Getting Close to Nature

Whenever I struggle to find inspiration for my POTD, I grab my camera and macro filter and wander outside. There's always something out there that I haven't photographed before that catches my attention. Today was one of those days. I started in my yard and then wandered down the street to a neighbor's house as well. You never know what you'll find!

Looking at this first one, it's no wonder my allergies have been driving me nuts!

Big Brother, Little Brother

Last night, being incredibly lazy, we decided to order a pizza for dinner. It's a good thing we did, because when it was delivered, we noticed a box had been left by our front door (which we obviously rarely use). It was our new iPad! It had arrived much quicker than we'd thought, and we spent the majority of last night setting it up and then fighting for user rights. I have to say, it's way cool! Just like its little brother, but bigger! No doubt, this will be one well-used toy in our house.

Happy Birthday, Molly!

Today, our sweet Molly turned 4 years old! She, I'm sure, has no idea at all what the big deal was, but we sang to her this morning (leading her to bark like a crazy dog), and for dinner tonight, Jim grilled her her very own steak to be mixed in with her food. That just about drove her crazy, waiting for it, but no doubt she thought it was worth it once she was eating it. The eating certainly didn't take long (we're talking seconds here!), but her bowl was totally licked clean. So happy birthday, Molly-girl! Stay sweet!

Hello, Little Fella!

Erin didn't have school today (it was one of our school board's imposed furlough days), and Jim took the day off (yippee!), so we headed down to the San Diego Zoo this afternoon for a few hours. As usual, it was a fantastic visit. I still have over 100 pictures to go through, but seeing as it's late, I figured I'd post just one as my POTD for today. This flower caught my eye from across the path, and I thought it was just gorgeous. I knew there was something in the middle of it, but thought it was a seed of some kind. It wasn't until I got home, though, and looked at it, that I noticed it was actually an insect. Surprise! Anyway, I'll edit the rest of my pics tomorrow, and may use some of them in tomorrow's post.

Afternoon at Sea

This afternoon, Erin's Girl Scout troop took a year-end trip... whale watching! We met at a local restaurant for an early dinner, and then headed to the dock to catch the boat for a 5-7pm trip. The skies were kind of cloudy (making it extra challenging for my lousy zoom lens, unfortunately), and the whales were nowhere to be seen, but we were treated to a great sight - an enormous pod of common dolphins that surrounded our boat and stayed with us for around 15 minutes. It was truly incredible to experience! They were all around us, even swimming and jumping just inches from our fast-moving boat. Absolutely amazing!

Backyard Beauties

Although today started out as a typical "gray May" day, by early afternoon the sun had come out and it turned into a beautiful afternoon! I grabbed my camera and my macro filters and decided to explore the back yard to see what was new.  (My yard's the size of a postage stamp, but you never know... new things pop up all the time!)  Here are a few of my finds.

This flowering bush is so vibrant and pretty, and I loved seeing the new buds with the full blooms in the background.

These lilies make me smile whenever I see them.

These flowers are actually tiny little things that bloom in clusters. Each flower is probably less than an inch across.

Here too, tiny little flowers that bloom in a cluster. In this picture, you can even see the spider webs between the petals.

Riding the Waves

For the last few days, the waves in this area have been quite impressive. Over the weekend, in fact, they were around 8-10'! This morning was my first chance to check them out on my morning walk. They weren't quite that big anymore, but they were still coming in one right after the other, to the delight, no doubt, of the dozens of surfers that were hanging out in the water, waiting for the perfect ride. Between watching the waves and surfers and just listening to the crashing sounds, I could have easily stayed there for hours.

Doing the Tourist Thing

Yesterday we drove up to L.A. to play tourist. We started with lunch at Du-Pars in the Farmers Market (make a note: Du-Pars has the best pancakes ever!), and then headed to Hollywood. We spent a little time wandering on the Walk of Fame and checking out some of the hand and footprints in the Grauman's Chinese Theatre forecourt before doing the ultimate tourist thing: taking a tour of celebrity homes. Oy! I have to say, though, it was a thoroughly fun day, and we all had a blast! Here's just some of the pictures I took while we were out.

Erin's a huge Sandra Bullock fan, and was thrilled to find her star.

The Theatre itself is quite an impressive building.

Some of the details on it are quite interesting.  Erin was tickled to point out that I took a picture of a camera. LOL!

Whenever we're here, Erin likes to compare her hand size to Emma Watson's. (Oh, and this is just about the only place in L.A. where you can sit or even lie on the ground and people won't look at you funny.)

