as summer ends

Despite the fact that it is still very hot here in the desert, our summer routine and schedule is shifting into the "back to school" mode, engaging in activities associated with the Fall season. I am grateful, I like the routine, I like the feeling of new beginnings. I hope you are all well.

Boating

A gentleman from Harbor Island, Bahamas, lazily paddles across his harbor at sunset.

lazy days

in the pool.

perfect.

lazy summer

a lazy summer means no itinerary, a break from work, enjoying the outdoors, breathing fresh air, evenings by firelight roasting marshmallows... did i say no agenda?

sometime when I'm taking my own sweet time

cause its one of those lazy days of summer

the hubby

just

takes a lay down

to wait

for me

oh we're lazy for sure....

we spend lazy days

picking berries

and

then

of course

eating them

::

Lazy Summer Days

My summer days have been soft and slow,

even when they're full...

and I'm full of gratitude for rich moments like these.

on my street

lazy summer days around every corner!!

summer in the sand

Fellow beach goers enjoying the sun and surf at Delawares National Seashore.

Sucking Up the Shade

Ahhhhhh...the lazy days of Summer...

Seeking shade at every turn,

because it's too HOT for anything else!

Smart little quackers!

lazy summer days

Lazy Summer Days

Aaahhhh.

Lazy days in Cannes

Not quite summer in Cannes, France but a warm late spring day on Ile Sainte Marguerite.  My new friends Helene and her sons Clement and Paul taking us through the avenue of Eucalyptus trees planted there.  Helene's husband Phillipe is with us our boat driver and friend.  The island a tranquil escape after the business of touring for 4 weeks.  A picnic fresh from Helene's kitchen packed carefully and served on a checked tablecloth.  France as we had not yet experienced her, on a lazy almost summer day with the scent of Eucalyptus in the air and the warmth of new friends surrounding us.  

Lazy Summer Days

staring out at the ocean,
watching the waves roll in.

Lazy Summer Days

Hangin out in the yard and having a lazy day brunch with friends  is one of the fun things I love doing in the summer.

Lazy Summer Day…

I have been relaxing so much this summer that I actually had a hard time picking just one image out…I used this image for my Picture Summer entry for today which had a prompt of “summer solitude”….Just hanging out in my backyard hammock.

Gail

Picturing the Year

lazy summer days

I think we should explore
our individual ideas on
lazy summer days
mine is floating down the river
with my husband rowing
and at least once every summer
he leaves the fly rods at home
and i can truly relax

happy summer to all

Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes at the beach... we all love a morning parade!!!!

Stars & Stipes

Small town Americana

where Stars and Stripes line the lane

pride, gratitude, sorrow & sacrifice

are remembered and celebrated

in honor of the pain

the red, white and blue

Celebrate the birth of our blessed country, it surely is indeed the land of the free.

pride

freedom is the last, best hope of earth....

abraham lincoln

Stars and Stripes

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Be safe!

*stars and stripes*

"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls."

~Robert J. McCracken

Star and Stripes Picnic

Nothing like a good old 4th of July picnic to celebrate!

Happy Summer Holidays

God Bless us each and everyone!

Stars and Stripes

I'm proud to celebrate this country. I give thanks for the privilege
of being a citizen. I'm blessed to be an American.

Stars and Stripes Forever

stars & stripes

. waving in the sky . above tall trees . in black and white

Sparkling Water

Sparkling, gurgling and babbling.

falling, filling and bubbling

Shining, reflecting and flowing

Chattering, giggling and running.

A symphony of water humming...
an opera, a fugue, a sonata.

...a liquid serenade.

Kate Iredale

stars and stripes....

thank you

for doing what you do

~

you're so much more than than

just a flag

*

Stars and Stripes

Melissa Beeks Cornell has chosen Stars and Stripes for our theme this week!

Sparkle

Young love,

sometimes the eyes sparkle,

giving it away that you have fallen in love,

your eyes light up when he walks in the room.

That sparkle is a dead give away.

Sparkle at sea

A crew member sparkles at sea.

Sparkle Beach

~A peaceful place to shine~

                                 Is anyone else having trouble really capturing the sparkle? 
                                    This purse was bedazzling but it isn't coming across.
                                                    You'll have to take my word for it.

sparkle

sparkling world
from behind a waterfall

sparkle

The Magical Sparkle of Summer Solstice

The annual sparkle of Summer Solstice!

A spectacular celebration put on by dear friends each year.

As the years pass I get a wee bit better at trying to

capture the first fireworks of our summer.

roadside sparkle

driving down the highway ...
catch it out of the corner of my eye ...
turn around to get a quick shot of a longhorn ...
made out of what look to be car parts shining in the sun!!

in her eyes

Sparkle

Bokeh behind my Purple Tiers hydrangea.
SOOC - (just resized and sharpened for web)

Sparkle

The sparkle of the water in the sun.

Roaming around inside this old church in France, it was cool, and dark and then looking up the sparkle of the candles in the chandelier lit us with their glow.  The beautiful stained glass windows all around us glinting and shining in rainbows of colours.

Satisfy My Soul…

“When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul…”

How Great Thou Art
Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 – 1940

English Translation ~ Stuart K. Hine, 1899 -

When I was a child I was a member of a girl’s choir….and these lyrics always resonated with me and stayed with me…

Sparkle

Hey Guys. This week's theme is hosted by Marca Fleener and it's "Sparkle"

Satisfy My Soul

"If life is the pursuit of happiness...the beach should be the destination"

The ocean is where I go

to breathe,

to fill

and satisfy

my soul.

Satisfying My Soul

Conversing with God

through prayers

to satisfy my soul.

satisfying my soul...

when life is eating me up

and

i need to fill the voids

it's always

the beach

the ocean

and

the grasses in the dunes

that

satisfy my soul

and

bring me back to living

again

*

Satisfy My Soul

 

Fresh Flowers, Vibrant Colors, and Bright Sunny Days,

make me want for nothing else!

satisfying

This is a spot that can always satisfy. To lay here brings a sense of calm - I sigh and feel a peace come over me... as long as the mosquitoes aren't biting.