the 1:00 pm entry in my new 1 Day 1 World Project I have this stormy view of Seattle taken from our Sky City table at the top of the Space Needle. The restaurant makes a complete 360 degree rotation every 47 minutes and John, Ryan and I recently spent a fantastic 2…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: On the Move
Regular readers know I’ve had fun posting small exterior images of the multi-colored Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, WA. So far we’ve seen snapshots of the Silver, Pink and Blue sides but I haven’t had a good Red image to post until last weekend. Our manageable spring showers had just turned to…
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iPhoneography Monday: 5-5-14
Sally’s back from a wonderful vacation and her popular Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge begins the month of May with Nature as its subject. I’ve posted this view of Marina Beach Park before when the trees were at their height of fall color and I thought it would be fun…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
To kick off my new 1 Day 1 World Project I have this noontime view of Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. This photo actually represents a few first moments for me as it is also what I saw during my first break on my first day in a new job.…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring
I’ve posted a lot of pretty spring flowers lately so for this weeks photo challenge I’m going in a slightly different direction… This is a close up view of a fascinating kinetic sculpture at the Pacific Science Center and I thought the chrome coils looked like heavy, industrial springs. Posted as…
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A Word A Week: Water
I’ve been in a beachy kind of mood this week with lots of water themed posts so here is one more image from the same spring day as Bud’s Bait Shop and the “I wish I was on a cruise” Life Ring. Posted as part of Sue’s A Word A Week Challenge:…
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iPhoneography Monday: 4-28-14
Sally is enjoying her last week of vacation but since I enjoy posting an iPhone photo every Monday I thought I would keep up with her schedule and choose Architecture for my week 4 Challenger’s Choice selection. Every time I walk by Bud’s Bait House on the Edmonds waterfront I think…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters
I really like this shot looking up from our table at The Yard in Seattle but since I cut off most of the sign trying to include more of the light fixture I’ve held back from posting it. Waiting for the right moment was a good thing though because this week Cheri has…
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Travel Theme: Glow
Maybe I’m just looking for another opportunity to post a tulip picture but I can’t stop looking at these glowing red tulips under a stormy spring sky. Yesterday I drove a very excited Ryan to Anacortes, WA to join a group of 18 middle school kids and 6 scientists for an…
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Happy Earth Day 2014
Our April showers paused just long enough for me to take a walk this afternoon and snap some photos of our spring blooming trees in honor of Earth Day. My fingers are crossed hoping these wet days really will bring more May flowers…
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Skagit Valley Tulips – 1
I usually post a new black and white photo every Tuesday but after spending the weekend surrounded by millions of tulips my head is full of bright, vibrant colors and I thought it would be fun to spend the week sharing a few of my favorite views from the 2014 Skagit…
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iPhoneography Monday: 4-7-14
The Skagit Valley tulip fields haven’t quite reached their peak but early April is a perfect time to see the Daffodils. We drove through the valley yesterday afternoon and John was patient enough to stop the car twice while I tip toed through the mud in order to get a few pictures of…
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A Word A Week: Contrast
Ryan has a habit of picking up what ever electronic device is left lying around and secretly leaving his mark. I never know what to expect when I realize I haven’t seen my phone for a few hours but usually I discover new voice recordings, fun messages on my fitbit…
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Travel Theme: Misty
I love living by the waterfront with easy access to the beach but our proximity to Puget Sound also brings plenty of misty days . In the fall we can spend weeks at a time wrapped in thick fog and even though I know the trees are turning brilliant shades of red and yellow and that the sky…
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Black & White Tuesday: 4-1-14
I really hope this will be the last bare branches photo of our winter as April’s warmer air and longer days means it’s almost time for the Emerald City (Seattle) to live up to its nickname.
