Our eldest daughter, Shannon, got a new camera for her 40th birthday. I won’t tell you how many years ago that was. Like many folks, she’s typically short on spare time, so she hasn’t spent much time figuring out how to use the thing. She’s got a very good natural eye for composition, so she’s able to make good photos with it already.
Shannon’s Terrarium
She sent me that snapshot of her new terrarium the other day. That’s just one recent example of her work. If you’d like to see some of her other stuff, check out her Instagram feed.
I think y’all will agree she’s pretty good already, but she wants to get better. And she wants to learn how to better use the features of the fancy DSLR her husband, Chris, surprised her with.
She asked me for some ideas for practice she could use while still quarantined in her home. It reminded me of a weekly photo challenge I did with some other bloggers years back. Basically, there was a weekly theme. Everyone (there was a relatively small group of bloggers who participated) had seven days to capture images to illustrate how they interpreted the theme. It was fun.
Who couldn’t use a bit of fun and inspiration during the COVID-19 lockdown?
That being said, I am going to start hosting a weekly photo challenge. Once Shannon and I agree on a good name, I’ll come up with some rules and post the first challenge. I’m hoping some of you will want to participate, too. You can either post your entries on your blog, or Instagram, or Google Photos… wherever you want. All you’ll need to do is share a link to your pics each week when you are ready.
Today, April 17, is our 26th wedding anniversary. We have never really made a big deal out of anniversaries. Birthdays either. Not because we don’t think they are important. I think it’s more because there are now so many societal expectations around bigger and better celebrations of milestone events that celebrating in any big way sort of feels like giving in and becoming just another consumer in a society driven mad by consumption. Think about it, there are entire industries built on human’s desire to celebrate stuff. Greeting cards, balloons, flowers, cakes. I like all that stuff, but I like it best when it’s not expected, if that makes any sense.
This year was different. This year we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in what was, for us, a pretty big way. First, Mike and I flew to Hawaii for a two-week vacation. Then, we topped it off with an entire weekend hanging out at home with our three children. Today, our 26th anniversary sort of marks the end of a three-week celebration of us. Not just us, the husband and wife, but us, the family.
It’s been a journey for all of us, really. Full of various bumps, misdirections, obstacles large and small, with some mental and metaphysical challenges thrown in that were more monumental than I think anyone ever expected. But we have all persevered, and we all continue to grow. Some of us are struggling more than others, but that’s sort of to be expected. We are, after all, each in various phases or stages of our individual life’s path. But we still like and love each other, and I think we always will. That’s huge. We may not all be bound by blood, but we are bound by something. It could just be familiarity and a collection of shared experiences, but it feels like more.
The family in 1993.
We have all come a very long way from being the people we were in that picture to the people we are now.
The family in 2019.
It is not often that we all get the chance to just hang out and reconnect. In fact, I think the last time we were all together without significant others and offspring was in 2004 when we took a family vacation to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
The family in 2004.
It is fun to look back and see how far all of us have come.
The kids in 2004.
None of us are exactly the same people we were back then. We have all grown so much since then, in so many different ways.
Mike and I have been blessed in so many ways. And we are very proud of these people we were each given as children to raise. They are each very special and very unique in so many ways. They have all grown into amazing adults.
We are so very glad they all chose to come visit and help celebrate our 25-year anniversary milestone. It meant the world to both of us, to all of us, really. Even when Mike and I are dead and gone, the kids will still have each other. Isn’t that what all parents want? Being a family, whether or not related by blood, doesn’t always guarantee that good, strong connections will be forged. That takes work, careful nurturing of spirits, and maybe even a little bit of luck.
I, for one, am happy and proud to be able to share my life with each and every one of these very special people. I love them all very much. Especially this guy.
Me and Mike in 2019.
Happy anniversary, Honey! Here’s to many more years to come. And thanks again, Shannon, Amy, and Eric, for wanting to come together to celebrate with us. It meant more to both of us than I suspect any of you will ever truly understand.
While digging up the pics I used in my previous post about ART, I found a bunch of pics from my favorite San Diego beach that I wanted to share.
Lifeguard stations are serious business in California.
This East Coast native found the lifeguard stations quite impressive in San Diego. There are actual large structures, with vehicles and everything, at various locations along the beach. Sort of like a municipal firehouse, but on the beach, and without firetrucks. They do have little trucks, Jeeps, and other rescue vehicles. There are the little lifeguard shacks, too. But even those are different than what we have on the Atlantic beaches, which really are nothing more than tall, wooden chairs.
