IT'S HER BIRTHDAY....

Our daughters

(Allison w the birthday girl, Stephanie, on the right)

have been tent camping since they were infants. 

and because...

TODAY is STEPHANIE'S BIRTHDAY!

I'm feeling a little melancholy, so I'm posting some of my "favorite photos" from her YPN* birthdays!

Most summers, SLE (Stephanie) celebrated her BIRTHDAYS during family vacations at YPN* (Yosemite National Park).

our camping trips were times to connect with family (Acosta's & Enyart's), as well as best friends (Skids & KVC). Click HERE for photos KVC took of Stephanie's birthday.

such wonderful memories!

Nana & Papa bought the three girls "Annie" tshirts for this trip. The girl cousins spent a lot of time performing Annie songs on "The STUMP"

each summer, our goal was to get the campsite with

"The STUMP"... lots of activity happened on

"The STUMP"!

(l-r: Keena & cousins Allie, Steph, Andrew, Reid & Jodi)

rafting, sunning, & dipping in the chilly Merced River was always on the agenda.

so, although Stephanie is all grown-up, and

lives on the other coast (Arlington, VA),

I still remember these days as if they happened last year!

"1-4-3" SLE

we LOVE you &

send BIRTHDAY WISHES on your special day!

JPE & OMO

A BLUE SIGHTING...

this morning! I was enjoying the view from my chaise lounge... 

sipping coffee... & thinking about my blog post...

WHEN... I had a visitor!

JPE had seen several when he was hiking in Big Sur...

this one scampered from underneath the edge of the patio slider!

so, I GOOGLED "Blue Tail Lizards California"

I didn't like reading this...

as we often have Lola {or other dogs} visiting! 

As JPE reminded me,

this is the FIRST one we've seen on our patio.

HOPEFULLY, it will be our LAST!

I'll definitely be on the lookout for more!

Today is...

TASHA'S Bday

{they're at the cabin in Big Bear Lake!}

Later this evening,
we're headed to the top of the hill to watch

the Pismo Beach Pier Fireworks

BE SAFE! 

HaPpY 4Th oF JuLY!!!

HAPPY B-DAY!!!

Guess who had a BIRTHDAY??

M.E!

BUT...

so did my BROTHER!

(he was born on my FIRST birthday - my LUCKY day)

pssst! Mom and Katie rode the train back home this morning!!

boo! didn't want to see them go...

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: JULY 2013

7.2.13 @ Big Bear Cabin

How does this happen? months speed by & I miss participating in the photo "MEME's" that were the "food which nourished" the early days of this blog...

My last post for Kat's Photo-Heart Connection was six months ago! time does not stand still, waiting for the camera lens to focus on the details of daily living! Today, lacking the focus to do much more than a few loads of laundry, I edited some pictures... and these two photos tugged at my HEART.

If you follow my blog,

you may recognize this photo.

LYDIA {our granddaughter} turned double digits {10 years old} on July 2nd. For her birthday, she wanted nothing more than "TO DO NOTHING". While eating her birthday pancakes, she told JPE that she wanted to stay home {meaning, stick around the cabin} and that's what we did.

Lydia & I built this COZY tent from outdoor cushions, throws from indoors, towels, a sheet & the frame of the porch swing. With enough breeze to cause "white caps on the lake" she "hunkered down inside" playing games on her phone, texting her girlfriends pictures of her creation, and chatted through her tent walls to anyone who walked by. 

JPE was cleaning a fish {on the edge of the deck}, her mom worked online {inside}, and I had spread out magazines on the porch chaise, while sipping my second {possibly my third} cup of coffee. Utterly blissful!

Lydia will spend the final days of her summer with us, next week! Several days will be spent tent camping at Plaskett Creek campground, south of Big Sur... maybe riding our bikes on the Bob Jones Trail... definitely eating popcorn & catching a movie... & ALWAYS enjoying JPE's cooking. 

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO

SIMPLY DOING NOTHING!!!

{and BUILDING MEMORIES}

SMALL TREATS...

 Our garden is producing enough raspberries to top a bowl of yogurt & slivered almonds (+ a half of a banana)

I'm getting spoiled with this treat!

luscious, red raspberries...

Started my morning with a cup of coffee

& phone call to SLE

{alias Stephanie, Steph, Nene or Nener}

we always call at 7am ~ her birth time in CALIF!

This picture was taken

near Bear River, Auburn, CA

summer ~ 1982

she's wearing her Papa Griff's boots

~ I LOVE this picture of STEPH & ALLIE!

Enjoy your day!!!

I have my spray paint out ~ painting "this & that"

~ details later this week.

