sunset

on the pier this afternoon.



the cold
{at least cold for us}
is good for one thing...
clear skies for a beautiful sunset!

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thanks again, annie!

spring

i was pleasantly surprised
to find these



outside my front door
a few days ago.
i love the beautiful signs of
a coming spring.

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leaving the san juans after a short vacation with paul's parents this past weekend.

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blue angels at seafair on saturday afternoon.

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i have had a serious craving for chocolate truffles
and a tall glass of ice cold milk
and cheese
and all that talk yesterday
of ice cream
really had my tastebuds going.
so you can imagine my pure delight last night
when i reached back into my pantry
and found these
old, stale
but still decadently delicious
dark belgian chocolate chips.
i ate way too much.
...maybe that is why i couldn't get out of bed this morning.
but not to worry,
i'm staying {pretty} strong.

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this isn't the best picture.

but, i wish someone would write a poem

about this flower that i found off my deck last month.

about how the anthers of the stamen

precariously

cling to the cottony softness of the petals

before springing up to the center

when in full bloom.

i love this flower.

relaxation

"...please steal time every day, if you cannot find it in any other way, to lie down on the grass, or in a hammock, under a huge tree this lovely month...and relax. what a tonic this is for the soul! what a rest for weary nerves! our husbands, children, friends--yes, and the nation--will profit by our relaxation. the greatest need today is for calmer homes, and no fireside can be calm unless its guardian is at peace with the world."

~nell b. nichols, 1924


i'll be at the beach all day, today.
calming my soul and resting my weary nerves.

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standing on the very squishy
and seaweed-y bottom
of puget sound
during low tide on saturday.

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fallen azaleas on the mossy sidewalk outside my front door.

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sunday evening at the park.

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wonder of wonders.
the rain finally stopped for a brief moment on
saturday
and the sun peeked through the clouds.
all over town, people slowly emerged
squinting like vampires at the sun,
squinting and shedding jackets,
revealing pale skin below shorts and sleeves.
the kids and i joined in the sun worship
even though it was still a bit chilly
and took a walk through the park.
i've missed the sunshine.
and miss it again
because the rain started up again.
grrr.

p.s. don't forget to vote!

film

self portrait.. taken yetserday at the seattle international film festival.

yesterday afteroon paul and i went to see the dark horse. i have been wanting to attend the SIFF for so long but am always cautious of the content of the films since they don't rate them and i have a delicate soul. but, one of paul's employees had a role in this particular film and told us that it was family friendly. even mocked that it could be on the hallmark channel. so, i jumped at the chance and told paul to get tickets.

when we got our popcorn and candy and sat down we found that the lady with the looong hair who happened to be in this picture with us, is the director of the film. she spoke a little bit before the movie began.

and once the movie started, i saw that the star of it was one of my favorite characters in persuasion that i saw twice earlier this winter and then another person in the film was in the same play.

and then the mom of the two curly-haired girls who were standing directly in front of us in the movie line suddenly showed up on the screen.

all of that combined with paul's employee, mark, sitting two rows in front of us in the theater while an up-close shot of his face is plastered on the big screen.

it was all very surreal to me.

when the film ended, the director stood up again and all of the actors went down and proceeded to tell about their roles and answer questions from the audience. it was awesome.

then, as we were exiting the theater, the lead girl from the film happened to be walking next to me and i turned to her and congratulated her on her performance and told her that i had seen her and enjoyed her performance in persuasion as well.

so bizarre. and very, very cool.

the movie was a sweet film about putting family first, responsibility, working together and forgiveness. all filmed in the natural green beauty of the pacific northwest. i loved the music in the film and the various shots of the water and land and forest that made me love this place even more. if that's even possible.

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i've been sick lately, so this is as far out of my house as i've gone this week.

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memorial day at the folklife festival.

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some macro shots i took at the botanical gardens yesterday.

i LOVE the details on these flowers.

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at the washington park arboretum last thursday.

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last week's raindrops on the bleeding heart outside my front door.

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after jumping in mud puddles yesterday.

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at the very, very cold tulip fields last friday.

p.s. happy earth day!