ABC Wednesday--K is for...

K is for Kites

On a trip to the beach last May we saw several people flying kites. This one was pretty interesting in shape.

The kits were colorful, and the kids flying them were having a lot of fun. (So were the Dads.)

In this sixth round of ABC, it is a wonder that anyone is finding something new to display.  But they do. Just look and see at the ABC blog.

We also saw some kelp.

In my world it's Spring!!

Besides the masses of daffodils I found in the park in a nearby town, spring means crazy winds, sunny days, rainy days, --just plain crazy weather.

Visit My World Tuesday.

It's Geometry! Quilt Geometry

My friend and I went to the quilt show the other day. Quilters have to be natural mathematicians--the geometry in quilts is part of the artistry. I could show quilt pictures one a day for months and not touch the surface of the possibilities of geometry, But here are some samples for you.

The artistry of quilt geometry can be demonstrated with something as simple as well placed squares. I love black and white quilts with a highlight of red. Now, if this had been my quilt, I might have put one small bright yellow square in the mix, but that's me. I've made a lot of quilts made artistically of just squares, and several that were black and white and red (with that one tiny bit of yellow.)

Most pieced quilts are made up of combinations of squares, rectangles, and triangles. This sampler is a good example of what those combinations can create.

When you have pieced squares, they can be softened by the use of circles in the quilting stitches. I've tried quilting circles and not been very successful myself. I am a machine quilter--the carpal tunnel and a bit of arthritis will not let my hands cooperate with hand quilting.

Putting those basic shapes together as in the sampler and the squares and quilted circles above is wonderful. But one of my favorite things to do is create an illusion, as this quilter did, of circles using the squares, rectangles, and triangles.

Quilts are history as well as geometry, that block in the center is called 54-40 or Fight--commemorating the slogan of James Polk in his 1844 Presidential Campaign.

Palm Sunday

The disciples . . . brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.



A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,



while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"


"Hosanna in the highest!"


When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"


The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

From Matthew chapter 21

These days, we get our palms for Sunday's processions from a Church Supply Company. In days past, when that was not possible, branches were obtained locally. Palms may have been prevalent in Jerusalem, but what was one to do in Poland, or  Scandanavia, in Russia, and other northern climes. I'd never thought of it till my daughter-in-law, who is from Siberia, told me of Palm Sunday celebrations in her parish there. You can find the answer in my Palm Sunday post from two years ago.

Sunday's Psalm--Palm Sunday

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

All who see me scoff at me;

they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:

“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,

let him rescue him, if he loves him.”





My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Indeed, many dogs surround me,

a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

from Psalm 22
Photos:
ready on the lake
scene near Zion National Park, Utah
trail in Mt. Rainier Ntional Park in the fall
Glacier Bay, Alaska

Blue Bridge Reflection

We wandered along the Columbia River at Columbia Park in Kennewick the other day. This is the Blue Bridge. That is its name--at least the only one I have ever heard it called by. (Here's another view from a while back of the Blue Bridge--you can see that it really is blue.)

Looking the opposite way along the river we could see these Three Bridges. One of them, the Cable Bridge, we crossed on another occasion.

James sponsors Weekend Reflections at Newtown Daily Photo.

The Day That The Rains Came Down

The wind blew furiously. The clatter of hailstones drew my attention.  

The sky did not really seem ominous--just wet.

The Day the Rains Came Down

Jayne Morgan--1958

The day that the rains came down

Mother Earth smiled again

Now the lilacs could bloom

Now the fields could grow greener

The day that the rains came down

Buds were born, love was born

As the young buds will grow

So our young love will grow

Love, sweet love

A robin sang a song of love

A willow tree reached up to the heavens

As if to thank the sky above

For all that rain, that welcome rain

We looked across the meadowland

And seemed to sense a kind of a miracle

Much too deep to understand

And there we were, so much in love

The day that the rains came down

Mountain streams swelled with pride

Gone the dry river bed

Gone the dust from the valley

The day that the rains came down

Buds were born, love was born

As the young buds will grow

So our young love will grow

Love, sweet love

Rain sweet rain

(www.lyricsdownload.com)

 

You are probably too young to remember the song.

SkyWatch is here.

This Way Thursway--A Patriot and a Pirate

 This way to This Way Thursway.

Seen during a stroll in the park

...just another way to travel.

ABC Wednesday--J is for

J is for Joseph.

I've been part of ABC Wednesday regularly since the beginning of Round 2. Here we are in the midst of Round 6. Who would have thought it would last so long? Thanks to Denise who started it and the team who help to carry it forward. Find other Js here.

