Ruby Tuesday - More OC Fair Performers

Two weeks ago I
shared acrobats performing
at the OC Fair.

Below jugglers
demonstrate their skills in my
Tuesday Mosaic.

Originals - straight out of the camera


Posterized


Spherized

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday

Thought for Today
"What really matters is what you do with what you have." H.G. Wells

Scenic Sunday - Today's Flowers - Mellow Yellow

Scroll down for Blog Your Blessings on Sunday

I don't know how they
manage sharing this small space
but somehow they do



Once again I share
photographs from my sister ...
Capitol Building

with yellow flowers
Olympia, Washington ...
one beautiful shot!

Cherry trees in bloom
near the Capitol building
lovely pink blossoms

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in
Scenic Sunday
Today's Flowers
Mellow Yellow Monday

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."
Cherokee Indian Proverb

1. Although my sister continues to travel with her husband in their RV (and doesn't DO email), she does call regularly from the road and her husband has sent me a stack of DVDs with photos from their travels ... so I can 'see' where they've been after the fact. One of my good friends just left on an extended RV trip with her husband in their Montana 5th wheel and will 'hook up' with my sister and her husband in a week or two around Laramie or Cheyenne. I'm happy they'll be able to connect and since my friend DOES email, I should see photos in a more 'timely' manner for a month or two.

2. The US Open Tennis Championship begins tomorrow in New York so there will be TENNIS to watch for a couple of weeks before my Adult School classes begin again on the 9th of September. I'll be learning to use Power Point on Monday & Wednesday mornings and am hoping to learn to create some 'kewl' slide shows.

3. My Jury Duty has been postponed until mid-November when my Adult School class will meet in the EVENING rather than during the daytime.

4. Molly continues to look for her fur-friend Jenke, but hopefully will eventually find the Dalmatian puppy, Aloha, a fun playmate once she grows up.

5. I continue to enjoy swimming daily with my friend Susan in the lovely pool at the complex where she lives ... about 5 minutes from my home. It's great exercise and the weather has been wonderfully clear & sunny this past week.

6. Even though it's drier than dry in Southern California, my 'Just Joey' rose bush is in bloom ... it ALWAYS lifts my spirits and generates conversations with those who pass by ;--)

See also
my Daily Gratitude List
in the sidebar at Small Reflections

What are some blessings in YOUR life currently?

For others who 'Blog Their Blessings'

go to My Blog Rolls and/or click on the
Blog Your Blessings logo
above Really Good Things.

For those who participate in Sacred Life Sunday
click the logo below:

Blessed Be ... and so it is!

Thought for Today
"Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't." Pete Seeger

Haiku Friday-Looking at the Sky & Morning Musings

Scroll down for Morning Musings

I watch the sun rise
in the east from my front yard
whenever I can ...

Capturing the moon
while holding my camera ...
challenging at best

taken from my deck
one evening not long ago ...
almost got it right ;--)

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others participating in
Looking at the Sky and Haiku Friday

Morning Musings ...

1. It's been a while since I've taken time to share Morning Musings ... and I'm planning to swim in 30 minutes, so this may be cut short. Perhaps I'll add a bit more when I return? Yup ... I'm back and making a few additions before I head out to run errands and will visit others later this afternoon and/or over the weekend.

2. I've been watching ESPN2's TENNIS coverage on weekends throughout the summer whenever time permits and am looking forward to the US Open coverage beginning on Monday. I've done some writing in my journal about the matches and intend to photograph those pages to share ... perhaps later today.

Images added at 10:20am

3. The weather most of the summer has been cool & cloudy, but this week HEAT has arrived with clear blue skies. Unfortunately at the same time a number WILDFIRES have broken out in Southern California ... a couple in the Angeles Forest, one in Palos Verdes, and another near Hemet where my SIL lives. I'm grateful the Santa Ana Winds aren't blowing, and am praying fire-fighters will be able to contain these fires quickly before they spread. We've had so little rainfall that conditions are exceedingly dry and that makes fire even more dangerous.

4. My heart & prayers go out to the Kennedy family on the loss of 'Teddy' ... the last of the four brothers ... the only one who lived long enough to become grey-haired. Their personal family history is so much a part of our own public history and I find myself reliving the tragic events of the 1960s ... reflecting on what might have been, if only ... cognizant of what is and what might be even now.

5. to be continued ... after my swim
It's 9:56am and I'm back from swimming ... have showered & washed my hair and am enjoying a cup of coffee as I finish typing this post before I head off to REI with a friend. Their sale starts this morning ;--)

6. Guess Molly will have to settle for an afternoon ambulation because I'm running out of time this morning. Life's like that some times. It feels as if it's going to be another HOT day ... I guess I'll run the air conditioner in the car ... something I almost never do.

