We have this precocious, curious, adventurous and kind hearted daughter. Two years ago she collected a couple tadpoles from a ditch. To our surprise they survived and turned into those wonderful green tree frogs. They were so cute! Because a cage is no place for a frog we let them go near a friends pond. Well, this last spring in 2021 we found a bunch of frog eggs in a ditch that was quickly drying up. I caved when she asked if we could keep at least part of the batch of eggs. I thought it was great that our girl was playing in a jelly packed blob of frog eggs in a mucky old ditch. It really made me think of some of my favorite times as a child. What I did not fathom was the amount of frogs that might emerge from even half the eggs laid. It was still incredible to watch them first hatch out of their eggs as tiny tadpoles then grow and grow…in a bucket no less with just our well water to keep them safe. They survived! She fed them amphibian food at first and changed their water when it got a bit murky. Almost every single one of those tadpoles survived. We had so many little froglets by the end of summer. We kept one little frog that was dubbed Puddles in a small frog habitat for a couple months. It was the first one to lose its tail. As a frog we needed to provide live food. Oh for heavens sake…flies…we had to go buy fruit flies of all things. I was actually a bit worried they weren’t frogs but bullfrogs that are invasive. When our little Puddles got a bit bigger we could tell it was one of our native species called Red Legged frog. I couldn’t image trying to humanely kill a whole five gallon bucket of invasive bull frogs. Big sigh of relief for me. As the little froglets lost their tails one by one our girl would collect them and deliver them to surrounding ponds and creeks. This one above I got a good photo of right after being released in our local creek. It hopped right up on a rock and warmed itself staying as still as possible so as not to become somethings food source. I cannot express properly how amazing these little creatures are. Not very tough per se, they die often from absorbing chemicals and such into their skin, but somehow they survive a summer in a five gallon bucket. Well after some convincing our girl agreed that Puddles needed to be in its natural habitat at least to procreate for next years little frogs. She was so proud of her little frog and is curious where it might be now. Oh the wonders of this world. I am so thankful for these moments, ones I would never have gotten to enjoy without a little one around to show me.

That golden moment as the sun dips down into the ocean declaring the end of a day. Our daughter took a quiet moment in her splashing to revel in its beauty. Might I add right here that she is out playing in our frigid water in chilly temperatures barefoot and short sleeves. I, on the other hand, am clothed in knee high boots, heavy sweater and a coat. Ahhh…childhood.

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I went ahead and created a larger landscape calendar! It is 11×14″ and priced at $27. I had to changed printers and there is good and bad about it. The cost is cheaper, I wouldn’t want to pay a bunch for throw away wall art, but the quality might be a bit lacking in the paper department. I will see how it goes this year. I also like that it gives me one more month (January of the following year) and a back page with this layout of all the months together. Check it out! Let me know if you are interested. I take Venmo, PayPal, and in person cash. Email me if you want it mailed. That will probably be around a $6 charge for shipping. Thanks for sticking with me!

October isn’t really known for its beautiful days on the beach in Oregon. Usually it brings wind and cold rain with many clouds. But there it is. An October sunset on the Pacific coast. God’s Crescendo to His day. All we need is to take time to notice and watch for these miracles. He makes these masterpieces for us, because He loves us. Reminders that He is God and we are cherished.

I made a calendar for the 2022! I usually make two, one landscape and one of the little things I love. This year has been hectic and so far I have only gotten the small one completed. This is and 8×11″, it is $18 plus shipping, usually no more than $6. I can use PayPal, Venmo or if in person cash.

Contact me if you want a copy of one! I am just happy to share.

A close up of the biggest wishes I’ve seen yet. The whole tuft covered my palm. I know I have some big wishes. Some of them too big to even talk about because, in my head, I know they will never happen. I focus my attention on what I have in the present and staying content in it. But then again, who am I to put limits on God Almighty. He doesn’t fit in a box. My imagination is too small for Him. Give those wishes to God and wait to see what might happen. Hope.

Even in the harshest climates there is beauty. Up on the top of an old volcano, on the rim of a crater that is covered in snow most of the year, flowers bloom in Spring. Small, delicate and yet hardy. God’s gentle kisses for His little children.

Black and white photography. I love it, in fact most of the photos I keep on my walls are black and white. Yet I rarely edit them that way. I can’t seem to let go of the bright blues, deep greens and every other shade of color imaginable. So here we go, Wizard Island with a very interesting old snag at Crater Lake without color. I like it!

One of our stops this summer included a secret garden. It took us a few trips around the place to find it. But when we did… Truly an amazing spot to behold. Someone took an amazing amount of time and energy building this and keeping it beautiful. I wanted to sit and just soak it in.

We had such a beautiful trip this summer. This is a river by a little, hidden hot spring resort. It was a hot day, and even hotter by the boiling springs. But by the river it was perfect. The water was absolutely freezing, yet the air was fresh and just the right temperature. The sound of that river rolling over the rocks and splashing through its bed was delightful, especially after a long car ride. This is the scene I captured for you hoping you could stay a moment and imagine being there with us. We live in such a beautiful part of the world, the Great Northwest.