I know Santa

Sending you each warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

I have a bit of time off and hope to share some of the years images with you before heading back to work. Must admit to already using a bit of it (this past weekend) catching up on soppy Christmas movies. 

Hoping you are able to catch some time for whatever version of the seasons fun that brings you the most joy and renewal. You deserve it! Hugs, Chris

Guided Beach Walk at Penrose Point State Park

Happy Valentines Day

Wishing you all a day with hugs.

The Surface

There is nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean.  Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent. 

                                                                                                      Dave Berry

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

2012 seemed to pass in a blink for us.

You too?

Any wishes for the year ahead?

We are hoping 

where ever you are in this world

that the coming year 

brings you kindness, 

light and love.

Seriously?

Seriously, almost 2013? 

To You and Yours: Som Sabadell

We hope you have a tiny bit of time today 

for this Som Sabadell footage. 

It lifts the spirit with it's beauty, passion 

and unifying magic.

Sending you hugs and love.

Merry Christmas Girls, Where Ever You Are

Each year as Christmas nears my husband and I are reminded of holidays past when our dogs were with us. There was a special decade in which our lives were graced with three wonderful dogs and a cat sharing our small house. All ladies, who brought us many, many bouts of laughter and lots of love. They are pictured above (L to R, Clancy, Mandy and Shannon) in full sniff as I opened a Christmas present filled with tasty mustard's. One minute they were out of sight and the next, I could barely see daylight and was running out of air from laughing so hard. Nary a lid was opened but, lids were no match for those skilled noses. With Shannon and Mandy both weighing in at well over a hundred pounds, and Clancy no piker, standing my ground was no small feat when they were all excited at the same time. 

Clancy was the wise old crone. She arrived long before the other two and outlived them by a few months, passing away in her 16th year. Living lakeside likely gave her a better shot at that long life with all the swimming she was able to do through the years. No doubt my girl is still fetching somewhere. As the saying goes, she did not suffer fools well, so had little patience when her larger sisters were bent on rough housing or "trying" to out swim her. If she spoke, they listened.

Shannon, who had been mistreated, came to us in her second year. (No, we did not crop her ears.) She was the most gentle dog I have ever known and an incredible patient when she needed to be. Living for a time with her litter of 8 Great Dane pups was amazing. THEY GROW QUICKLY! Mandy was her daughter and we were so very glad she joined our clan. What a dear spirit she was.

We were a team, all of us. And when they all passed away, within the same year, we were hard pressed to step up again. We have been blessed with some other dear cats since then, but have never mustered the light hearts needed to bring another dog into our small circle. No need, I still hear their nails clicking on the floor and wake in the night thinking Shannon is once again trying to sneak onto the bed without being noticed. She could have taken up ballet, so poised in mid-air for a girl of her size. 

This holiday we are reminded of them and that oh so healthy laughter they added to our days. Merry Christmas girls, where ever you are.

In the Wake

In the wake of Newtown's events...

no adequate words come.

simply

stay close

to those you love

and as tightly furled hearts

find safe passage

to open once more

keep this song in mind.

"If I Should Fall Behind" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Gifts from the Sea

Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach -- waiting for a gift from the sea.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

There are many sentiments in Gifts from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh that resonate with me. A treasured copy, passed to me by a dear friend three plus decades past, was a gifted treasure to her as well. The little book has been well loved. Each transfer of these words from 1955 were shared at a time when most needed. When things get too hectic and overwhelming, Lindbergh's words soothe and slow. Gifts. Someday I will pass this copy on to another, when most needed.

It seems right to me that the holiday season begin 

with her thoughts on patience. 

A Bit of Time

Look deep, deep, deep into nature, 

and then you will understand everything.

                                          Albert Einstein

That Albert, what a smart fellow he was.

Hope your week includes 

a bit of time with nature.

Blanketing the Ground

It has been raining

and blowing

taking the last leaves from the trees

and blanketing the ground with color.