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iPhoneography Monday: 3-31-14
This week introduces a new element to Lens and Pen by Sally’s Non-Traditional photo challenge – editing and processing using apps. I’ve been wanting to try Waterlogue and as I expected it’s been fun seeing what my photos might look like if I had any talent with watercolor. My first attempt was this still…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Street Life
A place reveals itself on its streets, from pedestrians strolling during lunch time, to performers entertaining tourists on sidewalks, to the bustle of local markets, and more. Whether you’re shoveling snow from your own driveway or walking a familiar route to work or getting lost in a foreign city, a…
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Black & White Tuesday: 3-25-14
A fun moment around the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. This fountain, along with the Space Needle were designed and built as part of the 1962 World’s Fair and is a popular place to run, play and relax in all kinds of weather. The fountain sprays in varied patterns…
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Travel Theme: Pink
I know I’ve been very quiet this week but don’t worry I hope to spend some quality time with my reader as soon as tomorrow. I plan to be back to a more normal schedule by next week and can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to while I’ve…
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iPhone Monday: 3-17-14
I’ve posted a few photos of this beach log but I haven’t shown it from this angle before. Is it just me or does anyone else think the old roots look like fingers reaching into the ocean? Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Monday: Black and…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside
So much of life happens inside something. A house, a car, a sleeping bag, a UFO… The Yard in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood is our favorite place to relax on a wet Northwest afternoon while Ryan attends a new debate workshop at the fantastic writing school, 826 Seattle. The school is a…
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iPhone Monday: 3-10-14
In response to Sally’s March Macro Challenge I have a second view of the spring flowers from my Nature post last week. I encourage everyone who is a fan of mobile photography to spend some time with the thoughtful posts at Lens and Pen by Sally. Her Monday photo challenges include valuable tips and insight…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Perspective
Perspective is important to every photographer. With the creative use of perspective narrowed down through the lens of a camera, a bit of gravel can look like a barren desert landscape or a few trees can trick the eye into thinking you’re deep in a centuries-old forest. Who hasn’t seen…
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Black & White Tuesday: 3-4-14
After a dreary week of foggy October days Ryan and I grabbed our warm coats and headed to the beach. Late afternoon brought us the first touch of light in days and just as the gray lifted a flock of birds rose from their perches at the Marina and flew out to sea.
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iPhone Monday: 3-3-14
My husband surprised me with these lovely spring flowers Friday night and today I’m sharing them with all of you as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge: Nature.
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Black & White Tuesday: 2-25-14
The only reason I stopped to take this photo was because of how much I liked the leafless branches against a vibrant blue winter sky yet here I am on a black & white Tuesday removing all color. The original brown and blue palette was striking but after viewing it in monochrome I can really appreciate the organic structure of this great…
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Black & White Tuesday: 2-18-14
I have another summer beach photo for this mid-February entry in my Black and White Tuesday series. Ryan spent an hour filling his pockets with rocks for sling-shot ammunition while I relaxed on driftwood logs snapping pictures of the day.
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iPhoneography Monday: 2-17-14
Without fail, by the time February arrives with its mixed bag of wind, rain and snow I can’t help dreaming of warm afternoons spent at the beach. There aren’t any tropical vacation plans in my near future but I do have plenty of photos from some fun summer days by the water to share and…
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A Word A Week: Violet
One of the things I love about Heather is its determined nature, blooming right on schedule no matter the conditions. This little plant flowers in my front yard every winter providing bright spots of color in a season filled with green, brown and white. Posted as part of Sue’s A Word A Week: …
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iPhoneography Monday: 2-10-14
Our latest snowstorm was perfectly timed, starting after we returned home Saturday night and melting by Sunday afternoon. We had just enough snow to walk around the neighborhood and throw snowballs Sunday morning and safe roads for grocery shopping before the new work and school week began today. Posted as part of Lens and Pen…
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Black & White Tuesday: 2-4-14
I looked up at an old tree after parking my car and saw this man waiting for the bus on a chilly winter morning…
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iPhoneography Monday: 2-3-14
Saturday afternoon John, Ryan and I laced up our hiking shoes and set out to explore Southwest County Olympic View Park. This 120 acre parcel was owned and logged in the early 1900’s by Pope and Talbot before they transferred ownership to the University of Washington who eventually granted the property to the City of Edmonds in…
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Travel Theme: Dry
I’ve found the only sure way to enjoy home-grown Pacific Northwest flowers in January is to cut an extra bouquet or two and set them aside for drying. I have the best luck with late season Hydrangeas and if kept out of direct sun their deep purple, pink and blue pigments can last for years. Posted as part of Alisa’s weekly…
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Black & White Tuesday: 1-28-14
Since my last Black & White Tuesday post was all about holiday shopping and hot donuts I thought you might like to see our snack-time view looking over Seattle’s Westlake Park.
