The San Juan Whales

I love the San Juan's and often fantasize about living there one day.  Fortunately for us we live close enough to visit often. We were invited to come camping with friends on San Juan Island and had a phenomenal time!

We were awakened by some extremely loud birds in the morning including ravens. I think they win the award for the loudest squawk.

One of the many sunsets we enjoyed.

We saw this dog in Roche Harbor and I fell in love!

The highlight of any trip to the San Juan's is seeing the whales. It's awe inspiring to be so close. Seeing them from the water is thrilling, but they came so close to the shore one day that it was just as exciting to see them.  Took too many pictures to post but here are a few.

These pictures do not do them justice.

We saw a lot of babies......very good news!

I don't think National Geographic will be calling for my work. I can capture fins pretty well.

More fins........

Life IS good!

Kindergarten Gifts

The Kindergarten gifts are finally finished! I'm fairly good at getting my work done by my deadlines....this one was close. These are just a few....

I drew the pictures using ink and colored pencil and then attached them to canvas board.

Kate is so shy and delicate she reminds me of a ballerina.

I don't know how excited the boys get about their gifts...maybe I should attach some candy!

Sean loves bats and has shared many bat stories with me this year.

Did I mention how excited I was that I finished? It's only 3:15, I think a glass of wine is in order.

One of Ivan's talents at the talent show was showing us his hitting and catching skills. I was amazed.....this boy has talent!

Brahm is just a cool cat......or should I say dog in this case.

Snow Camping

The first 80 degree weekend came and we decided to go camping at Denny Creek. Our camp site was right along the river.

Franklin Falls is one of my favorite hikes. But we didn't bring along anything that said North Face nor did we grab our spiked ice shoes.  We moved ahead anyway.

Wishing for boots right about now.

Can not beat the views from this trail.

By the time you get to the falls you are a little sweaty and ready for some cool spray from the waterfall.

COLD!

I love having my son home from college!



View from the back of our tent.




The best part..........the fire!



Full Bloom



I love to be outside and truly my favorite place to be is in my yard.



The aroma of this magnolia is amazing!

You can not beat the half priced baskets at Flower World. They last all summer.

Lavender lemonade anyone?

This color belongs in a children's room.

My attempt at photographing textures.

This plant has such pretty leaves and then it gives you this gorgeous flower in July. The plant that keeps on giving.....

My friend which eats all my favorites, but I can't get myself to exterminate. This little guy is pretty pale compared to his buddies. Gorgeous colors!

Karmic connection in Lake Chelan

We just had a fun little mini-trip to Lake Chelan. It was a little chilly for this time of year but the blue skies were a welcome sight for these rain drenched eyes! Hiking, wine tasting, meeting some fun people, wine tasting, shopping, more wine tasting....you get the idea.



The highlight of our trip was a dinner at Karma Winery. It lives up to it's name.....I had an instant connection to this gorgeous place. The wine, the food and the people are amazing.  I can't say enough great things. We joined their wine club on the spot!



This is our future campsite!  The sky was so gorgeous we decided we had to have a fire and look at stars, so we headed to the State Park.



Greg has great skills as a fire starter.

Nothing better than a fire in the evening.

We had the cutest visitor!

He invited a friend....

who invited another friend.

The Dog Box



I wanted to share my new creation for dog lover's everywhere.  A fun way to store your dog's food so you have the option of keeping it out and not tucked away in the garage or under the sink.  I'm not saying they won't want to nibble or anything.....my sister's lab would definitely have to be kept away....but only you know your dog.  Box for cats coming soon!



Box Size-W 15"x L 29"x H 12"



Does anyone have a brush?



I'm too cute to sneak food.

Great box for holding toys!

Don't let these sad eyes fool you.

Journals

I love the idea of writing in a journal but I must confess, I am not very good at it. When gratitude journaling became popular I could relate. Jotting down five or six things that I am grateful for is more my speed. Writing beautifully meaningful sentences that someday will bring someone to tears is not something I can do.  I leave that up to the more talented people out there.  What I do love to do is create journals. I finished these today and plan to post on my etsy site.

Mixed-Media using acrylics, paper, and ink