This is Simon Cowell's humble abode.

And many people recognize these gates. It's the house that Michael Jackson was renting when he died last year. People still come here every day (and not just those like us, riding in a tourist van!) to peek in and see what they can see. They also leave notes on the gate. I guess maybe they haven't heard that he doesn't live there anymore?

And what tour of Hollywood would be complete without a picture of the famous Hollywood sign? It's the most-photographed sign in the world!

Now the Ears Have It, Too!

For the last few months, Erin's been talking about getting her ears pierced again. Not again as in we're talking about it again. Again as in she's had it done (twice!) before and for a variety of reasons it hasn't worked out. I figured now that she's 9, she's old enough to take care of them more herself, so I knew I'd cave eventually. Today, Jim had to go into work for a few hours to solve the world's audio problems, so Erin and I have had a day to ourselves. Jokingly, I asked her earlier if she wanted to get her ears pierced, and she surprised me by immediately saying yes. So off we went to do the deed. She was really nervous about it, but managed to get them done. It'll be a surprise for Jim when he gets home, but I'm sure he'll agree with me that they look fantastic!

Dress Alike Day!

Once each spring, Erin's school has a Dress Alike Day, a day for kids (and sometimes teachers) to come to school dressed in matching outfits. This year, a group of my mom friends and I decided to get matching shirts for our daughters (11 in all!) and have them all come to school wearing them and jean shorts. The four of us that normally work the drop-off valet line also got into the action and did the same thing. We had a great time at drop-off, and got a lot of fantastic comments from both parents and teachers, who loved our coordinated efforts. The school's principal even pointed out both groups of us (calling the girls the "Valettes!") at the school's morning assembly. What fun!

Come Walk in My Shoes

This morning, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Erin's school's "Come Walk in My Shoes" program. The program is an opportunity for fourth grade students to experience what it's like to live with a variety of disabilities. The children rotated through a series of stations where they could do things like try to get dressed using just one arm, load a lunch try while in a wheelchair, and catch a ball while wearing Vaseline-covered glasses. While the kids obviously had fun at each activity, the purpose of it all was definitely not lost on them, and they all left with a better understanding of what it's like to deal with issues like this during everyday life. Definitely good lessons to learn! Here, Erin is trying to button a shirt using only her left hand.

In this picture, Erin (who's wearing blacked-out goggles) is being led by her "seeing eye dog" Becca through an obstacle course.

And in this picture, Erin is attempting to load a lunch try while wheeling herself around the table.

Backyard Friends

Last year for Mother's Day, my parents sent me a hummingbird feeder. I've faithfully changed the food twice a week ever since, and our feeder is usually humming (no pun intended) with activity. The last few weeks, though, seem to have brought on a dry spell, and the feeder is almost completely full when I change it. Today, I saw a few of the tiny birds buzzing around the back yard, and decided to hang around out there hoping to capture them. The elusive things avoided the feeder like it was covered with ants, but I did capture this little fella hanging around in one of the nearby trees.  I was able to get a few shots of him before he got tired of modeling for me (sound familiar? Must be taking lessons from the cat.) and flew away. I'll keep trying, though!

Whiskers on Kittens

OK, I couldn't help myself. After yesterday's post, titled Raindrops on Roses, I actually had a couple of people email me jokingly suggesting that my next post would be Whiskers on Kittens. Who am I to deny them a wish like that! The only problem was getting Mia to cooperate with my request for her modeling services. At one point, she got a little fed up and took a swipe at the camera. This was as good as it got, I guess.  Oh, and I don't own a copper kettle, bright or otherwise, so don't even suggest it!

Raindrops on Roses

This morning we woke up to what is truly "gray May." The fog was so dense, it was actually drizzling. Lovely. While it's made for a very bad hair day, the heavy mist was definitely good for one thing: it deposited raindrops on our flowers, giving me a subject for my POTD!  How nice of Mother Nature to make life easier for me (at least in one way) on a Monday!

Season's Over

Yesterday was the spring soccer tournament, and Erin's team wound up playing two games. Unfortunately, they lost both, so the season for them is over. All in all, though, and even though their team didn't win a lot of their matches, it was a fantastic season for Erin personally. Her skills improved greatly, as her coaches focused on teaching both skills and strategy. Instead of only playing defense, she tried every position the game has to offer, and liked almost all of them. (Her coach yesterday was saying how much she loves knowing that she could put Erin anywhere on the field and know that she'll do well.) But most of all, it was just great to see how much fun Erin had on the field. After all, that's really what it should all be about. So Erin's already looking forward to playing again in the fall, and is asking about summer soccer camps. And I'm just catching my breath after taking and editing over 500 pictures from yesterday's games. Good job, Holland! And great job, Erin!!!