Delicious Street Tacos
Imperial Beach was my favorite for several reasons. Street tacos are one of those reasons.
My first lunch at IB Tacos.
I encountered too many incomplete or inaccurate descriptions of street tacos to give y’all a definitive explanation of street taco vs. Americanized (think Taco Bell) tacos. Basically, street tacos are small, simple, inexpensive, and eaten in multiples. They typically have very fresh ingredients, a few complementary toppings, and are served open-faced, sometimes atop two soft corn tortillas. One thing I learned today is that the second tortilla is so you can redistribute half of the fillings to make two neater “packets” of deliciousness. I ate a lot of tacos in SD, but IB Street tacos was the best of what I tried, in my opinion. Click on their logo above to go to their website and read their menu.
Not all beaches welcome dogs. Not wanting to leave Jasper home, especially since he was the reason I had extended my stay in SD, I had to find a dog-friendly one. The thought of long, leisurely strolls along a beach without being nagged by guilt for abandoning my little friend were just too appealing.
At first, while Shannon and Chris were still at home, Jasper didn’t want a whole lot to do with me.
“Don’t even think about getting between me and Mom,” Jasper appears to be thinking here.
As they prepared to leave on their honeymoon, Jasper and I became more-acquainted with one another.
“Wait, what? YOU are supposed to take me for a walk?” he seemed to be thinking.
Once they left, he was all like, “Cool. What fun thing are we going to do now?”
“Okay, Babysitter Lady, where are we going this time?” he seems to be thinking.
I sort of made a game of it. If you’re on Instagram, look for #adventureswithjasperkirkman.
For the Birds!
There are lots of birding opportunities in and around IB. Click here to learn more. I like birds, but am not a serious birder by any stretch of the imagination. Jasper likes birds, too, but for different reasons. I like to look at them and he likes to chase them.
Beach Birds
Looking inland from the beach across the estuary/slough.
More beach birds.
You can sort of see mountains in the distance through the haze.
I forgot to mention that it was unseasonably hot most of the time while I was in SD. Inland temps were in the mid-90s, which was another good reason to head for the beach!
Interesting Patterns in the Sand
I never did figure out why there’s so much black sand mixed-in with the regular sand at IB, but I do know that it made for some very visually interesting patterns.
Patterns in the Sand
Patterns in the Sand
Patterns in the Sand
Patterns in the Sand (almost looks like a quilt!)
We spent many long, lazy hours at IB.
Rocks, Shells, and Stuff
There were not always a lot of rocks, shells, and such to see, I guess it depended on what was happening offshore, erosion, etc. But it was fun to see how objects on the beach impacted the patterns.
Shell amidst interesting visual pattern.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I think that makes for a nice photo.
My first sand dollar!
Rocks, shells, and such leaving their mark.
This rock came home with me.
One day, there were a bezillion coquina clams on the beach.
That’s a LOT of coquina clams!
Coquina clams and such.
Now THAT is a turtle head-looking rock.
Houses and Other Land Stuff
Seacoast Drive (I think), which parallels the beach.
Beach Houses
I really liked the looks of this house.
Southernmost house at IB.
I really like the way the clouds looked in that image.
IB pier with downtown San Diego in the background.
Walking to Mexico
We never did make it to Mexico, but we were close. Less than a mile away, in fact.
“Come on, Babysitter Lady. I hear the bitches in Tijuana are really hot!”
Tijuana is on that rise of land in the distance.
The Tijuana River got in our way.
Jasper liked watching stuff float past, moved by the river’s surprisingly swift current.
Funny story… I carefully calculated how much time we would need to get from the car to Mexico and back. Shannon and Chris were due home that day, and my plan was to get home with Jasper shortly after their arrival. During my stay, every time we’d get home from one of our adventures, big or small, he’d excitedly run around the house looking for his people. I figured he’d be super-excited to actually find them.
I’d looked at their scheduled arrival time and planned around it. We were about 100 yards from that river when I got a call from Shannon saying they’d landed early. Doh! “Okay, but we’re almost in Mexico!” I told her. 🙂
The timing actually worked just fine as they were detained at the airport. They got to that house maybe ten minutes before we did.
As it turns out, Jasper was a little freaked-out. They both hid in their bedroom with the door slightly ajar. He could tell someone or some thing was in there, so his hackles went up and he started barking! But once he realized who it was, he was thrilled.
Maybe I’ll get to walk to Mexico next time.
