PLUI = REGEN = LLUVIA = RAIN

 Sunday December 13, 2015

 chimes a' singing

a crossword puzzle word for MOM!

PLUVIOPHILE describes ME! 

IT'S A DATE!

JPE & I are headed to SLO (San Luis Obispo) this afternoon...

:: to take photos of the chalk drawings ::
{VIA DEI COLORI SLO}

:: grabbing a bite to eat at Natural Cafe ::
{yummy soups}

:: & planning to see the movie "Magic in the Moonlight" ::

{starring Emma Stone & Colin Firth}

see you tomorrow...

10 ON 10 - JULY 2014

giving something new a try!

hope you'll come back again!

posting ten photos taken on the tenth day of the month

hosted by: Rebekah @ A Bit of Sunshine

8:12am ~ July 10th

Central Coast - California

oh soooo Y.U.M.M.Y.

need to move a.little!

sun has been playing peek-a-boo

with the coastal fog

like the Energizer bunny, these berries "are still going strong"

a mid-afternoon treat

after my massage, I walked by to check in with her "baby"

a pre-dinner cuppa tea!

bringing some color into the house!

the end of an amazingly, restful day!

WEDNESDAY WANDERINGS...

a bit of "COLOR" on a foggy day {JPE's roses ~ 7.9.14}

yesterday's DR visit confirmed my speculation(s)

my healing is "on track"

she'll see me in another 4 weeks

traveling would be uncomfortable, SO

WHAT I SEE

more rest is a hidden gift of time

to read, take photos, craft, sew

Did you SEE the yellow rose?

SONG-OGRAPHY + SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 2.214

Chinatown, San Francisco

talked to SLE this afternoon as she was walking home from yoga... the snow was melting into puddles...
our phone conversation reminded me of my last trip to Washington DC!
Katie, Mom & I spent five days exploring... Katie probably felt like she
WALKED A THOUSAND MILES!

sharing this photo with
Kathy at You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

also stopped by Ashley's for

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

this week's words:

BEVERAGE, SNUGGLE, THICK, BEHIND THE LENS & WHERE WERE YOU?

BEVERAGE of choice... coffee w/a splash of non-fat milk!

elephant seals in a SNUGGLE... the "pups" are molting!

JPE's compost is THICK with worms...

nothing like traveling... to put me BEHIND THE LENS!

wondering WHERE I WAS?
in Sacramento... bleary-eyed = reading grants!

see ya tomorrow! 
at Tamar's for
GOOD. RANDOM. FUN.

 

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 11.17.13 + SONG-OGRAPHY

11.17.13
OKAY, MOM - - - This post is for you!

I know how much MOM looks forward to pictures from my week! After a whirlwind two weeks, I think I can once again get my camera out (this coming week).

ASHLEY at RAMBLING & PHOTOS continues to host

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY. This week's words are:

PATTERN, SUNGLASSES, ROUND,

LOOKING IN and CRUNCHY.

Photos were taken on my i-Pad mini.

PATTERN

Zig-zag PATTERN in the dining room rug! YES, the rug is actually a muted yellow, but the bamboo floors soften the color.

SUNGLASSES

I know! I know! I should wear SUNGLASSES when I'm in the bright sunlight. I've worn glasses since I was 9 years old... plus those horribly uncomfortable "hard" contact lens, and now alternate between glasses &  soft contact lens. Constantly changing glasses to sunglasses, sunglasses over contact lens... I'd need a backpack to carry all the cases. Urghh! (SO, I don't own a pair of SUNGLASSES --- that'd I'd want to take a picture of)

ROUND

A quick picture (remember, I'm using my i-Pad)... ROUND dishes in our newly painted kitchen cabinet.

LOOKING IN

We're already getting ready for the holidays. JPE unpacked & set-up his "holiday houses" yesterday (so, we enjoy them for a longer period of time). We love window shopping & LOOKING IN these miniature windows is no exception. I'll post better pictures of what's inside the shops, another time.

CRUNCHY

Apple Farm had discounted their Fall decorations before Veterans Day, so I grabbed this wreath for 60% off. Some of the crispy, CRUNCHY leaves have fallen off --- what a pleasant reminder that Fall is all-about color and sounds!

And now, to SONG-OGRAPHY! If you head to Kathy's blog, You'll Shoot Your Eye Out! you'll find stunning pictures for this week's song, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

photo by JPE - Mason, OH - before Veteran's Day

"I see skies of blue,
And clouds of white.
The bright blessed day,
The dark sacred night.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world."

Oh, there's so much to be THANKFUL for!

that's for certain!!!

Will be checking in with Tamar tomorrow.

Back to regular photography! See ya then!!

WORKING...

Mount Vernon, Virginia ~ May 27, 2013

I'M WORKING...

on a several SPECIAL PROJECTS...

so I skipped

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY (6.9.13)

& P52 {WEEK 23}

Didn't want another day to pass without posting!

Gosh... this quote is so appropriate!

