OLD MEMORIES FLYING BY

You will never guess, this is such a fun picture for me!

My oldest grandaughter's closet, with my mother's old jewelry box!

Mom was the queen of beads, making jewelry and lots of gorgeous tree ornament, among other things. One year we found the perfect gift, this big box!

She just loved it, and after she died, I got it back. It sat in storage for years, I couldn't take it to Kenya!

At last, it has a home. We put it in the car in B.C. and it drove with us to upstate New York, and Maria's new closet.

And she is the queen of loving jewelry, vintage or otherwise, definitely related to her great grandma.

It is so much fun to pass something on, the right thing to the right person, just makes me feel good!

We didn't samve a lot of stuff, but the odd bit here and there, ahhh, what fun!

One thing I can take to Kenya, or anywhere for that matter, is all the wonderful memories. They are even better than picutres, and never glitch in the external hard drive, or stick in the photo album, or get lost in the baggage department!

mmmmm, memories, old and new.

Have a memorable day, wontcha?

FIRST STEPS TO FLYING

September and the kids go to school, for some it is the first step into kindergarden, or first step into high school!

Or a September holiday, and the first step to getting on the plane, or the boat, or the car....

I started thinking of first steps, and that made me notice how many people take photos of feet!

Feet, footsteps, first steps....

We have travelled so much this year, and every trip had a first step .... maybe to unearth the passports, the suitcase, walk into the travel agent ...

Other journeys..... like the first step down the aisle in a church, who would have thought that 35 years later that first step would have taken me around and around the world!

...First step into a store to buy a camera, would lead to a special friend who takes amazing photos, and has encouraged me to try to take amazing photos!

We all have first steps everyday, and who knows where it is leading,

Have a really stepping out day, wontcha!

FLYING BACKWARDS AGAIN!

Well, I did it! I took a picture of the past in the present!

Don't you just love this photo - I took it as we travelled along, ( yeah, I do get bored occasionally) so took this photo in the side rear view mirror!

It was just at sunset, and I never messed with colour or anything, just one of those photos that sooooo works, you think you will give up your day job and become a full time photographer.

11,000 photos later, I am still at my day job!

If I could figure out how to get what I see to come out the camera!

Actually, I realize I do.

The pictures in my heart are perfect, and there forever.

Occasionally I can photograph the past, but mostly I like looking forward, going forward, and just enjoying everyday as it happens!

But if the chance presents itself, do take a picture of what lies behind!

Have a saving your memories day, wontcha!

LEARNING TO FLY IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

"IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD WHEN EVERYONE AROUND IS LOSING THEIRS, YOU PROBBALY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!"

I am not normally a grumbler. But some days, I just get a bad case of the crazies.

Situations that make me feel STUPID make me crazy. I feel totally grounded, totally wingless, flightless, motionless, STUPID!!!

The situation I am talking about is debit machines, card machines, those little gagets on store counters designed to make my life easy, by

a.) saving me a trip to the bank

b.) not having to carry a cheque book

ahhh, life will be so simple!

But then came the invention option, and everyone and their dog has a different kind of debit machine!!!

Yes, dog: remember the old St. Bernard photo with the brandy keg around his neck? WEll, I am sure the modern day one has a debit machine!!!!

And no two dogs with the same one!

Maybe it's because we have been travelling so much, but I always seem to be pressing ok, when it should be enter, or using my finger when it should be the stylus, (and by the way, why is the stylus on the left side, when most of the world is right handed???)

Okay, I am over my tantrum. I will get my head out of Aliigator Al's jaws and go shopping.

Shopping? yeah, with a shopping bag of cash! No more debits for awhile, until I finish my class in "Debit machine Management 101."

Have a technology free day , wontcha!

FLYING OVER
A BRIDGE!

Bridges are one of my favorite things!

This one makes me think that if you stand in the middle on a perfect day, you will just sail away into the clouds!

When you stand on the side of the bridge and look down, you see the water flow under, and all ahead, there is new fresh water coming at you!

So like life: you stand on today, and coming at you , your whole life! Full of good things, and promises, and wow! There it is ahead, coming at me!

Don't you just love it?

And if you stand in the middle of your life on a perfect day, you just might fly away!

Well, not really.

I wouldn't want to fly away, not yet anyway.

There's so much life coming up!

Lots more travel: we just passed the 20,000km. or 12,500 miles, since April 25th. Not joking!

And we have a lot of flying!

And tonight: a wonderful evening with the family! MMMMMMM

Maybe you were thinking that bridges take you from this side to that side, but rethink just where you can go when you stand in the middle and dream!

Have a great dreaming day, wontcha!

LEARNING TO FLY WITH A PURSE

Hey there, what IS it with purses!!

I hate to be a fashionista, but I LOVE purses! Big, small, lots of straps, no straps, purses, purses, purses!!!

Well, maybe not that many, but I love to find a purse that works, which means it has to carry my wallet, which differs in size from country to country! Kenya money is big, and in Uganda, you need so many bills you need a sack!!!

Cameras!!!! I hate to leave my house without it, because every , every, every time I do, I miss the photo of a lifetime!!! Never fails! So a good purse has to accomodate my camera.

Lotion, hand sanitizer, lip gloss, notebook ( in case I feel the urge to write a poem, blog idea, or grocery note!) many pens - I am one of those who has "being without a pen" phobia. BWAP syndrome.

Sooooo, that leads me to Jacksonville, and this amazing purse place.

If you look at the photo, you can see just how totally practical this purse is.

It holds all the stuff mentioned, and so is just a total must have.

Oh, you think the colours are wild? The pattern bizarre?

Well, so did I, and that's the most important thing about a purse, for me!

IT HAS TO MAKE A STATEMENT!

LIFE IS TOOOOOOO SHORT TO PACK A BORING PURSE!!!

Have a perfect purse day, wontcha!