Either ordinary fog or a marine layer.
It’s good that we left the beach that day when we did. Fog was rolling in. I’m not sure, but it looks to me like a marine layer. Either way, I prefer blue skies AND we were both ready to get home to see our people.
Have you heard about this new concept of a “risky” playground? If not, check out this video.
I find it both interesting and sad at the same time. Interesting because it seems people are finally starting to wake up and realize the quality of life in our society has been declining in more ways than one. Things that seem relatively minor in the whole scheme of things, such as overprotecting, constantly entertaining, and thinking for our children, are bad. Parents are supposed to provide a solid foundation for their children, not hand-feed and guide them every single little step of the way into young adulthood.
We learn through failure. If kids aren’t allowed to fail, they’ll never grow into well-rounded adults. People may scoff at so-called “free range” parents, but I would rather see parents easing their children into independence than hovering and over-protecting them. It’s really ironic that it’s the helicopter parents who also let their kids run amuck, doing what they want, when they want, with little or any consequences.
I’ll get off the soapbox now. Maybe this “new” concept of allowing kids to learn for themselves is a sign of hope for society? Perhaps. I know one thing, I’m glad I’m not raising young kids in this day and age.
L-R, Eric, Amy, and Shannon
Thankfully, our children are all grown. Getting them all together is a rare treat. I think we did a pretty good job raising them. They all turned into pretty nice, interesting, independent people. They get along well, too, on the rare occasions that they’re all together.
Speaking of getting along, or not… I have been meaning to share this picture with y’all for AGES. It took me forever to actually stop and take the picture, then it sort of got lost amidst the other clutter on my phone.
It’s not terribly far west of us in what I think is Culpeper County. We refer to it as the house with the “spite wall.”
Spite Wall
You can only see one of the houses in that photo. The other is on the right-hand side of the wall, not far at all from that unsightly divider. The wall looks like it’s been there for quite some time. I imagine there’s an interesting story or two behind THAT one.
Our time in Washington went by way too fast. But isn’t that always the case when you are enjoying yourself immensely?
Eric (youngest kid) and his wife Kelsey weren’t able to join us in Washington. Shannon (eldest) and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. Amy’s husband, TJ, had to work during the day on Saturday and Sunday (he’s in the Army), but we did get to see him in the evenings.
We didn’t do a whole lot besides hang out and enjoy each other’s company both days. It was awesome.
We didn’t need to do anything, really, besides just relax, chat, laugh, carry on a bit, etc. It was perfect. Especially since we all live so far away from each other. I would never be one of those parents who insist that their kids stay close geographically just for the parent’s sake. I am a firm believer that your children, when they are adults, need to make their own places in the world. I do miss all of them, as does Hubby, but we try not to dwell on it.
Breakfast Chatter
I, of course, had to walk around taking pictures. Who else is going to document events like this?
Some of Joe’s art work.
I couldn’t help but smile at Joey’s creations.
I guess he likes his privacy.
Meanwhile, back downstairs…
Tech support? Or online shopping?
Flowering Tree
I’m not sure if that’s a Rose of Sharon tree (in their front yard), but it sure is pretty. Especially with the blue-sky backdrop.
Since the sky was so clear, I decided to borrow Amy’s car and drive about seven minutes to a place from which I know Mount Rainier is easily seen. I never get tired of seeing that mountain.
Mount Rainier as seen from Lake Tapps
Yes, I zoomed in to capture that photo. The mountain is not as close as it appears. Also, I was sort of shooting into the sun, which is why the sky behind the mountain looks so gray.
Saying “the mountain is out” (referring to Mount Rainier) is the local way of saying it’s a pretty day.
When I got back to the house, I was tickled to see Amy sewing.
She’s sewing!
She apparently also favors using a machine that was built before she was born. (She borrowed the 70’s era machine from a neighbor friend.)
The Grand Kids – Brianna (15), Joe (8), and Gaige (12)
Joe did have a baseball game in the early afternoon, so we all went to watch. Brianna had lacrosse practice, too.
Family Spectators
Joe is a very good catcher.
Interesting weeds at the ball field.
That little guy LOVES baseball.
He’s a natural.
He’s very focused, can you tell?
Joey and Amy
After the sports stuff, Shannon, Amy and I did some shopping for lunch and dinner fixin’s, adult beverages, and some other local specialty items.
Cheers!
Then, after lunch, we got to sit outside and test TJ’s special beer coozies.
Hubby matched his coozie.
