Azaleas in Bloom

There is a gorgeous display of azaleas everywhere you look throughout the city.


Note: I just noticed that on the post below it wasn't clear that Alex was who took the picture of the cloud. The caption is his "narration" of how he took the picture. I want to give him credit :-)

The Cloud Tapping with Legs

It was the end of a rainy day, the clouds were clearing. It was sunset when I took this picture. I was walking through the dining room when I first saw this scene. Thinking mom would like this picture to post on her blog, I took her camera and shot some pictures. The first picture I took was through the living room window so you could see the flash. Then I went outside and took this picture. Never before have I seen something like this. Personally I think this is a very nice picture, do you?

Note: this is a collaborative post: Nicolas came up with the title (he said there is a foot somewhere in the cloud) and Alex wrote the caption.

Throw the Tomatoes

At co-op my daughter learned about a festival that takes place in Spain ( I don't remember the region) called La Tomatina. Basically is a big tomato fight. The lady teaching the class decided to have a Tomatina of her own. This is what my daughter looked like after everything was done.



It seems like a big waste to me but, I bet they had a blast!

Patterns of Light and Shade

I was going to post a picture of the many loads of laundry I did today. Unexpectedly I had the chance to go outside and play with the camera. It was a luxury I hadn't had in a long time. Since it started to bloom, I have been fascinated with the dogwood tree in our yard. Today I stood under it and took a lot of pictures. These are the ones I liked the most. I love the interplay between light and shade.


I loved standing under the tree looking up. I love the canopy feeling of this one.

It was a glorious day and I am glad I had the chance to spend some of it outside.

Life Continues

After experiencing grief, somebody else's or my own, it always strikes me how life doesn't stop. The mundane little acts of which our lives are made continue inexorably.







Eating lunch (or rather waiting to eat lunch) at Sonic.Gabi says she is not fully awake until after lunch. Today I could sympathize with her!





Gardening. A new year, a new attempt.

Grief

Yesterday the son of some good friends of ours was found dead. He was 20. I did not know him well but the death of a young person always hits hard. Come to think of it, death always hits hard.

This might sound strange but, I wish I had had my camera. As I accompanied my friends, I kept framing pictures in my mind. Most of the time I felt like an observer looking through a lens. If I could've snapped some pictures, I would've given testimony to the depth of human emotions: the withdrawn look of those who rather grief in private, the comforting embrace of a friend, the caress of a husband trying to comfort his young wife,the tension of husband and wife legally separated but united by their loss,the aggrieved consoling the comforter. I would've captured women keeping busy so that they would have the consolation of work; men performing labors of love: kids helping out the best they could.They would've made great pictures.

I am sorry for all the pictures not taken. I am sorry that I didn't have my camera but I also know that even if I had the camera, I wouldn't have used it. I wouldn't have wanted to intrude in their grief.

Dads at the Park

I took my 4 year old to the park today. While he played in the playground, I just sat and observed my surroundings. It was a gorgeous day! But what really caught my attention was the
amount of dads playing with their kids. It was interesting to observe how much more involved in their children's play they seemed to be that the mothers. The mothers were either talking on their cellphones, or talking to other women, or observing ;-)

Trees and Husbands

are completely unrelated except that I took this picture

on the way to take Mark to the airport
I miss him!

Gathering Place

It seems that my room has become the gathering place. I am more aware these days of the time passing. Some day, sooner that I want to admit, moments like this are going to be a thing of the past.

The Lilies of the Field

These are not lilies or a field but these wild flowers growing in our backyard reminded me of the Scripture verse. It is good reminder for me today and in the days to come.

A Special Day

Sometimes you have to make your kids do things they don't want to do. It is not that you want to make them miserable but that you think there is a lesson in it for them. Saturday was one of those days. A. swam and in the process (hopefully) learned that fear can't govern your actions, that there is great value in conquering your fears and in not letting them rule you. It was a good day!

I Love to See them Play

This afternoon all my kids ended up in my bedroom. They trickled in one by one. First G. who wanted to talk to me about what has been most in her mind (and mine): her school choices for next year. Then came N.,who just snuggled up with me and listened. Last came A.,who asked: Am I missing anything? Before I knew it we were playing some kind of hand slapping game and I just had to go get the camera. They don't always play together well. When they do is worth a picture!

Waiting at the Pool

I took this picture of my daughter while we were waiting for my son to finish swim practice.

Nothing Like a Fast from TV

to spur some creativity. Here is my son measuring some buttermilk to add to the cupcakes he was baking. They were yummy ! I should've taken a picture of the final product but didn't think about it until it was too late ;-)

Encouragement

Note: my son saw us talking and took the picture. I like it!

Tropical Jungle

Well, not really. This fatsia in our front yard always makes me think of the Dominican Republic. Of course, as Mark said, I could've waited to photograph it. It gets so green and luscious in the summer.

In Route to the Big League

It is that Dominican blood!