7. Here's wishing everyone a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend ;--)

Thought for Today
"If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." Lao Tzu

Outdoor Watery Wednesday - My Morning Swim

Early mornings I
swim about an hour in
this lovely blue pool

with a friend who lives
in the complex close to my
home by the seashore.

Note the lovely blue
skies above ... at last the drear
morning 'gloom' is gone.


Click to embiggen for better viewing
Outdoor Wednesday
Watery Wednesday
Midweek Blues

Thought for Today
"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it." Plato

Multi-tasking on Monday ... as usual

Scroll down for Monochrome Weekly
and a belated Shadow Shot Sunday

Summer blues captured
and 'collaged' to share today ...
of course, it's Monday ;--)

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in
Mosaic and Blue Monday

In response to Aileni's comment last week,
I offer this single photo from
My Monochrome Mosaic

and in response to RuneE's comment
I offer these and wonder if YOU have a favorite?

Black & White - Infared


Black & White - Scenic Landscape


Black & White - Urban Landscape

Click to embiggen for better viewing
... for others participating in Monochrome Weekly
and Shadow Shots at Hey Harriet

Thought for Today
"Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next." Franklin P. Jones

Colorful Evening Skies at the Beach

Sunset from my deck
always through electric wires ...
fortunately the

beach is just a short
walk away. This week I share
colorful sunset

captured just last week
one evening when I took time
to enjoy it all ;--)

Click to embiggen for better viewing ...
(It's really worth doing this!)
and for others participating in Haiku Friday and Sky Watch

Thought for Today
"If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen." Richard de Vos

Multi-tasking on Tuesday with Acrobats

Ruby Tuesday - Acrobats at the OC Fair
Scroll down for Midweek Blues
and Random Tuesday Thoughts

one acrobatic
act at the Orange County Fair ...
(click to embiggen)

Originals - straight out of the camera

Posterize


Spherize

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday



Invert


Invert with Poster Edges


Invert with Neon Glow and Poster Edges

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and for others participating in Midweek Blues


Just for FUN!
Solarize


Polar Coordinates

Click to embiggen for better viewing


It's been a BUSY Monday away from home
so I'll be playing 'catch up' with
blog visits tomorrow ...
therefore

will be added in the morning ... because
I'm too tired & hungry to think
right now at 6:45 pm
Monday evening.

Sigh! I'm getting a later than usual start at the computer this morning, but true to last night's promise ... I'm adding my Morning Musings in whatever Random Thought manner they choose to arise (before I do anything else) ... as I sip my morning coffee.

1. The fur-kids have been fed and I've started a load of laundry, glanced through my email & checked my blogs for new comments.
I had minimal time at the computer yesterday, but am hoping to catch up with Monday visits today ... then make my Tuesday rounds.

2. I appreciate everyone who has dropped by already and I freely admit that making mosaics then experimenting with filters in Photoshop 6 is great fun for me! Sharing some of my favorite results and seeing how others respond is 'kewl' too. Thanks to those of you who take time to 'embiggen' the mosaics and share your opinion in comments ;--)

3. Molly still misses Jenke, but she's going to have a new playmate when Aloha (the Dalmation puppy who moved into Jenke's old house) grows up. If you missed these and have a few minutes this morning, you might enjoy: A Farewell Playdate, Follow up on Molly's Loss, and Monday Multi-tasking with Molly's Yellows & Blues.

4. I continue to swim in the mornings for exercise (anywhere between 8 & 10am). Today I'll probably go over there around 9:00 even though the sun probably won't come out until much later here at the beach. It's more like June gloom than mid-August ... so when others talk about 'Fall' and 'Back to School' ... I find it hard to wrap my mind around the possibility that summer is drawing to a close when it hasn't really started (except for a couple of weeks of unusually HOT weather in July).

5. Listening to news of the multiple wildfires to the north around the Santa Cruz area evokes vivid memories of fires in Southern California and my prayers for containment and recovery go out to all involved. The dry conditions coupled with coastal winds makes fighting such fires extremely dangerous and difficult ... and I'm grateful the Santa Ana winds aren't blowing off the desert.

6. I'm hoping to put together a My World post about another Free Concert in the Park I attended on Sunday evening where a Dixieland Band put on a fun show and where several participants decided to 'dance' to the music! Great fun ;--)

Click for others sharing Random Tuesday Thoughts

Here's wishing a Happy Tuesday to all!

Thought for Today
"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity." Eleanor Roosevelt