a year of happy

have you read it yet?

 

Contact me

and I'll send you a

free copy of the Book of Mormon.

The language of your choice.

soy un mormón

voice of the spirit

here comes trouble!

Several weeks ago, when we first started this Team Up Project, I was sure that by this time I would be able to create a really cool photo using the theme "Speed," which was supposed to be our theme this week. Boy was I wrong!

When Arizaphale contacted me wondering how I was doing, I said, "I have one photo of "A" turning his head away from the camera really FAST...and I have lots of blurry photos taken from a SPEEDING bus!"

Then I said, "I am in big TROUBLE!"

And SHE said, "I think we should switch our theme to TROUBLE!"

So we did!

The minute I thought about the theme "Trouble", I thought of this picture of my grandson, who goes a mile a minute, and gives his mommy a run for her money. The more mobile he gets, the more this little phrase from a long-ago little-boy t-shirt comes into my mind: Here Comes Trouble!

So my photo for Team Up Thursday is of Baby M, the drooling little munchkin going in for the attack on the teenager "A". The perfect description of trouble.

"Trouble" also made me think of this pic taken by his mom, of Baby M, who had climbed into the cupboard. 

Arizaphale's photo is like the title to go along with my picture--TROUBLE! The perfect combination!

day to day life in nicaragua: part 3--city streets

 

looking up

Our theme for Team Up Thursday
this week is "Looking Up."

My photo was taken
at the beach in Nicaragua.
I was thinking of what you see
when you look up.

On our one day at the beach,
we got up at 6:00 in the morning,
hoping to get some great photos
of the beach at sunrise
when we were the only ones up.

We were so amazed to find
the sun already up,
and a family of vacationers
already in the water!

There is so much humidity and heat
in this tropical place.
The sky is hazy and it rains all the time.
Instead of the sunrise,
we captured this beautiful rainbow!

It was worth getting up early for.





I love Ariz's photo
of the merry-go-round in motion,
and her horses are
literally "looking up"!

Go check out her blog
and find out her story!
Here's what she told me:
"These carousel horses look like
they've seen something hideous
up above, don't they????"





Go check out all the group photos
on the Team Up Thursday Flickr Page!

day to day life in nicaragua: part 2--off the beaten path

.

(Note: click on these photos
to see them close-up.
It's a much better view.
And remember--
moving bus equals blurry photos!)
.

.

The rural life in Nicaragua
revealed another amazing side
of this beautiful country.

Look at the oxen
right next to the children playing.
There are so many signs
of family life in this photo.
What a story.






You can always tell
where someone lives
because you can see a line of laundry
hanging in the yard,
even if you can't see the house,
or you think it looks uninhabited.





Nicaragua is lush and green,
with some beautiful landscapes.








_____________________


Animals are used for work--
and you never know
when or where you'll run into 
a horse, or a cow, or even an ox.








This herd of cows was right
to the side of the road--
I could have reached out
the bus window and touched them!





One thing we noticed
is how very skinny the animals are.
We learned that one reason is because,
although there is plenty of grass,
it grows so fast it has very few nutrients.








_____________________


Fruit is plentiful--and delicious!
Check out this roadside store.
My favorite fruit was the white pineapple.
It was so sweet and juicy.





We also picked our own mangoes,
and ate them standing
right underneath the tree!





Beautiful Nicaragua.
I like the countryside the best.






Check back Friday   
for Part 3 of my series,
Day to Day Life in Nicaragua:
City Streets.

Read more:
Getting Around in Nicaragua
and
Part 1: Women at Work

day to day life in nicaragua: part 1--women at work

I watched with fascination
out the window of our bus
to see the normal
day to day living
of the people in Nicaragua.



I loved seeing the women
carrying their heavy loads
on their heads or shoulders.
Pretty amazing if you ask me.
I know I couldn't do it!









And it seems like the women
are constantly sweeping.





Sweeping the sidewalks
in front of their humble homes,
working to keep their
little corners of the world
clean and bright.






 


 
We even spotted
a broom salesman.
I'll bet he stays busy!







And have you noticed
the women's aprons?
Not everyone wears an apron,
but a lot of them do.
And some are so frilly
and pretty, like this one!

Another thing I noticed
while we were in Nicaragua
was the beautiful colors
they paint their homes.
Even the most humble of buildings
are painted bright, vivid colors.

 
These are the kinds of things
I love to watch for when I travel.
The sights and sounds of everyday life.

Come back tomorrow for part 2!

happy mother's day!

I often go walking
in meadows of clover,

And I gather armfuls of
blossoms of blue.

I gather the blossoms
the whole meadow over;

Dear mother,
all flowers remind me of you.

O mother, I give you
my love with each flower

To give forth sweet fragrance
a whole lifetime through;

For if I love blossoms and
meadows and walking,

I learn how to love them,
dear mother, from you.

Words: Phyllis Luch, 1937–1995. © 1969 IRI

trying out lightroom 3

before lightroom:

after lightroom:

Still figuring out how to use it,
but I think I'm going to like it!