Happy Birthday Fella . . .

no way is my baby 14 !!!
[this is the first year I did not bake his cake - there is no substitute for home-made!]

Best Friends through thick & thin.
They have been like brother and sister for as long as I can remember
and I suspect they'll always have each others' back (as they say).

Perspective . . .

"Can't see the forest for the trees" type of thing (or vice versa). This week's photo challenge is "perspective", so I will try to capture some pictures that push me to look beyond the trees and focus on the bigger picture / or maybe to look closer at the big picture and notice the small details from which it is made.

TGIF . . .

We're still here - moist from the humidity and heat (still no air cond.), tired from sleepless nights and the usual awkward back to school new routine - but we're here. I think the extreme humidity (even more so than the 90+ degree weather) has fried my brain. I can not seem to get even the basic picture. Those 1st day of school shots were nothing short of YUCK and my retakes this morning - not much better. I was going to give it a try on day 2 of school, but I managed to mess up every alarm clock in the house and it was a race to get each child to their respective school to avoid them being tardy (amazing how fast that teenage girl can get ready when she HAS TO!). We have caught one possum in the cage with its baby hanging on the top - pest control has their job cut out for them this morning trying to wrangle that. When I informed my husband of the caged and un-caged vermin - his response was "did you get a picture?". Really, am I that predictable?!?

Since this is a photo diary - here is a picture from earlier this year for the "shapes" challenge.

And NO, I did not take any pictures of the pests awaiting escort from under the house. Honestly, when I cracked open the trap door to check the cage and there they were just staring at me, the only thing that crossed my mind was getting the door closed as quickly as possible.

First Day of School . . .

and what are we dealing with - possum.. AGAIN! All summer - no problem (or so we thought!). Just as I am getting the kids geared up for school - NO AIR CONDITIONING!!! While I took a couple photos of (less than cooperative) kids before they bid me arrivederci and left for (an AIR CONDITIONED) school - this post will not display their joyous faces - but rather what I am faced with for the day (or two -or three-.or..) FANS. On the up side, I do believe they qualify as "shapes" which is this week's POTD challenge. [how'da ya like that for an up spin on the situation!}

You would have thought fencing around the air/heat pump would have translated to
NO VACANCY
.. move on ..
.. get lost ..
.. find another location ..

- guess not! -

Summer Brilliance . . .

I have envied this neighbor's yard for years with its annual brilliance that returns summer after summer.

Having Fun . . .

We are - just checking to see if you are!

I'm enjoying every last drop of summer break with the kids and relishing the closeness I have with both of them. Allyson indulges my humor - Ryan on the other hand, still thinks I'm funny (well, for the most part). I think what makes this summer so extra special is that I know it is in limited supply. Allyson will be off to college in the blink of an eye and Ryan will hit that age where it won't be cool to watch movies, or walk, or laugh at his mom's pathetic jokes. Yep - I'm having fun, and enjoying being a kid again.

Oh My . . .

SQUIRREL !!!

Where did the time go? . . .

the lazy mornings when the dew settles on everything



and the spiders sit back and admire their work from the previous night...

With the start of school next week, this summer is just about over
and we again find ourselves wondering where all the time went,
and wishing we had squeezed in a bit more carefree fun.

POTD: abc...123 . . .

Other than the entrance to 'Its A Small World' at Disney, and some random quirky signs, I'm at a loss for pictures relating to ABC...123. Further, this being the last week before the kids go back to school - my preference is to spend time with them rather than search for any POTD theme.


As for the grainy pic of napkins that say "Eat Your Peas" - well, when I saw those at the beach, I could not imagine any other use for them except 2 Peas In A Bucket. I mean really, what birthday, anniversary, or holiday celebration do you incorporate this type of decoration? Merry Christmas everyone and EAT YOUR PEAS! Happy EAT YOUR PEAS Birthday Johnny! Happy Chanukkah, now EAT YOUR PEAS! I got nuffin!

Just Because . . .

sometimes you need to hear it. If you've ever seen "The Incredibles" then you can hear this picture speak. This particular wall art is located outside the dressing rooms in one of the shops at Downtown Disney. I find myself grinning each time I look at it.

Oranga glad . . .

that unless there is some unforeseeable ORANGE encounter - this should wrap up my orange pics. I confess that while grocery shopping with my daughter on Saturday I did lean towards [orange] produce - which did not go unnoticed by the rest of the family once we got home. To top it, despite said darling daughter's enthusiasm about getting clementines at the store - to the rest of the family it was prefaced as 'food for Mom's pictures'! A Rodney Dangerfield moment to be sure ...no respect!

Just Keeps Getting Better . . .

My son actually volunteered [as in VOLUNTEERED on his own without being bribed or guilted into it!] to let me photograph him today. Out of the blue he consented to allow me 30 minutes of his time to practice photographing an actual HUMAN provided he picked the outfit, hair, and location (compromised on location). Wow - it just keeps getting better! Between you and me - he is over due for a trim, but I can't complain because I did agree to let him do what he wanted with his hair this summer - but the bangs have got to go once school starts (or styled such that they are not in his eyes). [I sense a battle brewing in this regard].




oh, and its just not 'COOL' to smile - not Aeropostale or Hollister/ish!

ooooh oooh oooh....

we interrupt the previously scheduled orange fest
for the following announcement....

yeah - my DH got me a new camera strap and it just made my day!

more ● ORANGE stuff . . .

Yep - still at it, still trying to decide what I will submit for this month's "color of the month" challenge on 2PeasInAbucket. Who knew you could get so much mileage out of one set of pencils!

FuN ● sTuff . . .

So, I head out the door for my daily walk (finally back into the routine - yea!) and decided I would take along the camera and attempt a summer shot of my header (^^). As I approached the area I found myself faced with a golf scramble/ tournament. Translation = tread lightly and do not disturb the golfers! After waiting for what seemed an eternity, the cart path was finally golfer free and I realized - NO SUN! The sky became over-cast, which is preferable for photos - but not if you are wanting a SUMMER-tastic shot. At any rate, got some pictures and proceeded on my way back towards the house when it occurred to me I was kid free which meant I could swing by one of the houses in the neighborhood that had the coveted sunflowers that I've been wanting to photograph. When I got there I realized I would have to go around onto the brim of the golf course in order to get my photos - again, the wait for golfers to pass by. Finally got my pictures - but I think the capture I enjoyed the most was the unexpected broken down [orange] tractor with a flat tire - phooey with the golfers - I snapped away.

POTD: feet &/or hands . . .

Honestly, who goes around and photographs hands and feet?








...apparently I do!

Summer's blooms . . .

I thought I would post a few photos from my walk yesterday with my son. Starting out it felt pretty comfortable - but the longer we walked - the more humid it became...ahhh August!

Visions of ORANGE . . .

The 'color of the month challenge' is ORANGE. I personally like orange and have a few ideas for some fun ORANGE shots- in the mean time I went digging for visions of orange in photos already taken this summer.

Who can resist an [orange] panther with pink flowers and a pink parasol?
By the way, in case you hadn't guessed, each of these shots were from Disney
- they like ORANGE too!

Last landscape for the week . . .

Just one of the photos from the Scott Kelby Photo Walk.

Landscapes | WDW Style •*•*•

[Magic Kingdom]

[Animal Kingdom]

[Epcot]

A Birthday Rose . . .

ETA ...{yes, I did add another candle this week! }
[aside from being in semi-denial, I had a very lovely Birthday]

[sort of] Landscapes . . .

or should I say house•scapes. From the (fake) front doorsteps at Disney to the back doors of the beach houses at Surf Side, I am drawn to the lines and symmetry of house rows.