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iPhoneography Monday: 1-27-14
The fourth Monday of the month is reserved for challenger’s choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge and today I chose street photography. This strange little sign is one of a series posted on the side of Archie McPhee’s in Seattle, WA and if you have a quirky, strange, funny or…
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Travel Theme: Wood
This huge beach log is one of the most photographed spots on our favorite Edmonds beach and of course I can’t help stopping several times a year to try capturing a new angle. When the tide is out this section of the log is almost as high as my shoulder and the…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Juxtaposition
Wandering with my camera, I often find my eye drawn to strange bedfellows. Juxtapositions. Foils. Unexpected pairings. Michelle W. The Daily Post Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I was fascinated by stories of hunters and scientists finding possible Sasquatch tracks in the woods. There was even a TV show…
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A Word A Week: Waiting
I think these two gulls were waiting for dinner to drop from the hands of the kids standing behind me… Posted as part of Sue’s A Word A Week Challenge: Waiting
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Weekly Travel Theme: Illuminated
I always look forward to Alisa’s weekly travel themes and this latest challenge has inspired some beautiful images of light from around the world. For my Illuminated post I hope you like this view of a fiery evening sky as seen from the top deck of a Washington State Ferry.
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Black and White Tuesday: 1-14-14
This fun piece of public art is located on the Edmonds waterfront and features three generations of a family relaxing at the beach. A few months ago I posted a photo taken from behind the piece showing three of the family members watching the boats and waves. If you missed it the first time around here is a link to…
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iPhoneography Monday: 1-13-14
Yesterday I sat down in our wet backyard grass and decided I wouldn’t go back inside until I found something interesting to photograph for today’s macro challenge. I’m happy I took a few minutes to look at things from a different angle because I had completely missed how pretty this little mushroom was…
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A Word A Week: Yellow
Looking through my archives tonight has forced me to accept that yellow isn’t one of my favorite colors. It’s not something I can wear successfully and it looks like it isn’t a color I photograph often. Actually I’m kind of surprised I don’t have more photos that feature yellow as I do…
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iPhoneography Monday: 1-6-14
The first Monday of the month means it’s time to focus on nature as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Monday Challenge. The Whatcom Falls beavers have been working long hours to bring this old tree down and even though there is a nice note from the park rangers attached to the side of the trunk asking everyone to…
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Weekly Travel Theme: Possibility
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is a fantastic place to shop for top quality produce, seafood and flowers and every film crew that’s ever visited town has shown the fish sellers tossing their latest catch under the main entrance. Each year millions of people walk through the upper level of this Seattle landmark each but not everyone realizes some of the really fun…
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iPhoneography Monday: 12-30-13
The last Monday of 2013 gives us a second chance for challengers choice over at Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly phoneography challenge. We have an interesting variety of categories to pick from and today I have a street image to post from our Christmas Eve visit to the Pike…
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Travel Theme: Birds
Every time I try to take a picture of a cute little bird something goes wrong. If the shot isn’t terribly out of focus, then the bird will move at the last second or the finished image is just too boring to post but my lack of photographic timing doesn’t stop birds from flying into my pictures each time…
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iPhoneography Monday: 12-23-13
The fourth and fifth Monday’s of each month are challenger’s choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly phoneography challenge. We can choose from Abstraction, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel and this week my selection is Architecture. Bob James designed this holiday star in the mid…
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Travel Theme: Winter
When I read Alisa’s latest post announcing “Winter” as her weekly travel theme I knew I wanted to wait until December 21st and take a photo of the first day of winter. December 20th brought our first snowfall of the year but we were still officially in Fall so I waited……
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Weekly Photo Challenge: One
Every good photograph needs a focal point. It’s the thing that draws the viewer’s eye and tells the story. Michelle – The Daily Post This is the first year my son has been able to take the bus to school and since our pick up location is about fifteen minutes away the thirty…
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The Little Things
Ryan is an enthusiastic collector of little, quirky things and his hands are never far from tiny objects ready for a quick touch during the day. This habit and the inevitable pile of stuff on every flat surface in his room causes more than a few arguments when it comes…
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Black and White Tuesday: 12-17-13
We spent a fun few hours in Seattle Sunday afternoon watching A Christmas Carol at the ACT Theater and walking through the city looking at the holiday lights and decorations. I enjoyed our time together away from the usual weekend routines and I think Ryan’s favorite moments were “high-fiving” Scrooge at the end…
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iPhoneography Monday: 12-16-13
The above ground twists and turns of old tree roots always catch my attention but this one stopped us on the trail. We thought it looked like an ancient dinosaur leg resting on the forest floor… Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly Phoneography Challenge.
