Nearing the End

 

When summer gathers up her robes of glory,

And, like a dream, glides away.

- Sarah Helen Whitman

 

It doesn't seem possible but our Summer break is almost over.
In Wisconsin our Summers are surely not taken for granted,
after our long Winters.

School starts next week.
Supplies have been purchased and still need to be labeled.
New school clothes and shoes are ready to be worn.
I do love the routine that the school year brings to our family
but a part of me will miss having them home
during the day.
We've had a fun Summer!

Taken a few weeks ago towards the end of our vacation in Door County.
We've had several Summer trips up to the peninsula over the years, and this is the first
time the cherries were ready to be picked.
So cherry picking we went...
Will found what he called
'a magical sword'
and was a knight for
a little while in the middle of the orchard. ;)



 

 

(Sunday Snapshot) Summer Vacation

 

"Happiness is a Summer breeze, sand between your toes, and your best friend right beside you."

 

~ unknown

 

 

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), It's always our self we find in the sea."

 

~e.e. cummings

 

 

I call it beach therapy, for us also known
as our Summer vacation.
And the beach can be at the ocean, a lake or a bay.
I've had a love affair with being near water for most of my life,
so naturally my children would love water too.

These were taken two weeks ago while we were in Door County
enjoying some time together in the town of Ephraim.
I had great plans for taking even more photos that
would eventually be used for our Christmas
card but that didn't happen.
We came home a little bit early as our oldest son
was ill, thankfully
he's well now.

 I have found that my favorite photos are the ones where I just sit back and observe what's going on.
So I'll let the rest of the images speak for themselves.



(Grace created this woven wreath herself with things she found
on the beach,
a twisty vine and leaves made a beautiful headpiece).
 



 

Please link up with Stefanie's

Sunday Snapshot.

 

 



Dog Days of Summer

The phrase, "the dog days of Summer" refers to the wicked hot, sultry days
of July and August.
And it's certainly arrived in Wisconsin and in many parts of the U.S.
 

 

I love Summer, maybe it's because I was born at the end of July.

I'd take a Summer day over a cold, snowy Winter one...anytime.

I thought Grace and her friends Miles and Lydia were quite creative (and cute)

  riding their scooters up and down the sidewalk through the sprinkler.

July 4th

 

'I love my freedom. I love my America.'

 

~ Jessi Lane Adams

'In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed;
it must be achieved.'

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
 

 

 Every country celebrates "their day."
Many call it Independence Day.
The USA was
founded by people looking for religious freedom.
They were followed by people trying to find all types of freedom...
freedom from oppression, famine, poverty, you name it.
Our forefathers fought to get freedom, to keep it and let others have it -
at home and abroad.
This is a great country and I'm proud to be an American.
I'm happy that my children will grow up here.
Happy 4th!

Taken about 10 days ago in the beautiful fields not far from where we live in Wisconsin.

June Snapshots

Some of our June.

We've been out of school almost exactly two weeks and I think we've

discovered our 'new normal.'

Though normal every day is a bit different.

Grace started Summer school this week and is enjoying it very much,

she's taking an arts and crafts class and a reading/writing class.

Will gets to be a man of leisure with me in the mornings for now.

We've been swimming in the afternoon and they start VBS next week in the evenings.

 

1. They are now officially 5th and 2nd graders and I cannot believe

how much they've grown and how fast this school year has flown by.

2. Selfie 3. Yummy strawberries, we are loving all the seasonal fruit right now.

4. Grace and Will were baptized on Father's Day. They each thought of and wrote

a statement of faith, and spoke in front of our congregation. Grace read the 23th Psalm

and told everyone it is her favorite because she knows 'God is always with her' when she reads it.

Will summarized Christianity in 9 sentences and elaborated on several.

The congregation enjoyed it very much and we were struck by how moved

everyone was.

Dan and I are extremely proud!

5. Clark Kent made an appearance in our backyard.

6. Red poppies (taken with my dslr).

(Sunday Snapshot) Summer

 

 

"The earth laughs in flowers."

 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 Our peonies bloomed late this year, it was last week and they surely
didn't last long.
That's why I decided to take some photos of them.
I frequently say I don't have a favorite flower,
I love all of them.
But really peonies are my favorite...

 I've been a terrible blogger lately, school is out for the Summer,
then I got sick with some viral thing for a week.
I will try and play catch up very soon.

 

She is 10 (Sunday Snapshot)

Dear Grace,

 Happy Birthday! Today you turn 10 years old...wow... We can't help but think back to the little baby we brought home nearly 9 years ago. So sweet and innocent...not much has changed in that department. You have grown so much - physically, mentally and emotionally. Though you are still a girl, we can see the beginnings of the young woman you will become. 

When you have children of your own one day (through biology or adoption), you'll find that you never know what you're going to get. Everyone is different and all have their strengths and weaknesses. We've been blessed to have you - which is where we got your name in the first place...By the Grace of God. your name couldn't be more appropriate. You're full of grace, carry yourself with grace...and we delight in being a part of your life because you brighten ours so much. 

There are so many things that you'll learn over the next 10 years that we can't begin to tell you everything. Instead, we'll give you some advice gathered through our own life experiences.

 1) Be happy. This is easily said but requires work every day. Every day of life is full of good and bad things; winning, losing, happiness, sadness, hard work, pain, good luck, bad luck, accomplishments and failures. It's all there and we all control how we respond to it. Focus on the good, fun and enjoyable things in life. There are so many. Get through the hard times...."Hit, lift and drive," as Grandpa likes to say. Bad times will happen but once they're in the past, they don't seem that bad. 

2) Let your light shine. You've always been a happy, joyful person who loves to laugh and smile. You can brighten a gloomy night and bring a smile to sad faces. Share your joy and love of life. Don't be afraid to take risks or be yourself. There will be mean unhappy people in the world who will be jealous of your happiness. Ignore them and don't let them steal your smile or joy. 

