83/365 More spring blooms

Poppies in the sun

Snowball tree (viburnum opulus)

Tulips

Today I spent the afternoon with my good friend Letty, at the Arboretum. The gardens are breathtaking!

82/365 Bokeh

Alex captured this shot of lights around the trunk of a tree. We had just finished eating at Don Pepe's and he was playing with my camera while sitting in the car. I think he did a great job...a budding photographer!

81/365 Gypsy

I walked out the front door today and this beautful Gypsy Moth fluttered by me! He/She is at least 6-7 inches wide. The "eyes" serve as camouflage to hopefully fool birds who might want a tasty snack.

A close crop of the large right "eye."

80/365 Sprouts

Woohoo! Radish seedlings! I love spring...

79/365 Salsa garden

Our family enjoys salsa, so, in our plot in the community garden, we planted tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. The rest of the ingredients for our fresh salsa (cilantro and jalapenos), are planted in our back yard because we didn't have enough room in the CG (we've also planted radishes, lettuce, squash, and green beans in the CG).

78/365 Moon

I waited too late to get a good shot of the close perigee moon. I needed to capture the moonrise :(

77/365 EYC Garage Sale

Today was the first day of the annual two day garage sale held in our church's parish hall. The proceeds help fund the youth mission trips to Uganda, Colorado, and our own inner city. The kids, parents, and friends of the EYC take shifts to work the sale.

Alex obviously loves the spiffy outfit that Lauren and Betsy have found!

76/365 Erin go bragh!

St. Patrick's Day is important around our house as we all get into the family's Irish heritage! James must have just been kissed!

75/365 Morning has Broken

Our last sunrise over the water for a while. We are looking forward to a return visit!

The boys counted 48 cargo ships out in the bay, both coming in and heading out to sea.

74/365 Best Friends

Today, Alex and Liam spent most of the day on the beach or in the water. Temperatures were in the 70's the majority of the day and the skies were blue.

In the evening we strolled down The Strand looking in the shops and eating dinner. The guys, of course, were looking suave.

73/365 Morning Walk

The condo we rented is just a short walk from the beach! Today was cloudy and rainy in the afternoon, but we were still able to play in the sand and explore the island.

Many man-o-war and jelly fish were on the beach this morning, but the tide took them back out. This one is gorgeous, despite his pain rendering tendrils!

72/365 Beach

After church, Bill, Alex, Liam (A's BFF), and I drove to the beach for a couple of days of Spring Break fun! James had to work. :(

The temperature is cool, in the 60's...perfect for walking and shooting photos. I couldn't choose just one shot for the blog this time! ;0)

71/365 Starburst

This was my first attempt at a star burst. I went out relying on my memory of how to shoot one and failed dismally. I forgot that during the day, to make a sunburst, I need to shade a portion of the sun. Hmmm...I got tree silhouettes for today.

70/365 1st day of spring break

First day of spring break and the video games hold Alex and Liam captive! Alex's character is pretty life-like except for that mark across his nose. Amazing.

69/365 Bill cooks

Bill made chili tonight so that I could go capture some sunburst shots! I didn't like any of the photos I snapped except this one of the cook!

68/365 Ash Wednesday

This year, I am entering Lent more mindful than in previous years. I attribute this, in part, to this 365 blog, and the blogs and websites of others, such as A Holy Experience, (in)courage, A Minute Captured, and many more. My heart is full of thanksgiving for everything these days, down to the smallest detail. Thank you, Jesus.
Photo: Hmmm...should've closed my aperture a bit so that Alex would be in focus too. Not too bad though for a night shot without a tripod. f/1.8, 1/40s, ISO 3200

67/365 Spring planting

So many plants, so little space. Sigh... The most difficult part of our community garden plot is deciding what to plant! I made a plan, and we have planted radish and lettuce seeds so far. Today I went to the nursey to buy onions and saw so many other plants that I want to try in my 100 square feet of garden! Patience.
f/10.0, 1/125s, ISO 100

66/365 Redbud

Every spring, when the redbud trees bloom, I'm reminded of my grandmother, Tillie (Mamama, to me), who enjoyed these trees so much. Some wonderful, fuzzy, warm feelings!
Photo: I'm not sure what, if anything, is in focus in this shot. I like the evening light though. Practice, practice, practice...f/10.0, 1/125s, ISO800

65/365 Beauty

Daffodils and tulips - so beautiful!
f/13.0, 1/125s, ISO 100

64/365 Community Garden

Today many people from the community around our church, along with many of our parishioners, constructed a community garden on an unused portion of the church campus! We had 75-80 folk, including some who traveled 5 + hours to work with us, working tirelessly from 8 am until after 2 pm. Plus, there were so many who provided lunch and childcare for all of us. So much hard work and planning preceded the actual building of the 20 beds! 10 of the plots have been contracted to folk in the neighborhood and 10 are contracted to parishioners. Our family has one of the beds! As part of the agreement, each plot owner has agreed to give 10% of their yield to a local food bank. In this same area there are 8 dedicated beds specifically for the food bank, and there has already been a couple of harvests! This is such an exciting project! There are already plans for 20 more beds and there is a waiting list!

Photo: You might ask why they are carrying a wheelbarrow; I certainly did! The tire was flat, and would not stay inflated. Alex, however, took the opportunity to work on his physique!
f/6.3, 1/100s, ISO 100 - auto focus

63/365 Irish Brews

Today Bill and I went to an authentic Irish pub for lunch (except we weren't in Ireland :0), where he had a pint of Guinness and I had a pint of Harp. We also shared a bowl of Pub Curry with chicken. Yummmm...

Photo: f/6.3, 1/40s, ISO 6400 I really like the way this shot turned out except I wish I had thought to remove the coasters. Black Butte Porter is a great ale from Oregon though.

62/365 Luck

Here's some luck everyone! Can you find a four leaf clover?
f/4.5, 1/160s, ISO 100

61/365 Good Books

My bedside table is a lot less cluttered since Kindle came into my life about a year ago. Are you reading any good books? Currently, I am reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp and Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley. Usually, I'm reading some fiction too, but blogging seems to be taking more of my time! lol :0)
f/1.8, 1/125s, ISO 800

60/365 Thinkin' Green

March is here and I'm thinkin' green! When we made our trip to Ireland in 2002, we brought back just a few momentos in addition to scads of photos: a miniature High Cross made from peat, Waterford crystal, and Royal Tara bone china.
f/2.5, 1/80s, ISO 1600