Scalz's weekend assignment - Who I'll miss

   
     
Johns Scalzi's weekend assignment.....Who will we miss on Thanksgiving that we are most thankful for:  http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5084

....:) and extra credit if we answer about which we like best:  pumpkin or pecan pie!  Sorry it's gotta be pumpkin with whip cream!  Pecan is good but so sweet that I can only take a couple of bites.   I wonder what White pumpkin pie tastes and looks like....yes, it's real...:) 

 This year I will be having Thanksgiving with my sister in law and her family...my husbands side of the family.  We take turns each year and so I won't be having Turkey with my parents and will miss them.  We did spend the day on Saturday with them helping them replace part of their back deck.  ( A different kind of weekend assignment..we worked 'til sunset...well, I stayed inside).  Taking turns each thanksgiving has turned out to be a very fair solution.   Since I have four brothers and two sisters, some of which live out of town...I would be missing them also.  Thankfully they are still all alive.   Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving...

until I write again,  yours truly, Maria    

Webs in the mist

        The weather has been very foggy and misty here in Seattle lately.  So much mist in the air that I found these little sparkling cobwebs in the mist this morning on our front railing still with droplets of the foggy residue clinging to the patterns.   You may want to enlarge the pictures to get a good look.  Didn't spot the little creative spider anywhere but it looked like a small mosquito was caught in the web.  I left the webs there.   I wasn't working in the yard today so why destroy all that beautiful handiwork.   Times like these I'm glad I have a digital camera.  I marvel in the artwork that goes on just outside my house.  To think the webs are strong enough to hold all those little droplets of mist.   There were at least four of them attached to the railing.   Hmmm, come to think of it...where did those spiders go?  :)     The back yard is getting a little unruly.  The morning glory vines are creeping all over my flower garden in little scallopy designs.   I do like their heart shaped leaves and you have to admit they have guts....since I plan to pull them out as soon as I get around to it.   My little moon face clay art object is getting a little worn but it looked just right with the clover shaped leaves growing beneath it.  Don't remember where it came from but I really like it..... Maria      

Background themes

 
 
You can make almost any photo a background for your screen.  I vary them and find that sometimes I like them brighter and sometimes more like a very light watercolor and muted.  Here are some that work great depending on your icons and where they are situated.  You've probably got lots of photos and this is a great way to enjoy them by showcasing them on your  computer.  I love to take pictures of places I've been and things that evoke feeling.   It's a bit time consuming but worth the effort.  At year end I look back over my photos and that's what I use to put together a little synopsis of the year.   It's amazing what happens within a year.   Like the written journal the photo journal can take you right back to a moment in time and you get to reexperience the joy and emotions..hopefully all good ones.   I learn something new each time I look at my photos and not just about the photo itself but about myself.   It will soon be thanksgiving.  Being thankful is so important.  Even for the funny pictures we take and decide to make our background themes!  Happy themeing....oops a Maria word...;)   Signature is compliments of Ghost Graphics: http://members.fotki.com/Jess3Dragonfly3/      

Japanese Gardens Rock

 
   
My title may seem like an Oxymoron since Japanese gardens are all about peace and serenity but it really isn't.  There are a lot of rocks and natural things in a Japanese garden.  The Zen garden is very peaceful and yet it is also inspiring and thought provoking.  The order and structure of this little garden in Ellensburg at Central College was a pleasant surprise. Along with the statues and the bright red Japanese maple there were other little surprises like streams and babbling brooks.  Yes, Japanese gardens do indeed rock!  

Sunrise over the valley

       

Sunrise over the Rainier valley is so brilliant some mornings.  There are always surprises in my pictures...like the snow on the mountains and a small bird flying through the red clouds.  Each day brings something new and that is the promise it gives.   Viewing it as a wonder and a mystery is quite right!  How it unfolds and how you seize it is entirely up to each person.   There is a latin saying: Carpe Diem!   or  Seize the Day!   Waking up each morning saying these two latin words or three if in English should get us in the right frame of mind...even when the sun is behind grey and dripping clouds..it's still there.  The day is still ours.  :)    

Blowing in the wind

      

Pampas grass is so feathery looking when it is blowing in the wind.  I took a walk the other day and the sky was blue in one part and very grey in another.  Time is flying by and Thanksgiving is almost here.  I love the swaying and rustling of pampas grass.  It reminds me of the ocean beaches here in Washington.   It was a great walk, although I walked by myself for 40 minutes around the neighborhood.  So many thoughts went through my head about where I lived and what interesting things people do with their yards and houses.  How some places are so perfectly kept and others show the signs of children romping from the previous day.  Walking in the neighborhood opens your eyes. In this world of cars and buses and fast paced events taking time to walk in the neighborhood lets us all see what is blowing in the wind.  It reminds me, at least, that time is fleeting so whatever I can do to be in the moment, like walking around my own community, means a great deal and actually helps bring some peace of mind.  Wonder what's in your neighborhood? 
     

Morning Moon and Fog

 

  
 
 The morning moon and the fog in Seattle are quite common this time of year....when it's not raining.  The pond by my work is quite misty sometimes and spooky when you see it from behind the benches in the early hours. These pictures were taken on the way in to work one morning and although I was cutting it close I could not resist.  There is something special about a misty morning, whether the mist lies low and barely covers the ground in patches or is overall the sky and lies high over the benches.   A thin strip of pink light on the horizon heralds the day to come....Red sky in the morning....sailors take warning........