Mosaic Monday - Herons

On Friday Don got off work early again - he works a lot of longer days early in the week so we can have Friday afternoon together.  The sun was shining and the temperatures were fairly warm.  So we decided on a ride out on the Lummi Peninsula - one of our favorite rides.

The peninsula sits across the bay from Bellingham and the views are always spectacular.

Along the bay we spotted a heron, standing on a rock.  He was not as close as I would have liked - but with my new camera I got some excellent shots.  Then a little farther down the bay there was another heron on the beach - they are such amazing birds - and these two really posed for me. Thank you herons.

Mosaic Monday

On Friday Don got off work early, the sun was shining and the temperatures were almost balmy for this time of year. We had planned to drive down on Saturday to Skagit County, about 45 minutes south of Bellingham, to see the daffodils that grow there by the zillions. We had heard that they were at peak bloom and didn't want to miss them. With such nice weather and extra time, and knowing how fickle our weather can be, we decided to take the drive on Friday afternoon.

(click photo to enlarge)

And we made the right choice. The traffic, once we left town, was less than on a weekend and the sun was glorious on the daffodils. The scent is heavenly as you drive between fields full of blooms. There were even daffodils planted at the intersections of the busy highway.

By Saturday the clouds had come in early and the weather was tending towards rain - so we were glad that we went when we did. The tulips were just beginning to show color - not enough for pictures even, but we will go back another week to see the tulips.

Mosaic Monday

I've been featuring my quilts on my other blog - and thought it would be fun to make a mosiac of some of them.

And more quilts . . .

And some blocks I've made. . .

Monday Mosaic - Seagulls

We often go down to the bay to watch the Alaska Ferry depart from Bellingham - and this week I had a big bag of bread to feed the seagulls - so I could get some good photos. Most of these were taken with a flash and I love the way they turned out. Needless to say - our car had to go through the car wash the next day - it was red with white spots.

(click photo to enlarge)

I love the sound of their wings as they flash through the air - I love the squawking - and I love the feathers and how they seem to glow in any light. I just love seagulls.

Mosaic Monday - Lighthouses

Join Mary at Little Red House to see more wonderful mosaics.

Living on the west coast we have lots of chances to see and photograph lighthouses - I love to think about the history - what has happened at the lighthouses, and who has lived there. One of my favorite things, besides taking photos of lighthouses, is to read journals of lighthouse keepers and their families.

These lighthouse, starting at the top right and going around clockwise, are 1. Yaquina Head at Newport, OR, 2. Trinidad, CA memorial lighthouse, 3. Heceta Head, OR , 4. a replica of a lighthouse at the harbor in Eureka, CA., 5. Port Wilson light, Port Townsend, WA, and 6. a small lighthouse in my cousin's yard in Oregon.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the lighthouses. Where is your favorite lighthouse located?

Mosaic Monday

Join Mary at Little Red House to see more wonderful mosaics.

I have been busy these past few weeks, scanning old photos (35 years worth) so each person in the family will one day have a DVD with all the photos. These flower photos that I scanned are from my garden in northern California, I like to say VERY northern California, as we were over 250 miles north of San Francisco (which is where some people think California ends), but believe me - there is lots of California north of San Francisco.

We lived in a small town, Blue Lake, and the weather was gorgeous there - and I could grow just about any flower. Roses loved the coastal climate and I had over 30 rose bushes, from old roses planted when the house was built in 1888 to climbing Cecil Bruner roses that grew to 14 feet tall. I would whack them back in the middle of summer - almost to knee high - and they would grow back and bloom over and over. The bush was right outside our bedroom (which had a door to the outdoors) and the scent was heavenly on warm summer evenings.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the flowers.

Mosaic Monday - barns

Monday - time for Mosaic Monday - sponsored by Mary at the Little Red House. Click and visit more fun and beautiful mosaics.
I thought I'd try something different today - first barns in B&W - and then the same ones in color. It is interesting to see what you notice in B&W that you might not notice in color.

