makes me happy

Some delightfully creepy trees

These trees are between the path and a cliff on the trail I hiked on Monday.

There’s no reason for them to be spooky but they kind of spook me all the same.

In a good way.

Two large dead trees lying amidst greenery with the blue sky above.
Image description: two sun-bleached dead trees lie on their sides amidst greenery and evergreen trees on a sunny day. The blue sky above makes a nice contrast with the greenery and the white-grey of the dead trees.

A good way to spend a Saturday night

Don’t worry, this took place is a safe zone for an outdoor fire and it was in a well-established fire pit.

Sitting around this fire with 4 of my dearest friends was a terrific way to kick off my summer of contemplation, revaluation, and relaxation.

Yep, those three things are my summer priorities.

The tricky part is putting them into practice.

a small outdoor campfire burns within a circle of large rocks.
Image description: a small outdoor campfire burns within a circle of large rocks.

Flowers by my front step

I love seeing these return every year.

A close up photo of the blooms on a lilac tree.
Technically, this is a tree (or a bush) but still, it *is* flowering and I like it. image description: a close-up photo of one set of blooms on a lilac tree. The flowers are light purple and the leaves are lush green.
Bright orange flowers surrounded by leaves.
I think these are some variety of poppy. They have been growing every spring ever since we moved in over 20 years ago. Image description – bright orange flowers with 5 rounded petals blooming amidst greenery.

Decisions, decisions – a good problem to have ;)

This is the kind of evening I dream of when I feel tense or when it feels like the winter will never end.

I’m sitting on my patio on a warm summer night, deciding whether to draw or to read while I drink my (non-alcoholic!) beer.

A photo of a table with a bottle, an ereader and a sketchbook and markers on it.
Image description: a angled-down view of a small red patio table with a bottle of Corona Sunbrew non-alcoholic beer (which is covered in condensation), an e-reader in a blue and gold patterned case, and an open sketchbook with six markers on top of it. In the background there’s another patio chair, the bottom of the railing, and the end of a string of warm white lights.

Just one but no sorrow

Yesterday, a crow kept me company for a while one my walk.

She was unfazed by me and by the dog as she sat on this branch by the sidewalk.

A crow sitting on an evergreen branch.
I’m zoomed in a bit here but this feels more like how close she was that the photo that isn’t zoomed in. Image description: some evergreen tree trunks with grass beneath on a sunny day. A black crow is sitting on one of the closest branches.