Colors of the Beach

I am into my second week here at the beach...not just a beach,  an Island. Surrounded by sea, salt and sand. Gentle breezes, deep aqua water with just enough waves to sooth you to sleep as you rest on your lounge chair...textured sand wraps around your feet and warm your bones as it travels up through your body...Then lazy walks and shells to collect...nothing to do but so much to do of nothing...

It is my refuge, my healing spot,  my Buddha and my God...it is nature in all it's dimensions...both calming and beautiful,  then at times it becomes fierce and dangerous...all of nature follows this path...that is why it is intriguing...you can never let your guard completely down...but it is also why it is healing and mysterious...you learn to trust it and you learn to let go and trust yourself.

Last week in 2B our lesson was to pick a color and then make a story board of the color...this was an easy lesson for me...not so much on the technical side but certainly as I walked the beach I knew right away that I would compose a photo from my surroundings,  and the beauty is there...it was a calm, late afternoon, just full of perfect light..a gift of the Gods and I went to work...I like what I see..

Just so you know not every day is calm like that...today the sea swallowed my I-phone...bummer...but I'll be back because you give me so many hours of pleasure and peace, you can have my phone....

Where is your peace...go find it.

Him and Me....Tea

Sometimes I just have to write about what's in my heart...not for anyone else I guess, but for him and me...I want him to know when he is a big boy about all our special times,  times that a three year old might not remember when he is 20 or 30...In a way that is what my blog is about...creating memories that are not only about words but about photo's...hoping that for those I write about, will someday, have a long ago feeling stirred just by visiting my blog and and seeing the "memories" of us.

Liam is my Tea buddy...Since he was 9 months old we have shared tea...and one of the things we love to do is go to the Wenham Tea House for tea...we usually reserve it for special days, rainy days and days that just have that "I need tea out" feeling...they also have a small shop there that Liam likes to visit and usually he goes home with a new book or a Jelly Cat.. o.k. not usually...always...Also if you haven't checked out Jelly Cats yet,  you really should...I even have my own Honey Bear...I share him with Liam and Jaxson.   They also have many of their own...

Tea is an art..of sorts.  Different rules for adults and small children...Liam is learning...he knows how to pour from a small pot and he is expert at putting the sugar in,  he especially likes to use sugar tongs...that's a new thing,  before I would only let him have a small spoon and sugar bowl..and he likes lots of milk in his tea...usually vanilla soy milk at my house but cream when visiting the tea house...A fancy cup is a must.   He does have a tea mug at my house and the Maine house but he prefers a fancy cup...That cracks me up...and of course any true tea lover needs really good treats to go with the luscious tea.   I prefer scones with cream and jam...Liam likes chocolate...in either a cupcake of a rich brownie.  Again, at home,  not the same...we have gingerbread cookies with sprinkles..and you might notice that Liam's face is not as clean as it usually is but since this was a spontaneous jester on his part...I thought the chocolate face was appropiate...That is just how Liam likes to enjoy his cupcake,  especially chocolate.  I find it delightful myself,  a sign of a really good treat and a little boy who knows how to enjoy it.

Good conversation is a must at any Tea Party...and by the way,  a Tea Party can consist of as many or as few people as is convenient...sometimes even when I'm alone...its a tea party for one...sometimes my favorite kind of Tea Party...and yes I have been know to talk to myself...Liam though is my favorite person to have a conversation with.   He tells me great stories,  we laugh and I love his innocence.  He also spends lots of time entertaining the waitress and of course after every tea party we go home with left-over treats...

There is never a better time of day than at 3:30 to get ready to go to the Tea House...it is always special...because I have the best Tea Partner around....I can't wait to take Jaxson along someday...but that will have to wait a bit...he came with us once but it was an indication that he needs a bit more growing to do...his day will come though...I can feel it in my Heart. 

My hope is someday,  way in the future, these boys will be sipping a cuppa of Earl Grey and reading my blog and remember all the good times they had with their Nana at the Tea House...one can't hope for anything more than a good memory...and a good hot cup of tea. 

Charming

Just a quick post today to wish you all a Happy Easter...I have posted these beautiful flowers for all of you to enjoy this season...I find you all quite charming..especially those who visit.   You all bring joy to me life,  each in different ways...I wonder what I would do without any one of you..

