Pathways

"Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it,
many without regard to the goal."
Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm starting an altered book exchange with some friends, and have chosen the theme "Pathways". I'm still working on the cover and my initial spread... more on that later. 

This quote appeared today on the Sketchbook Challenge blog and I loved it. It reminded me that we have so many paths available to us, although we often don't see or acknowledge them.

Sometimes we get going along a path, and we get good at it, and it becomes familiar. So we keep going in that direction even when it's not taking us where we want to go, or making us happy. The old story of "it's what we've always done"...

Occasionally it is time to make a change, choose a new pathway. Its a brave thing to try a new pathway and it takes courage. 

Ask yourself: "What's the worst thing that could happen"? And then "Can you live with that"? If you can, then go for it! You can always fall back on your "familiar", but there could be another fun new pathway just around the corner!

If my pathway makes me happy and I am doing what I've always wanted to do... I can live with that.

Texture

Exploring texture in what I see... first in a series.

Memorial Day

One of the traditions my husband and I have created, is to go share a beer with his Dad and Mom on memorial day.

We frequently visited in the afternoons when Mom was still alive, and enjoyed a beer together chatting about her garden and what she'd done that day. His Dad passed before we were married, but I understand he also enjoyed a beer after work. We started doing this and it's stuck.

You may think I'm odd... and you're probably right, actually... but I have a small canister with some ashes from my daughter in the glove compartment of my car. So she came along and we all had a good time enjoying the chilly late afternoon.

May you find a peaceful way to remember those who have passed from your lives.




P.S. The flowers are from our yard, coral bells, wild strawberry, columbine and forget me not. (Flowers from the yard is also part of the tradition). The carnation and flag were awaiting us when we arrived... thanks to an unknown benefactor.

Faces in the Rocks

Our "Seeing Circle" challenge for this past week was "spooky". I wasn't sure at all what to do with the theme... and the first half of the week we were camping, and nothing about it was spooky to me. 

We hiked down to the river every day, and wandered along the shore. I always look for heart rocks, or other interesting shapes. 

Well, I came across this:

It looked a bit skeleton-ish, so I decided it may work... a spooky faced rock. 

Then I came across this: 

Doesn't it look a bit like a monkey-ish skeleton head? 

And then this appeared: 

A long skinny face was looking at me! 

About the time I came across this rock...

I decided it was just too SPOOKY how many faces there are in the rocks! 

I did come across a heart rock too... 

There's always one somewhere along the shoreline, if you look hard enough.

Wildflower Wonderland

We're just back from camping at Rasar Park along the Skagit River... our favorite campground. Lush green trails and a high river. Watching an eagle perching high in a tree across the river, and then soaring across the water to another tree. They must have a nest near by. 

Walking the trails was a woodland wildflower paradise! The wildflowers were everywhere, all jumbled together carpeting the forest floor along the trail.

This fairy looking trail was just off our campsite...

As was this Western Trillium. It's the only one we saw still in bloom.

There was an abundance of fungi as well... this little clump looked like a fairy garden.

And the ferns were in various stages of unflolding... their tips all curled funky.

How blessed we are to have such beauty so close to home. 

Invitation

The Seeing Circle theme for this week is "Invitation".  This was my interpretation, taken at a local wholesale nursery (who is holding a fundraiser plant sale this weekend) just before the volunteer orientation. Their invitation: "Fill Me".

A star along the trail

I love going out for walks with my husband. He is so alert to nature and the wildlife along the way. We see things with different eyes, and it's fun pointing things out to each other. It had rained hard the night before, and the sun was thinking about staying out for a while, and this little star appeared along the trail, in the midst of a variety of green leaves (aka weeds). I loved the texture.

We never know what little treasure we are going to discover along the way.