Yosemite Treasure

Joe has been going through his slides and found one of our favorites from a trip to Yosemite.
This tree was a favorite of photographers for obvious reasons.  It is no longer there which makes it even more special.
We felt it was worth sharing.

Sami and Alex....

This photo reminds me of the spiritual, "I've never seen such love". It is on the cover of a calendar made by their father (our son) John.
I have it on good authority that they do have their occasional spat.
Most siblings love each other but there is something special about twins. Or is it just me?

DesMoines Pier

We walked along the pier yesterday in surprisingly calm weather. No breeze whatsoever.
I'm trying to wrap my brain around my new camera. Joe is a good teacher. The problem is that he is also my husband.  I prefer to learn on  my own, through mistakes. Photos can be deleted!
Holding the camera away and trying to see the subject is proving to be difficult especially if the subject is small.
I have several shots of just water, or sky. then there is an accidental video.

I managed to take a few good ones that I will share.  The belted kingfisher is by Joe.
  I've only seen a belted kingfisher a few times so it was fun.

We saw a boat on a semi-truck wrapped and marked Forest Service. A passer-by asked the driver
why a Forest Ranger would need a boat. The driver gave him a story about needing a boat to patrol the Tonga river in Alaska.
  This  may or may not be true but anytime there is a body of water on the Forest Service property,  the Ranger needs to be ready to act if anyone is disobeying the rules. This is not unusual. Forest Rangers also have trucks, snowmobiles,  etc. to do there job.

I think I may have missed my calling!




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Inspirational!

Our Grand-daughter Zoe attends Denny International Middle School and plays percussion in the Senior Band.
We attended the Winter concert on Thursday and as always were impressed with the music program.
Not that all the groups are spectacular but of the 705 students attending the school , over 300 are in the music program. That's impressive.
The  choral group began this year...about seven students, standing on the stage of an auditorium of about 1000 people. They were nervous and uncertain of the whole process. It was rather painful but they tried and I'm sure they will grow and improve.
The Jazz band is excellent ...the Senior band and Steel drum Ensemble are  also very good.  The director is a dedicated, fantastic musician who is perfect for this job. His name is Marcus J. Pimpleton.
He is also a fundraiser (not by choice). The bands go on trips to perform, their big trip is to Disneyland. They auditioned and will march down Main Street (apparently this is a big deal) Many of the families cannot afford the expense so they are having several concerts to raise the needed money.  They had a collection box on the stage and every so often Mr. P. would remind the audience of the need for funds.
"This is the first year that the concert was not held in the cafeteria.   Isn't this a great place to hold our concert? You won't have to fold the chairs"   Everyone cheered.  Quickly he responded. " So, give money".

I forgot to mention that Mr. P. is also the director of bands at Chief Sealth High School.
Dedicated man.

Look......The Sun

It was so good to wake up to a sunny day.
  After a busy morning we decided to go to the park in  Renton and walk along Lake Washington.
The Christmas lights were still  hanging on all the trees and on the walk way along the water.  Must be pretty at night.

We watched  the coots, Canada geese, cormorants, mallards and seagulls searching for food.

We spotted two crows in a tree doing what looked like kissing.  Love birds.

It was good to get away from work for a few hours.  Joe and I agreed we should do it more often

Sunday Afternoon Drama

 On their way to pick up Zoe, Liz and John made a stop at Trader Joe's for lunch supplies.  
Liz put Indian flatbread in the oven, opened jars of green olive tapenade, artichoke antipasta, put swiss cheese, pastrami, lettuce and Sushi on the counter so we could help ourselves.
Our delicious lunch came to an abrupt halt when they realized one of their bags of groceries was missing. They grabbed a quick lunch rounded up all Zoe's paraphernalia, and headed for the store.

When they arrived and explained their problem, the clerks told John that he placed one of the bags on a counter instead of his cart. When they noticed the error the bag was placed in the cooler to keep it fresh.

All Liz and John had to do was show their receipt.  Let's hear it for Trader Joe's.

By the way, the food was quite good. Since we have to watch what we eat, I'm glad their is no Trader Joe's nearby. I can only take so much temptation.

Zoe...Zoey.....

Always fun to spend time with Zoe. So far everything has gone well.
I found a recording  of Zoe when she was very young and very chatty. We were baking cookies and she was very inquisitive    Some of her remarks while listening to herself. (blushing all the while)
. " I didn't realize I was so pushy."
" I was so sweet  and  angelic"
  When she heard it she said,"You don't have a hidden recorder now,do you?"
  I wish I did, as she made some very interesting comments regarding how she would raise her children.  They would have complete freedom. No restrictions whatsoever.   Yeah!
I hope I'm still around when she is a parent. 

We also found a tape of her cousin Ian when he was about 6 or 7. He was practicing a presentation where he was James Garfield. It was so cute that we couldn't stop laughing even though the content was anything but humorous.
I mentioned it to Ian...told him I may sell it on E-bay.

Zoe also mentioned how she enjoyed talking to Dylan as he was the only one who would discuss philosophy with her.  She said she may minor in Philosophy and major in Law.

I asked who she would like to defend, the innocent  or the guilty.
"It would be more exciting to defend the guilty" said the Zoe.
I wouldn't want to help free a murderer and take a chance that he or she would kill again. Martha
But he or she may have been hit in the head and not be responsible for their actions.  Zoe
This is true, but he or she should not be set free but receive mental help in a guarded facility,  Martha

Thank God the phone rang. 

Is It Worth it?

Another day of putting away the Christmas decor.
Yesterday I managed to accomplish quite a bit while listening to the crazy people in Divorce Court.

Some of my favorite lines.

Judge...."You live somewhere adjacent to the truth".

Wife.."He is a habitual, perpetual, continual, liar"

         " I'm tired of bringin' home the bacon and cookin it too".

You get the idea. 

I'm going to put the decorations back up so I can take them back down while listening to "Divorce Court"

Yes, it's worth it.

The Green Cathedral

Owls  singing bass
Coyote, the trumpet
Wind beating  branches,
the percussion
Bevy of birds, the chorus

Visit from Barbara

My sister Bobbie is great fun.  She is not one to visit much but when she does, it is always memorable.
Bobbie never calls first but stops by if it happens to feel right.
We had a great visit.  She enjoyed all my Christmas decorations ( I call my tacky treasures) and we were able to catch up on  family news.
I showed her my blog which she seemed to enjoy. Bobbie is featured in a couple of them.
She also encouraged me to write. 

I had a very busy morning so was without any makeup & my hair was still in rollers but it didn't seem important.
Our visit was filled with  beautiful moments.

A Walk on the Frigid Side

Later today, Joe and I will be going to my cousin Betty's home for homemade ravioli.
   Betty lives on a lower level towards the Valley Medical Center so we decided to take a walk to check out the road.  Dressed in our down jackets, gloves, sunglasses and hats, we began our  journey. Facing the wind accentuated the  cold.  It was cold.  
Cold, I tell you!
At the end of the road is a view of the Olympics. How awesome is nature.
  I forgot about my numb fingers and enjoyed the pristine beauty of the snow covered mountains.
I could hear howling in the distance, maybe a coyote, it was all too wonderful.