So far this morning we have just been hanging out. Miles helped Papa clean the deck and re-hang the bird feeder. Henry explored every room, especially all the stairs.
Here is Miles playing with a gift bag after checking out his new clothes.
And here he is again watching his beloved Thomas the Train.
Miles playing with his fishing pole game.
Henry enjoying his milk (and tortellinis).
The theme today is marine (I guess meaning anything associated with water). But my husband WAS a Marine and served in the Vietnam War- so, theoretically, I could just take another photo of him to satisfy today’s challenge.
But instead- here is one of the few items he brought home with him- his cap.
The theme today was “do over again”- but I had no intention of re-doing one of my old photos to see how I had improved. It was a long day with its share of drama- and I am tired. Every macro shot I took after I got home was out of focus- and I am not feeling energetic enough to get out the tripod. So while my husband and son were on the phone chatting, I took a few photos, vaguely reminiscent of the photo I took last week of myself talking to our son. I went for the closeup and framed it differently- so there you have it.
My kids are grown up, and we are empty nesters. However, with phones, email, cell phones, Skype, and FaceTime, we are grateful to be in constant contact with our adult children and the two grandbabies. Today I set up my tripod, took my remote in hand, and sat down to do a self portrait in a nice spot to sit (today’s theme). Since I am in the middle of a good book (an actual physical book, not my kindle!), I thought that would make a good prop. As is often the case, my son called- so I just kept clicking the remote while I talked to him.
My husband and I are pretty sentimental about Bodega Bay. We drove over there a lot when we were dating, when we were a young married couple, and when our kids were little. After our kids grew up, we would take our dog, Murphy, and now we sometimes go over there with our grandchildren. Our routine when we were young was to walk the beach and then have clam chowder at The Tides (the original burned down, but a new and improved version is there now). Matt doesn’t remember much about Bodega, so we decided to take him there today.
Here is Matt checking out the restaurant
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After lunch we ended up driving over to Doran Beach- it was cold, as usual, but we bundled up and walked the beach. Here’s Matt and his dad.
A lady about my age was expertly flying this kite. I had to change my autofocus area settings in order to capture it, because it was whipping around so fast (I tried all the modes, not sure what I ended up in- and it isn’t in perfect focus).
Today’s Flickr theme was sound. Here are a bunch of very LOUD squawking gulls.
Empty is the topic for today’s photo.
We’re celebrating Lonnie’s birthday tonight finally, because Matt is here! So here is an empty cupcake wrapper.
And here is a finished German Chocolate/Chocolate Chip cupcake, ready for tonight’s birthday dinner.
Happy Birthday to ya!
It’s my husband’s birthday! We went out to lunch with some friends, skyped with the grandbabies, and are going out later for a movie. Tomorrow, our son is coming home, so then it will be cake and presents!
Today’s topic is dedication.
My parents were part of the Depression and World War II generation- the greatest generation some say. My father was supposed to be too old to join up when the Unites States entered World War II, but he volunteered for service, serving in the Pacific aboard the USS Ajax, a hospital ship, as a dentist. He remained in the Naval Reserve until he retired as a lieutenant commander.
This photo is of a tiny plank presented to him when the Ajax was decommissioned.
Lonnie’s dad and his wife do a daily labor of love- they deliver Meals on Wheels to the elderly and infirm. The irony here is that they are 87 and 79 years old, respectively. Pretty amazing!
Breaking a rule- here is a photo I snapped of Lonnie hard at work at the computer last night, not today. I am trying to capture more everyday moments in practice for seeing the grandbabies at some point in the future (I am missing them so much!). And nothing could be more everyday than my husband hard at work. I love the lighting from the computer monitor.
Straightening up, laundry, packing for Kansas- not much time for photography today, alas! I went with the topic, repetition, and spotted the repetition of the spices while I was cleaning the kitchen counter.
I was lucky to be raised in a house with two grandmothers and one grandfather in addition to my parents and myself. My mother’s parents were always my role models for a long and happy marriage. I will never forget the adoring way my grandfather would look at my grandmother, Mimi; his love for her was evident in his every action. All of us hoped that when their times came, he would go first. We just couldn’t imagine how he would live without her.
However, Mimi died suddenly at age eighty. Grandpa surprised all of us with his calm acceptance and resilience. We would find him sitting outside talking softly to her, as if she was sitting right beside him. He knew she was “gone”, but felt her presence with him all the time. My grandfather had been a churchgoer for most of his life, but had told me many times that he didn’t have to go to church to be with God- he just had to go outside and God was all around.
Today’s topic is mystical figure. My grandfather would never have identified himself as a mystic, but, as someone who easily communed with God, I believe he was. My photo of the day is my grandmother’s musical angel, always present in my house and a reminder of the beautiful souls who were my grandparents.
f/4, 1/80, ISO 1600, 85mm
Posting again from the Seattle Airport. . .
Leaving was hard today. Here is one reason why:
Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, friends, and photo friends out in the blogosphere! Here is just one of the many things I’m thankful for- delicious baked goods made my talented daughter! How ’bout that handprint turkey on the pumpkin pie?!?
melinda anderson photography 