100 moments of summer...(no. 78-87)

"All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world."  ~L.M. Montgomery

Summer is about enjoying, making, watching, remembering and going...


enjoying...a visit to downtown Nashville (good food and great people watching)
making... something new out of something old
watching...the ducks and geese on my walk around the lake
remembering...all the fun times spent at the stables, watching my daughter take lessons
going... to the beach with my daughter, watching her do cartwheels on the sand
enjoying...a beautiful evening walk by the bay
watching...a gorgeous white swan swim in the lake outside my son's new dorm
enjoying...helping to teach an awesome on-line class at BigPictureClasses.com
going...to a Bird's of Prey show and being amazed at the beauty of the owls

100 moments of summer (no. 78)...

"This is what it's all about. What could be better than this?"  ~ Big-Z ( from "Surfs Up" )

"The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun"  ~ Duke Kahanamoku

"It’s all about where your mind’s at."  ~Kelly Slater

I love going down to the inlet early in the morning to watch the surfers.  This particular morning the ocean was even more beautiful than usual...the water reflected the light and it looked like it was sprinkled with diamonds.  As I watched the surfers I wondered if they could see how magical the ocean looked...somehow I think they knew.  

100 moments of summer...(no. 77)

A sailor’s joys are as simple as a child’s.   ~ Bernard Moitessier

It's out there at sea that you are really yourself.  ~Vito Dumas

                                     

                                     

 

I always enjoy spending time at the fishing docks.  On one side of the docks you'll find the gorgeous fishing boats and yachts, some worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  They are truly stunning and you can tell that they're all well taken care of.  On the other side of the docks you'll find the work boats. They're all rusty and worn and messy. I continually find myself drawn to the work boats...to me they just have so much more character! 

100 moments of summer (71-76)

"The most simple things can bring the most happiness."  ~Izabella Scoropco

Some of the best things in life are the most simple of things...

Children playing on the beach without a care in the world.
Steamed crabs with your family...and messy hands and laughter.
Watching a ferris wheel go round & round on the boardwalk
A garden of white daisies
A quiet day by the pool with a good book
A seagull flying alone above the sea

100 moments of summer (no. 39-70)

"You see, but you do not observe"  ~Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"You can observe a lot just watching."  ~Yogi Berra

"Look around you...Feel the wind, smell the air. Listen to the birds and watch they sky. Tell me what is happening in the wide world."  ~Nancy Farmer 

One of the things that I love about taking pictures is that I notice things that I normally wouldn't pay attention to.  When I look through the lens I'm more aware of the little things that might otherwise go unseen...and when I slow down to see these things I also take the time to observe how they affect my other senses.  How they smell, or sound, or taste, or feel.

Things like...

the taste of fresh peaches on my cereal in the morning.
listening to the sound of the seagulls and of the waves crashing when I go to the beach.
finding cool shapes and shadows in dune fences on the sand.
looking up and seeing a yellow roof outlined against the bright sky.
looking down and seeing a colorful beach ball rolling by at the pool.
feeling a sense of peace when surrounded by the beauty of the bay.
how much better burgers taste when cooked on the grill.
watching people on the beach...fish,build sand castles,hold hands,fly kites,walk dogs & play.
feeling grateful when doing everyday chores (like laundry or dishes) for a life well lived.
seeing a beautiful butterfly or white heron and thinking about how awesome nature is.
enjoying all the inspiration found on the internet via Pinterest or Instagram.
eating a frozen yogurt (with yummy toppings) outside on a summer night with the kids.
listening to the music of the merry-go-round & remembering all the fun times we had.
watching my daughter pack for sophmore year of college & wondering where the time went.
smelling chlorine & sunscreen and feeling the warm sun on my face when we're at the pool.
counting how many bunnies we see on our evening bike rides
being amazed at how gorgeous a summer sunrise over the ocean is.
spending time watching tv shows together with my family.
hearing the sounds of geese flying overhead.
appreciating the gorgeous summer flowers we see on our evening walk.
going to watch a movie on the beach (Brave)...and getting rained out, but still having fun.
noticing how fast the time goes when you're spending it with a good friend.
seeing a white contrail in the sky and wondering where the plane is going or where it's been.
going to my mom's house for a delicious home cooked meal
taking a nice 15 minute afternoon nap in a rocking  chair on the deck.
going on a trip to city that we all love and seeing familiar sights & visiting favorites places.
finding beauty in old and abandoned things...and wondering about what their story is.
watching Top Ten Plays on ESPN with my son.
hearing the laughter of my kids...best sound in the world.
making pancakes (with chocolate chips) for breakfast with my daughter...so good.
going back to school shopping...and feeling not quite ready for the summer to end.


So very grateful for all of these little things that make summer (and life) special.













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100 moments of summer - (no. 38)

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”   ~Charles William Eliot
"We read to know that we're not alone."  ~William Nicholson

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.”   ~Gustave Faubert

Not a day go by that I don't have a book in my hand.  No matter what the day may bring, I always find time to read. Books, magazines, newspapers....from the bookstore, or Amazon, or borrowed from the library or from a friend...in winter, spring, summer or fall.

Words that come to mind when I think of reading and books...

magic
comfort
light
love
discovery
growth
life
hope
peace
happiness
friend

home.

100 moments of summer (no. 37)

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing    you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”   ~A.A. Milne

Breakfast of Champions...in our pantry

Honeynut Cheerios (with peaches on top)
Kashi GoLean Crisp! (triple berry crumble)
Bear Naked granola (added into vanilla greek yogurt)
Nutri-grain bars (blueberry, strawberry or mixed berry)
Granola bars
Peanut butter (to put on top of whole wheat mini bagels)
Pancake mix & syrup (with chocolate chips, of course)
Nutella
...and a box of Poptarts hiding in the back


* Thanks to Susannah Conway for her August Break prompts!