We love to drive around and find old barns to photograph. Don knows when I'm going to say "right here please" - and he is good at avoiding things that might spoil the picture, like telephone poles and trash cans. (Not avoid like not running into - but avoid, like not letting them get in the picture - though I do appreciate him not running into them too)

The barn in the lower left is one on the farm we rented when we first moved to WA - and those ducks on the fence are flat decoys. Click the photos to enlarge.

Glad you stopped by.

Mosaic Monday - I wish it was spring

Monday - time for Mosaic Monday - sponsored by Mary at the Little Red House. Click and visit more fun and beautiful mosaics.

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I am so ready for spring flowers, so thought I'd show you a few from past springs - and a Canada goose and her baby. They are so cute and snuggly looking, but don't try to get near them, mama goose is very protective.

Mosaic Monday - Birds and buildings

Mary - at the Little Red House always has fun things to see on Mosaic Monday - stop by and visit the other mosaics.


Today I am showing you some birds, buildings and one very pretty moth. For a couple weeks we would have dozens of these moths on the outside of our house - and then they disappeared. I love to photograph Tundra Swans, ducks and seagulls and so I will share some of those with you today. Thanks for stopping by.

Mosaic Monday

Mary - at Little Red House - sponsors Mosaic Monday every week. Stop by and see some fabulous Mosaics.

I've been having such fun with my new photo scanner. I've started to scan over 40 years of family photos, I'm up to 1970 - and have a long, long ways to go - but it is such fun.


This collage is some of the early years photos of our three kids. The oldest girl is four years older than the youngest - with our son in the middle. What fun memories these photos bring back!! Birthday parties, new jammies on Christmas eve, bunny cakes for Easter, Christmas in front of the tree, picking flowers in the garden and a new puppy (brought as a surprise from an uncle).

Mosaic Monday

Again the mosaics are here - I love Mondays!!!

Stop over at the Little Red House and visit all the other Mosaics.

I have two mosaics this Monday - the first one is our grandsons at the
NW WA Fair - in August. My mosaics are about summer - because I don't
want fall to come - I don't care for it all that much - I would much rather have
summer, or spring, or even winter. Our summers here are simply gorgeous
and I never want them to end - so here is summer - two little boys at the fair - and their grampy riding on the merry-go-round.

Click to enlarge the photos if you like. . .

And another summertime passtime . . . .

Picking blackberries. We came across this fabulous old house and asked the neighbors if they knew if the owners would mind if we picked the berries hanging along the driveway. The neighbors assured us that it was fine - as the owners were only there to bring things to the old house and to mow the lawn
and pick the apples from the orchard.

The house was in horrible condition and probably no one has lived there in years - but there was certainly a lot of stuff in it - upstairs on the main floor and in the basement - stacked high!!! One window was broken out in the kitchen and there were poles hung from wall to wall, full of all sorts of cloths - leopard print dresses, fancy hats, lots of men's suits, feathers and lacey things. The clothes didn't look like they have spent a rainy winter there, so they much have
been brought there fairly recently.

We picked 2 gallons of blackberries and had hoped to get back to pick more. So far we haven't, but we've thought often about the shabby old house and its funny contents.

Mosaic Monday - summertime

Stop over at Little Red House to see more fabulous summertime Mosaic Mondays. I can't think of summertime without thinking of little boys and ice cream, swimming pools and playing games (with baskets on their heads) - flowers, donkies in the field, seagulls singing their songs and lovely summer days.

Mosaic Monday

Another beautiful Monday - and the rhododendrons are blooming everywhere. Click the photo to enlarge - enjoy!!!

Mosaic Monday - sponsored by Little Red House . Be sure and stop over and see all the fun links and the gorgeous mosaics.

Mosaic Monday

Here is some new fun - Mosaic Monday - sponsored by Little Red House. Be sure and stop over and see all the fun links and the gorgeous mosaics. I used Picasa to make mine - and I see there are several others you can use too - have fun and enjoy!


First - some scenes from around the Pacific Northwest - there is always something interesting here to take photos of.


And then some tulips - they grow them commercially here - as well as in many yards and gardens.