Art And Air Festival

This festival is much anticipated by some in our family.

For one, {Hubby} it means finally getting to display his military memorabilia with a few other friends.

Some of his and some of theirs in this collage..
WWII and the home front.
.
The public streams through for two days, to view their displays. Hubby is in seventh heaven!

For another, {Grandson} it means getting to fly.
The Young Eagles program enlists volunteer pilots to give interested kids free flights.

He has helped Poppy with the military displays and now gets to take a break for another kind of fun.
Now, He's in seventh heaven!

Hot Air Ballons Over Our Valley~In The Early Morning

The best way of travel, however, if you aren't in any hurry at all, if you don't care where you are going, if you don't like to use your legs, if you don't want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a balloon. In a balloon, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature.

~ William Pene du Bois, 'The Twenty-one Balloons' ~

Beach Boys

“I honestly think the beach is the only place children actually entertain themselves.”
~Donna McLavy~

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun."
~Unknown~

Living Lovely~Making a Splash

As part of a fun weekly challenge for living lovely,

Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles has invited us to see if we can find a way to make a splash this week. With summer drawing down it was a fun invite.

We hadn't been to the Oregon coast for a while and decided to go on Sunday afternoon. It's the perfect place to be if your looking for anything splash related, right ?

The day was beautiful. We started at the Oregon Coast Aquarium where the following photos were taken. The sharks were swimming over us and on all sides as we walked through the huge glass tunnel. Then on to Strange Creatures Of the Deep and other exhibits, all of which we loved.

{We were with Heidi and her family~can you tell?}

No, no one fell in the shark tank!

Bon voyage

This post is dedicated to the most well traveled couple in our entire family~my parents! They have lived in 5 countries on 4 different continents, traveled to most of the rest of the countries in the world and are still taking trips even though they are in their 80's. So bon voyage on your next trip, starting tomorrow.

We all love you, and think you're amazing!

Vintage Photo-For *I Heart Faces*

'Blue eyes'

in a flier's helmet.

The theme for the photo contest at
*i heart faces* this week is 'Nostalgia'.

This melancholy take of Levi in a flier's helmet from his grandpa's WWII collection, {a photo I had in a collage earlier this week} has a poignant and vintage vibe. It has the ambiance and the mood of a young {well maybe not this young!} pilot, before his first solo flight. { ya, I'm sure that's what he was thinking! not that he just wanted this photo shoot to be over!}

Check out all the other nostalgia style entries for this week over at~

Harvest

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others.None can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”

Kent Nerburn quotes

Moods And Faces

During this photo shoot I found out why Heidi usually takes photos of her boys one at a time.

So here goes with some of my favorites.
One boy at a time.

Mister *Blue Eyes* was so cute in this flyer's hat that I couldn't get enough pictures. He was pretty patient.

But after a while, he had had enough! He packed his bags and went home (figuratively speaking).

Luke is also a kid with great expressions and many moods.
Here are just a few.

Happy Birthday, Leif

Although Leif's Mom and Dad had a lovely birthday party for him on Sunday, his birthday is actually today. So in honor of his day, I put together a collage to celebrate. He is such a fun little guy, with so much to do, and even more to say. He's emphatic, precise, insistent and determined that you hear and concur with everything!

He seldom wants to look directly at me when I'm trying to take a picture, so I hardly ever get those eyes!! I did manage to get just one good photo, when he was intent on his birthday cake and the fun party going on in his honor. The other pictures, in the wagon, were from our fun photo shoot in the field the other day. Notice, none looking at me :) . I snapped almost 200 photos of him and his brothers. A few are good. More from that later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEIF

Bubbles - At - I Heart Faces

This week's contest theme at *i heart faces* is BUBBLES~what a fun summer subject! This photo of Levi letting the wind blow a perfect bubble, right in front of his eyes, is my entry. Check out all the other great photos at their web site.

Photo Session~Take Two

A Few More
(While they were cooperating so nicely)

and I am working on my photography skills.

Drake


Sisters

Ilex

Grand Kids, Red Chairs and A Linen Colored Field

A huge linen colored field, three adorable grand kids, (and better inter net - thanks to Russ - and 6 phone calls to Heidi) Yaaay!

More to follow...

Updating Soon

I'll Be Back!

(Just as soon as my wonderful but overworked son in law has a bit of time I'll be back in business, hopefully-better, faster, easier-with a HUGE update on my computer! I can't even tell you.)

And I'll have some great photos to share.

The Lord Shall Renew Their Strength

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Brothers

All for one and one for all
My brother and my friend
What fun we have
The time we share
Brothers 'til the end.
~Author Unknown~

Colorful Summer Birthdays

I'm participating in *i heart faces*
*My story in pictures-summer edition*

This is not a photo contest this week, just a telling of one's favorite summer activity with as many pictures as we like :) and a story to go along with them.


With our three daughters and all six grandchildren living close by we get to enjoy so many fun things together. Birthday parties always call for a family get together. Summer birthdays are extra special and very colorful as well. I think that's why I love the way the Photos that are taken at those parties turn out. The vivid tones express the mood of a gala event. Happy faces definitely rule the day. And outdoor light makes
everything pop.



Our oldest granddaughter, Ilex, turned 13 and started the summer birthday season. Her Mom and Dad hosted the beautiful outdoor event in their garden on a gorgeous, unusually balmy day in April, and our whole family came to enjoy the festivities. We ate great food, the children played, we all basked in the unexpected warmth of the day.
~~~
The next birthday was for 5 year old Luke, hosted by his Mom and Dad in their sunny garden. It was only late May but we lucked out on another fabulous day! His Mom picked the cheerful, summery theme of *A Lemonade Stand* so he got to help his daddy with one to start the party off on a festive, bright note. He was so intent on the whole process. Everyone writing their name on their cup, getting the ice just right, what flavor did they want, taking the cash....


There was also an eye popping bunch of balloons that seemed to make the rounds with every child at the party sometime during the afternoon. I loved the colors and couldn't stop snapping pictures. I will only show one collage!


The other young party guests must have instinctively known this would be a colorful event. Look at those girls!!

Luke thought it would take a lot of air
to blow out 5 candles! He never does anything half way.


Even the table was too pretty to miss out on this
colorful line up.

We have several more summer birthday parties to go yet and I'm sure they will result in just as many fun photos to share another day.

Delicate Enjoyment of Tea With Friends

Another novelty is the tea-party, an extraordinary meal in that, being offered to persons that have already dined well, it supposes neither appetite nor thirst, and has no object but distraction, no basis but delicate enjoyment.
~Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste~

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady~

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
~C.S. Lewis~