Yes. Basil!

 How many batches of basil pesto can you stand in a summer? If I had my way, there would be no end to the basil season. I would be a very very happy farmer, cook and bottle washer!

The Mighty Monarch

      Did you know I have a thing for butterflies?  It all began in my classroom with my kids.  We raised painted lady butterflies from thin, barely visable larva and coaxed them along through the miraculous metamorphasis, until we released them into our butterfly garden at school.
      I have had the good fortune of observing the blue morph in the rain forests of Costa Rica and capturing the munching power of the monarch caterpillar in a stand of wild milk weed here in Maine.  Currently, I am on the look-out for the breathtaking bejeweled monarch chrysalis. Maybe next visit.

Favorite

 Just a touch of paradise with two of my favorite loves.

In the Fog

 The pond was very quiet this day.  It was foggy, but warm.  We swam and we swam in our favorite, not so secret spot.

Summah'

 This is what it is all about....spending all day in your bathing suit just in case you get a chance to get wet or do a little floating.  We have been spending as much time outdoors as possible.  It is where the settling comes in.

Feeding the Soul

 "I went for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in."

                       John Muir

This has been the summer of slowing down and breathing in the beauty that surrounds us each day.  Most days have been spent outdoors-swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, picking berries and eating berries too.

Flower Power

 Not sure when my love for sunflowers began, but it wasn't that long ago.  At one time I wondered why anyone would bother to plant these monstrocities. "Just big and ugly," I thought.  Perhaps I see life a bit differently with a certain measure of experience and wisdom.  See how the light shines through every petal?  How round and texturized the center is?  How some of the petals have been moved with the wind. The wind marking its' path with gentle folds?  A trip to the garden can change a person-for the better.

Storm Approaches

 The spontaneous, adventuresome and fearless husband took his overly cautious wife for a boat ride just before a storm.  I am so very glad he did.

Early Morning

 To rise in the morning to this peaceful scene is a blessing.

Simplicity

 This was a gift from my daughter.  It reminded me about the beauty of the simple.  I am blessed.