Memorial Day Reflections ...

I was hanging out at the VA Hospital in Portland (Oregon) yesterday, waiting for Dad to finish his appointment so I could bring him home.

As I sat in the lobby, watching the veterans and their families come and go, I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride. And loss. And stories untold. Tears were very near the surface.

Maybe it was because this is Memorial weekend ... when we remember and honor those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms ...

It breaks my heart to see what Memorial Day is quickly becoming ...
A weekend to buy something on sale, with everything from cars to mattresses being advertised as "Memorial Day" specials.

Or maybe this weekend should be renamed as "Camping Day Weekend".
It seems those who aren't in the stores are being encouraged to pitch their tents, and hang out around campfires eating hotdogs.

While there's nothing wrong with Memorial Day activities and celebrations ... I hope that each and every person will take a few minutes of their time to honor our fallen soldiers ... and reflect on their sacrifices.

For those who have served.
And their families ... who have paid a high price for our freedoms as well.

"Weekend Reflections"

Stuff.

You can find all sorts of "Stuff" at this place ...
I guess.
It was closed when I went by!

To see signs for more "stuff" from around the world, join us over at Lesley's "Signs, Signs"!

Heart Tree in Spring

Our weather has improved lately ... spring is here in full force!

And my "heart tree" is sporting beautiful tender heart leaves!

To see hearts from around the world, visit "Random Hearts" - and share YOUR heart on "Guest Heart Thursday"!

An Interesting Walk This Morning ...

The morning sun was out as I walked along ...
glowing through the dandelion seeds.

I crouched down, trying to catch the radiance.

And found rainbows as well.
What a beautiful day!

Then ... "crash, bang, clank".
I stepped into the (formerly) abandoned building, and looked around a corner.

This is what I saw ...

Metal thieves! I snapped a picture, sneaked back out and called the police.

They caught the guys making a run for the freeway.
And hinted they are responsible for multiple metal thefts across the county.

I sent the police a copy of the picture I took, and they thanked me profusely.

And I decided it's high time I started taking my walks elsewhere.

Eagle Perched on Snag

(Join us over at Tina's PicStory for her "Just One Pic" photo challenge!)

TTV Fun for Friday Fences

(My highly complicated and specialized TTV Equipment)
(LOL)

I always wondered why there were coffee cans perched on top of my uncle's fence posts.
I finally asked him ...
Uncle Dale, a man of (very) few words answered thusly ... "RAIN. ROT."

NOW I get it!

(P.S. - It's Friday Fences time!!!)

A plain hedge I've walked by many times without really seeing became a jungle of reds and greens. It makes me wonder how much beauty do I walk by every day ... and not even notice???

Praying for Rain?????

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have had a wet and dreary spring.
March set new records for excessive rainfall; April is close.
Our pond has overflowed, and the lawn is squishy.
Sigh.

I was bringing mom to work (in the pouring rain, of course!) when I spied this delightful sign at a church in Tigard.

I ended up doing a U-turn and going back to get a shot!

To see signs from around the world, check out Lesley's "Signs, Signs"!

Kiama Is Such a Chicken!

I decided to dismantle the old chicken pen, and recycle the wire to make the new pen even bigger for "the ladies".

I had cut several pieces and set them aside, while I dug up some of the posts.
When I came back to move the wire, I found Kiama ... wrapped up and sound asleep.

Ain't he cute???

So ... Kiama under wire is my entry in this week's Fridays Fences!

Wet Concrete Heart

My feet are constantly cold ... and wet.
The sky is dripping ... again.
It seems Spring has turned her back on this part of the earth ...
Or maybe Father Winter is reluctant to relinquish his grip ...

Even though I'm tired of the rain ...
I find I can still look for ... and find! ... beautiful rainy day hearts!

To see hearts from around the world, visit "Random Hearts" - and share YOUR heart on "Guest Heart Thursday"!

Rain, Rain, Rain ... HEART!

I just happened to be watching the weather report the other day ... when I noticed the radar shot had a unique pattern ... Fortunately I was ready as soon as they replayed the loop ...
Do you see the heart? It's just above the town of McMinnville ... (which, by the way is a really fun town to visit!)

We're expecting lots of rain for the next two days ... sigh ... no more hearts, though, the radar today is completely green!!!

To see hearts from around the world, visit Random Hearts - and share YOUR heart on "Guest Heart Thursday!"

Playing with Snail Shells ...

I found this empty snail shell in the woods ...
And decided to play with it.
Well, with the picture of the shell anyway ...

Before I go any further, let me first tell you I'm photo manipulation challenged. Seriously!
I know how to re-size and crop photos only - so it was with great trepidation that I decided to play with Gimp ...

The texture is amazing!

The shell would look good on canvas too!

And this one is just plain weird - and it's my favorite of them all!!!

A New Toy ... TtV

Look at this beauty I found at Goodwill ...

I've been looking for one of these for years ...
And finally found it!
Since I paid for it by the pound, this puppy set me back maybe $1!

The hope was that I could rig up a way to take digital pictures "Through the Viewfinder" (hence the term TtV). There were a lot of hints online ... but most involved items I didn't have on hand.
One lady said she just holds the old camera in one hand, and takes a picture of the viewfinder. That sounded like something even I could handle!

I cleaned up the lens a bit, and headed outside for a test.

My first shot was off a bit, but I like it!

By holding my camera a certain way, some of the pictures came out round.

I found a trillium on the way home, and had to stop to try to capture it's beauty.
Hmmmmm.
Not very clear, and I can see a bit of lens reflection ... but I do like the "feel".

It did well catching the movement of the water dripping from the broken pipe.

I can't wait to go back out and try some more tomorrow!!!

Old Barbed Wire

The fence was "always" there at the edge of the neighbor's property ... when I say "always", I mean it was already old looking when I was a child.

Over the years, the fence has fallen apart ...
Or has been swallowed by the trees that helped to hold it up.

But here and there are remnants ...

With a beauty and interest all their own!

It's "Fridays Fences" time!!!

MandM Escape - Signs, Signs!

I was filling my car with gasoline, trying to avoid looking at the mounting "total".
My eye was drawn to the building which also included a small store.

I had to laugh at this M&M Dude trying desperately to escape through the glass of the store.
I wonder if the attendant (I live in Oregon and we aren't allowed to pump our own gas) heard my giggling as I pulled out my camera to get this shot through the windshield???

To see signs from around the world, check out Lesley's "Signs, Signs"!