Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone gets to enjoy some special time with Dad today.

Low Tide

The mud flats of Birch Bay on a lovely evening.  My girls loved digging in the sand and splashing through the salt water ponds.

Upside Down

She's always been happiest upside down.  When she was a baby and nothing else would soothe her, I'd walk around the house with her tucked upside down against my chest until the tears passed.  And still when I get home from work I'm often greeted with "Daddy! Daddy! Upside down?"

Skywatch Friday: Clouds and Pebbles

The pebbled beach gives way to clouds at Birch Bay State Park.

White Lions

The Lions, which are actually in British Columbia, look in this photo as if they are right on the edge of Birch Bay.

Great Blue Heron

A heron goes for a stroll along the beach at Birch Bay

Nai at Birch Bay

Five years ago today

we welcomed our first child

into the world.

She's been teaching us about it ever since.

Happy Birthday, Five-Year-Old!

Lavender

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly. Lavender's green.

When I am king, dilly dilly, you'll be my queen.

Who told me so, dilly dilly? Who told me so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.

I've always loved this old English folk song; it has such a sweet melody that makes me nostalgic for my childhood. Here's a little clip of Burl Ives singing a short version of the song from the Disney movie "So Dear to My Heart."

One of the many things I meant to do this summer (and didn't) was visit the lavender festival in Sequim, Washington, "the lavender capital of North America." I've only seen pictures, but wandering through fields and fields of lavender sounds magical to me. Shannon from Sequim Daily Photo has some nice lavender photos on her blog. Anyway, even a small patch of lavender, such as this one in Birch Bay, makes for a pretty picture.

I can't believe the summer's almost over... and there are so many things I was going to do! Next year, I guess. The canoe races on the Lummi indian reservation, the Subdued Stringband Jamboree, the Anacortes Art Festival... stay tuned, dear reader, because next year I'm doing it all!

Skywatch Friday: Farewell

Sony Cybershot DSC-W55

9/5/2007 - 4/18/2010

Rest in Peace

Last Friday I packed up the girls and went to Birch Bay State Park for an evening of camping and playing on the beach. Unfortunately this evening would mark the final day of our trusty (actually not so trusty) Sony Cybershot. A wayward grain of sand jammed up the lens mechanism beyond repair. No amount of disassembly, compressed air or encouragement from by pliers would repair the situation.

Although it's not a particularly stunning sunset, I'm posting the Sony's final photograph in memory of its life and service to us.

And now a question for all of you: We are looking at getting a good extended zoom point and shoot such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35. Does anybody have any experience with this camera or something similar? We'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.

For more Skywatch images click HERE.

Taking Advantage of Rare November Sunshine

An autumn-blooming flower grabs the spotlight, while the children content themselves with sand and rocks on the beach at Birch Bay State Park.

Little Girl On a Big Stump

The theme day for today is BIG, and if there's one thing the pacific northwest has, it's big trees. This one, alas, only used to be a big tree... now it's a big stump. Still, it was big enough that it just about gave me a heart attack when I came out of our camper to find my not-quite-3-year-old on top. A big stump, but small enough for an ambitious little girl to climb! She did need help down, however.

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