Scavenger Hunt

New week - new scavenger hunt - join in the fun.

WALKING

One of my favorite horses - walking up to the fence to greet us.

YUMMY

My very favorite sandwich - Monte Cristo - layers of  ham, turkey, cheese - then cooked like French Toast - oh my it is good.  This one was at a restaurant in Ellensburg on our way to Soap Lake.  It was the special of the day and not always on their menu.  A crispy, chilled salad completed the lunch!!

A Bunny Bum Cake that I made one easter for the grandsons - they,of course, thought this was very funny.

And to balance - bunny face cupcakes - love the spaghetti whiskers

 

And one more yummy - raspberry jam - cooked in the cold winter months, from berries frozen in the summer, when the farm stands are full of berries fresh from the fields.

FAVORITE TOY

You must know what my favorite toy is - my lovely camera - or favorite toys - lovely cameras - I have three of them.

This little lady rides in my pocket at all times - ready for a quick shot of the grandsons, or a flower, or a scene from the car.  She takes fabulous pictures at 60 mph.  She's my oldest camera right now.

This is the big one - the one that can zoom up to 140x and brings tiny things up close and personal.

The back is amazing - the screen flips out and also rotates - making it easier to get a high shot while viewing it in a comfortable position.

Part of each day, this camera is on the tripod in the living room window - trained on the bird feeders on the deck.  Sometimes it catches birds, sometimes squirrels trying in vain to get into the squirrel proof feeders and sometimes it catches the neighbor's cat.

Who me?

This is the newest member of the family - great for close ups and macros. It was a gift from our son and DIL when they came to visit last September.  It took a lot of photos of their son, Donnie, while they were visiting.  This one lives mostly in the house - ready for photo shoots of dishes, flowers and all sorts of pretties.

I'm lucky to have such favorite toys.

WHAT I DID THIS WEEK

Well, I played with my toys - and took lots of photos.

Wild Bleeding Heart alongside a country road

A Chickadee in our yard

A picture of the almost full moon - with a branch in front of the  moon.  You can see the outline of the lichen on the branch.

A big old red barn

And with the big camera on the tripod - some Pine Siskins at the feeders.

The tiny flock flew in - ate some seeds and left - never to return since.  

I was so lucky to get these shots - I happened to look up at the right time - and was able to sneak to the camera without frightening the birds off.

ANYTHING

I played with my zoom on the big camera at the sailboat races this week.  Here are the sailboats as you would see them with just your eyes.

Bringing them a little closer - 35X

Now 74X - you can begin to see that there are some people on the sailboats.

At 114 X - people are clearer

And now at 140X - you can see the people clearly. This is the boat with the red sail in the middle of the first photo of sailboats, you can see the reflection of the red sail in the water in this photo.  These boats didn't get much closer than in the first shot - it was all done with the camera - zoom - zoom!

That was fun!

Scavenger Hunt 

Weekly Top Shot - Wishes

Fields and fields of Dandelions - this is a perfect year for them.  They are here for a bit - then gone to wishes.  Cute little kids blowing them in the wind, making a wish for each one they blow away.  These photos were taken in a park on the edge of town.

I wish happiness for all 

And peace

Love

Serenity

And good fortune!

Weekly Top Shot 

  

A Favorite Thing

Dishes are among my favorite things - always.  This set is called Rose Parade.  They are only serving pieces, no plates or cups and saucers or bowls.  My collection started with a set of salt and pepper shakers -  my mom bought them at a yard sale in Sitka.  For those from my hometown - it was at the couple's house that lived on the point on the other side of the Turn-Around, and I can't think of their name, maybe you can remember it.  She mailed them to me - and Don liked them so much he started buying me pieces to go with the salt and pepper shakers.  They are the prettiest shade of blue -  with roses.  

The tablecloth is exactly like one my mom had when I was growing up.  You can see a bit of it on the cover of my book that I wrote about when I was growing up in Alaska - at the top of this blog.  I wanted one forever - and recently I found tablecloth on ebay for only 12.00 - and then the seller emailed me and said he had another one just like it, for 10.00 - well you know I couldn't resist.  I love the tablecloth with a colored cloth under it.

My entire set

The roses on the teapot and the salt and pepper are each different

The casserole rose matches the teapot rose

                                        

There are a few other pieces that I don't have, a serving bowl, nested mixing bowls and larger teapot and pitcher.

A Favorite Thing 

Sir Thrift A Lot


Penny Worthy Project 

Scenic Weekend Reflections

Every week, on Bellingham Bay - they have sailboat races.  A good sunny day makes the races even more fun.

Reflections of the boats in the bay

My favorite - though I couldn't really tell who was winning

This one motored about during the races

Crew reflected

A great spring weekend

Scenic Weekends

Weekend Reflection 

Ready to Waltz

Spring is here - the  flowers and trees are in full bloom - and I can't get enough photos of all the glory.  These are the things that make our world wonderful - and make us Ready to Waltz.

There is a very small park on the outskirts our town, it consists of a parking lot, a small field with a few picnic tables and some walking trails.  You can see across the bay to Vancouver Island on good days - or just the Washington San Juan Islands on less clear days.  The views are spectacular - and we often take our picnic there to enjoy the scenery.  Sometimes we have a car picnic there in the winter - it is one of our favorite spots.

Oh - did  I mention is has a couple apple trees too?  We stopped there for a car picnic a few evenings ago - and the apple trees were in bloom - there is hardly anything prettier than an apple tree in bloom,  unless it is two apple trees in bloom.

Blossom of the apple trees!
Mossy trunks all gnarled and hoary,
Grey boughs tipped with rose-veined glory,
Clustered petals soft as fleece
Garlanding old apple trees!

How you gleam at break of day!
When the coy sun, glancing rarely,
Pouts and sparkles in the pearly
Pendulous dewdrops, twinkling gay
On each dancing leaf and spray.

Through your latticed boughs on high,
Framed in rosy wreaths, one catches
Brief kaleidoscopic snatches
Of deep lapis-lazuli
In the April-coloured sky.

When the sundown's dying brand
Leaves your beauty to the tender
Magic spells of moonlight splendour,
Glimmering clouds of bloom you stand,
Turning earth to fairyland.

Cease, wild winds, O, cease to blow! 
Apple-blossom, fluttering, flying,
Palely on the green turf lying,
Vanishing like winter snow;
Swift as joy to come and go.

Mathilde Blind

Germany/England

1841-1896

Ready to Waltz