Ranunculus is a new flower for me this year...I am surprised that I did not know of this beautiful blossom before...It has the charm of a Victorian day...both in color and design..I will look for it every spring now that I have found it..Radiant with Charm is the meaning of this pale pink beauty...and it is that to me..from the book of The Language of Flowers...meanings I'm glad to find of all my favorite blooms.

Enjoy your day with all the charms it will bring your way...hopefully in love and chocolate...well, they sort of are the same thing right?

I'm Not Perfect.....

I know that's hard to believe isn't it...Not only is it hard to admit but even more shocking is that I'm writing it here for the World Wide Web to see.   There have been times over the years when I thought I might not be perfect but I just shoved those thoughts aside...naw...can't be true..but the fact is I had to face the music today after trying to get my beautiful flowers to be in focus and me just a blur in the background...I see so many lovely photo's like this on line but I proved to myself today that it is just not my specialty...that does not mean though,  that with more practice and a bit of help from my friends that I to, might  master this creative side of shooting.   

So the truth is in the photo...I'm a complete failure at self-portraits.  I know, hard to believe right?  Photo's don't lie though and as you can see from these wonderful shots from earlier today,  I didn't make the grade..Oh I tried, I spent several hours trying so hard to focus on those damn flowers and none of them with me in the shot came out in sharp focus..I changed my lens several times,  going from my 50mm to my 100 macro, from my Canon 7D to my 5D Mark 111, which I thought could perform miracles..but not today. I even changed the color of my sweater because I could see that it didn't really enhance my photo with the pink flowers.  So the ones you see are the very best out of my shots.  Just a note here,  all the photo's of the flowers without me came out perfect.

 

Your probably wondering why on earth would I share these terribly inadequate photo's with the big wide web. Well I'm sharing them for two reason...one,  I think I did a great job on the processing..and two,  I'm hoping one of you lovely souls will take pity on me and send me some great advice on how to do selfie's in a way that is not shameful to me or harmful to all of you...

Really,  the reason I share these  is to say, none of us are perfect in everything...and it's o.k.  It takes a long time to get to the realization that we don't even have to be perfect,  we just have to keep learning and growing and have a bit of fun along the way...so in essence,  I'm not really unhappy with my post because it proves that at least I took the time to try and guess what?....I'll try again because I really want to get it.  

Deep inside we all want to be perfect...but some days its o.k. just to be "good enough"..and pat yourself on the back for the effort.

"Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music, or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself."   Samuel Butler

You will regret the cell-phone self-portrait in the bathroom mirror one day...

Mud Time at The Sweet Sugar Shack

The Mighty Maple...

For me this has seemed like a very long winter...so long that I hardly have been paying any attention to what is really going on right around me.  A few days ago though as I was driving down the road I noticed that the maple sugar buckets were already nailed to the tree's...What a beautiful sight that was...last year I had completely missed Maple Sugaring in our town..not this year though...Spring was coming whether I was aware of it or not. That is what I love about nature, it doesn't keep track of time like we do,  it just appears when it is suppose to.

Today when the boys were here..I loaded them up in the car and off we all went to the Maple Sugar Shack and enjoyed some time mucking it up in the spring mud and getting our first taste of that sweet maple syrup. This is a really special treat for Liam because he is the world's best pancake eater and he likes lots of "dipping sauce"...aka,  maple syrup..and of course he just loves being outside.   Along with the maple syrup, mud is magic goo to a three year old.  Jaxson, well he just loves being where everyone else is.   His only goal right now is to "watch" the happenings and giggle..We like that this is his way of telling us that he is having a good time also.  After our romp in the mud and a bit of a taste tease with the fresh maple syrup of course we had to go to lunch...and yes,  we had chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream..

So I go into the day tomorrow and all the days ahead knowing that no matter what the weather, spring is really on it's way...how do I know this for sure..."the maple tree's told me"..and never take a conversation with a tree for granted..Here's to spring, maple syrup, trees and muddy little boys...another reason to love New England..

 The Wood Pile...

 The Sugar Shack...where the syrup is made.

Ah...taste so sweet Nana..doesn't get any fresher than this..