Ruminations from the Temple

Oh man, these little guys are soooo cute!

L'dor va-dor... In all generations we will declare Your greatness and to all eternity we will sanctify Your holiness, and Your praise, our God, will not depart from our mouth forever and ever. I've been thinking quite a bit lately of the next generation. Now that my children are all in 'double-digits', I am hoping and praying that I am instilling in them the values and wisdom that they need and require to make good, solid decisions in their lives. In this pondering, I have encountered some differing views of how to handle the teen years. I guess I'm not so much the sheltering type of parent, but rather the 'spotter' type. I firmly believe that by the time children reach their teen years, they have all the basic instruction they need. From the time they take their first steps and utter their first words, they have been taught how to be polite and use manners, be respectful to those around them, to show compassion and kindness, and to be helpful and consid

I love to take photos, plain and simple. Unfortunately, I can almost never duplicate how my eye sees a particular scene, which is a cause for much frustration and the desire for better equipment. Is this the fate of those who strive to record the world for posterity? A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety. ~Ansel Adams OK, so here's my confession: if I didn't live in such a spectacular place, with outstanding beauty all around, I wouldn't get half the photos I manage to snap. This realization has come after touring friends around the beautiful Pacific Northwest this past week. You just can't help getting a fab-o shot of the sunset when it is painted in a bazillion different shades of gold, orange and red right in front of you. Or when the "monster" that is Mount Rainier is close enough to touch.

If you blog, you might agree with me. As I watch that hit counter climb, I wonder who is looking at my blog. You never can tell, you know. And, I have discovered that most folks just don't leave a comment. Don't get me wrong, that's OK with me...it's just that my curiosity is getting the better of me! So, to all those that stop by unannounced and leave unnoticed, I say a hearty Thank You! I hope you are enjoying my musings, photos and opinions on life in general, and I look forward to your return. I wish you all a fabulous and restful weekend!

our friends from Louisiana Four friends in a mini-van take a tour of the Olympic Peninsula, dodging raindrops, listening to music and enjoying each other's company... The itinerary included: driving up Hood Canal along the waterfront rounding west along the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading towards Sequim lunch along the Dungeness Spit stopping to enjoy the lavender farms along the way Ascending the Olympic National Park to Hurricane Ridge Back to 101 towards Crescent Lake and the Moments in Time trail Heading westward to the Pacific Ocean and Ruby Beach attempting to climb the champion Big Cedar Tree dinner in Hoquiam then northward home No letterboxes today - we just ran out of time. But, wow...what a day! TOUR OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: the Olympic Peninsula

Just a few shots from around the house... One of the lovely little bouquets that Lisa made for me and our guests...isn't it sweet? The babies are hungry... And, I'm happy to announce, the mountain is back out this morning...just in time for our special guests to go enjoy some of the foothill trails. G-d is good!

Here's to the patriarchs, the strong providers and protectors of our families - we love you and need you! We honor you today, Father's Day. Above is a picture of my immediate family back in the late eighties (brother Dan, Mom, Dad and me) . This is Dad, Dan and I much earlier down on the Washington coast...look at the size of those Dungeness crabs! Wow! And much love and honor to the father of my children, Robert Owen. You are a wonderful father, my love. Happy Father's Day!

...and the rain, rain, rain... ...came down, down, down...

Well, I obviously do! And I just had to share this one after reading THIS blog. I needed that good laugh! (What? they will give you a cheesy free comb, but they can't tell you that your collar is messed up?) So here's my graduation picture several years later. I'm not so sure it's much better...

Oh come on, I don't mean the really scary kind, or even the paparazzi kind that the celebs hate (and are really annoying I've seen). I'm talking about the benign type of stalker that just checks in on your sites everyday to see what you are doing, keeps track of little details about you (like hit counts and interesting photos) and knows your birthday. Are you one of those types of stalkers? Have you gotten to know someone purely by following their activities online? stalker , (noun) , 1. someone who walks with long stiff strides, 2. someone who stalks game, 3. prowler: someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions. I like the one with long strides! lol! They must be writing letterbox clues to the boxes I cannot find, "take 30 paces then look for the third bunch of ferns on your right..." I don't mind having a stalker, to be honest, as I don't have anything to hide. I would not want to have a criminal stalker, however, seeking

Just a pic of my special birdhouse, made for me by my friend X Marks the Spot.

Trail at Night, by Ron Guthrie Last night, as I laid my head on my pillow and longed for sleep to overtake me, I wondered. I thought about all the different places I have laid my head, and how different they have felt. I thought about hotel rooms and the interior of tents. I thought about couches and the bed I sleep in at my mother-in-law's house when we visit. I thought about being in the condo at the beach near an open window with the sound of the waves just over the dunes. Then I wondered about my footsteps. I wondered if others thought about where they step, and who had stepped there before them. Along the city sidewalks at Pike Place Market or down in Pioneer Square...or along a trail to a waterfall. What were they thinking and what was their purpose in going there? I thought about walking to school along the street through the suburban neighborhood where I grew up, and wondered if the people that live along that street now even think about the generations of

Every other Sunday, you can hear sweet sound of gypsy jazz played by the talented souls of T-Ville Swing at the Mandolin Cafe on 6th Ave. Grab a your favorite java, sit around the long wooden table with 10 - 15 of your favorite friends and family, log onto your laptop, play a card game or just schmooze while T-Ville entertains the place. You'll have to pause briefly to clap for the great tunes periodically, but that's OK - you'll want to. The guys doing what they love most...(above L to R) Ryan, Ken, Barry and Tim. Below, Josh smiles at one of his girls just off camera. Jim rounds out the band, but is not pictured. A rare photo of the faithful fans...Paulette, Liz & Morgan (great shot, Lisa!) The city of Tacoma is called T-Ville by the coolest of the cool...namely Josh. It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing...

When the boys are in charge of the camera, you never know what type of shots you are gonna see...here's their recent trip to Lake Roosevelt.

They hatched! I've never seen barn swallow eggs before...

One of my favorite things to do is take a sanity break from the everyday routine of being a homeschooling mom. Yeah, my kids are getting older now, and while they may be somewhat self-directed with their schoolwork, there is still refereeing that needs to happen and definitely training moments to be seized. Sometimes, it just wears a mom out, to be honest. So, every Wednesday after working out, Lisa and I try to sneak away to find some sanity. This time we found ourselves at the Point Defiance rose garden and duck pond. It was a beautifully sunny day and the roses were just getting into full bloom. I have never seen so many buds - when they all bust out, it will be just an amazing array of color! Here's just a few of the shots of some sanity...

Everyone knows that I'm not much of a gardener. Really...I just don't care enough about putting time, money and effort into the hobby of gardening. The entry to our home has some roses and other flowers, but it's nothing exceptional. So, to add a little more interest (that won't die), several years ago I had the kids paint the rocks that line the walkway. It was a fun project; we had several of the kids' friends over, broke out the acrylic paints and told them to paint their imagination. It was wonderful, and even on the dreariest of winter days, the painted rocks made me smile each time I walked by. The years have passed and the paint has faded, chipped and is now only a memory of that painting day. Yesterday, it was sunny and warm and the kids were bored, so I suggested painting rocks again. They are older now, and not as enthusiastic as they once were, but at least Tay got into it (he's ten and still likes to hang out with Mom with paint). Morgan pain