I've featured several pictures from in and around Joseph, Oregon in the time since we visited there last month. You can find most of them here if you are interested and some others over at my 365 photoblog.

Joseph is a small town in northeastern Oregon. It lies in the Wallowa Valley, a high valley--the altitude of Joseph and nearby Enterprise is over 4000 feet above sea level. The winter is long and sometimes harsh, but there is lots of agriculture in the area.

Ag is not the only industry around, though. Joseph is the home of several foundries, used by local sculptors for casting their bronzes. For that reason, there are beautiful bronze sculptures on all the street corners in the downtown area.

Joseph has some interesting history as well, and I related at least one historical story shared with us by a local who stopped us on the sidewalk to share information about the building we had been looking at.

He also told us that the mountain we could see had been known as the Five Fingers  because of the way the snow remains in the rock falls there dividing it into five sections. It is now officially Mt. Joseph, but still known by locals as Five Fingers.

Why Joseph? The town, Mt. Joseph, and the Joseph River nearby--and anything else named Joseph that I didn't notice were named after Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, whose home territory was the Wallowa.

The treatment of the Nez Perce is a sad period of our history as government took over more and more of their hunting, fishing and gathering grounds and drove them from the valley.

Joseph's artists look ahead to more prosperous times as they continue creating beauty in their town.

My World is All Torn Up

In my world the downtown is all torn up as the city refurbishes the streets. I looked over the map of the plans when I visited the library this afternoon so that I could plan my routes for the next few months. The upheaval currently has five city blocks in this state. Several others will be dug up in the next months with all to be paved this summer.

My route won't be down this way for a while. It is our usual way to get to church, to the library, to the post office, and several other locations in town. When all is finished, my smooth riding car will not go bump bump over potholes and seams in the pavement.

My World is here. Visit locations around the world to see what is happening in the world views of other bloggers. My World Every Tuesday

Things I Remember (1)

When I was in third grade, my dad would take me to school. We lived too close to ride the bus and too far to walk. Every day we got to school just behind Bus 3. The driver of Bus 3 gave me the nickname "Late Again."

It's Geometry! in a simple country church

Angles

Triangles

Circles

Squares

Arcs

Making up the simplicity of  country church architecture.

The gothic arches? Not sure about those. Perhaps they are just the touch that was necessary for the greater glory of God.


It's Geometry Monday!

Sunday's Psalm--Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,

we were like men dreaming.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,



and our tongue with rejoicing.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then they said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

The LORD has done great things for us;

we are glad indeed.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

like the torrents in the southern desert.

Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Although they go forth weeping,

carrying the seed to be sown,

They shall come back rejoicing,

carrying their sheaves.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

from Psalm 126
Photos:
full moon
tiger lily
surise at Colege Fjord, Alaska
Arches National Park, Utah
fountain, Seattle
bird at Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier, WA
growing corn

Reflecting on Ordinary Things

We look all around us for amazing things to share, when sometimes, we just need to remember to look at ordinary things. Life is made up of lots of ordinary things, and a few extraordinary. It is amazing and delightful when extraordinary things or extraordinary people come into our lives. But every day in every way we must attend to the ordinary and take delight in it, too.

James promotes Weekend Reflections at Newtown Daily Photo. Pay him a visit.

Look up!

SkyWatch Friday happens every week over at its the SkyWatch site. You'll find hundreds of sky shots from around the world. See what happens when you look up!

After I posted a picture of a nest from last spring on my 365 photo blog the other day, I realized I had better look up again before the tree leafed out fully again. Later in the spring and summer, you can hear the activity in the tree, but the birds remain in hiding and you don't get a full view of the "noisy neighbors".

This spring there is a second nest in the tree. My ladder doesn't reach high enough to get a look inside, and soon I won't even be able to see this view because--if you hadn't noticed--SPRING STARTS TOMORROW!

ABC Wednesday--I is for

ABC Wednesday has been finding all sorts of alphabet references for nearly three years now. You will find this weeks ABC I-s listed at the ABC Wednesday dedicted site.

I is for Ice

Not just cooling your drink.

But also...

Found if you leave your fountain running through the winter.

(Wallowa Lake, Oregon)

                                                        Or just skimming the surface if only only a bit of water is left. (Gonzaga campus, Spokane Washington)

Allowing anyone to walk on water. (Reflections Lakes, Mt. Rainier, Washington)

Transforming falling water. (Naches Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier, Washington)

As a ledge over a river --don't use this as a pathway!

(Nisqually River, Mt. Rainier, Washington)

I is for ice.