Photo Hunters - Bags

Photo Hunters were in search of a picture of "bags" this week. This was a challenging one for me, until I stumbled on this picture.

Photo Hunters - Bags

Last fall, our family had a bake sale to raise funds for Free Wheel Chair Mission. We baked brownies and sold them outside our neighborhood drug store. Our goal was to raise enough money to buy one wheel chair for around $50. We were so thrilled when, at the end of our time, we had raised enough through the sale and donations to buy three!!








Bag it.

Skywatch

Kailua Beach, Hawaii

Yesterday it snowed here in the Land of Enchantment. Brrrrr! I hadn't expected winter to arrive this early - was hoping it would hold out for a few more weeks. The cold and snow wouldn't be such a bother except that our heater isn't working, and won't be until Monday. Brrrr! So I pulled on a sweatshirt and tried to think warm thoughts. Ahhhhh....my mind took me back to a wonderfully warm day I spent at Kailua Beach this last summer. I would love to be back there until Monday. Who am I kidding? I would love to be back there until next spring.




Gaze at more skies - SkyWatch Friday.

Photo Hunters - Sports

I spent some time at Kailua Beach in Oahu, Hawaii this past June. It's a beautiful beach that's rarely crowded and has plenty of wind. The perfect place for windsurfers. I loved watching them seem to just fly across the waves. The power of the wind is an awesome thing. I captured these images, which fit well with the Photo Hunters theme of the week, "sports!"

Photo Hunters - Sports

Wind Surfers - Kailua Beach, Hawaii




More sports.

Photo Hunters - Twisted

Photo Hunters - Twisted

The Loretto Staircase
Loretto Chapel
Santa Fe, NM


The Loretto Chapel. Santa Fe, NM. When was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Not uncommon of chapels of the time, when priests used ladders to climb into the lofts. But since Loretto was run by nuns, a staircase was needed. The chapel is too small for a conventional staircase. The sister prayed for an answer. Legend has it that a mysterious carpenter appeared and with only a hammer, saw, T-square and buckets of hot water for shaping the woord created the miraculous structure. Months later, the staircase was completed and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. The stairway confounds architects, engineers and master craftsmen. It makes over two complete 360-degree turns, stands 20’ tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir loft. The risers of the 33 steps are all of the same height. Made of an apparently extinct wood species, it was constructed with only square wooden pegs without glue or nails. When finished, the staircase had no handrails. The banister and balusters were added ten years later. It really is an amazing structure.




More Twisted Things

Photo Hunters - Upside Down

The Photo Hunters theme for the week was "upside down." Kids have a way of really turning your world upside down.

Immediately, these two picture came to mind.

Photo Hunters - Upside Down

TN Chick has more "upside down" at her blog and drop by Criz's place for a bunch "upside down."

Photo Hunters - Orange

Haven't played along with the Photo Hunters in a while and frankly I've missed it. This summer really derailed life in many ways. I dislocated my knee back in June. Tore my ACL and meniscus and damaged the cartilage on my femur where my bones crunched together. The summer itself was consumed with the repair and a long recovery, with very little energy to do anything else, esp. blog. And I still have a ways to go yet.

But the end of August symbolizes the beginning of fall (even though officially it will be several more weeks before it's arrival). And I'm happily saying "good-bye" to summer with a renewed hope that I can come back to blogging with new vigor. Time will tell I suppose.

So I'm jumping (figuratively, of course) back into The Hunt and have found a photo I took of something "orange."

Photo Hunters - Orange

I saw this photo that I took last spring and it made me feel happy. I could use a little more happy lately so it seemed like a really good choice.


You'll find more "orange" things at the blog of TN Chick - the creator of The Photo Hunt. (for which I'm grateful) And also, if you'd like to find a place with easy links to many Photo Hunters' blogs, you can always drop by my bloggy and photographic friend, Napaboaniya. Her photo choice for orange is terrific!

20 years

Twenty years ago, I was just a girl and he was a boy and we got married, because God had taken three years to lead us together.

Today, twenty years later, God still leads us together, a little more each day.

I know him better and I love him more. I "get" him better and I love him more. I love him deeper and more passionately and with a clearer understanding of what love really is. I am convinced that even the worst thing in the world is vastly better if I am with him than the best of things by myself; and I would choose go with him to hell and back as long as we are together.

He gets me. He loves me. He knows me better than any other human being and he still loves me.



It's amazing. It's miraculous. It's a priceless treasure.

We are blessed.

Thematic Photographic - Laundry

Carmi's Thematic Photographic challenge of the week is laundry. Interesting and fun choice.

Although we have mountains of laundry around here, I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of it. The battle itself of trying to keep the laundry at bay is tough enough, I don't need photos of it to remind me that I'm usually losing.

Instead I've chosen this photo. We don't have a laundry line we have this.



My daughter jokes that around here when the tree starts to bear this kind of "fruit," we know Spring has arrived.

Photo Hunters - Entertainment

This week the Photo Hunters were in search of photos of "entertainment." So vast a topic! Was it a tough choice for me, you ask? Are you kidding me!? I have seven children. We have enough entertainment around here I should sell tickets.

Photo Hunters - Entertainment

More entertainment can be found here.

Photo Hunters - Utensil(s)

Photo Hunters - Utensil(s)

More Utensil(s).

Photo Hunters - Garbage

Finally back to Photo Hunters this week. It's been a while. Today's theme of "garbage" threw me for a loop until I stopped by Carver's Place. I realized that "garbage" could be a part of my photo without being the primary focus of it. Then my choice came to mind right away.

Photo Hunters - Garbage

This is looking down the street from the frontyard of the home where we stayed in O'ahu Hawi'i. It was such a quiet and lovely street. Can you see why this picture fits the theme?


More garbage to be explored.

Thematic Photographic - Cloudy

Fell off the face of the earth for a few weeks. First, as a result of doing something careless and dangerous, I took a fall and hurt my knee. Won't know the extent of the damage for another week when I finally have a follow-up appointment with the othropaedic doc who will review an MRI of my injured knee. I do know at a minimum, I dislocated my kneecap. Ouch.

Double ouch that I hurt my knee five days before I was expected to fly to O'ahu Hawai'i with my daughter and a group of her friends for a week in paradise. Wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it but I packed my suitcase and took my bum knee on vacation.

Which brings me to these pictures which I'm posting for Carmi's Thematic Photographic challenge this week of cloudy. These are all photos I took on my trip to Hawai'i. Even with a bum knee, it was an amazing trip.

Thematic Photographic - Dusk

I'm at the tail end of Thematic Photographic this week as usual. But I love Carmi's theme of "dusk" so much that I decided not to let this one pass.

Dusk is truly one of my favorite times of day. A peaceful time. The coolness of the day. The muted colors. The amazing sky. Ahhhhh. I just love to take a deep breath and take it all in.

I was going to try to pick a favorite one of these photos but I couldn't. Maybe you'll have a favorite - leave me comment and let me know.

Now I'm off to enjoy my favorite time of day.











You can enjoy dusk anytime of day, here