We had the most adorable visitor this weekend...

Isaiah 66: 1-2

Thus says the LORD,
"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for ME?
And where is a place that I may rest?
For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD.
"But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Remember those beautiful blue skies I posted yesterday?

Well, unfortunately, this is what the bulk of the fishing time looked like:



But, it didn't stop them from catching a boatload of fish!!

I didn't forget Photo Tip Friday...

Tip of the Day...

Don't drop your camera and/or lens on stone. NEVER EVER.

I'm still burying my head under my pillow at night and trying not to think about it. (sniff, sniff)

Use your strap. There's a reason it's there. The End.

I know. There's no end to the brilliance of my tips here at Short on Words.

Hmmm, I guess the Big Dude's 'lil Bro isn't used to rising early...

Yes, that is a crushed roll of paper towels that he's using as a pillow!

Yes, Those ARE Eagles.

ALASKA!!

The brilliant Lisa in Wa immediately guessed not only the state, but the city of the mystery location. The Big Dude, his Dad, his brother and his brother-in-law spent 3 days in Craig (flew into Ketchikan) at this lovely Lodge ... fishing, fishing, and more fishing.

Mystery Solved...

but I'll keep posting images...

Mystery Location, part 2

Guess this Location...

Please forgive me. A mystery image AND a mystery location ... all in the same week. I'll give you a hint to begin. My husband took this photo on June 21st. I'll add more of his photos throughout the day. Enjoy :-)

The Moments that Melt a Mother's Heart...

ps. This funky color is produced with a Lightroom preset called "Crayon." Appropriately named, yes?

Mystery Revealed...

Would you believe this amazing water park is free? Well, "free" if you live in the community that pays the HOA fees that cover all the parks' development/maintenance/etc. Or, if you go with someone who lives in said community. (Thanks, Leslie, for living in such a swell community!).

"You Need to Be a Big Boy."

This is what I told my youngest as he was crying/whining/fussing as we were about to enter the library.

His response: "But I don't want to be a Big Boy. I want to be a Bad Boy."

So, there you have it.

ps. I hope to reveal the solution to the mystery image tomorrow...

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From whence shall my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

Mystery Image....

Photo Tip Friday

Ok. Sit up straight. Pay attention. Put on your thinking/discerning caps. Because this tip is like waaaay deep. I'm bringing the whole depth and breadth of my experience and laying it all out there on your computer screen for your benefit. So, ready?

Here's my tip of the day: Take lots of photos. Lot and lots and lots of photos. Of the same thing. And take them as fast as you can.


Because sometimes you have to take a lot of photos to get just one good one (and even that one is sometimes not perfect. sigh). And most kids don't willingly stand around forever, happy to pose for you, so take those photos fast. And sometimes eyes are shut, and nostrils are flared, and eyebrows do weird things and end up looking mischievously evil, and sometimes ... occasionally, siblings look like they're choking one another. So take lots of photos. C'mon, your camera is digital. It doesn't cost anything to delete bad photos. Experiment. Change the angle from which you take your photo. Move around your kiddos til you find the vantage place where the sun doesn't cast ugly shadows on their faces. TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS.

I know. Deep wisdom to be found here at Short on Words.

More Agapanthus Goodness

Some floral photography notes:
1. I NEVER use flash. NEVER.
2. When I'm taking super close-up (macro) flower pictures, I ALWAYS use a tri-pod. ALWAYS. (and when I don't, the picture is blurry every time).
3. I especially needed a tri-pod for these particular photos, because it was near twilight, thus low light.
4. Low light means I need a slower shutter speed (in order to let in more light), but because it was windy outside (it's always windy here, sigh.) I needed the shutter speed to be fast enough to "freeze" the action. So to buy a faster shutter speed, but still let in enough light (because I'm not using the flash, remember!!), I bumped the ISO to a higher number (in this case, from 100 to 400).

Can you tell Dr. Seuss Hailed from California?

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”



“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”



“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”



“A person's a person, no matter how small.”



“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”



"It's high time you were shown, that you really don't know all there is to be known."

Goofing around at the Playground.