Photo Art Friday - Minimalist.

Minimalist is the theme this week - it brings a lot of things to mind - and here are some of my thoughts and pictures.

California Poppy - wonderful singly or in bunches .  .  .

Gigantic wreath on the side of a barn .  .  .

One Trumpeter Swan in a field of winter grass.  .  .

Feathers of a young seagull.  .  .

Taken from the 15th floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Seattle.  .  .

Simple flight.  .  .

A fairy umbrella in Wisconsin.  .  .  

An arch of driftwood in Birch Bay.  .  .

Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to Photo Art Friday - come on over.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - This Looks Like Fun

This looks like something fun for a rainy, cloudy day after filing our income tax. Something relaxing and easy.  Click the photo to see more Wednesday Hodgepodges.

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49er's in the Superbowl. What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?


The day our whole family spent together - starting with our grandson Jahn's 11th birthday in the park, then a family portrait, followed by me giving everyone a Lone Star Bed quilt that I made for them, then a  barbecue on our new deck - it was glorious and everything went perfectly  -  one of those simply wonderful days.

Getting ready to eat at the park - Jahn is in the red shirt, center.

Three Generations .  .  .

Donnie loves his Grampy.  .  .

Ok, I'm done here, let's take a nap on these boxes.  .  .

2. Share something you're a fan of these days?

Nature photography - always nature photography.  I love the challenge of catching just the perfect picture - or of coming upon something that is new and interesting.  We take long drives, just looking for another great shot.  Don sits patiently in the car and enjoy the quiet as I take shot after shot.

Daffodils in the spring rain.  .  .

Full moon rising over LakeWhatcom.  .  .

Waterfall near the freeway, we stop often to take pictures of it and it is different each time.

3. How do you feel about wings? In case anyone is confused, I'm talking about the edible appetizer kind. What's your preferred seasoning-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings?


I don't like wings - I don't like messy food - I don't  like spices - does that clear that up?  My favorite place to go for wings is to my grandson's houses - they are angels and have pretty wings that not everyone sees.  Since we were talking about wings I decided to go off on a tangent anyway.

Angels for sure - Jahn-Zyel and Donnie

Sometimes wings look a lot like capes and baby cousins like to fly too, come on, let's go.

I told you they had wings - those little angel boys.

I  can see those little wings sprouting, right now!

4. As long as we're talking sports today, have you been following the Lance Armstrong story? Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks?

I  haven't been following the story, and wouldn't watch an interview if given the chance - and yet I hear way too much about it.  I don't like competitive sports - it always leads to something like this.  If there is fame and/or a grand reward there will be cheating and telling of lies - always.  And confessions after you have been found out aren't really confessions - they are just attempts to get sympathy.  (I sound very grouchy today :-)


5. What's a question you hate to be asked?

How much did you  pay for that?  What?  You want to reimburse me for it - ok,  I'll tell you then.

6. The coaches in this Sunday's big match up happen to be real life brothers. Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er's and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens. Were you and your sibling(s) competitive? In what way? Are you still? If you're an only child how did you handle competition growing up?

I had two brothers and I don't think there is the same kind of competition between boys and girls - I certainly didn't feel any competition.  I am not competitive - I don't care for winners and losers, I want everyone to win and everyone to be happy, I'm just that kind of girl.  Are you happy with that answer?



7. What's your favorite game involving a ball, and when did you last play?

Add caption

Well one of my grandsons' families has a grassy, fenced in yard and they play yard ball.  A big ball is popped up and passed around from person to person - no rules - no winners -  no losers - everyone joins in and has fun hitting the ball back to someone else if it comes their way. It teaches fair play and coordination and just plain fun together.  I don't play it, but I love watching it.  This summer when all our kids were home (the West Virginia group came for a week) and several times they all played yard ball - from 15 month old Donnie to Grampy - it was glorious fun.


8. Insert your own random thought here.

This week I'm enjoying doing more since my back surgery and I've even made a list of things I want to accomplish when I'm back up and doing all I want.  It is said that it is good to take a break from time to time to look at your life - and I agree, to a point.  But enough already, let's get up and go - let's have fun - let's do something adventurous - let's hug family - let's share with each other - let's have another cookie.

Vacation Time

Back in April of last year we went on a little vacation to Plain,WA.  I posted on my other blog a little about it - but none of the scenery and surrounding area.

