Sisters piggybacking

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.  ~ Marion C. Garretty My oldest (the responsible one) and my youngest (the effusive one). A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.  ~Marion C. Garretty

Table Setting

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ~ King Solomon in Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV) My 7 year-old daughter made the leaf with each person’s name on it, including the glitter around the edges. 12 people barely fit around my table. I need a bigger table, or two shifts! See…

Turnips and carrots

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.  ~ E.P. Powell Every family in the US probably has some unique dish that they add to the Thanksgiving staples of potatoes, turkey, and stuffing. Ours is…

Watering the fields

“Water is the only drink for a wise man.” ~ Henry David Thorea The local fields are often picturesque. No exception here, see pano below.

The wisdom of fortune cookies

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  ~ James 1:19 (NLT) Roger that.

I won, you lost!

“That’s what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we’ve changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning.” ~ Richard Bach Every morning when I drop…

Cloudy tower

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” ~ Saint Augustine Radio tower near Turlock, CA off Hwy J17. Other versions below. “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay…

Barn with Palms

“The first rule of hurricane coverage is that every broadcast must begin with palm trees bending in the wind.” ~ Carl Hiaasen The prevalence of palm trees here in the Central Valley of California still seems strange to me, especially when they sit in the middle of a field.

Up religion

Coincidence is the word we use when we can’t see the levers and pulleys. ~ Emma Bull Sometimes the security check words on Facebook are funny or even appropriate.  Here, I was fb’ing an article about young rapper Lecrae Moore who recently became a Christian, and ‘up religion’ was my security check verbiage. Reminds me…

Farmhouse behind dirt field

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~ Margaret Atwood I’ve photographed this property before, but was again struck by it as I drove by. Nice. See the panos below, they move out progressively (can’t tell from the thumbnails).

Like a gerbil

“I love to go to the playground and watch the children jumping up and down. They don’t know I’m firing blanks.” ~ Emo Philips My kids love to play at the local FunWorks. Here’s a pic on the inside – yes, I go inside too :D.

Girl in a pipe

“It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents.” ~ Eric Hoffer My youngest makes great faces, esp. when she is concentrating.

Sunning butterfly

Butterflies are self propelled flowers.  ~ R.A. Heinlein It’s times like this I wish I had a real camera that could do macros. This guy (gal?) was sunning at Donnelly Park playground in Turlock this past weekend.

Children are affected by their environment

“The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.” ~ G. K. Chesterton My boy is normally an angel from heaven, but put him around bad people, and see what happens? See the following pic for even more proof.

Ready field

“Only he can understand what a farm is, what a country is, who shall have sacrificed part of himself to his farm or country, fought to save it, struggled to make it beautiful. Only then will the love of farm or country fill his heart.” ~  Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) I thought the colors of…

Piscetti girl

No man is lonely eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention. ~ Christopher Morley My third and youngest child has a big personality. Here she is creating her usual facial mess with ‘piscetti.’ Kids make life fun.  More photos below, but not cropped or edited.

Dynamic clouds over Dublin

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. ~ Rabindranath Tagore Nice.

Hollywood starlet

“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise” ~ Alden Nowlan My 7 year old daughter chose a Halloween costume called ‘Hollywood Starlet.’ I hate when they grow up three years at…

Boy in the rear-view

“A boy is a magical creature – you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can’t lock him out of your heart.” ~ Allan Beck There are certain times when your kids are just adorable – mostly when they are quiet ;). Like when they are sleeping, or in the moments like this…

Commuting is Dangerous

Did you ever observe to whom the accidents happen? Chance favors only the prepared mind. ~ Louis Pasteur I commute 60 miles each way back and forth to work. It’s dangerous, and many days, I see things like this. I wonder about the unwelcome drama this introduced into these people’s normal lives.