stories, photographs, adventures…the next chapter
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #113: A Labor of Love
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When you are only 13 years old and decide to sew a patchwork quilt for your parents, it’s a labor of love. That’s what my daughter did 25 years ago amidst her very busy life as a middle school student.
She sewed our Christmas gift that year (and I think it took all year!)…by machine and by hand and presented her father and me with a quilted king sized bedspread, which has lasted to this day.
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Inspired by Fandango’s Friday Flashback: September 4
Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year…How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year?
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This post was originally published on September 4, 2018
Last Friday’s flashback had also been an entry for Frank’s Tuesday Photo Challenge. Still wondering if/when he’ll be back. Hoping he will be!
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Here is my entry for this week’s challenge hosted by “Dutch goes the Photo”
https://dutchgoesthephoto.net/2018/09/04/tuesday-photo-challenge-backyard/
The theme this week is “Backyard”
Backyards are often places where families gather. Children run, jump, play, swim and learn about their outdoor world. For many, a backyard is where bare feet first touch blades of grass – or – where a squirrel is first spotted racing up a tree…
And in these vintage 35mm photos…
A backyard is for reading library books in a hammock with daddy.
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And a backyard is where little brother and big sister cool off and share a sprinkler on a hot summer day.
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(This was going to be a Wordless Wednesday post, but pairing it with Nancy Merrill’s vacation memories challenge made the wordless part too challenging…)
Photo a Week: Vacation Memories
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Covidcation 2020
Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania
Four Days of Quarantined Family Fun
From lakeside….
To a nearby deserted baseball field one morning…
Back to lakeside at day’s end…
…three generations gathered.
Treasured memories…well documented.
Inspired by Fandango’s Friday Flashback: August 28
Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year….How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year?
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This post was originally published on August 28, 2018
This also makes me wonder what happened to Frank at Dutch goes the Photo (whose blog this post was linked to). I always enjoyed his Tuesday photo challenges. I am also forever grateful for his helpful advice in choosing a new camera last year. I hope he is okay!
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Here is my entry for this week’s challenge hosted by “Dutch goes the Photo”
https://dutchgoesthephoto.net/2018/08/28/tuesday-photo-challenge-lift/
The theme this week is “Lift”
Lifting brings to mind the story of a maple tree. A crimson king maple tree to be exact.
We planted this maple tree with great care a few months after moving into our new bare-bones house and 1/2 acre. A young tree, it was just beginning to grow, as our young family was too.
Thirty five years later, the tree had grown at least 40 feet high…wedging itself between the deck and garage we also built along the way. We planned them both around this tree, but it wasn’t enough space in the end.
The tree had to go. And it had to be lifted from the back yard, swung around to the front, lowered and then put through the chipper.
Exactly a year after we said goodbye to this tree, we signed the papers to sell our no-longer-bare-bones home and its half-acre.
Ragtag Daily Prompt: Instinct
What a sight it was a week ago Friday.
Six hours of driving (almost) nonstop. Highways to city streets to country roads. Following the GPS lady’s directions – every minute bringing us closer to our CovidCation. The weather was beautiful – almost too good to be true.
Faster and faster we drove (well I did…my husband’s foot is not as leaden as mine).
We were out-running a virus after all.
Get my lunch out of the backseat please! The car was packed with 2 coolers, 2 suitcases and laundry baskets full of necessities. My gluten free toaster in one of them. As we learned bringing our kids to college, laundry baskets work out well for car trips…as they can nest when they’re empty for the trip home.
It occurred to me that travel by car meant I could bring Full Size Bottles of whatever I wanted. So I did.
My laptop and our cameras…carefully packed. We remembered the tripod for a group photo. Paw Patrol bubbles (but of course). Decks of cards. Guitar.
We arrived at the lake house in the Pocono Mountains around 6:30 pm.
Within a minute a short blonde 4 year old came running out…Grandma! And somehow he was up in my arms with his arms wrapped around my neck, legs encircling my waist. I don’t know how I picked him up but I must have. The first full on leap into my arms hug since February. Far too long.
