July 31 photo of the day

Life is. Need I say more? Rainier cherries (sometimes called Queen Anne cherries) are a special treat in the Northwest in the summer. Nature's candy and no cherry juice stains. Time to savor what's in the bowl.

July 30 photo of the day

The end of July and early August is Lughnasadh - Gaelic harvest festival and celebrated in ancient times as the festival of the Celtic god Lugh. It is the beginning of the harvest season, time for ripened berries, and the turning of the season wheel toward autumn. It is one of the fire festivals, celebrated with dancing around the fire and maybe jumping over it.

Here is a contrast from a Lughnasadh celebration at my house in 2005 and a foggy morning crossing the Nisqually delta headed for work. The art piece on the fence is by Phoenix artist Joe Ray.

July 29 photo of the day

All of my friends have posed for photographs, some as snapshots, others as portraits. For still others, I'll say "wait! Don't move!" I have very tolerant friends. My friend Suzette was sitting across the table from me at lunch. She offered all of us strawberries. I loved the way her hand looked holding a berry while she carefully savored it.

July 28 photo of the day

Sacred space. Sanctum. Where I tune-in, reconnect, enter the zone. I like to add filters in Photoshop to some images. I like the image the way I photographed it. The filter gives it a more ethereal feel.

July 27 photo of the day

TOMATOES! The first of the season and what a surprise! Washington is not known for tomatoes. That would be my home turf: Jersey. Even though we have a long growing season here, it is cool much of the year. Tomatoes like heat. I have a heat island in my teeny tiny backyard and tomatoes do well there. We usually don't see first tomatoes until mid-August or later. I will still be picking tomatoes in early November if the rains come back gently. These are cherry tomatoes on a plant that is about a foot tall. The other tomatoes are "early girls" and are just starting to flower.

July 26 photo of the day

Most days I drive or ride in a vanpool to and from work. No van today so I had an excuse to ride to work in my friend Sandy's little red bug - with the top down. It was 88 degrees on the way home with not a cloud in the sky. But lots of traffic which gave us an excuse to take a detour through the Nisqually valley. These are the days that I feel truly blessed to live in this incredibly beautiful corner of the world.

July 25 photo of the day

I think at least one of my guardian angels is a hummingbird. I am fascinated with these fearless aerial acrobats. They are the only birds that can fly backwards and the sound of their wings was the inspiration for the light saber sound effects in Star Wars. I am delighted they call my tiny yard home. This hummer is a female rufous who daily visits the crocosmia outside my kitchen window, the fuschias in the backyard, and the petunia baskets on the front porch.