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Travel Theme: Still
Alisa wrote a lovely post today about stillness and the origins of the word solstice as December 21st is almost here. She explains the word comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still) referring to the point at which the sun pauses on its seasonal path (as viewed from Earth)…
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A Word A Week: Track
Even though Ryan growing up before my eyes he is still small enough to enjoy bringing out his Polar Express Train Set. The tree lights up and bells chime when the train pulls into the station and last night Santa took his important place on top of the present car. Posted as part of Sue’s…
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Black and White Tuesday: 12-10-13
There is something about fences that always draws me over to take a picture…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Grand
Grand. We’ve hosted a “Big” photo challenge in the past, but for this week’s challenge, we want you to consider not just the size of something, but also that special element: the “wow factor” of a scene or subject that makes a picture so stunning. That magical quality you’re always out looking…
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iPhoneography Monday: Nature 12-2-13
The first Monday of every month focuses on images of nature at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge. I love the vibrant shades of the ever-present bright green moss growing all around this part of the Pacific Northwest. Chilly temperatures will soon take a toll on the vivid display so I’m happy I captured…
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A Word A Week: High
Sue’s latest word of the week is High and while her fun post is full of beautiful bridges, cliffs and waterfalls my photos tend to be from points closer to the ground. I don’t like heights… I do however love to see trees reaching for the sky and fall gives us the opportunity…
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Black and White Tuesday: 11-19-13
The days are getting shorter and shorter here in the Pacific Northwest and as I look out my window to nearly dark sky at 4:20 pm I thought this black and white image was a fitting choice for today’s post. The birds are still flying but the light is almost…
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iPhoneography Monday: 11-18-13
While I have been lucky enough to see several pods of Orca Whales swimming along this waterway I have yet to get a good photo of a whale. Maybe that is why I take so many of pictures of this beachfront sculpture… Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge: Black…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers
Layers. Layers can reveal, conceal, and make something more complex. They can vary in size, texture, color, or functionality. Each layer can have its own story, meaning, or purpose. They can overlap, blend, or be distinctly separate. A layer doesn’t have to be a part of a single object but can…
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Black & White Tuesday: 11-12-13
I missed my black and white post last week but Tuesday is here again and today I have a beachfront image from our stretch of fall fog a few weeks ago. The waterfront was surprisingly full of people but the heavy mist muffled all sounds and if I angled my view just right it…
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iPhoneography Monday: Macro 11-11-13
Capturing clean macro photos is always a challenge for me but I love Sally’s weekly Phoneography posts so here is my latest attempt. These fern fronds were part of the path through a park we visited Saturday afternoon and I liked the woodsy shades of brown on the forest floor while we were surrounded…
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Travel Theme: Connections
Walking with my brother’s dog Heidi, my son Ryan and his new friend from school this morning I was thinking about connections and how lucky we are to have a great community of friends and family around us. Of course I couldn’t help taking a few pictures along the way and once…
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A Word A Week: Two
I have one more forest walk photo for you because it could be a long wait for a better chance to post an image of a two headed tree… Inspired by Sue’s A Word A Week Challenge: Two
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iPhoneography Monday: 11-4-13
The first week of the month is nature’s time to shine at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge and today I have another photo from our Sunday afternoon walk through the woods. We left the house planning to spend a few hours on the beach but now I’m glad the access roads were closed because…
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Happy Halloween 2013
Halloween is a pretty big deal at our house. Honestly it is my husband’s favorite holiday and he talks about it, plans it and shops for it 365 days a year. Our 2013 theme was inspired by a shoebox of vintage photographs found in my sister-in-law’s attic and abandoned by previous homeowners years ago. Working from…
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Black & White Tuesday: 10-29-13
After spending a few dark days in a surprise stretch of October fog I stopped complaining about missing the fall color and blue skies and headed out to make the best of our gloomy weather. It was very quiet along the beach this afternoon and even though a Washington State Ferry was loading cars next to us the…
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Phoneography Monday: Black and White 10-21-13
The third Monday of every month is devoted to black and white phoneography at Lens and Pen By Sally. My small town is in the middle of its fourth day of heavy October fog and I hope Sally doesn’t mind the touch of Sepia in these misty beach photos because I need a hint of color…
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Travel Theme: Brown
Growing up in Bellingham, WA a trip to Tony’s Coffee in the Fairhaven District was a huge treat. My favorite thing on the menu was hot chocolate and if we were lucky Mom also ordered a dinner plate sized cinnamon roll for everyone to split. By High School my mug of hot chocolate switched…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: The Hue of You
For this challenge, we want to keep it simple: share a photograph with a prominent color (or assortment of colors) that reveals more about you. It could be a symbolic, meaningful shade; a color that expresses how you currently feel; or a combination of colors that excites you and tells…
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Phoneography Monday: Macro 10-14-13
Posted as part of Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Monday Challenge. If you would like to join the fun this weeks theme is Macro.