After that, my daughter and I shared a good long hug. Face to face for the first time in 6 months. Then hugs for my son-in-law, my son and his girlfriend. We had tested and quarantined and stayed safe. Carefully planned and orchestrated.
All those hugs felt so good.
Of course we were joined by the two family dogs: Lutra and Taco (who have been featured in this blog before). They enjoyed themselves immensely as well.
We were in our own little bubble.
A four day pause from virus fears.
What a sight to see.
No masks.
No social distancing…except from the family swimming across the lake.
(Grandma which one is the dada and which one is the mama? Grandma I think the bigger one is the dada….)
It was glorious.
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V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #109: What a Sight
Ragtag Daily Prompt: Pause
SixWordSaturday
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Never mind that my husband and I spent our 42nd(!) wedding anniversary Wednesday in our condo garage…wearing our finest face masks & work clothes. Emptying out our 2 storage units for hours. Yeah, we still have too much stuff, but oh well.
The Mold Remediation Company was scheduled for Thursday to clean all 32 units plus the entire garage.
It took hours to move all of our crap stuff into our parking spaces. We were joined by our fellow masked condo dwellers…many initially embarrassed by the exposure of hidden “treasures.” I can’t believe I still have so much stuff. The thing is, there used to be SO much more before we downsized. So, don’t worry about it.
Talk about lousy timing. But that’s 2020 for you.
[Never mind that I alerted the Condo Board to this issue 3 years ago and they didn’t listen to me. I told you so.]
Never mind that even after 4 repair attempts, the refrigerator’s lights still don’t work…and is limping towards its last days.
Never mind all of that.
Why?
On Tuesday we braved the local hospital’s outpatient lab to get Covid-19 tests, so we could be sure we weren’t infected (we aren’t). Even though we have no symptoms.
Why?
Because we are going on a CovidCation.
Today we are driving to the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Pennsylvania to a house by a lake. We will enter a Covid tested bubble of love…to spend a quarantined 4 days with our “kids,” their spouse/partners, grandson and 2 dogs…most of whom we haven’t seen in 6 months or more.
My 4 year old grandson has been asking me on facetime…
Grandma are you excited to go to the lake house?
I sure am!
Never mind that we spent the better part of yesterday (Thursday, right?) moving our crap stuff back into the cleaned storage units. Followed by packing up clothing, supplies (so many supplies when you are older), and food. Hoping we made enough lists and remembered everything. The option of “we can buy it when we get there” is no longer okay…to stay safe.
If the stars align and health prevails, we will soon be on the road today: Friday. Six hour car trips are a huge challenge physically – and I haven’t attempted one in 3 years, but…
I’m excited to go to the lake house!
My daughter made a spreadsheet of the menu and I am also excited about that. We might even make s’mores – and I’ve been told they will be GF (Gluten Free aka Grandma Friendly).
So I may be absent from my blog until next week.
CovidCation here I come.
A Photo a Week Challenge: attitude
IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO THAT PORTRAYS ATTITUDE.
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Right from the start…
And so she persisted.
A Polaroid proves…who could have resisted?
BeckyB July Squares: Perspectives
Today is the last day of Becky B’s fantastic month long challenge. Every photo has to be square – and in some way portray this month’s theme: perspectives.
It goes without saying that life around the world has changed in the last few months – and our perspectives along with it. I can only speak for myself as to specifics – but along with the isolation, restrictions and fear…there has been at least one silver lining in my family life.
My husband teaches guitar for a living – has been doing so for over 40 years. Both of our children have guitars and have benefitted from his influence and guidance over the years.
Our son’s interest in the guitar began during his senior year in college and he made do with my old acoustic from childhood. He started his post-college life in the Washington DC area and during a 2014 visit, Dad was able to give him a few lessons.
While I obviously snuck around taking photos…as usual…
We gave our son a new guitar for his birthday shortly thereafter.
However, as a busy young finance professional, he hadn’t had much time to really dive into it. Until COVID-19 hit and changed everything.
Quarantined at home in Washington, DC, he picked up the guitar again this past March. He has been connecting with Dad on a weekly basis for lessons and conversation ever since.
Guitar lessons and connections during a pandemic…a new perspective.
one letter UP ~ diary 2.0 