The hand-shaped coozies were fun, but wouldn’t a Sasquatch hand be REALLY cool to have? And fitting, given the area.
The next day, Joey made chocolate-chip pancakes for Hubby and I to celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary.
Chef Joseph
Chef Joseph
Hubby and Me
We had to get a family photo or two. I’ve always been able to get the kids to pose nicely by letting them do a goofy shot or two at the end of the session. Chris wasn’t used to that. LOL. The goofy shots often end up being some of my favorites.
Goofballs
Later, Shannon and I decided to walk to the park to watch the sunset.
Orange Azaleas
I absolutely love those orange azaleas, which Shannon and I saw during our walk to Sunset Park. Yes, that’s really the name of the park.
Gorgeous Azalea
The sunset wasn’t anything extra-special, but we did get a nice view of the mountain bathed in the late-afternoon light.
Mount Rainier as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn
Mount Rainier as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn
Sunset as seen from Sunset Park in Auburn
It wasn’t long after that when Shannon and Chris had to head to the airport. 🙁
All-in-all, it was a great weekend, even if it was far too short!
Hubby and I have certainly been blessed in so many ways.
Holy cow it’s been a crazy week. But GOOD crazy. Fabulous crazy, really.
A couple of posts ago, I said, “More adventures are on the horizon. Could it involve family, friends, a road trip, airplane rides, surprise visitor(s) , a voyage to another country, a boat ride? Or maybe all of the above? One never knows. I do know, however, that exciting times are definitely ahead.”
In my anniversary post, I meant to enlighten y’all a bit and reveal that we are in Washington, which is where that handsome, pancake-cooking grandson lives. But I forgot. Sorry!
I’m guessing if you follow my Instagram feed, you know — or have been guessing! — where I am. We are in Washington State. Our daughter, Amy, lives outside of Seattle with her husband, TJ, and three kids. Our daughter Shannon and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. So we were just a son and daughter-in-law short of having a full house for our anniversary.
The Family
It was awesome having everyone together for the weekend.
We drove this route counterclockwise.
Shannon and Chris left on Sunday evening. On Monday, while the kids were in school, Amy and I set off on a little road trip adventure, choosing to take the scenic route to Port Townsend (PT), a historic seaport town on the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula.
I gave Amy the option of a fast, medium, or slow, scenic ride, with me driving, of course. I was very happy when she chose the scenic route, which involved two ferries and a quick visit to Whidbey Island, one of my favorite locations in the state.
It was really, really nice spending the day with Amy. I don’t get to see her much, since we live on opposite sides of the country and all. 🙁
While we were off on our girls adventure, TJ and Hubby went to the Lemay car museum in Tacoma. Then they went to the Army base to see TJ’s boat (he’s a boat captain). The guys seem to have enjoyed their day as much as us girls did.
I’ll share pics and tell you more about PT later. But first, there’s some other excitement.
Amy and TJ had to go away for a few days, so we are in charge of the kids. Which means we need to be here to chauffeur them around to various activities, make sure they eat, bathe, go to bed on time, don’t kill each other, etc. Hubby and I are both working remotely from here, unless something else comes up.
Most evenings are pretty busy. Wednesday (yesterday) was one of the few days only one kid had any place to be (Brianna had lacrosse practice), so I decided to escape for an adventure.
Selfie in Victoria, BC
I drove into Seattle and took the Victoria Clipper (a passenger-only ferry) up to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the day.
Victoria is a beautiful city. I took LOTS of pics. But want to know what the highlight of my day was?
Happy hour!
Not just because it was happy hour, but because of who I got to enjoy happy hour with!
Darlene and Me
Darlene, aka Princess Scooterpie! We’ve been following each other’s blogs for a few years now. I’d been to Victoria previously, but was traveling with friends so wasn’t able to squeeze in a visit. This time, I was very determined to meet this cool lady in the flesh.
She’s every bit as awesome as I knew she would be. Our time together FLEW by. Hopefully, next time we’ll get a couple of days together, instead of two, too-short hours.
I took a ton of pictures in Victoria. It really IS a beautiful city. I’ll share more when I get back home.
But guess what? Tomorrow — Friday — Hubby and I get to meet some more moto-blogger buddies. I really shouldn’t wish my time away, but I have been looking forward to this for quite some time.
I’ll leave you with this for now…
Sunset over the Olympic Peninsula
I captured that pic from the back of the ferry as we headed back to Seattle. It was a beautiful end to a fabulous day.
