It Caught my Breath...and my Heart

I've spent each morning and evening for the last nineteen years traveling the same sixteen miles of road each way, five or more days a week. Though it makes my carbon footprint conscience squirm to admit it, in that time I've made over 6,000 trips coming and going.

As commute views go, I'm blessed. Some are solely of pavement, true. However a portion of the drive gives me glimpses and wide open views of great green swaths of fir trees, the Puget Sound, Mount Rainier and the Narrows Bridge. (Otherwise known as Galloping Gertie, for those who remember the black and white news footage of her earlier demise. Not a comforting mental image on windy days.)

Depending on the time of year, morning and evening trips can include the sunrise, sunset or both. On occasion that eternal rising and setting is so beautiful my heart fairly leaps from my chest. Most of the colorful skies are fleeting, here and gone so quickly they seem more imagined than real. Not so with the sunrise above, which followed me in one stage or another through almost ten miles of my morning journey.

It caught my breath at the rise of the arched bridge. We, the mass of morning migratory workers, moved at procession speed, paying reverence to that glorious sight. A vivid sky painting lingering long enough to fill our vessels for the day ahead.

As we made way along our predetermined paths, the colors, almost imperceptibly, began to fade. First the red-orange-rusts, then yellow-golds, until the finest of clean clear blue remained. I walked into work under that pure blue, with the sky painting tucked safely away in my camera. And my heart.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The photo taken from the bridge has Mount Rainier in the

background with it's own set of clouds.

None of these photos have been altered.

Red

The photo above is a newer addition to this post.

It relates to some fun we are having

in the comments section below.

Red; a color that speaks for itself.

Photo taken along the shore drive near Manchester, WA

Peace in Still Water

Living around the Puget Sound, which is currently under consideration for a name change to the Salish Sea, boats, sailing ships, barges, cargo ships and more are plentiful. Marinas are everywhere though I suspect if you were looking for berth rental, you might argue the point. We are big on boating in the Northwest inland waterways. And though I'm not a boater, I do love catching sight of sail boats, small and large, with billowed sails making way. Any which way as they bob, dance and run; their success dependent on the marriage of the sail makers sails, sailor's skills and nature's whim. A treasure to see.

In honesty, my favorite part of living in the land of boats, ships and all is seeing them in stillness. Of this I never tire. Sails folded, long water shadows cast. There is peace in still water and it's mirrored reflections.

The photo above was taken in Gig Harbor, WA

Combining Beauty and Food Production

"The garden may not ever be finished, and will certainly never be perfect. That is as it should be, the point is not mastery, but cooperation".

Ann Lovejoy

The Year in Bloom, 1987

Ann Lovejoy has long been one of my favorite gardening authors, especially for gardening in the Northwest. Ann advocates for successful gardening through organic methods; building healthy soils, rather than depleting them, which leads to a thriving garden with little insect and weed intrusion and far less watering. It's her mantra. I'm a life long believer.

My maternal grandparents, who worked a year round garden, always had a compost pile brewing. All of our food scraps of a vegetable, fruit, coffee ground, or egg shell nature were fodder for that warm dark pile out back. The rich loam produced from the process was used to dress the plant bases. Evidence of success was found in the plentiful, flavorful results. No one grew better tomatoes than Grandpa and Grandma, I'm sure of it! Of course the hot San Joaquin Valley heat didn't hamper the results either.

These days, as in the past, whether gardeners are toiling away for the sake of food stuffs or ornamental gratification, there's one thing they will always have in common; gardening is good for the spirit.

The photo above was taken in late summer of 09' in a dear friends Northern garden. She has run her hands through the soil of many springs. Her beautiful gardens have reflected the understanding that comes with the long practice of something. They continue to be an inspiration for the art of combining beauty and food production.

Silver Light on the Sea

..."silver light on the sea, the white glancing sunspangles on rivers and lakes, light on the myriad stars of the snow, light sifting through the angles of sun-beaten icebergs, light in glacier caves, irised spray wafting from white waterfalls, and the light of calm starry nights beheld from mountain-tops dipping deep into the clear air. Aye, my lassie, it is a blessed thing to go free in the light of this beautiful world"...

A snippet from a letter by John Muir written in 1887 to Janet Douglass Moores. Yes, it was spelled Douglass. The image was made on a Sunday morning in Silverdale, WA.

Refilling My Sails

I've been absent. Working on refilling my sails. Not quite there yet, so I'm blowing hot air into them until the natural flow of the winds return and take over. Some would argue I should stick with hot air blowing since mine seems to be limitless and always at the ready. Can't seem to shake loose of 2009's dramas which followed us into 2010. Not being fond of dramas, except those found in the pages of books, on the big screen or told around campfires, we will be happy to see ours settle down and take their leave. Sleeping will come more easily and evening writing energy will return.

This year past has given us much to be grateful for; significant health challenges for each of us followed by tense times are looking better (thank the gods we have insurance), job cuts, trims and changes occurred but we are not jobless (and understand we are very lucky). The list goes on but it's all boring and all too familiar no? It's everywhere in greater or lesser degrees; challenges to catastrophes. Like others, we deal with ill winds by standing ground and blowing back, in those times when we can't move forward. Not spitting into them of course since gratefully we haven't lost our senses...yet. You see the trend here? Lucky, lucky, lucky. Health, insurance, and jobs. Very lucky.

So many things serve to fill the sails of our metaphorical vessel; our love for each other, family, friends, you, past experiences, memories, dreams for the future, interests, and as always...gratefulness for being present in the NOW of our lives. Drinking it in, breathing deeply and sending thoughts of wellness, warmth and sustenance to all in need.

I Don't Believe in Ageing

"I don’t believe in ageing.

I believe in forever altering one’s aspect to the sun.

Hence my optimism."

Virginia Woolf

And with that I wish each of you a spectacular 2010.

If we can't pull that off,

I send you wishes for sweet moments in the sun.