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Phoneography Monday: Nature 10-7-13
I’m home from a fun-filled family trip just in time to participate in Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge: Nature. Last Wednesday I posted a photo looking up through some late summer flowers and today I thought I would show you a view of the same planting bed looking down toward ground level instead of up to…
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A Word A Week: Underneath
A clear sign that the seasons are changing and fall is here…birds flying south for the winter. Posted as part of Sue’s A Word A Week Challenge: Underneath I’ll be away from WordPress for a few days enjoying some family time but am looking forward to catching up with your posts when I’m back!
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Black & White Tuesday: 10-1-13
While John and Ryan shopped for our stone steps I had a great time wandering around the property taking pictures of the old farm equipment, tree art and bird houses. This one looks like a deluxe summer home but the boards across the front windows and black and white coloration make me…
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iPhoneography Monday: 9-30-13
The fifth Monday of every month is a second chance at Challenger’s Choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge and today I choose Architecture. This is a small part of the breakwater at the Edmonds Marina taken from the walkway leading to the fishing pier.
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Saturated
Every year I find at least one place to plant this combination of ferns and red begonias. I enjoy almost every color variety of begonia but non stop red has claimed the top spot as my favorite with the maidenhair fern. This pot spent most of the summer in a shaded spot…
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Waiting
A farmer waiting for his next customer at the Edmonds Market. Posted as part of the Daily Prompt: Waiting
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Black and White Animals: Heidi
I’ve never met a Lab who didn’t love playing at the beach. The combination of water, sticks, sand, other dogs and stinky things to roll in make for a fun-filled afternoon and a happy, sleepy dog who goes to bed early is pretty nice too. Posted as part of Cee’s…
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Black and White Tuesday 9-24-13
I had a few minutes to walk along the beach Friday afternoon and happily spent them listening to this gentleman, in his white suit and hat, play a trumpet while facing the waves. There were several families around us enjoying the last hours of summer and just as I put my phone down two little girls ran up…
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Phoneography Monday: 9-23-13
I recently realized that even though both my About page and widget mention we love to cook, I haven’t posted a single recipe or even a photo of something from our kitchen. You’ll need to wait a little longer for my first recipe post but since this is the fourth Monday of the month…
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Travel Theme: Through
Alisa’s weekly travel theme is all about the word “through”. You never know what will come into focus through these view finders but this time we saw crystal clear views of Mt. Baker, migrating birds heading south for the winter and someone out for their last warm kayak trip of the season. Posted as part…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: From Lines To Patterns
From lines to patterns. We see lines and patterns in the world around us, in nature and things man-made. Sometimes we don’t realize they’re there: on the street, across the walls, up in the sky, and along the ground on which we walk. Cheri Lucas Rowlands on September 20, 2013…
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Black and White Tuesday: 9-17-13
When I’m working from home Heidi is happy to nap outside the office door as long as she gets a short walk in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon. Yesterday was busier than normal though and our afternoon walk had to be postponed until later in the day. By 3:00 pm she let me…
Northwest Frame of Mind 