Noticing Things

We saw this brave little bunny on our walk this morning.  It let me get about 10 feet away from it before it scampered off into the bushes.

These cornflowers (aka hurtsickle) in someone's lawn look kinda cute.  They're usually tall and right by the sides of roads.

And here are a few more potential found letters. 

I'm not sure I'm going to use them all and some need cropping.

I like this little tractor.  Roger noticed if you turn it sideways it would make a nice lowercase letter B.  Hmm. I don't know if I should do that. 

Tractors are around because they are fixing up Oneida Shores Lake Park.  They're making a big new playground and new parking lots.  It's going to be very nice.

Found Alphabet

Another exhibit we saw at the Everson Museum was the A.B. Seek exhibit.  I really like this idea.  You take pictures of objects that make letters of the alphabet and display them in an accordian book.  I've decided it will be a fun project to do with my kids even though they may be a bit old for this.  I have a couple of rules I want to follow.  1) The object has to be outside.  2) It has to be a found or discovered letter rather than a created or intentional one.  I was going to say it has to be something natural, but I've changed my mind.  Manmade things will be included.

Here are a few letters pictures I took to give you an idea:

Museum Pieces

I feel like I resemble these sculptures outside the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse.  Funny how inspiring sculptures can be.

Fortunately, Vivian and I had fun seeing the Maxfield Parrish exhibit inside the museum.  I like Parrish's artwork very much.  This is one of my favorites.

Enjoying the Walk

Roger noticed one of the bunnies; I noticed the other.  Certainly, the "children" were at play before we arrived.  Then they held very very still.

I like this heron weather vane down the road.  It's on top of a home right by the lake.  There are many herons around here.  They fly so gracefully.

"The sun is coming up over the mountains fast," he said.

"We don't have mountains here," I said.  "Those are clouds."

"The mountains of clouds are moving fast," he said.

C Food

"The C food is ready," I announced at dinnertime. 

Some of my children don't prefer seafood.  Nobody came running. 

Figuring out what to make for dinner is often the hardest part. I knew I wanted corn, cantaloupe, and cucumbers. I realized I had a "C" theme going.  Despite the rolling eyeballs of my twenty-year-old, I kept at it.  I decided we'd also have crackers, carrots, celery, and chicken.  I put one drop of blue food coloring (no salt) in the water to make "sea water."  I happened to have cute little sea-themed napkins for everybody.  And of course, there was chocolate for dessert.  I'm easily entertained. 

Hot!

It's hot here in New York.   My kids are outside having a water fight.  I'm inside feeling thankful for air conditioning.  I hope you are staying cool and comfortable wherever you are.

Wild Blackberries

My husband and I were walking up this road in the park by the lake this morning.

"Does it annoy you that I stop and take pictures sometimes?" I asked him.

"A little," he said.

But he doesn't complain.  He supports me.  I like that about him.

I like paying attention when I walk.  Today, it paid off.  I saw these. 

I've lived in this area for five years and never noticed these until today.  They are up and down the side of the road.  I picked a handful.  We ate them on our way home.

After breakfast, my son and I rode our bikes back to pick more.

"This is fun," he kept saying.

And it was.  Despite biting mosquitoes, prickly bushes, the growing heat of the day, and worries about poison ivy, we picked and picked until we filled our sandwich bags.  Then we walked our bikes up the hill to the gate and flew down the hill to home.

At home, we washed, dried, and shared the berries.  We prepared some to freeze. 

They are tiny and have big seeds, but they are delicious.

While we were riding home I asked my son, "Will you remember picking blackberries when you grow up?"

"No," he said.

"Will you remember riding bikes with me?"

"Yes," he said.

I hope he'll remember both.