The beauty of snow and the warming of hearts

Holidays can truly be a magical time of year. For me, anytime my family can get together is time to be treasured. I knew my Dad was driving down sometime this week for Thanksgiving but was thrilled to get a phone call from my brother on Saturday telling me that Dad had decided to hop in the car and drive down earlier than expected. I called Dad to see if he wanted company and all but flew to the car in my excitement to see him.

On Sunday I was able to drive to SLC to pick up my brother and sister-and-law who had flown in from New York. The drive up was uneventful as I made my way to where they were visiting with her family. By the time we climbed into the car to head back big, fluffy snowflakes were starting to drift down in lazy spirals. I love the way snow looks as it falls, blanketing everything in a clean blanket of white, but this quickly became thicker and thicker until you could hardly see the lines in the road. It got to the point where I couldn't recognise where on the trip I was and there was nothing to do except to slowly follow the tail lights of the car in front of me.

It wasn't frightening in the least (the roads weren't slick) and I was left with the strangest feeling of being held safe and secure in the warmth of my car. We talked and laughed, made comments about the wall of snow accumulating against the side of the car, and eventually came to the safe harbor of my brother's house.

Bags and blankets were snatched from the car and we entered into a home full of delicious smells, a bright and cheerful Christmas tree shining softly into the night and the warmth of hugs from the family waiting for our arrival.

Before long the snow was already melting, becoming nothing more than a brief reminder of weather to come, but the warmth inside the house continued on.....

I love the holidays.

Excuse me Mr Croissant....why is your beret on your butt?

I couldn't resist posting this necklace I found online today. Who in their weirdest mind would want to wear a croissant around their necks? And one that happens to be french and wearing his beret on what appears to be his behind?

Ah the strange things you find when you surf the web.....

Stupid girl....

I’ve been sick lately with bronchitis….so sick that I was off of work for 3 days last week and then another 3 days this week.

Yesterday was my first day back to the job. I didn’t feel fantastic, but I wasn’t going to pass out either. When I left at 4:30 pm it was with the intention of heading home, heating up some soup and then crawling into bed.

Then I glanced towards the lake.

Big mistake.

The sun was beginning to set in a wonderfully clear sky and the sunlight was gilding everything it touched in beams of golden brilliance.

I turned around and drove to the jetty with the idea of snapping a couple of shots of the sunset and then heading for home.

Yeah, right.

An hour-and-a-half later I finally got back into my car, chilled to the bone, and cranked up the heater as far as it would go.

I got some amazing shots, but spent the night coughing so hard I couldn’t sleep.

Oh well, it was still worth it.

Vacation Photos 2...in sepia

Hey everyone...I am still under the weather somewhat. I feel much better but I am still coughing up a storm and out of breath, my appetite still hasn't returned (though I am making myself eat) and I am easily exhausted . I am thankful though that the fever finally broke the other day and that the headache is mostly gone.

I am posting the next round of vacation photos from my trip to Sandpoint. I normally don't transfer my pictures into sepia but had fun experimenting with the function and ended up liking the results.

Let me know what YOU think.

Ah the joys of having a cold.....

Your head literally feels like it is exploding everytime you cough, your throat is getting raw and you can't breathe. The last is the scariest for me....I can't hold my breath for 30 seconds without panicking so colds give me fits. The mild fever and chills just add to the experience.

The accountant came prepared today. She walked in through the door and handed me a bottle of Zicam, a can of Lysol and 2 Clorox antibacterial wipe packs.

So much for the ol' regimen of Vitamin C and Tylenol.

Trip Photos #1

As promised, here is the first installation of trip photos. Hope you enjoy.


Marina, Sandpoint, ID


Sandpoint, ID


Early Morning, 49 Degrees North, Chewelah, WA


Blue Creek Bridge, Blue Creek, WA


Oncoming Train, Sandpoint, ID


Brush, Bear Lake, WA


Bear Lake, WA


Aspens, Newport, WA


Barn in Addy, WA

Sisters Don't Let Sisters Borrow Digital Cameras

Why not?

Cause you end up with something like THIS that surprises you when you start scrolling through the goodies you took on your autumnal trip home.

What else can I say except I love and miss you two twits and, uh...thanks for the surprise?

Photo Journal

I have not forgotten my promise to upload some of my favorite shots from my trip to Washington/Idaho.

The problem is narrowing them down.

I took nearly 1600 shots in all, and have since managed to narrow the list down to a mere 173.
It took most of Saturday to go through that long list of images and, I admit, I wasn't ready to spend a chunk of Sunday going through them again, cropping a few, doing color corrections, etc etc.

It will probably still take awhile to narrow that list down further, however, tonight I will upload some of my absolute favorites after dinner.

Promise.