Early Morning Surprise!

And what a surprise it was!
A strange noise had rousted me from my comfortable chair ...

All of those cars pulled off the side of the road ...
Something special is happening!

Their ride was over ...
But they finished spectacularly!

And worked feverishly to put away the balloon ...

Before they left.
But not before the riders booked another trip!
In 2 weeks.

Pages from an Altered Book ... For Darlene

My first attempt at collage ... you really need to look close for the details on this one.

My first 'mixed media'. Hmmmmmm

My kids learned this technique in middle school - to take a picture, cut it in half, and try to match the picture with your own art. I chose watercolor .

This post is dedicated to the wonderful Darlene at A Dancing Mango.
She is an amazing artist - and has encouraged me to share what I've done.

I'm not sure I would have had the courage otherwise. Thank you, Darlene!

Reflections of Fun - Weekend Reflections

My sister-in-law (Hi Bert!) lives in an apartment that has a cute little playground structure in front. I had stopped by to pick up my nephew, when I noticed how surreal the playground looked - reflected in the front door.

To see reflections from around the world, visit James at Newtown Area Photo - and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Tag Body Spray for Men ...

Seems innocent, doesn't it?
Perfume for men?

If you find these lying around, empty, then be careful.
Someone - probably a teenager - is playing dangerously.

I saw a news story warning about this product, and what kids are doing with them. They use them as 'flame throwers'. They shoot them with pellet guns to make them explode. They throw them on campfires ... ka-boom.

As I watched the story on TV, I realized I have seen these empty containers. They are all over the place at the abandoned mega-church.
Oh dear.
Crazy kids!
No wonder things have been catching on fire lately!

Queen Anne's Lace Lace

Sissie and I went for a walk yesterday.
We found this Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) - one of the biggest we'd ever seen!

Now I know why it's called Queen Anne's LACE!!!

Hey, I Created Something!

I found this old cookie sheet on top of the pile of metal destined for the scrap yard.

Hmmmmm, these used to be on the fridge, but they kept getting knocked off, and ended up in my magnet storage box ...

A little sanding of rust spots ...
A light application of gesso ...
A little pouncing of blue acrylic ...
and look what I made!
A new home for my refrigerator magnets!

Oh the messages we will create!

Confusing Detour

Which way do I go?
Which way do I go?

How confusing is THIS!!!???

Why I Don't Pick Roses ...

Because they're mean - and they might bite my fingers off!

Birds and Broken Windows ... Weekend Reflections

Sissie and I were walking at the abandoned mega-church, when a commotion struck our eye.

These cute little birds were having a feast in the overgrown parking lot - just yards away from where we stood!

It was so hard to put into perspective where we were ... the broken and bashed mega-church behind us, yet with the beauty of nature before us.

To see reflections from around the world, please visit James at Newtown Area Photo - and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Parade Moment To Remember ...

Isn't it funny that amidst the marching bands, floats and decked out cars ...
these are the moments we remember???

Oil on Water Reflections - Weekend Reflections

The recipe called for oil and water to come to a boil.
So I added a dash of olive oil.
And was fascinated by the yellowish color and beautiful reflections it cast through the water in the pan!

To see reflections from around the world, please visit James at Newton Area Photo - and join us for Weekend Reflections!

Fridays Friends - My Twins

The day of their birth was the most amazing day of my life.
Nearly 2 months premature, they struggled in the first month of their lives.

We haven't always gotten along.
The road has been a long and hard one -
The life of a single parent is never easy.
I've made so many mistakes.

Now that my beautiful daughters are 18, our relationships are changing.
We're becoming friends.
They are turning into delightful young ladies, with their lives ahead of them.

My prayers go with them every minute of every day.
Being young today is hard in ways that I cannot understand.

But I like the adults they are becoming.
Well worth the friendships we are trying to build.

Thank you Darlene over at A Dancing Mango for giving me the inspiration to post Fridays Friends. It helps me turn my attention closer to home - to the people who have helped shape my life - some in ways they will never know.

My Car, The Lemon

We got lemons at Gleaners the other day.
As we were unloading the car, one fell out and lodged above the bumper.

I thought it was funny.
I don't anymore.
Because ... the lemon had the last laugh -
My car died.

Yep, click.
That's all I heard.
Click. No vroom vroom.

Three guys all under the hood - poking, prodding.
Much shaking of heads.
"Dead".

Final diagnosis? The starter 'seized'. Apparently.
We hope. Because that can be fixed.
Expensive, but replaceable.

We go to rescue the beast today.
From where it was abandoned next to the road.

And the first thing I am going to do is GET RID OF THAT LEMON.

I Ain't Touching That Thing! - Shadow Shot Sunday

None of the kids would actually touch the poor little millipede - but they were worried about it being out in the sun.
They tried to pick it up with their shadow hands, but it kept getting away!

(We finally picked it up with a piece of paper and put it into the shade).

To see shadows from around the world, please visit Hey Harriet and join us for Shadow Shot Sunday!

My Friend Mika - Friday Friends

Friday Friends ...

My Friday Friend for this week is -- Mika

My friend, my companion.

My comic relief, my foot warmer.

My love-bug, my cuddle-monster.

My blood pressure lowerer!!!

Mika-Mia is my best furry-face friend!

Reflections of Beth ...

We have been friends our entire lives.
Life has done it's best to keep us apart ...
Near death did it's best to separate us.

But love and faith prevailed,
The connection will not be broken!!!

My sister.
My best friend.

Fridays Friends

Weekend Reflections

Still Life of Shovels ...

Rain ...

We had a monsoon rain this morning ...
I ran outside to record the torrents cascading from the roof ...

Somehow I had changed the camera's settings,
and only caught a blur.

I was upset, until I looked closely.
These shots are cool!
Almost surreal.

Sort of like the rainstorm itself,
Now that the sun has come back out.

No Trespassing - Weekend Mailbox

I found this poor lonely mailbox at a "destruction" site in Tualatin - an old school is being dismantled piece by piece.

I had to laugh at all the signs - especially the "Mole Hole" one!

To see more mailboxes and mail related posts, please visit Gemma's Greyscale Territory - and join us for Weekend Mailbox!

Fridays Friends

Darlene over at A Dancing Mango is hosting Fridays Friends ... where we introduce the friends who have helped to shape our lives ... what a wonderful idea!!!

Where to start? There have been so many people over the years who have meant so much to me. And I have met so many wonderful friends through blogging!

I will start with my friend Nadine. I first met Nadine in the 2nd grade. She was always surrounded by friends, while I was the shy one. She helped me come out of my shell a bit, with her bubbly personality.

Through grade school where we hung out at recess looking for rocks in the sand box ... to high school where we hung out looking for boys ... we remained friends.

Then graduation, and life. I didn't see her for over a year, then out of the blue she called me and invited me to a Tupperware party (remember those?). We both decided to go to Hawaii, and bought our tickets. We enjoyed a week there, then again, life intervened. I got married to a soldier, and moved all over the world. 17 years passed in a blur ... we saw each other only rarely ... then we lost touch.

When I had to move back home after being separated from my husband, I called Nadine. It was like the intervening years disappeared! We were older, and she had gotten married to Wally.

It sounds boring, but this is our friendship. We hang out, we lose touch, we live life, we find each other, we hang out. How many friendships could stand this? Nadine is an amazing person, and I treasure her. There is a rare tie between us - I can tell when she's thinking about me, and she ALWAYS calls within a few hours - even when we haven't talked in weeks.

Thank you, Nadine, for all of these years of friendship. You have helped shape my life, and showed me what a true friend is.

Here's to the NEXT 34 years of friendship!