Ready to Toast the New Year

As   the   year     comes to a close, time slips by and there is a rush to finish so many things. I would like to share my gratitude for challenges, friends, family, life, health, and community. All of these things are so necessary to the fullness of life.

There are those who have lived their lives to the fullest and have passed on, I will miss them and the joy they brought to my life.

There are those who bring the sun and its warmth just by saying hello and I reach to embrace them. May God bless you and yours, now and always.

November Remembers

Capitol Grounds Memorial
Olympia, WA

The names of the veterans are etched into the metal in such a way that they form the shadowy figures which seem to shift as the light plays across the metal forms.

You need a smile today!

Along WA state route 706, some 3 miles east of Elbe, you can see Dan Klennert's sculpture park off to the right hand side of the road.  You will be greeted by a lifesize giraffe, a herd of horses, rabbits, musical band players, and a host of other pieces all created from found pieces of metal or wood.  There are all kinds of treasures to be found as you look closely at each of his pieces.

This is one of my favorites, although it is small and you might have to look a bit to find it.  I smile every time I see it.

Thank you Dan for your vision and your hours of work!  It brings pleasure to so many who pass by.

Stop Staring - I am eating lunch!



I thought this was a chipmunk, but was advised it is a Goldmantled Ground Squirrel.  At any rate I caught him on Crystal Mt. Summit just about to bite into someone's apple slice once again.  I love the sense of anticipation that comes with this photo. 



Lines, everywhere lines and which one to choose?

Being at the center of the frontwheel of a 20 ft tall bicycle!

Remember the pictures of bicycles when the front wheel was huge and the back wheel was tiny - now think of making one from old discarded metal parts!  This is only one of a number of metal sculptures that can be viewed along side the road to Mt. Rainier.  Dan Klennert is the artist and he invites people to leave the city behind and stroll through his imagination.  He is terrific and I will post more in the future.

Taking a rest



Love the warm sun!

Sorry for the two month hiatus, have been trying to finish up some classwork and have been posting to the class blog instead.  No hummingbirds to speak of here, but lots of dragonflys or darning needles whichever this might be.

Memorial Day



The Red,White, and Blue

The colors in the flag are so vivid and the sky is gray, almost like it is mourning those who fought in support of our country and its freedoms, including the freedom from tyranny and disease.  In memory of all those who serve and have served in our seven Uniformed Services.  



Postcard Picture Perfect

It has been nearly a month since my last posting.  During that time the holidays, friends and family were forefront on the agenda.  Class ended and although I posted once or twice on other blogs I did not do much with my camera.  Yesterday we were inundated with warnings about the upcoming storm.  Dire warnings for commuters were based on the experience of the area just before Thanksgiving last year when they had people stranded all night on the freeways simply trying to get home after work.  The storm was supposed to arrive here at 5PM.  Amazing that they can now pinpoint the arrival time of a storm - not that they are accurate!  It did not start snowing until after dark - around 8PM.  When it started it was wonderful!  I could not help myself and was out hunched over the camera to keep it dry.  Sometime around 4AM it switched to rain and now there are just spots of snow left.  The temperature will be near 50 degrees for the rest of the week with rain each day.