Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 29- Open

Andy and Kris catching that perfect shot of the Rocky Mountains- 2005

Michael enjoying the view- Rocky Mountains- 2005

Nothing gives me a feeling of “open” like standing on top of a mountain! My parents took me and my siblings to the Rocky Mountains and I continued the tradition when my husband and I took our three children.

These mountains have to be the most beautiful I have ever seen and despite severe altitude sickness which cut my pleasure short, I still took in the gorgeous view. Talk about wide, open spaces! When Andrew, who was 9 at the time, decided he was done, he left. And we freaked out! Where do you begin to look for a child on top of a mountain?

My husband quickly found him while I stood hanging onto a rack of clothes, trying to get my bearings. Thank goodness it wasn’t a true emergency because I was lurching around like a zombie and was no help at all. It turned out to be a memorable vacation in more ways than one!

This post is in response to- Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 29- Open. You can click on the link to find out how to participate in the challenge, as well as view other entries.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Kat

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 28- Glorious

While this picture might not be the best quality, I was absolutely thrilled to catch not only the sight of a hummingbird at my feeder right outside my window but also time to snap a picture with my phone. We have a few frequent flyers and last week when the weather was actually glorious, I kept hearing the familiar buzzing like motor sound that hummingbirds make but by the time I got to the window, they probably heard me exclaim and quickly flew off so all I saw where their little tail feathers as they buzzed away. It was much warmer this weekend and since we had the air conditioning on and the windows tightly closed, they didn’t hear me and I was able to catch a picture before they noticed me peering through the blinds at them. I think hummingbirds fit the definition of glorious. What do you think?  

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 28- Glorious

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 27- Vintage

I have to admit that I had a moment of panic as I typed in the title of this post. I was fairly confident that it was week 27 but I’ve been so hit or miss lately, it was quite possible that I missed a week or two…. You can imagine my relief when I clicked over to Hugh’s place and saw that I hadn’t lost track of too much time.

I’m very excited about Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Vintage.  I have the oddest assortment of collections of vintage treasures. My obsession began when I realized that my mother had given her Pyrex to my sister. I became determined to find my own set and along the way I gained more Pyrex acquisitions than I can comfortably admit. I moved on to Texas-ware melamine dishes and Bolero thermo-ware cups. I have a collection of old clocks on my fireplace mantle…. if I wrote about vintage household items, I could write a series of posts to end all series!

We just struck gold at an estate sale this morning and I found a beautiful antique table for my work-in-progress hideaway and a desk that will fit perfectly under the window. So, suffice it to say I was thrilled at Hugh’s prompt for this week.

I found this sweet little lady at an antique mall and it was love at first sight. She is a holder of some sort but I’m not sure what. When I saw her, I knew she would be the perfect pen/pencil holder for my future writing spot.

And because I couldn’t stop at just one photo, here are two sets of salt and pepper shakers I found.

Now, if anyone can tell me where I can find affordable Holt Howard Pixieware…..

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 26- Distance

There is nothing Ari likes more than hanging out in the back yard. She loves to survey her land from strategic points around our property. I imagine that in her head she is a fierce warrior protecting her people from certain doom.  She will sit, stand, or lay for hours, keeping her vigilant watch for any trespassers, whether they are humans, dogs or cheeky squirrels.  And if she’s lucky, some unsuspecting soul will accidentally step onto our property….or just into her line of vision and she will pounce into action, launching into a verbal assault that could rival a dog twice her size. And if it’s a really good day, her friend Buster from next door will be out and the two pups will stare at each other longingly across the yards, exchanging wags and excited barks. There is never a dull moment when Ari is on the job.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” 

-Anatole France

This week the prompt is “distance” for Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 26- Distance.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 25- Music

I remember back when my youngest, Andrew, was just the little brother of 2 older siblings who played woodwinds- clarinet/alto sax and clarinet/bass clarinet. He spent most of his early years being dragged to Michael’s and Kris’s events and he was a good sport. When he was around 7 years old, the older kids’ band director asked him, “So, what instrument are you going to play?” (Spoken like a true band director, please note- not “Are you going to play?” but “What are you going to play?”)

Andy considered the question and then gave his answer. “Something shiny and brass.” When he came home from band recruitment at the beginning of 5th grade, he proudly presented a certificate declaring him a trombone player. I was done with the whole “reed” experience so I was already hoping for ANYTHING that did not require a reed. I had no clue what we were in for with a budding trombonist in the house. Leave it to my quietest child to choose the loudest instrument.

I grew to love the sound of the trombone and especially that of my son playing. I learned to recognize his distinctive sound in a full orchestra. Andrew just completed his second year in one of the country’s top music schools. The photo above was taken at his recital this year. My quiet and gentle child continues to awe me and fill me with pride as he makes his mark in the world with his larger (and louder) than life talent.

This post is in response to Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 25- Music.