I haven't ever shared iPhone photos here,
but I've been casually documenting
this apple tree
on my afternoon walks
ever since we moved
to our new neighborhood.

It has become my touchstone
for the changing seasons,
and this week I added
a Springtime photo
to the series.

I wanted to share
these images from our trip
to the Olympic Peninsula
at the end of August
before we moved too far away from Summer
and into Fall.

It was magical,
as usual,
our beloved home-away-from-home;
I feel so incredibly lucky
to have so many of those!
We've been visiting this coast for years,
and it is so familiar
that I think I could walk it
with my eyes closed,
and yet every year,
it is different,
new,
fresh.


Until the next time!


.

We bought a house!


The last few months have been so stressful,
but we could not be more thrilled
with how everything turned out!

These are the first photographs I have taken
at our new home.
The inside is still so full of boxes,
and there is a distinct lack of furniture,
but the light is exciting,
and nature's beauty is ever-present.



.

This summer.

Words have been failing me a bit.

This summer has been
so full of beauty,
and my heart has overflowed
with gratitude and thankfulness.
Stress, fear, and wait
paired with joy, hope and excitement:
it's been a summer of intensity,
an all-out sprint.
I feel out of time,
these days,
in transition--
swirling memories from the past
are tangibly muddled together
with dreams for the future,
even as I try to be centered
around each present moment.
All of my senses are heightened.
It's almost too much,
but I wouldn't change anything.



.

Sometimes
some vacation time
is exactly what you need.

Neko Case - City Swans

I have been on such a Neko Case kick lately!
Her beautiful voice sounds especially perfect
on days when the sun is out
and the air is warm.

It's that time of year again!

Tulip time.

The Rothko-esque fields of color,
the endless variety,
the subtlety of shape and shade:
every year they blow me away.


--


These photos
are the first digital shots
that I have posted here
in quite a while.

I recently purchased a new digital camera,
and look forward to posting more photos taken with it
as I learn and experiment.

I will always love and shoot film,
but it is exciting to have a new medium to play with!


.

Finally got around
to making and posting
the labels I made for
lovely Vanilla Peach.

Amazingly,
this jam was made
on the exact same date this year
(8/14)
that I made this exact same flavor
last year!

August 14th must be a good date.

Nice and tart,
just the way apricot jam should be.

We're heading to the other side of the mountains this weekend
and I'm hoping to come back with pounds of peaches!

The vanilla-peach jam I made last summer
(the first jam I ever made and canned)
ended up being everyone's favorite,
including mine.

.