Seen and Unseen

Clouds hiding against the darkened sky

Found out by the moonlight

That slides around the edges

Making fluffy patterns

Against the dark blue gray

Light pointing out darkness

Highlighting space and not space

The Moon and Venus

And behind it all

Bright but unseen

A multitude of stars

Favorite Paintings

These two paintings are by James Parsons of Seattle. These are not high quality photos, but the paintings are quite stunning. Jim and I were friends through the 80s, until I left Seattle, and I'm privileged to own a few of his works.

This was done in 1980. It is of one of my macaws and two of her babies.

This painting, completed in 1981, is of two eclectus babies I raised. I love the tropical lushness of it. These paintings bring me joy daily.

All Roads Lead To...

Well, I was headed to Olympia. I'm not certain where the clouds were heading, but they were making roads there and seemed in a hurry.

Saffron Sunrise

The sun rises through a pool of saffron light that flows across the sky, filling cracks and niches between sparse clouds with golden glory. As I watch it washes away to expose multiple shades of blue. I turn away, and the room fills with eerie saffron light, not unlike the light that precedes thunderstorms. Delighted and surprised, I again look out the windows and then up. The light has caught in a bank of clouds and from there slid down again and inside, lighting up my morning a second time with the gift of gold.

The sun can be excused for rising ever later when it brings with it such a glorious saffron sunrise.

Then and Now

My mother was a war bride. She and my father met when he was training in Australia, preparing to go to New Guinea, and she had just joined the Australian Air Force. They married a year before the war ended. Their story contains one of my very favorite catch 22's: the war in the Pacific had ramped down, and my dad was sent home. Thousands of war brides followed after the troops were returned. My mother wasn't among them. She was in the service; she couldn't get a visa to the USA until she got a discharge from the Australian Air Force. She couldn't get a discharge from the Air Force until she obtained a visa. She had to wait for the war to end, and then joined thousands more war brides on a ship to a far off land. These were the women I grew up around - women brave enough to travel alone 7,000 miles by ship to a foreign land, to begin a new life, no guarantees they would ever return home.

In 1965 the Seattle Times ran an article about my mother's cooking. It's a fun piece to have. And I remember with great affection all the lovely treats we had at parties.

And here she is now, at a family gathering at the house I grew up in. Still full of life and fun and adventure.

Roadside Guardians

These whimsical beasts guard and protect the rows of flowers behind them.

Well, I suppose the flower isn't a beast, but it is announcing and sheltering the cut flowers in the kiosk.

Roadside Attraction

Along my route west is a small farm that grows beautiful flowers and sells them at roadside.

An attractive kiosk holds the flower bunches in water, waiting for customers to pull in.

Don't these flowers brighten your day just looking at them? And they are only $5 a bunch! The selection is always varied, the flowers fresh picked.

My very favorite part of this stand is that is sells on the honor system. This white box asks for cash or checks. Pick your favorites, pay here.

My next favorite thing are the whimsical creatures welcoming us in. More pics of them coming up.

Clouds Over Seattle

My nephew's wedding was Sunday at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. After a rainy, blustery morning that included a thunderstorm, a strong wind blew the clouds around then settled down to provide a beautiful background for their wonderful ceremony.

Lunar Lover

The moon followed me home tonight.

Can I keep it?

It's hanging around just outside

Lighting up the clouds.

Look at it, making patterns in the sky

Sharing light beams with Venus.

In the misty clouds it's twice normal size

Surrounded by a golden halo

It's full face shining with reflected glory.

The coyotes like it there

Hear them singing their songs of praise?

The owl hoots in harmony

While dogs bark the beat.

The moon followed me home tonight

Let me watch it

Following it's solitary path across the sky

Lighting up my heart.

Magical Moments

The sky is like a beach at low tide, where the wet sand holds the image of wave ripples and glows damply in the moonlight, with channels of receding water adding a bright horizontal pattern. The moon is lighting from behind, not above, and the cloud-sand is bright translucent white. The channels alternate deep blue and white, leading south past the moon. Come play with the waves, they are just out of sight. Wet your toes in the sand, splash in the channels. You too can turn translucent glowing white, and disappear towards the moon.