**You can follow me here on Instagram

100 moments of summer (no. 6-36)

"A life is measured by moments like these."  ~Maggie Stiefvater

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All that is important in this one moment is movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed or unused."  ~Martha Graham

August? Already?  How can that be? 
Time flies by...just as it always does.
It leaves moments and memories in it's wake.
Moments captured in pictures.
Memories captured in words.

Those precious summer moments.

...of clear blue skies
...of sunrises and sunsets
...of cooking together (pancakes and pasta salads and pizza)
...of trips to the beach
...of flip-flops and bare feet
...of collecting shells & driftwood
...of walks and bike rides
...of fresh produce from the farmers market & roadside stands
...of books being read on the deck, or on the beach, or at the pool
...of beautiful flowers in bloom
...of gorgeous morning light and bright afternoon shadows
...of birds and butterflies
...of boardwalk french fries
...of quiet moments
...of afternoon naps
...of rainy days
...of cups of hot tea (and glasses of ice tea, with a splash of lemonade)
...of holding hands
...of hugs
...of shopping trips
...of phone calls and text messages with friends
...of laughter
...of new friends
...of new traditions
...of music
...of trips to the local ice cream shoppe
...of learning new things
...of remembering the past
...of simplicity
...of celebrations
...of family

100 moments of summer...on my bike ride (no. 5)

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."  ~John F. Kennedy

 

 

 

 

 

a gentle breeze...birds flying overhead...a beautiful sky...ripples in the water...peace and quiet.
enjoying the ride.

100 moments of summer...rainy afternoon (no. 5)

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain...the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book...take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency."  ~Susan Allen Toth













 

A rainy summer afternoon.

A cup of hot tea.

A good book.

A little nap.

A feeling of peace.

 

Every day doesn't have to be sunny to be nice.

 

100 moments of summer...baseball (no. 4)

"I see great things in baseball."  ~Walt Whitman
"The other sports are just sports.  Baseball is a love."   ~  Bryant Gumbel                 

Today was the last game of the season.
It started in September with fall ball.
Two teams (varsity and rec).
Then to winter workouts.
Next came March and spring training games in Florida.
A championship won.
Lots of sunflower seeds.
Some superstitions thrown in for good measure.
Many loads of laundry.
Games where it was raining.  Games where it was freezing cold.
Wonderful coaches.
Good times spent with great friends. 

And in 3 months it will start all over again for one more year...

100 moments of summer...cooking together (no. 3)

“Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.”   ~Craig Claiborne

"I think preparing food and feeding people brings nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits...feeding people is a way of loving them..."   ~Shauna Niequist

One of the great things about summer is that the kids have less of a schedule and more free time.  It's so nice to use some of that free time to cook together.   We keep it simple & easy...like this Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  We used a prepared pizza crust...topped it with blue cheese salad dressing and shredded mozzarella cheese.  Then added cubed chicken that we cooked on the stove in hot sauce.  Next we cut up some red onion.  Drizzled some more hot sauce over the top and baked it in a 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until done.  Very yummy! 

The best part was just spending time together...going to the store to buy the ingredients...preparing the food in the kitchen...and sitting down at the table enjoying the meal.  It doesn't have to be fancy & gourmet to be fun!

100 moments of summer...June sunset (no. 2)

"When the sun is setting, leave whatever you are doing and watch it." ~Mehmet Murat ildan  

"Early summer evenings, when the first stars come out, the warm glow of sunset still stains the rim of the western sky...these are moments of wonder -- see them and remember.”
 ~Vera Nazarian
    

I love sunsets any time of the year, but there's something magical about summer sunsets.  The sky often looks like it's on fire.  The colors are amazing with all the different shades of orange, yellow, pink and blue.  It's more spectacular than any fireworks show could ever be. 

I want to remember this beautiful moment of wonder. 

100 moments of summer...hydrangeas in bloom (no. 1)

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees...I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald       

 “Summertime is always the best of what might be.”  ~Charles Bowden 

Summer is here!

For me,  summer doesn't begin on the summer solstice or when the kids get out of school...it begins when I see our hydrangea bush begin to bloom.  I love summer...it's my favorite time of the year. The smell of sunscreen & chlorine...the sound of flip flops...sitting on the deck reading a good book...long walks on the beach...bike rides on my beach cruiser...spending time with the kids.  So good. 

As much as I try to savor every second, the days still fly by so fast.  Over the next 100 days I'm going to do my best to capture the moments that I want to remember...the things that make summer magic.

Magic Monday

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”   ~Roald Dahl

There's magic all around us...we just need to pause for a moment to listen and to look for it.  It's there...waiting to be found.  It's in the gently falling snow that lands on the bare branches of a tree...it's in the snow as it melts off the branches, with sunlight glistening through the water droplets.  The magic sparkles and shines.

Magic can also be found in the buds just starting to open on a cherry tree...with a gentle afternoon sun shining on the blossoms.  You simply need to stop to see the beauty...it's there in the soft light.

The magic is always there waiting to be discovered...you just have to believe.

Celebrating the animals of 2012...

"Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius."   ~Edward O. Wilson

"All things bright and beautiful... All creatures great and small...All things wise and wonderful:  The Lord God made them all."

In looking back at some of the photographs that I took in 2012, some of my favorites were of animals.  I took them in my yard and on my driveway...at the beach and at the lake....in Disneyworld and at the stables...at the baseball fields and at a farm on the side of a road.  No matter where I took them, and no matter how big or small the animal that I photographed, I was amazed by the tiny details...whether it was the color of their fur or the texture of their skin.