Summer has a way of...

slowing us down....

Thus

the 

lack 

of 

recent

posts.....

smiles!

Doing 

very

little

here,

how

'bout

you?

Summertime's callin' me...

Most photos require no explanation....

they evoke memories...

good and some, well, maybe sad...

For me this is a special time of the year....

I have always loved summertime...

of course, as a child, the "livin' was easy",

as a teenager, I lifeguarded for several summers,

and as an adult, I loved to spend pool time with my son....

I was raised in a southern city with no A/C in the house,

none until I was in high school...

we stayed in the shade, drank iced tea, volunteered to 

defrost the freezer, swam in the creek,

squirted each other (and Mom!) with the hose,

and laid on the cool concrete floor of the basement to play 

board games...

you had to be creative to live without A/C...

These days, I occasionally have to throw open the windows

on a cool summer morning, like today,

crank up the attic fan (some call it a whole house fan)

and feel the 

fresh breezes against my skin.

My friend, Anne, (in the B/W photo) 

loved summertime as much as I do...

she died of cancer several years ago.

She was born on August 9th,

and I was born on August 8th of the same year...

we attended the same junior high school, high school

and grew into middle age together.

She was one of the "chick's" that I joined twice a year,

on girl's weekends......for decades.....

We miss her terribly....

and when the sun shines especially HOT,

I think of her, as Anne was indeed quite hot....

I hope that all of you enjoy your summertime...

and take the time to smell that fresh morning breeze...

smiles.

A Long Hot Summer....for the birds....

It has been in the 90's for weeks.....

I live in the southeastern US,

and we are accustomed to hot.

But this is extraordinary.....

and the birds are suffering....

so when I have a moment,

I go out to make sure the birdfeeders are full and the 

water dish is wet.

Momma Cardinal is especially thankful and shows it.

She is cautious though, and checks things out carefully before diving in...

Papa Cardinal is just coming out of his "molting stage" and isn't really interested in public bathing....

So, he eats to compensate, I understand this....

The Titmouse is an exhibitionist, and loves a good splash about....

Soon, he attracts the attention of a kindred spirit...

And the Fun begins...(notice the amount of water on the pavers)

What FUN!

Soon Mamma C is anxious to join in but doesn't know if she is welcomed...

"Sure!" Says the Titmouse, "We all have a bit of hydrotherapy here..."

And so she begins her bath...with enthusiasm...

Don't we all love how it feels to be clean and refreshed!

Summer Freedom

That's the name of a cool contest at Shutterfly.

And simple too....

And you get free stuff just for entering...

you don't even have to win...

you still win.

COOL, huh?!

So...

why don't you 

pick one of those fun photos

of the children,

or the grandchildren,

or your sweet pup,

or your beach trip,

or your garden,

or the skies,

or the fair,

or the 

crazy neighbor who 

cuts the grass in her underwear

(don't ask.....)

You know the photo 

that makes you think of 

Summer Freedom.....

pick it

upload it at Shutterfly

and 

enter for some free prints.

Cool!

You can view my entry here and vote for me starting April1, 2010.

http://contest.shutterfly.com/contests/showentry/317547

smiles

Sunflowers.....FUN!

My goodness....

what a wonderful time of the year.

How perfect the sunflower is....

It feeds my neighborhood birds...

It makes me smile,

It it architecturally challenging...

it is photographically generous....

it feeds the soul...

Smiles!

Sweet Summer Sunshine!

I love summer!

Always have.....

I even like to sweat a bit.....

not from hot flashes,

but from hot summer sunshine.

I love the products of summer,

Sunflowers,

Suntans,

Sunny smiles,

Super Swimming pools,

the smell of suntan lotion (Coppertone)

Silly sassy swimsuits on little girls,

Super Squirt guns in little boys hands,

I love summer!

I went over to our neighborhood pool this morning

and put up all the umbrellas.....

not because it was hot,

but just because I like how it looked.

I love summer!

Potential....of sprouts.

Yes, they are really quite small.....

Say, a quarter of an inch or so....

Brilliant green, leafy heads too heavy to hold up...

Such potential....

Mostly, herbs...

future accompaniments to salads, cheese, pasta,

all things good...

I love the potential of a seed,

so small that I can hardly place it...

Within days, really only 2 or 3,

there is the wispy, hair of new growth.

I can envision Pesto Pasta,

steaming in a bowl with grated Parmesan falling on top.

This is the favorite of the trio, I call "boys".

They are not really boys,

they are all old enough to vote, marry, buy cars,

and enlist, but I won't go there...

Pesto Pasta found it's way into the hearts

of my boys on a beach trip.

I was trying to stick to a very tight budget,

having jumped into the realm of "self-employed".

It was August and I knew the Basil plants

wouldn't make it long in the heat, and our absence.

So, I ripped them all out of the ground

and pulverised every remaining snippet

into the wonderful soup called pesto.

I froze it overnight and prayed

that it would season the two pounds of pasta.

It worked, and the boys loved it.

Now we do not go to the beach

without a large freezer baggie of the wonderful greenness

that is found in these leaves of potential.

Sprouts!

Summertime is calling me.......

The windows are open...

I am listening to the construction of a swimming pool in the neighbors' yard.

The birds were singing their lungs out this morning.

It is in the 70's here, and my heart is crying out for a trip to the beach.

Ever since I obtained my Driver's license at age 16, I've escaped to the beach, usually on a whim.....

Sometimes....I would enlist the company of a girlfriend, sometimes, I would go it alone.

I yearn for the sand between my toes, the sound of the surf to wake me, cotton candy at the Pavilion, dancing at the Spanish Galleon.....and the sound of "beach music" to keep me company in the evening.

I haven't been able to take a trip for a long time now,...and it is starting to grate on my nerves.

Maybe soon....