Running Club

This morning, I picked up a Canon 70-300mm IS USM lens that I'm renting for the weekend (in the hopes of buying one soon to replace my incredibly old and lousy 75-300mm that I've used since before the days of digital cameras). I took it to Running Club at Erin's school to give it a whirl so I'd know what to expect before using it at the soccer tournament tomorrow. Ooh... I really like it! For once, I wasn't left with a bunch of over-soft or out of focus pictures; instead they were so crisp and sharp I was amazed. The biggest bummer will be having to take it back on Monday! But I digress... This was the third week of running club, and when Erin put on her bib, it had already received her first "medal" sticker of the season. She was very proud of it! After today's 9 additional laps, she also earned her silver sticker, which will be waiting for her next week. Way to go, Erin!!!

Girl Scout Tree Grove

Erin's Girl Scout meeting today was held in the local community park, and for part of it, they went into the Girl Scout Tree Grove that's there. The Grove is a lovely section of the park that was set up and maintained entirely by local Girl Scout troops. Erin's troop even planted a jacaranda tree there a few years ago! While the girls were doing their thing (it was their second meeting with the Daisy troop from their school), I wandered around and took some pictures of some of the interesting things there. I think I could get lost in there for a long time!

Key to Her Heart

Grandmothers have traditionally showered their grandchildren with gifts, and my mother is certainly no exception. Whenever she sees Erin, she always has a gift or two for her, and they're usually quite unique. On one visit, my mom presented Erin with a lovely beaded bracelet with an unusual clasp. It's of a lock and key, and they goes through the lock to fasten it. Erin's worn it quite a few times, and I know each time she puts it on, she thinks of her Grandmom, who truly holds the key to her heart.

Thank You, Neighbor

One of these days, I'll catch my next door neighbors outside and thank them for planting such beautiful flowers around their house. I'm grateful for them, though. Not only are the beautiful to look at, but they've provided me with countless POTD entries!  These dangle over the wall between our houses, and they're just so bright and cheery, I couldn't wait to get a good shot of them!

Red, Red Rose

Each morning, I work the drop-off line at school with a great group of moms, getting kids out of their parents' cars with a cheerful "good morning!" to help start their day off right. This morning, as one of our other friends dropped off her child, she drove around the circle slowly, and handed each of us working the line a red rose and a Starbucks' gift card for Mother's Day. How sweet was that?!? Talk about a great way to start the day... Now I have this gorgeous rose to look at and watch bloom, and something to look forward to on my next visit to Starbucks!

Key and Concentration

OK, so these pictures have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Nuh-THING.

The first one, my actual POTD, is fulfilling the Two Peas weekly challenge theme of "keys and locks." Oh, how I wish I still had access to my parents' old house. It was built in 1939 and had incredible old-fashioned keys and keyholes that you could actually see through. When I first saw this week's theme, I started imagining all the great shots I could have gotten in that house. Oh well... Our current house isn't nearly that exciting from a key/lock perspective, so I had to work with what I've got. 

This is the "magic key" to my car. It's magic as in just its mere presence in the vicinity of the car can help with all kinds of things such as locking and unlocking, opening the trunk, and even starting the car, without even touching the key at all. If the car's running and you take the key too far from it, the car lets you know it's unhappy with the current arrangement by beeping (just inside, not the horn or anything). Very convenient. However, there is a downside. I don't keep it on my keyring because it makes it too bulky to just toss in my pocket, and I tend to leave it in my pocketbook when I change bags (only realizing my mistake when I try to start the car and can't because, duh, no key). But I'll live with the downside, because the upsides are just so cool!  (I know... the simple things in life keep me happy, right?)

Now for my extra pic... I actually took this of Erin yesterday while she was working on her laptop. I don't even think she noticed I took it, she was so focused on whatever she was working on. This last week, since she's been wearing contacts, I've had to get used to what she looks like without glasses all over again! It's been strange... I find myself staring at her, looking at her eyes, and her long, beautiful eyelashes (which get all kinds of in the way when she puts in her contacts, poor thing). In this picture, not only can you see her beautiful lashes, but if you click on it and enlarge it, you can even see her freckles! Ooh, how I love this new lens!  (And the kid's not bad, either!)