An Alice in Wonderland Kind of Day

Day in Seattle

Spending quality time with friends and family is what I live for. We don't often get a chance to explore our backyard and it's a treat to take our guests around. Here are just a few of the hundreds of photos that were taken in the few days the sun cooperated...Niki at Jose Rizal Park

Seattle Skyline from Jose Rizal Park

Gas Works Park with Lake Union House Boats

Our friend, Pawel Gaul, an extraordinary photographer, and Niki at Kerry Park.

One of the most fun people on the planet, Tony Lindsjo, at Kerry Park.

Niki, Seattle Center.

Space Needle.

Seattle from the Space Needle.

Niki, EMP, Seattle Center.

Pike Place Sunflower.

Pink Door Patio, Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market

An unusual sight, Pike Place empty.

Cool Chandelier from Cellars Restaurant, Seattle.

Seattle Skyline at night. Mt. Rainier barely visible on right. (Yes, I did take this photo myself :) )

Sunday Funny

Beauty in Joyful Packages

It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to sit down and blog. My guests arrive tonight, a day earlier than first planned and, of course, I am in chaos. In spite of that, I would love to sing the praises of my Etsy sister - SimpleJoysDecor - the offerings in this little store are just so sweet. See for yourself how beautiful they are:

Ivy's Surprise!

Our 'deer' friend, Ivy, stopped by today with a sweet surprise. We hadn't seen her in awhile and were wondering where she had taken off to. Well, today we found out! Apple, her other older Fawn, visits us almost every day. The new baby fawn has been named Sprinkles by the kids because she freaked out when the automatic sprinkler (which guards my roses) went off. The little one is very adventurous and investigates things on her own.

Happy Just Because!

Sometimes it’s really simple to find beauty in life, little things that make us smile. Big things aren't so shabby to accept either and we shouldn't forget about all the good stuff in the middle. Being happy is so different for each one of us, and hard to attach any one specific thing to it. The good things are always best to consider as they seem to help with the decisions we make each day, the little ones and the hugely important ones. Starting from a positive viewpoint can color our world a little brighter especially during times where a bit of light can have a tremendous impact. There is so much in each day to be grateful for. A healthy dose of dreaming can do us all well and start us on our way to open our eyes to new opportunities, new possibilities and then all sorts of things may come to light. Sometimes the art of dreaming gets complicated quickly with reality. We oftentimes look at others and feel that they have it easy, figured out, and have it all given to them. We fail to realize that they may have taken a bumpy path to get where they are, which to us, from where we are standing may look entirely graceful and smooth. Maybe we look to others to help smooth what we feel are our jagged pathways. I have found many gems of friends in this respect. Those who took the time to let me know that it will be OK, to listen and not judge, to remind me of the beauty my life possesses. I will never let go of these who have had a life changing effect on me... really. I have learned from them how to be resilient, peaceful and to keep the faith strong in my heart. Life is a rollercoaster ride, sometimes up, sometimes down. We throw our arms up in elation and then pull them down again in sorrow. The trick is to learn what we can from the down time, to gain strength and to build bonds. We may find that at these downtimes, those we looked to for a hand to pull us up have failed to follow through. I, as all of us have, had to reevaluate how I viewed this event. After much thought and prayer, I've come to see that maybe the person I was looking to for 'rescuing' me in my time of need just wasn't equipped to do so. I learned not to fault them for it but to see where I can find it for myself. Whether it was looking to God for it, finding it within myself (sometimes when we are called upon to find the courage, we surprisingly find that we are stronger than we thought), or having that one friend who changes the perspective of it. I am stronger because of it. I never forget that my landscape of the world is varied from how others view it. That is a beautiful thing, a gift. Just listening has frequently opened up a new panorama. Have you ever found that even when there is chaos all around you, there is still great beauty and calm, if only we are willing to take the time to see it? Today, let's let things slide off our backs, not get under our skin. Let's ignore rumors, salacious gossip and not read into things. So easy to say but it helps us to be true, to live a moment in bliss and allows the simple beauty to be embraced. Let's be to others what we would like for them to be to us.

~ Will we look backwards…or forward?
~ Watch or Do?
~ Embrace or Ignore?
~ Find our way?
~ Find Bliss in the moment ?
~ See the light or the darkness?
~ Be an explorer or a wallflower?
~ Taste it…or walk by it?
~ Get dirt under our nails?
~ Be persistent?
~ Open ourselves?
~ Quench our thirst?
~ Discover our spirituality??
~ Carry on?
~ Make a promise and keep it?
~ Be Fearless?

Will we be true to ourselves?

We had a rare sunny day and I decided to take advantage of it and photograph the little bits of joy I found:

Our sweet Waldo P. Sparklebutt - The epitome what it is to find joy in the little things, like a treat, a ride to the pet store, playing tag or purring just because.

Pacific Northwest Lupines, some of the first of my flowers to bloom.

Patchouli and Waldo being nosy.

The bird spot. Flowers for the hummingbirds, seed and watering tea cups for the big birds.

Bees are the best!

Cecile Brunner taking over the trellis...

The beautiful, towering trees in my backyard sparkling in the sunlight.

Our resident deer, Apple, making an afternoon visit.