P52 {WEEK 27}

July 1-3, 2013 pics
the BEARS found us... at the Big Bear cabin
:: JPE kayaked ::
:: makeshift clothesline for towels ::
:: umm, a bird-y attack ::
:: Lydia checking birthday texts from bed ::
:: jetskis (umm, I love to speed) ::

July 4th @ Jodi's

:: the entertainment - Matthew on the "rope" ::

:: the gang getting "strobed" ::

:: new pups - Felix & Archie ::

:: Matthew & Derek - the clean-up crew ::

:: Katie "sparkles" ::

posting these with Tamar

at Random-osity

check out the
"amazing fireworks + lightning"

at Kim's blog, Oh, for Heaven's Sakes

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 7.7.13

SHS 7.7.13
READING... {will share the book on my blog later this week}...

so this will be a quick post!

You know the routine - capture a photo for each word & link your blog URL to Ashley's blog, RAMBLING & PHOTOS.

This week's words were well matched to the festivities of our holiday celebration, 4th of JULY:

RED, WHITE, BLUE, STAR & SPARKLE.

RED

JPE & I enjoy spending 4th of July with family in So California. Mom's house has some delightful "treasures" that I've captured in photos over the years. But, this RED heart is a favorite! And, if you've never been to Renegade Craft Fairs, check their website. I bought the wooden doily for mom at the SF Renagade several years ago.

WHITE

I haven't mastered taking pictures of fireworks... so I changed this photo to black & WHITE. Loved the WHITE "sparkler" trail... thanks to "D" for accommodating my request to draw circles in the air.

BLUE

No... we didn't play horseshoes! But, knew I had to include the BLUE horseshoes for this week's SHS. Plenty of games are played on 4th of July... but, horseshoes are something I remember the family playing at the trailer in Huntington Beach...

STAR

These flowers are amazing. Don't you love the yellow STAR!??!

SPARKLE

Okay! so, this is the extent of my fireworks pictures! Lots of SPARKLE, but not a lot of clarity.

Next week's words are pretty cool: RELAXING, INSPIRING PERSON, WRITTEN WORDS, MEMORIES & BEST FRIEND.

BRINGING HOME THE ....?

JPE KAYAKING - BIG BEAR LAKE...

CASTING HIS FISHING LINE...

 

BRINGING HOME THE... BACON?

NO, IT'S A FISH!

...A 16" TROUT!

DINNER FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL...

CLEANED & READY FOR THE PAN!

Yummy!

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL...

... BUILT A TENT...

...& TEXTED THE PICTURE TO HER 

GIRLFRIENDS!

Lydia asked for a 

RELAXING, STAY-AT-HOME DAY!

IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN

A FABULOUS DAY!

P52 {WEEK 26}

Posting for P52 - check out the other blogs at Tamar's.

{FYI - P52 is a picture review of my past week's pictures

- you can find the instructions on her blog!}

:: SATURDAY ::

{June 26th}

LOLA & ALLIE came for a visit

{Allie-Bug & I read, shopped, ate tasty food, ran errands

& worked on her grad school application!

 she ALSO visited some friends & had a massage!

I hope she thinks this visit was a "relaxing way"

to start her summer break?}

Check out this "crazy-fun" dish Allie uses to feed Lola...

she can't inhale her food!

{she eats a lot slower!}

it exercises her tongue

{do tongues need exercising?}

it gets pretty slimy 

{her jowls hang over the "pieces of grass"}

:: THURSDAY ::

Allie & Lola left for home 

JPE & I worked at the office
then, drove to the Big Bear cabin!

some adorable birds - sitting on the fence

{watching the waves on the lake}

Taylor ready to "fling the kite" into the air

{loved the colors in this kite}

played multiple rounds of Bongo Ball

{a game all ages can play}

the cabin now has some berry bushes!

{oh, yum!!}

shucking the corn

{it was so VERY sweet}

an explosion of color!!!

{vibrant red, red-orange, coral & yellow}

a "pancake" day!
{Lydia turns 10 tomorrow! can't believe it!}

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click on this icon

on the right column... to stay in touch!

Back tomorrow with vacation adventures from
Big Bear Lake!

HISTORICAL ADVENTURE...

 Thursday morning... we're leaving on a jet plane!!

NOPE!!! not JPE & I...

but, the two girls in RED!

I'm traveling with mom (who celebrated her ?? birthday, May 3rd)

& Katie (who turned 9 on Cinco de Mayo)...

Sadly, we are leaving the "gal in the purple & gray plaid" behind...

She needs to take care of Derek & Matthew!

Oh, you're asking where we are GOING?

Ummm... ALL "history-lovers" need to visit 

the Smithsonian Museums & Washington DC...

psst! we get to visit SLE & MB & Sea-Bass too! we're staying in Arlington, VA --- only five Metro stops from Washington DC.

We'll be posting our adventures!

so, check back tomorrow!