A Never Ending Love...

When our children are little we often say... I'll love you no matter what. That is the love of a parent. A parent loves a bad child even as they punish them. They also love the child when they grow up into adults and become parents themselves.




This love often comes with a sense of responsibility or worry on part of the parent... what children (even adult ones) often forget or fail to realize is that a parents duty or sense of duty doesn't stop at a certain age or point in time... it is never ending just as their love is.



So when a teenager is late, or an adult is having problems at work or in a relationship or even with their own children... the parent is still concerned. When their child hurts, they hurt.



It took me becoming a parent to understand this, and yes I have often worried about my adult children... whether it is over little things or life changing ones.



Our extended family just went through a troubling situation and my mother in law has been upset by it... her child has been hurt and their life is changing in many ways... so she feels unable to do anything but wanting to protect her own.



Life will go on and time will heal, but what a wonderful thing to have a parents love to come home to; their arms to fall into; or just the knowledge that they are but a mere phone call away.

A Mourning in Fairfax

I’m not sure this firefighter would call his self a hero but his attempt and that of the members of his crew were heroic… they responded to the call and gave it their all but were unable to save the woman who lived in this house… it has been 14 years since I shot this photo while working for our local paper and its image has never left my mind.



Every once in a while I pull it out and remember the choice I made that day… I was in route to an interview for a feature on a local antique shop when I decided to follow the fire trucks and see what was going on. Being a former volunteer firefighter I stayed out of the way but found myself stepping over hoses as I shot roll after roll of film, never really seeing what I was shooting, it was like I was on automatic. It was only after the fire was out that I discovered that the woman who lived there had not made it out and perished in the fire.


Although it was hard for me and I am sure her family, the paper ran this photo along with others on the front page that week; and while I have taken thousands of other photos, none has ever touched me the way this one did… every time I look at it I am drawn to the beams of light pouring through the burning building shining down on the firefighter or perhaps the victim or both.

First Cabin Trip of the Year

My first trip to the cabin this year was wonderful… I slept and read and read and slept UNTIL the girls arrived that is.

At the crack of dawn every morning I would wake up the Althea peering into my face and Dorie asking what we were eating for breakfast. My peaceful week was gone but was replaced with visits from super heroes, a trip to a festival and sighting of creatures rarely seen.

As we traveled the mountain roads we were lucky enough to see a young beaver eating fresh grass along the road way and upon turning around we watched him slide down the hill to his den. A couple of days later we saw a Chipmunk running back and forth across the road, thank goodness he made it!

We ended up at a small town festival and Althea got her first cotton candy but refused to eat it while Dorie would not touch it and ate it off the stick like a corndog…

we sat and listening to 3 guys singing oldies and classic rock while sweating in the mountain sunshine, Papa and Dorie road the slide and then we called it done….

Papa Frank and Dorie went fishing from the dock and she caught her first bass which she thought was rather stinky but she loved it and having her picture taken.

The girls watched Word Girl on the television and that led to digging through Papa’s shirts to find “capes” which they wore all day; even Althea acted like she new what she was doing… they were so fun!

We ate S’mores, watched movies and shopped till we dropped…

Things I like to touch....

My bed. Nothing beats crisp, cool sheets and a soft pillow to ease the body and the mind at the end of a long day.

My collection of cookbooks. Not a day goes by that I don't pull one or two out an thumb through the pages looking for something new, old or enspiring to cook.

Vintage quilts and old linens.

What fun to plunder for hidden treasures at tag sales, shops and even online.

A piece of glass, a seashell or trinket picked up from walks and wanderings.

Or a pot of herbs in the garden. Running my hand over them releases such wonder smells and brightens my day.

Nemo after a nice bath and grooming.

His skin is like that of a seal pup, smooth and silky.

But there is nothing more precious to touch than the skin of a child; especially that one little spot at the nape of their neck… this is where I like to gather kisses and giggles to brighten my day!