It's the end of the school year - my mind is certainly CHALLENGED - trying to wrap-up end of the year details (& YEP! hard to believe - BUT also get ready for the beginning of the school year in August). 

oh... my SPIRIT is already thinking of what I want to do over my summer break. In fact, I'm thinking my SPIRIT IS ON summer break - making my year-end wrap-up CHALLENGING!

I was looking for a picture & quote this morning & knew this fit the bill. I LOVE traveling (it satisfies my SPIRIT & CHALLENGES my thinking, learning and ordinary routine)... 

But, the real reason I was drawn to this photo?? I LOVED my trip to Washington DC with Katie & my mom. We spent Memorial Day with Steph, Mazen, & Sea-Bass at Mount Vernon... 

ummm. photos have a lot to do with one of the special projects I mentioned... more later!

BEST DAYS...

AIDS Memorial Grove, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

it's good to be home... but the last five days were simply delightful!

:: remembering :: 

a scrumptious pizza shared with Richard

leisurely Sunday morning ~ drinking multiple cups of coffee

bus ride to Golden Gate Park

gorgeous blue skies & flowers ~ Japanese Tea Garden

Sunday dinner with four men & a bowl of bacon 

plans for Pageant of the Masters in August 

"Tour of Nevada City" ~ Room 7 (Outside Inn)

walking... peeking... into windows at dusk

dimples, smiles, & drooling ~ baby Alder

delightful company & a delicious frittata

a relaxing afternoon

an amazing gift ~ dinner at Blue Moon Restaurant

thanks for the memories...

Richard, Eric, Joe, & Jeff

(San Francisco)

Rob, Daniela & Alder

(Nevada City)  

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 3.24.13

SPRING BREAK!

yay! time to break out the camera...

Posting some new discoveries for SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.

This week's words are: ASIAN, WAVY, DRAW, SOFT & TEXTURE.

ASIAN

We spent some time at the Japanese Tea Garden - an ASIAN influence was found at every turn in the pathway.

WAVY

Hayes Valley (a family-oriented neighborhood in San Francisco) is the home for this awesome sculpture with WAVY tendrils reaching to the sky. What you don't see is the children racing in & out of the bottom portion of this structure. It's almost like a house & has peek-holes for the kids to look out. 

DRAW

Check out this very cool hand-DRAWN lampshade. One-of-a-kind... seen looking in a pub window (San Francisco).

SOFT

Spring has arrived in California. Everything appears to be in full bloom. This was definitely SOFT to the touch!

TEXTURE

One more shot from the Japanese Tea Garden! We loved the TEXTURE of this sign describing the statue of Buddha.

Don't forget to check Ashley's blog RAMBLING & PHOTOS.

Oh, and next week's are: WATER, EMPTY, FRESH, WEATHERED & ORDINARY. Consider getting your camera out & posting your interpretations!

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: DECEMBER 2012

Big Bear Lake 12.28.12

Kat Sloma at KatEye Studio is offering to host a monthly review of your photo archives. The details can be found HERE. To kick off the NEW YEAR, she's also designed a new logo... representing the changes in her photography. 

Last week, as JPE & I wandered the edge of Big Bear Lake, lost in our thoughts, I was struck by the fact that I don't have a vision for my future. I don't even think about the future. I say I may retire soon, but I think part of me is fearful that I'll lose my identity. Which is rubbish... I've never thought my work "identified" me... but lately, that's all I talk & think about. WORK PROJECTS have begun to consume me.

While I know the financial aspect scares me... I DO have my teacher's retirement, as well as an annuity account & I will qualify for some social security. BUT, I don't even want to think about the "health insurance" part of retirement --- that's truly scary (enough to make me think I should move out of the country). 

This month's Photo-Heart Connection is a blurry photo of the frozen vegetation on the edge of the lake. LIFE SEEMS BLURRY! what sort of clarity do I need, before I take the plunge to retire? should I request a part-time assignment for the 2013-14 school year?  School budgets are reviewed in February... what to do? what to do?

If I retired, I'd have the freedom to visit family (SLE in Washington DC), work in Allie's classroom (I love kinders), be able to spend more time with Lydia, and go hang-out with Mom... not to mention that JPE is working part-time this year (but not really, he's busier than ever - he's only getting paid for part-time work), so, technically, we could have MORE time together.  

BUT, as silly as this sounds, I fear not having the structure of being some place by a certain time every day! I'm not like JPE who tackles every day with the same routine. I worry that I will spend days in pj's - sipping endless cups of coffee & switching to tea for afternoon sipping. My crafting will sit in piles, the sewing machine will gather dust, my camera batteries will never get charged... and my computer will take the place of human interaction.

NO! perhaps I've talked myself out of retirement for another year???

My December Photo-Heart Connection truly represents the swirling, blurry confusion going on in my head. Where's the crystal clear solution? 

MEMORIES, DREAMS & REFLECTIONS 2012

Memories, Dreams & Reflections

I'm participating in Ashley's Annual Memories, Dreams & Reflections for 2012. Stop by Rambling & Photos to see what others have posted from their photo archives for this past year.

