I will not complain about the weather.
This is a different sort of digitally scrapped page than what I have shared here previously. It has only five layers and uses one photo of Chuck as a young boy, in two different ways. (Wasn’t he cute as a button?) On the larger image I reduced the opacity so it could serve as the canvas. The journaling is heartfelt. In many ways, this page comes closest to what I have looked forward to creating digitally.
It’s all a matter of perspective. When I took this photograph, I liked the diamond texture of the concrete and the way the weeds were creeping and fanning out. When I looked at it on the computer, I realized it looked as if the weeds were climbing up a wall. That’s what prompted me to post: “What Do You See?”. Because in fact, I was standing on the step above, photographing the step below. The bottom of the photo is a length of pressure treated lumber. The concrete is diamond gridded for traction. I thought perhaps the dark splotch of aged gum on the right, slightly obscured by the greenery might give it away! Because I gave it a double take, I was curious to see what you saw. Thanks for your comments!
I brought the camera along on our walk for some sky shots. The clouds were puffy and swirly as sunset approached and I hoped to capture something dazzling on film. (If it’s a digital camera, what is the correct phrase now for “on film”?) Instead of something broad and sweeping, I found this little vignette. It tugs at my heart - the decay of the manmade against plucky, guileless beauty.
We spent a lovely day today down in Rhode Island with my Mom. The three of us also had the opportunity to join our niece Carrie, at a reception in her honor. She was named employee of the month! It was such fun to see her healthy, happy and very much in her element. Her colleagues clearly think she is the bee’s knees and we heartily agree!
I can only begin to imagine the conversations. He was 27. She was 26. Their youngest child, a fifth son, was still a babe in arms, the oldest only nine. Did they discuss it by candlelight at a kitchen table? Or was it so big a dream it could only be whispered about in bed before they fell asleep? Eventually the decision was made. Jacob would go to America. Leah would stay behind in Russia with the children. It was 1887. They were young and strong. Leah was the eldest of 16 children. Her mother had passed after delivering eight children into the world. Her father’s second wife had borne eight more. Leah was a capable woman. Jacob would work hard and send for them as soon as he was able.
As you can see, the milkweed is popular around here. This afternoon, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly was sharing the dining experience with a Honey Bee (top right)! The butterfly and the bees were all in motion in the warm sun, moving from one pom-pom of flowers to the next. But in this instant, it felt as if the butterfly posed briefly for the camera!
These gorgeous raspberries are volunteers in our landscape. When we first moved here, we found the canes thriving in the spaces between the edges of the woods and the tamer portions of the property. We harvest our fair share, the birds take the rest. And by “harvest” I really mean very few ever make it into the house! Sweet!
In honor of yesterday’s post, may I present Bridal Wreath. I actually thought I had uploaded this a couple of weeks ago when it was in full bloom. It’s very long lived and incredibly hardy, in that it can handle some pretty tough growing conditions - hot summers, freezing winters. Hmmm... more in common with yesterday’s post than I first realized!
My eldest sister Karen lives in Arizona where it has been over 110 degrees (43 C) for many days and will be thus for many days to come. My sister Gail lives in Georgia where she is experiencing her first southern summer of 80s, 90s (32 C) and oppressive dewpoints, all punctuated with thunderstorms. So this big, beautiful hydrangea, which reminded me of a snowball, is for my intrepid sisters! 
As a child, on the Fourth of July, I used to do a little pageant/musical presentation with our family friends T & E. T was a year older than me and E a year younger than me. At twilight, we would put patriotic, all-American music on the big console style Magnavox stereo and blast it out into the backyard from my parents’ living room. We three girls would sing and march around and then for the grand finale we would light sparklers. I don’t think sparklers were illegal back then. They were so darned exciting and magical - little handheld fireworks that lasted a surprisingly long time. We would write our names in the gathering darkness, while our appreciative audience of parents and grandparents would laugh, applaud and sing along. 
We spent the weekend mostly around home. The weather was cool, dry and generally clear. That was a great incentive to get outside and do some yard work. We had just finished this afternoon’s round of trimming and raking. I was about to start making dinner, when we noticed it was beginning to rain lightly. At the same time we noticed that the sun was lighting up the tops of the trees in the field across the street. That’s when we saw the rainbow! I made a dash for the camera and ran outside to snap some pictures. The rain was heavy enough that I opened the barn door to get out of the weather and took the photos from there. I believe the last photo is where you can see the shadow or double rainbow the best. It was a great way to finish off the weekend!