Oh thank you mother nature,

on this Thanksgiving

please know

I am grateful for your gifts.

Picturing You

Every day we should 

hear at least one little song, 

read one good poem, 

see one exquisite picture, 

and, if possible, 

speak a few sensible words. 

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

35mm to Digital

Old memories. Our lives are full of them, yes? Some treasured, some less so. Many never settle long enough to fully form. Other moments in time, memories, are so poignant they remain in perfect form through decades. We remember the feel of the air, the placement of the sun in the sky, the scents and the sounds filling in the remaining blank spots on the canvas. 

Such a gift, old memories. And if we are lucky, when those gifted memories do begin to fade, we have images to assist in re-painting our mental canvas. 

I've been digging through old photos, taken long ago on a quiet street in Oaxaca. They surfaced along with other images I'm trying to transition from 35mm to digital. Others may find their way here, or not. The process of walking back in time, the remembering, is the journey of the moment. And I remain ever grateful for the lasting images made possible in part by good ole' Kodak film. You were a friend of mine.

Congratulations Mr. President

Congratulations Mr. President! 

And thank you fellow Americans

each and every one of you voters 

for exercising your rights 

and caring deeply for this country. 

Bears and Bunnies

One of my favorite annual environmental events has a side benefit. The building it is held in has a stage where tiny dancers, from the local dance class, perform midday. Each year a new group of brave little souls nervously find their way to center stage. As those first precious seconds pass, while waiting for the music to begin, their heads swivel right to the teacher behind the curtain, forward in search of family and then to the most likely dancer to remember all the steps.

This years class had stuffed bears and bunnies as partners to aid in conquering stage fright. As the music poured over the hundred or so audience members, each little dancer found their own personality driven dance path. Some charged ahead, others were a bit more contemplative and one found her inner giggle. Unity took two forms; pink tights and death grips on those stuffed animals. Each dancer was delightful and when the well earned applause began they shared a moment of shock driven suspended animation. They then scattered in the same manner they danced; some charged ahead, others lingered a bit and one buried her face in her bunny and giggled off, stage right.

Some days giggles and smiles are abundant. The day of our environmental event was one of 'em. It was a true treat to be there.

A Loving Heart

"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."

                                 Charles Dickens

I Lied About Fall Arriving

I lied about fall arriving. Well actually, the calendar and mother nature were not "quite" in sync this year and area colors have shown up late and are vanishing early. We have lingered over-long in summer temps with no-rain records from 1950 broken. The much needed rain has only begun to fall in the last three days and I swear you can hear the plants and trees saying thank you. Trees must be determined in order to outlast dry spells. Hopefully this big drink will help a bit.

Even as the strong rains fell today I could here the sound of our next door neighbor's chain saw carving away at the umpteenth tree to be dropped in their yard this year. In an effort to override the sound I turned on the TV, just in time for the news report about 200 plus trees that were cut down in Los Angeles so that the SHUTTLE could be pulled from point A to point B. Seriously? Right in the heart of some of the worst urban air quality in the country! Some days are real head shakers.

If I were a person of power, I would speak loudly of the need for rebuilding forest canopies in this time of deforestation. As our air quality degrades around this world, taking down trees with no regard for the bigger picture shocks me. 

Hope you find time to spend with a bit of nature soon. Catch the color and take in some of the fresh air that lingers there. It's a gift.

Bidding Summer Farewell

Bidding summer

a fond farewell

when it seems spring just arrived

then in a blink, gone

there were glimpses 

of summer's bursting color

in my days

but not enough

to say adieu

so soon!

Then again... here come the rich colors of autumn!

What's not to love about fall?

Let the Rain Kiss You

Let the rain kiss you. 

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. 

Let the rain sing you a lullaby. 

                                                                                                      Langston Hughes

Though we are waiting for the rains to return, their spring visits gifted us with leaves aplenty. The air is taking on the scent of summers final days and our favorite season of color is coming. Sending you wishes for an autumn of color and replenishment. Pumpkins too!