Plain is in Eastern WA - by Eastern, we on the coast mean anything that is across the Cascades.  Plain is about 2 hours east of Seattle - over the mountains - and about 20 miles up the hill from Leavenworth, WA a touristy Bavarian town (the town burned to the ground in the 60s and they built a tourist attraction in the Bavarian style that attracts people year round). But if you want a quieter, more countryside vacation - then Plain is the place for you.

It is just a few miles from Lake Wenatchee - no relation to Wenatchee,WA where you can get some fine apples, and the Wenatchee River, again, not related  to or near Wenatchee, WA.  The state wanted to name the town of Plain, Lake Wenatchee, but the town's people said, "Oh no not that - then everyone will just go over to Wenatchee and pick  apples and we'll never have tourists.  Please name our town anything, but make sure  it is plain".  So someone in the state had a sense of humor,and named the town Plain, WA.  Is that plain enough??

It is a small town - and if it is not tourist season - it seems even smaller.  No restaurants are open, only one little market was open for coffee, snacks, hardware, lumber and hats, and we were told that if there was a medical emergency we should call that taxi company and if they answered the phone then they might take us down the winding hills to Leavenworth - not really a confidence builder.

There are lots of cabins and lodges in Plain - and some are even open  in April.  We stayed at Beaver Valley Lodge - right in the middle of Plain.  Click the link to read about Mrs. Brown Dirt and the lodge.   It was a lodge and storage facility - great combo!  On the first night we were there the motel clerk told us that if we needed anything before she left at 5 that night, be sure and tell her, because she wasn't coming back until two days later. WHAT?  No one on duty at the motel? Well, guess it didn't matter a lot, since we were the only guests in a 90 bed facility - but still - were we supposed to call the taxi if we needed something?  Even when there was someone in the office it was kept locked and we had to communicate with the office by calling on a phone in an outdoor hallway ( no phones in the rooms)  - windy and chilly.  Hmm, strange things in Plain, WA.

We did find a restaurant up the road a bit - 59er Diner  - done up in '59 decor and serving good food.  If you didn't click the first link - here it is again - about the lodge and 59er Diner.  We ate there twice.  Nothing else was open, unless I suppose, we had driven down to Leavenworth, where everything is always open.

But when we go on vacation it is for the scenery and nature - and there were lots of roads to drive on and lots to see - and we had a grand time.

First there was a horse down the road and he seemed to want his picture taken because he would come running up every time we stopped - or maybe he thought we brought him some food - now where would we buy food in Plain?  And we didn't think to bring any carrots, or apples - which we could have bought if we'd gone down to Wenatchee.

Pink wild roses grew everywhere up there - and I guess the horse liked the taste  -   and didn't seem to mind the thorns.

Hey - there's a bird on my back.  .  .

And right across from the lodge was a cute donkey - don't you just love donkeys?

We had nothing to feed the donkey either - but he was so busy eating grass I don't think he minded in the least.

And that was the first two days of pictures of horses and donkeys - many more photos of flowers, rivers, buildings and mountains to come.  I hope you are enjoying our little vacation.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - Jan 27

Another Scavenger Hunt this week - I'm really enjoying the challenge of this.  Our clues are -

Lace

Bling

Wood

Fuzzy

Fabric

Let the hunt begin!

Lace

Lacy fungi on the dead tree.  .  .

Shelf fungus of every sort is a favorite of mine .  .  .

Lacey lichen - taken on a very rainy ride today.  I love the little drips of raindrops.

Bling

The ocean, reflecting the sun, about to set - looks like it is made of purest silver!

Wood

An old boat that used to take passengers from Blaine WA over to a lumber mill across the bay.

The boat shed where the workers would gather to wait for the boat  on rainy and blustery days.  They  now have a restored boat that will take you on tours of the bay.

A long wooden dock - just perfect for a seagull convention.  You can see the other side of the bay - so you know it wasn't a long boat ride - but no bridge connecting these two areas.

Fuzzy

What could be more fuzzy than a lamb in a field of flowers?

Fabric

 These are portions of a Crazy Quilt that I am making. It is make entirely out of fabric that I hand painted (not dyed, painted) and since it is 100% cotton I decided to only use cotton floss for the stitching. It is only about half done - it is going to be bed size - and I work on it from time to time.  A great project for sunny afternoons on the deck with a glass of iced tea, or snuggled up in the winter with a cup of hot tea. 

I just had to show this one - it seems to cover two categories - wood and fabric, even though the "quilt" is painted on wood. We saw several of these decorations on barns in Wisconsin last summer.