3) Challenge yourself. Set your own goals and don't take the easy road. We grow by stretching ourselves out of our comfort zone; by trying and learning new things. Self confidence comes from achieving what we set out to do. If we let others set goals for us, we'll always be trying to live up to someone else's standard. Set your own course and enjoy the ride.

4) Lastly, be strong. You don't need to be told this but it's good to remind yourself from time to time. Whether you realize it or not, you have overcome tremendous obstacles and challenges in your short life. There will be more but you have a strong spirit and your inner strength will carry you the rest of your life.

 It is a gift from God.

 Never let it go.

Grace, you're a wonderful daughter, a great sister and a beautiful person - inside and out.
We thank God every day that you're a part of our lives.
Happy Birthday darling.











I chose the first image as my favorite because of Grace's expression.
The last one makes me cry every time I look at it, I imagine
she looks very much like her birth mother.
A woman who I honor and pray for especially on this day.

Nikon d700
35mm 1.4 lens
f/2.5
ISO 200
1/640 sec.

The location was the Wisconsin Historical Society Building
on the UW Madison campus.
The stone on the steps and walkway were a natural reflector.

I wanted to do something special for her 10 year old portraits
and that's why we chose the silver embellished crown.
It's handmade by Kelly of the Love Crush Bowtique.
You can find her here and here.

29/52 - Instagram catch-up

{Mid July} 

A little catch up per Instagram from the last week to 10 days.

Starting in the upper left and moving right: 1. Grace ready to leave for a friends' birthday party.

2. A very wet Zoe from swimming at the dog park, she was drying off in the grass.

3. Summer evening sky. 4. 3 nine year olds being silly and making me laugh.

5. A tired Will after spending an afternoon swimming at the pool.

6. Wisconsin in Summer, red barns and Queen Anne's Lace.

28/52 and Favorite Photo Friday - He's a fish

{Will wearing his new goggles}

We lived in California 17 years ago and were lucky enough to have a pool. 

My oldest was in elementary school in those days and he swam pretty much every single day.

We're water people and usually try to vacation somewhere near it. This is the first year

we've joined a pool here in Wisconsin and are using it quite frequently.
 My little swimmer(shown above) has definitely found his fins.
Will has never officially taken swimming lessons but he's learned quickly and has really taken to water.

He's already mastered all those fun water things we did as kids...cannon balls, standing on his hands, forward roll, backward roll, he's even attempted cartwheels underwater. His new favorite game... he is 'AquaMan' and I'm the shark that chases him.
We are loving our Summer!

Keepin' cool - Sunday Snapshot

{What you do on a blazing hot Summer day} 

(Lots of giggling going on here).

A month ago when I bought the Summer pool membership,

I had no idea that this would be the hottest Summer on record in over 100 years.

It's been as handy as a snow blower in the Wisconsin Winter.

Both Grace and Will were initially afraid to try the water slides, tube slides

and lazy river but we can't say that now.

This pool has been a blast for all of us and a welcome relief from the heat.

The first snapshot of the girls under the wall of water was

taken with my Nikon d700.

50mm 1.4 lens

F/2.5

ISO 200

1/4000 sec.

Spot metered.

Edited in levels and curves in photoshop to my taste.

Please stop by Stefanie's Sunday Snapshot for many more images.

27/52 and Favorite Photo Friday - a low key 4th

{A small hometown Midwest July 4th}

Low key is a good word to describe our July 4th,
no traveling near or far, just hangin' out at home in the a.c....
except for when we were out in the 104 degree temps to watch a parade.

These two were armed and ready with bags for C A N D Y.
Yes, candy was their mission for the day.
My mission was to keep all of us hydrated and capture a few photos.
I have to say I was impressed that there wasn't a whole lot of complaining about the heat.

After lunch we made our way to the pool for an afternoon of swimming
and playing in the water. (Those photos for my next post).

 

Evening time was the sparkler show.

Quite a few local fireworks displays were cancelled due to the extreme heat and drought
but we managed to do our own thing and have fun.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

Camera settings for the sparkler photos -
50mm 1.4 lens
F/1.8
1/100 sec.
ISO 1250

It's a slower shutter speed than I would have liked and you can see a little movement
but I still loved them.

July - Sunday Snapshot

{Summer sky}

"Like painted kites, those days and nights
They went flying by
The world was new beneath the blue
umbrella sky..."

 Excerpt from "The Summer Wind", lyrics by Johnny Mercer

I have quite a few photographers that I admire and one of my favorites
is Audrey Woulard.
I just finished re-reading her book,
Natural Enlightenment Photography.

I consider Audrey a master of light and color.
And secretly I like that she shoots with the same camera as me. ;)
I don't claim to be any Audrey Woulard and it was fun to put my own spin on some of the things she uses
with her photography style.

For these photos I did what Ms. Woulard does with her clients as far as I styled Grace minimally
with clothing and props.
Less was definitely more here as the setting of the blue- green water, the weathered pier
and endless blue sky spoke volumes.

These were taken in pretty much full sun at 11am a few days ago.
The pier and water worked as natural reflectors.
With the first image, I was facing West...hence the brilliant blue sky.
 I deliberately wanted to capture that color.
It was one of those perfectly clear days
without a cloud.


In the first image Grace was looking back at a family of ducks
swimming toward the pier.

Nikon d700
35mm 1.4 lens
f/2.5
ISO 250
1/5000 sec.

Edited in Lightroom and  then Photoshop with Florabella's
Classic Bright action on a low opacity.


See many more images at Ni Hao Y'all's Sunday Snapshot!





(Grace's dress and hair clips are from JCrew).