Saturday PhotoHunt: Zoom

Another set of PAIRS for Thematic Photographic, and it also works for Saturday PhotoHunt's ZOOM because I took them all with my zoom lens, either in my yard or across the street.

A pair of cranes.

A turkey couple.

A vulture duo.

Thematic Photographic: Pairs

A pair of hedge plants did not make it through the winter.

Here are their replacements, waiting for us to dig a pair of holes.

Inside the house, I now have a pair of Kindles.

When I was a child, this was my favorite pair of books.  I got them out recently to re-read the story with the four winds.

Cafe Press has had a fantastic deal -- 16x20 photo canvases for only $38!  Ernest had long wanted enlargements of two of his pictures from Ecuador/Galapagos Islands so I had this pair made for his birthday.

Carmi at Written, Inc. hosts Thematic Photographic.  Stop by to see more pairs.

The Daily Drive: Sunny Sunday

Ernest was gone for 4 days to a leadership conference.  We didn't want him to leave his car in the school parking lot that long, so we told him we'd drop it off on Sunday.  After we did so, we went out to lunch.

Grilled Octopus and Calimari with Beets.  Our favorite!  For quite a while, we would split one order and it was never enough.  Finally I had the bright idea to order two, and split a salad instead.  Brilliant.  I congratulate myself every time.

Then we walked around the even smaller town.  We saw a horseshoe tree

and a Michael Jackson shrine.

On the drive home, there were vineyards

and miniature horses.

The highlight of the day's drive, as far as my Handy Husband was concerned, was seeing this McLaren MP4-12C.

We had plants to put in the yard, but it was too darn hot.  Yes!  I know!  And it's only April!

Homer also had an eventful afternoon, bringing in a lizard's tail.  I have spared you the video which included the tail moving by itself and Homer actively pouncing on it.  Instead, you can enjoy this still photo which includes my poor carpet.  In addition to trying to change the color from black to white by stealthily depositing white fur all over it, Homer and Francine are also trying to modify it from low pile to shag with a vigorous daily application of claws.  Since I only paid $99 for a floor sample, I can live with it.

Hope you had a great weekend, too.

At Seventeen

He's learned the truth at seventeen

That life is meant for those who dream

Blue-eyed boy with clear skinned smile

Childhood lasts just a little while

Spreading wings both far and wide

Life is an adventurous ride

For young men like him, at seventeen.

(with deepest apologies to Janis Ian)

Ernest didn't want a big fuss for his birthday.  He'd already gotten his present:  a winter coat and a plane ticket back east to visit his girlfriend.

But we decided he should have cake anyway.  I was going to get a bakery cake, but you know Frank. Frank's cakes are much better.  This was an apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting.  Here's the link to Anne Burrell's recipe.  Frank left out the nuts because he doesn't like them, and used dried cranberries because we were out of raisins.  It was fantastic.  Dense, moist, not overly sweet.  I confess to having a piece for breakfast the next day.

Oops, I forgot to cross the T.

So we only embarrassed him a little.

I'm sure his wish was for another plane ticket.

Homer loves cream cheese, didn't you know?

Happy 17th Birthday, Ernest!

Time warp Tuesday: Imagine Yourself In A Field Of Flowers

Thank you to Jenn for hosting Time Warp Tuesday.

I apologize for the blurry last minute-ness of this.  Today's restorative yoga visualization was "imagine yourself in a field of flowers."  So this is where I went.   Grass Mountain, a field of California poppies, and a beloved little Batman-clad boy.  Twenty years flies by so quickly.

Catching the Wind

It's a blustery but sunny day today.

Funny thing, it was the same last Monday.  I had returned from my restorative yoga class, where we lie around for an hour supported by blocks and balls and pillows and things, while our lovely and gracious instructor massages our necks and whispers sweet visualizations into our ears.

The visualization was "think of a time you had fun" and the sound of the wind reminded me that I dream of flying.  Not in a plane, but I often dream I can physically fly myself through the air.  Like swimming, but more upright.

Many of the fun times that ran through my head involve air and wind.  Ferris wheels, roller coasters, Segways, paragliding, glider rides.

Some of the music took me to an ancient temple, where I was the goddess of the winds.  The winds' fingers twined around me, massaging me and annointing me with the scents of their origins.  (This all reminds me of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.)    For me, the west wind brought the salty ocean air, the north pines, the east hot desert, and the south chili and spice.

What will today's wind bring?

Catching the West Wind, 2009.

Again

Yep, it was "Bye, Mom" again for Ernest's spring break.

Also at the airport, I had a "Whoops I Did it Again" moment.  You remember...this kind of moment.  I was going to draw a new cartoon but I am too lazy.  Fortunately, Ernest clued me in to the problem and I resolved it quickly.

Sigh. Today I have to take my car in for service.  Again.  And take Ernest's sax to be repaired.  Again.  What else is going to repeat itself?

Separated at Birth #5

I saw this great GIF of The Rock's eyebrow going up and down. I wanted to save it for Debbie. But my phone only saved a still picture.

This is the absolute truth: The very next picture I took was Homer with the same expression.

Feeding Time

Of course I admit my cats are spoiled.  But I'm not always the one who does it.  They are used to getting fed at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, when the Handy Husband gets up to go to work.

This causes problems on the weekends when one wants to sleep a bit later.

Homer woke me bright and early last Saturday.  I left this note for the rest of the household, because sometimes when Homer encounters the next person to get up, he lies and says he hasn't been fed.

And there he was at 10:00, looking up at me with those big kitty eyes, saying, "You wouldn't have a little extra sausage there for me, would you?"

Why yes, I did.  

Favorite Things

Apple-flavored yogurt for breakfast.

Sleeping cats.

Purple flowers.

Smiling faces.

(It's official.  He changed his Facebook status to "in a relationship."  We love her, too.)

Life is Beautiful.

Thanks, Jen, for the idea.

Easter Flashback (Time Warp Tuesday)

I was looking for something else and came across these photos from Easter 2005.  

Ernest was in third grade.

Time for the hunt.

This one is well camouflaged.  

Maybe he'll think this is just a flower.

Nothing behind this gate!

OK if I eat one now?

Thanks, Jenn, for tagging this for Time Warp Tuesday.