Wide Open Spaces

junipers & wind blown grass

rim rocks & puffy clouds

a sunset & a thunder storm

farm land & a mountain range

painted hills & high desert

painted hills & farm land

painted hills & sage brush

{of note: the "paint" on the hills matches the sage brush}

crystal clear mountain lake & a crystal blue sky

mountain lake & ponderosa pines

foot hills & a sunrise

the scenic route

{oh, and mount hood, of course!}

Folks, these are some of my vacation iPhone pics.

Haven't even begun to wade through what's on the big girl camera yet.

Most of these were taken out a car window.

It's pretty hard to take a bad photo 'round these parts.

Each and every Oregon visit reminds me

that our Creator is, indeed, extremely creative....

that truly my life consists of blessing heaped upon blessing...

and 

that most anything is possible.

Joining Tamar

Frosty Morn

It appears that winter is not finished with us quite yet.....

Linking up with Kim and Kat

Autumn Woods

Like notes in a symphony,

the leaves that accompanied me on my walk through the woods

hung,

floated,

danced

and 

rustled

in numbers too large to count!

As the breeze sang to me,

I fancied myself engulfed in a paradise

of autumnal bliss.

Such a heavenly Saturday afternoon.

The melody dazzled with

its hot, fiery reds.

And turned dreamy with dollops of creamy pumpkin.

The strains of autumn's symphony grew quiet

as the soft, golden yellows soothed my soul.

The air was sweet,

the tune divine

and my heart was full.

Joining Ashley for

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Six Word Fridays ~ Fall

It's like a fancy card trick,

or the rabbit in the hat...

Take the afternoon light, add in

a few petals and set them

all against a backdrop of green.

Point that 50mm lens...and click!

Hocus pocus ~ the spell is cast.

The camera works its magic ~ and
I'm not embarrassed to admit that

I fall for it every time!

Join the fun!

Share your story,

Six Words at a time!

Of Vines and Motherhood

I've heard that vines, though lovely to look at, are known for squeezing the life out of things.

Things like marsh grass.

Or entire trees!

I've read that they can wrap themselves so tightly around the trunk of a tree

that they choke out all of it's growth potential.

and...

        Vines that climb and cling often cover over the cracks and weaknesses underneath them.

also...

        They will, if left unchecked, grow thick enough to weigh down their host

or limit the light that reaches it's branches.

As I've watched

{via social media}

another school year begin,

these vines have wrapped themselves around some thoughts I'm having about motherhood.

Whether you're sending a child off to their first day of pre-school,

or their first day of college,

the emotions that come with

"letting go"

are often very difficult for a mama to navigate.

Since my kids are both over 25

{and "over" the whole school thing}

I don't have the cyclical reminder that time is passing,

that they are growing up,

and that part of my job is to figure out just how much to let go.

Truth is,

I don't think I was ever a very clingy or tightly wound mom.

But I've still had to do quite a bit of letting go.

And still get smacked in the face with waves of emotion

when I find myself longing to wade back in to the center of their worlds.

The vines help though.

Because I don't want to EVER be that mom

that smothers.

I don't EVER want to cling on so hard that I stunt their growth

or weigh them down

or steal their light.

Right?

None of us want that.

But, oh my...

the letting go can be oh so unnatural sometimes!

The twenty-somethings hit road blocks too sometimes.

Young adult struggles are real and, often, laden with real-life consequences.

So that overly-protective,

cover their cracks,

hold on extra tight

motherhood gene springs into action.

It's dawned on me recently that

I was holding on tight

to a young man who needs breathing room.

Oh,

maybe not in a way that most people would notice.

But my mama heart's been in squeeze mode.

Time to take a deep breath

and,

for the one-millionth time,

let this kid keep on going.

And keep on growing.

Joining Kim for

Little Things Thursday

and Mama Kat for her

Writer's Workshop

ahhhhhh....the scenery

It's good to be home.

Oh....hard to be, yet again, so far away from family.

But it's good to be home.

It'll take time to wade through all my photos from the last few weeks...

but that's good too!

I sure will enjoy savoring the memories!

One of the best things about doing most anything in Central Oregon

is the scenic drive on the way to whatever it is you're going to do!

We were lucky enough to get two great days at my favorite lake in the Csacade Mountains.

Here are a few, random, "out the car window" shots of our ride to the lake!

Fun, right?!

Rejoining my blogging buds -
sure have missed you all!

Linking with Tamar today for
The Good. The Random. The Fun.

Six Word Fridays ~ Color

Here's to the purples, the greens,

yellows and whites. Here's to all

the colors that make of our

world a place of breathtaking beauty.

Here's to the zealot, the peacemaker,

the right wing and the left.

Here's to all of the nuances,

shades and opinions that make up

this family, this whole human race.

I choose to believe that no

matter who you are, I could

find good in you and learn

from you. Yes, I choose this

thought: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing

and rightdoing there is a field.

I will meet you there." Rumi

Join in the fun!

Share your photos with a six word caption,

write a poem

or tell a story...

Just remember ~ only six words per line!

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Swan-a-razzi

They come to the pond from near and far

to see those baby swans.

Look at the joy on their faces!

I mean...what's not to love?!?

Join us here and share your
Black & White photos.
I'm also linking up with
Wednesdays Around the World

Behind the Lens

This guy.

Though he hates to sit still and pose for me,

he does it anyway.

We have a favorite place to visit together.
"My" pond.

At least I pretend it's his favorite too!

Best thing about it?

You never know what you're going to discover beyond the horizon.

The paths, woods and marshes behind the big pond are full of adventure.

Mr. Heron was waiting for us yesterday.

You've heard it said,

"Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes..."

Well,

with a photographer and a heron it's more like

"Don't shoot until you see the yellow of their eyes!"

There were several of them hanging close to the edges of the backwaters,

slowly,

carefully

stalking their lunch.

Because there were fish.
So. Many. Fish.

Never before have I seen fish this big in the pond!

There were tons of them splashing vigorously ~

making bubbles and attracting all sorts of fisherman.

Both heron and human!

No matter the day,

or the company,

or what I discover...

 ...there are few things that make me as happy

as being behind the lens in this place.

Linking up with

Scavenger Hunt Sunday
Saturday Critters
and
Our Beautiful World