My world today - March 8, 2013

 Feeling a little on the melancholy side, I decided to go in hunt of a good view of the water. Maybe I'd get a few pictures I like. I found myself at Fay-Bainbridge Park. It used to be a state park, but is now owned by the City of Bainbridge Island. Anyway, after parking my car and climbing over what seemed like an endless sea of driftwood, I was able to look out over the water to Seattle and areas north. The wind was blowing slightly and felt very refreshing.

Gazing out across Puget Sound brought me this view. Yes, it was hazy over there.

 

 

The cool thing that happened next made me smile. I decided to look landward to see what could be seen from the beach. Way up at the top of a very tall tree, I spied a pair of eagles!

I shot a couple of pictures with my smaller lens before making a change to the telephoto, just in case the birds decided to fly away. What I didn't realize until later is that they were apparently guarding a nest, which is the solid area below them. With the bigger lens, I was able to get the shot below. I am always amazed by the size of eagles. Of course, all the way home I was scanning treetops; no more eagles.

 

My world today - March 1, 2013

I cannot believe that January and February are already gone! The time just seems to have flown by, and been very full of wonderful activities.

Main street through Cedar City

Today, I am in Cedar City, Utah, visiting with Silas and Robyn and their sweet, adorable, crazy children! I'm having a wonderful time. The family picked me up in St. George on Saturday, February 23rd, after I'd finished at the Family History Expo there. We went to dinner at Golden Corral and left when the lights went out. (Not late; there was a power outage!) Since then, we've spent a lot of relaxing time at home, visiting. We've done some shopping; attended the Blue and Gold banquet and eaten a lot of great food. I always enjoy my time here.

Cleod, Grant, Ryan and Cora in one of those quiet moments, together.

My world today - 8 February 2013

I'm in Missouri! I get to stay with Kizzie's family, and this is a big part of my world today.

 Avery, Jack and Nora. Yep, they're adorable! Later today, we're going to visit Sarah's family. I'm so glad to be able to see some of my children and grandchildren.
 

My world today - 31 January 2013

So, I find myself in Forks, Washington, again. Jaci has an office up here, and it is my pleasure to travel with her. Makes me feel like a woman of leisure! Sometimes, I actually accomplish some of the goals I have set for myself while hanging out in the motel room alone, or at the library. This has been a good trip in that way - finally! It's so easy to be a slacker...

I like Forks. No, I'm not a Twilight fan, but it has certainly been good for this community. I did eat a Twilight Wrap for dinner last night from the deli at the grocery store. It was very good! 

The Forks Hair Salon is my salon of choice, giving me more incentive to drive up here. I like the way the owner cuts and styles my hair. I like her, and enjoy our conversations. She is Vietnamese, and I like hearing about her family and country of origin. It is the Vietnamese New Year, and she was busy encouraging her daughter to remember to send money to the relatives still in Vietnam. 

The drive to and from Forks is always beautiful, rain or shine, day or night. The company (Jaci) is pretty good, too. :)

 

My world today - 25 January 2013

Today was a gloriously beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest! It was still a little bit chilly, but nothing like it had been; and NOTHING like Missouri.

I started the day by going into the Family History Center in Poulsbo with my mom. I have scheduled monthly open houses at the FHC on the fourth Fridays. Usually, I have a consultant, or two, to assist me. Since our attendance has been so low, and advertising probably even lower, I had planned to go in by myself. I'm really glad Mom was along because we had four visitors. I know that doesn't seem like many, but it's a record for us. I spent nearly the entire two hours introducing those four visitors to the facility and discussing family history. Frankly, I was hyped and exhausted by the time we locked the doors. 

Later in the day, Rob and I went out. There was an accident along the highway going out of Kingston, so we detoured, theoretically by way of South Kingston Road, which would only take an extra five minutes. But, Rob decided to go on into Indianola. We went into the White Horse complex to see the progress on the new lodge/restaurant/lounge being constructed there. Then, we drove into Jefferson Beach and checked out the various streets there. By the time we got near Kingston, the sun was setting; and, we had noticed the nearly full moon. I just had to share.

 

My world today - 19 January 2013

I did leave the house today, to go out to the motor home for a few minutes. Otherwise, I've had the luxury of relaxing indoors, reading a book and working on a variety of projects with loose ends. Who doesn't have those??

Those of you who've visited my parents' home will recognize this chandelier. It has hung in their home since it was built in 1991. It is still beautiful, and casts an almost equally lovely shadow on the ceiling.

This afternoon, a small flock of birds settled in a tree in front of the house. I grabbed my camera and went out, quietly, onto the deck to try to get an amazing picture. The birds, however, had a different idea. Of course, they waited until I'd found the perfect vantage point and aimed my camera. Then, they flew as one toward a different set of trees, more or less out of reach of my lens. This is what I managed to capture from a great distance. Not bad, I think. Now, I need to figure out what kind of birds they are. Or, maybe I'll go back to reading that book...

 

My world today - 18 January 2013

Recently, I read a blog authored by a photographer in Florida. She set a goal for herself to post a photo she took each day. It got me thinking about how much I don't post on this blog, and what prompts me to do so. I realized it's usually a picture. I take so many pictures, that I think I overwhelm myself when I think about sharing one, or more, on the blog.

Today, I attended a meeting of the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS). It was about setting goals (one of my major weaknesses) in regard to family history work. It was interesting, informative and motivating.

So, on my way home, I decided to start posting (not every day) snippets of my days. Something from the day, but not necessarily representative of the whole day. There is a lot less pressure that way, and I'm more likely to post more often. 

I stopped in Suquamish and took a picture of the 'new' dock. I forget what year it was constructed, but it wasn't there when I lived in Suquamish as a teenager. It is much lovelier than the one it replaced!

The main thing I'm really trying to show is the shades of gray. Gray days have never bothered me. Probably, most people think this is what it looks like in the Seattle area all the time. Truth be told, we have gorgeous blue skies often. Or, maybe it just seems that the 'bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle' because of the gray. Hmmm. I may have to take notice.