July 30

'tis joy this season
campfires, cards, books and bikes
summertime sweetness

~ Maria

July 27

my old friend Harvey
kind, gentle - big, giant heart
-- "See you in heaven"

~ Maria

July 24

Old House

Small hands left their mark.

I scrub them off, lovingly;

my grateful good-bye.

New house

Arrange, rearrange,

new places for our old things.

Mental exhaustion.

~ Twilla

July 17

Blowing in the wind

Ginkgo tree, wedding decor

Grows in Iowa 

~ Jan

July 15

Your favourite perch.

The best window for ruling

your precious domain.

~ Twilla

July 13

Five precious children
Wade, fish, row, float, swim, catch frogs
Mount Hood always in view

Camp: tents, van, teepee
Dark nights, moon light, countless stars
Camp fire: grill fish, smores

Magic light at dusk
Ocean waves: reflect, sparkle
Firm sand, walk in awe

Tillamook ice cream
Birthday brownie with ice cream
Portland ice cream shop

~ Jan

July 12

This weekend our family is moving to Goshen. We are excited, yet changes always come with such varied emotions.

Hard to leave this house

where our family was born-

eight years cradled here.

~ Twilla

July 12

restoring order?
I prune, clip, drag and clear.  But...
nature always wins

~ Maria

July 10

Surrounded by ripening raspberries in our yard a few days ago, I was somehow reminded of the summer of 2008 when we received the devastating news that Heidi and Mitch's baby girl would not live long outside the womb. My baby was four months old at the time.

Baby on my back,

I pick fresh berries, weeping.

Your baby will die.

~ Twilla

July 9

crisp night air; search, yearn
light in darkness --  star-gazing
I am but a breath

~ Maria

July 4

Lightning bug season.

Twilight sparkles, shimmers, glows.

Stars dance among trees.

 

~ Twilla

July 3

A dog with itches
Lies motionless on his side
While mistress combs

~ Maria

July 1

South Shore - Chicago

$5.25 for seniors!

Off/on the right track.

Twin Cities, birthdays

Cupcakes for absent parties

Roger, Jan, Heidi

Harvey, Norma's house

Family: quilts, graves, knaphla

Kuchen for the ride

From North Dakota

oil traffic delays our train

Landscape reels roll by

Grand mountains, solid

Clouds drift, lakes reflect, rainbows

Glacier Park patterns

Land of the Blackfeet

Railroad lodges, trails, fireplace

Bears, goats, moose, and cows

Two Medicine Grill,

Luna's, Johnson's: local eats

Huckleberry pie!

Knotty pine guest house

Light candles, read late, sleep in

Summer Paradise!

~ Jan