WORDPRESS PHOTO CHALLEGE – SUMMER

Sweet Summer.

So Special a Season.

Sweet, Sizzling, Summer

Summer is water ice and bike rides, mile long walks on the beach and castles in the sand. Summer is my favorite season. I think it’s because that’s when I feel at my best. The kiss of a warm breeze brushing my cheeks as I sit on our deck reading, sipping sun tea. Skin lightly toasting.

We walked the beach this past weekend and Jeff spotted this castle. The builder was nowhere to be found. I knew right off that this would be my photo for the Summer WP Challenge. We saw one or two other ‘construction sites’ but this was the only one that incorporated shells. I like that. It gave the kingdom a little more pa-zazz!

Oh and the other thing I like about summer is watching Jeff on the beach. If he could pitch a tent and live there, I think he would.

Ahhhh. Summer. 🙂

SUNDAY POST – DOOR

Jeff and I took a bike ride to Rita’s Water Ice near the beach tonight.  Just what I need to negate the bike ride – a mango and vanilla, soft ice cream gelati.  It could be worse,  I suppose.  We could have driven there.  I still didn’t have a photo for Jake’s “Door” challenge, so I suggested that we stop by St. Thomas’ Church a few blocks away to check out the front door there.  It’s not elaborate, nor does it have the character that comes with age, but it’s a simple door. One that leads to many things for many people. Solace for some, relief or comfort for others.   A little bit of stained glass, plain, yet, welcoming.  Beckoning…

MEMORIAL DAY

Jeff and I went to the May Fair in town today. There were tons of great things to see and buy and OMG – eat, but, I wanted to do something, other than see, buy and eat, in memory and gratitude, so I put together a little tribute to our soldiers. Men and women, past, present, and future.

I thank you and salute you.

We also have a tradition. Every Memorial Day weekend we watch some of the AMC War Heroes Weekend movies. Green Berets, Dirty Dozen, Saving Private Ryan. But one of my favorites is Kelly’s Heroes. Donald Sutherland, as Oddball, had some hysterical lines in that flick, but one of my favorites is when he’s talking to Moriarty, and then Moriarty’s response:

ODDBALL: Why don’t you knock it off with those negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
MORIARTY: Crap! (this response is not included in the video, but it happened 😀 )

This quote doesn’t do it justice.
Here’s a video that includes that conversation and God bless all the brave men and women who fight for our right to be free.

SUMMER

You know it’s summer when you see the first lone beach chairs hunkered down in the sand.

Jeff and I walked the along the ocean’s edge, and after a mile of ‘Toes in the water’ (thank you Zac Brown), we spotted these and we both smiled. Summer’s just around the bend. “life is good today”.

I’m a little late, Ailsa, but I made it! (click on Ailsa’s link here and see more ‘summer’ fun.)

SUNDAY POST – PETS

I know it’s not Sunday, but I couldn’t let the week go by without entering my pets into Jake’s Sunday Post meant specifically for them.

Rocky, Marshall, and Phoenix – I salute you. 🙂

OK. This last one’s not my pet but the photo made me smile.

Here’s to our pets – and unconditional love.

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – HANDS

Nothing is sweeter than seeing family hand in hand.  Brother and sister, father and son.  Sadly, due to distance, we only see each other once a year.

Brother and sister hand in hand – for the time being 🙂

Dad and Tank

The   hands of time tick, tick, tick, til we see y’all again.

Another take on ‘hands’

SUNDAY POST – WORK

This is where I work.  At least right now.  As some of you might have read, in previous posts, I will be retiring in June.  I feel conflicted about the decision to leave, but I am not sorry to be going.  Before this ‘work’ I was employed by a gas and electric company, but teaching was what I always wanted to do.  I got sidetracked.  Never did go to college.  Not til I was 47 years old.  Then, due to the fine art of downsizing, and after 25 years of service, I found myself out on the street, pounding the pavement.  Thanks to luck/karma/coming to my senses, I met a wonderful man who agreed to support me while I ‘went to school’.  Yes.  Finally.  College.  After much studying and babysitting, to supplement our income, I graduated COLLEGE!  YAY!  And  due to the kindness of others, I landed a job almost immediately.  Now, 10 years later, my adolescent  dream winds down.  For various reasons.  Though I don’t plan on going for my masters – not that there’s anything wrong with that – I do plan on starting something new and different.  Just don’t know what, yet.   I was lucky to have one dream come true.  There’s no rule that says I can’t go for two.  Or more…

Stop by Jake’s and see what other bloggers share about their idea of ‘work’.

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – BLUE

Blue skies inside Caesar’s Palace

I think of a number of things when I think “BLUE”:  Ocean Blue, Bluebird, Blueberries, Am I Blue, Blue Man Group, Moody Blues, Blue Tooth – you get my drift.  I had a ton of blue sky pix and even more with blue waters, but I love the “blue” in this photo, so I went with it.  Hope this pretty blue cheers you up.  Did I tell you this post was about the color blue?  🙂

REFLECTIONS

There’s a bug in the system, or somebody dropped the ball, or I’m just out of the loop – nothing new to me – but I did not see any WordPress Weekly Challenge in my email.  Luckily, Ailsa, at Where’s My Backpack, stepped up to the plate and offered to run the show.  She posted the Challenge herself and people are joining in droves.  So here’s my contribution to REFLECTION and it would definitely behoove you to click here and get transported to Ailsa’s blog, and many more amazing reflections.

This is REVEL.  The newest casino in Atlantic City, NJ.  My husband worked at wiring this giant hunk of reflection for phone and wifi connection.

And, on a sentimental note, for all you mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day.

SUNDAY POST – VEHICLE

OK.  I am behind in my posts, but I promised myself I would try to keep up so, here’s to Last Week’s Sunday Post and Vehicles.

REBEL AND I, A GOOD 25 YEARS AGO…

WAY before this photo was ever taken, this was the vehicle of choice.  Man oh man. Times sure have changed.

I captured some of my favorites and some of my first graders wanted to help out.  I think you’ll be able to tell which vehicles they contributed.

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