ME (& JPE)

Greatest accomplishment in 2012 --- Exploring Machu Picchu (Peru) & the Amazon River in July.

LOVE YOU

Lydia turned nine in July! she spent a week with us in August --- we went camping in Pismo Beach. We LOVE YOU, Lydia Daily (the letters in her first name rearranged, spell Daily).

 

STILL LAUGHING

Boston Terriers don't have much body fat OR fur! Allie had Lola wear her red parka & boots in Big Bear to keep warm. Doesn't she look thrilled to be warm? STILL LAUGHING about this picture!

WINTER WONDERLAND

Had a bit of a WINTER WONDERLAND in Big Bear --- just after Christmas. The adorable "snow bear" facial features were created by Tasha (mom of Lydia). Lydia added a "growling" face.

BIRTHDAY

The first weekend in August, friends & family gathered at the Big Bear cabin to celebrate JPE's (60th) & Natasha's (40th) "milestone" BIRTHDAYS. Jack McG organized the SENIOR Olympics - kayak races, a corn-hole tournament & ringers.

FRIENDS

The "guys" (FRIENDS) sitting in a driftwood barrier at Andrew Molara Beach (Big Sur) --- we got to share our favorite coastal sites with JPE's family from Ohio.

INSPIRATION

Origami cranes = INSPIRATION!! perhaps I'll make one for every elected official & send it to them --- reminding them to "play nicely in the sandbox" --- it's a new year, so let's get back to a philosophy of "peaceful co-existence."

SPRING FEVER

SPRING FEVER - I almost missed seeing the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC this past April. I flew back a couple of days before SLE had back surgery - there were signs all along the Tidal Basin telling you NOT to pick the blossoms... but, picking them up from the ground was "okay"...

TRAVEL (or VACATION)

During our summer trip to PERU, we visited a school & met some of the children. We taught them the Hokey-Pokey & they sang & shared one of their reading / writing lessons. Seeing the children in their native costumes was a "highlight" of our Peruvian VACATION.  

SUMMER DAYS

Tent camping = so'mores over the campfire & headlamps for card playing & reading. Ahh... SUMMER DAYS.

DAY IN MY LIFE

When I retire (getting closer!!), I imagine spending the days perfecting my photography, sewing, taking walks, and drinking coffee or tea!  Sounds like a wonderfully relaxing DAY IN MY LIFE! 

ALL SMILES

ALL SMILES --- Three generations --- daughter, granddaughter & Dad.

AUTUMN HARVEST

Weekly visits to Avila Valley Barn in the Fall --- the premier place to experience the AUTUMN HARVEST!

HOME

HOME is simple living --- time spent with my love, JPE.

CELEBRATE!

An amazing cake --- CELEBRATING the "milestone" birthdays.

LET'S DO IT AGAIN

Kayaking on Big Bear Lake --- laughing at the lack of coordination in paddling together! Definitely, LET'S DO IT AGAIN!

I MISS YOU!

Since work resumed in August, it's been difficult to get away for trips to visit my mom. I'm looking forward to 2013 & having more free time for weekend excursions! I MISS YOU Mom! (don't you love her back walkway - she transplanted these rocks when she downsized to a condo).

BEAUTIFUL

The BEAUTIFUL coastline of Big Sur --- the location where we were married --- a three hour drive from home & perfect get-away to camp, ride bikes, hike, explore the beaches and enjoy being outdoors.

DRESSED UP

Lola DRESSED UP in her Christmas colors --- her groomer "gifted" her with some holiday finery!

MACRO

Favorite MACRO picture showing raspberry thorns. Our raspberry bushes continue to multiply! love them for my morning breakfast of fruit + a scoop of cottage chesse topped with slivered almonds. Yum!!

HOLIDAY

My favorite HOLIDAY is Christmas. I LOVE the decorations, colors, carols, and the glitter!

FAVORITE MEMORY

A FAVORITE MEMORY???  Well, I'm certain this is a memory I'll never forget! Spending 6 days on the Amazon River (Peru) was challenging! The humidity zapped my physical stamina & I'll never forget seeing the living conditions and poverty of the Amazon region. BUT, I'll also remember the brilliant green vegetation, the amazing sounds of the birds, the pink dolphins, the wide expanse of the Amazon River and the stunning skies (cloudy, sunny, rainy and the inky blackness of nighttime).

DON'T EVER CHANGE

I WON'T EVER CHANGE my feelings about the stunning sunsets along the ocean. And, I'll always appreciate living in such a beautiful location (even when the traffic seems to get more congested with each passing year).

JUST BECAUSE... SO THERE

Our accommodations on the Amazon River, in Peru, were primitive! IMAGINE --- single beds covered with mosquito nets, no warm water, grass roofs, no electricity. AND, amazing bugs!! This grasshopper twitched his antennas, but didn't move from this spot for at least 20 minutes.

HOPES & DREAMS

In 2013, I HOPE for good health, family & friends to share adventures with & DREAMS that our home improvement projects are begun & completed before the next holiday season.