pinned

do you pin?

i spent some time today lolly-gagging around pinterest and my thumb is sore from all that pinning! 

(it's a virtual pinboard, after all)

i was  hooked on phonics today...my, how i love language and the power it has!

there's laugh-out-loud funny...

there's wisdom...

there are good reminders...

there's encouragement

i'm still not sure how the invitation and all that works out...

i just signed up (a while ago) and pretty soon i got an email saying "congratulations! the grand poo-bahs have invited you to pin!"

{or something to that effect}

so i put on my pearls and pumps to celebrate my good fortune

and have been pinning ever since

turns out my college roommate and i were apparently separated at birth because i "repinned" loads of her stuff today...

then tonight, she repinned a fashion photo i had pinned

it's a big pinning party!

{without the lavaliers}

this here internet sure is a hoot sometimes

sweet pea

i have a great niece

which makes my sister and i grin...because this fact means we're getting older

{our brother is a grandfather...our father is a great-grandfather!}

our great aunts were rose, helen...

hmmmm...we're now the "i think they're my mom's cousins" people at bridal showers

but when i look at MY beautiful great niece

i don't care if i'm getting old

watching the ebb and flow of our family's generations

and having our newest addition/edition smile at me

makes me love family all the more

{Cathy is the new Helen}

the maine thing

what a wonderful, beautiful, place maine is!

we spent a long weekend in kennebunk, maine for a cousin's wedding

in between the wedding festivities we took in all the sights

here are my men in kennebunkport

and here we are!

behind us is walker point...does that ring a bell?

President and Mrs. Bush (senior) have a home here

and what a home it is (this picture is just a segment of their home)

really interesting to see it...and to see the Texas flag flying...knowing they are there this weekend!

their impact, through centuries, on kennebunkport is astounding...lots of plaques with the name "walker" or "bush" on them...

inspiring...to see years of caretaking of a place by generations of one family

on sunday morning, i ditched the weak coffee of our hotel and walked across the street to the grocery store...

a quaint new england mom and pop place...breakfast counter...groceries...lots of pictures of bush family members with the owner on the wall

and lo and behold, there stands barbara bush herself

google image

everyone acted as if she were just a regular customer

and i didn't want to go ga-ga all over but i did want to say something to her

so i said...are you ready?

"are you in line?"

and there you have it.  my interaction with barbara bush :)

we all have such wonderful memories from our weekend jaunt to maine

a beautiful place, indeed

alaska beauty

photo: r. fox, ak 2011

funny how i get into my little groove


assuming everyone is chugging along doing similar activities...seeing similar sights...hearing familiar sounds


and then i am reminded that my friends in alaska get to experience incredible things that i can't even imagine


like meeting owl friends...up close and {look at those eyes} personal!


i heard an owl once...during a cub scout camp out


just hearing it gave me goosebumps


but to see one this close? 


amazing