Monday with the kids...

The grandchildren are my Monday inspiration...

The cat does not appreciate their visits...

...but I sure do.

Today they discovered a basket of Christmas lights waiting to be stored...

...just when the light was interesting...

Sunday Reflections...

The ice started melting in today's 50 degree weather...

...And mud season has started...

Late Bloomer...

I planted this amaryllis bulb in early December hoping to have a bloom by Christmas...

...at Christmas it was still completely dormant...

...after the New Year I nearly threw it out...

...I was sure it was a dud...

...in the middle of January it finally sent out a shoot with a bud...

...altho I have had prettier, more spectacular amaryllis...

...I have probably enjoyed this one the most...

...I certainly have had a lot of fun photographing its progress...

...it is just starting to fade now...

A Gift From the Ocean...

Oh Dam...

There are several local dams ...

...most of the textile mills they were built for no longer exist or are not in use...

... the waterfalls keep the water free of ice for the birds ...

...who must still find it hard to eat this time of year...

Organic...

Seen at a local farm that raises organic beef...

These pictures were taken from the car again...

During a snowstorm...

The snow was sticking to their fur...

It was a beautiful scene...

Making Bread...

A snowy day is a good day for baking bread...

The oven warms up the kitchen...

...and the yeasty smell fills the house...

There's always a feeling of accomplishment...

...and there is a reward to be thankful for...

Sadness...

My grandchildren were here for the day...and they were very happy all day...I just happened to capture those fleeting sad and wistful moments of children with the camera today...

Moments like this can just break your heart...but Popsicles do help!

February Thaw...

It reached 40 degrees today ...

It looked like there may be some buds on the trees...

...and lots of people were out in the good weather...

Tinkerbell enjoyed the warmer weather too...

Looking Back...

Steviewren of "a little birdie told me so" tagged me with an offer to post the sixth picture in my sixth folder and to tell its story...it will be fun to do this even if I don't tag others...

The sixth picture was taken six years ago of family friends at the top of Mt. Penobscot in Acadia National Park, Maine. Our two familys have vacationed in Maine together for many years and we have an annual hike up Mt Penobscot...

The vacation and hike often includes extra friends and relatives joining us...

...at the top of the mountain we swim and picnic...

This is Mr. O and me at the top...the view is worth the hike...

...after the hike we have tea and popovers at the Jordan House...

It is harder to get the families together now due to the kids getting married and having children and jobs ...but we try...

The Sun Breaks Thru....

I feel like I'm taking worse pics since I started photography class...maybe I'm trying too hard...This week's assignment is to take at least 20 pics within a 30 foot diameter using lots of angles and settings ...at least I had a good excuse to go to the beach today...

Lazy...

The only things I finished today were the crossword and a glass of wine...