As the world turns . . .

{Galveston Bay sunrise, 6:26 A.M.}

Each morning as the dawn breaks

we all start with the same amount,

and it can be a challenge to manage it well.

It is a gift,

that some use wiser than others

because we simply take it for granted,

and are seldom thankful enough for it.

And although it unfolds right before our eyes,

it can not be seen or touched.

But even though we can't hold it in our hands,

the memories gathered from it can be held in our hearts.

Some always seem pressed for it,

but it requires some patience

as it can not be rushed.

We race against it, we run out of it,

and some try to buy, borrow and even kill it.

But it is a non-renewable resource

worth its weight in gold,

meant to be used in the present,

and can not be sold.

Its only requirement

is that we be here, now.

That we celebrate and not squander it,

and that we not wish it away on the future

to spite today.

Because once we waste it

it can't be turned around.

But make no mistake, it waits for no one.

It will go on without us, guaranteed, time after time. . .

- Kim

I made it to the bay this week twice to watch God paint with his many brushes. And to think that millions

of people world-wide are sleeping, unaware of the beauty, the artistry that goes on without them. When we first moved here to the gulf I thought people just had to be crazy to want to live so close to a body of water that can cause so much destruction during a hurricane season. But I have come to understand the pull it can have on you, the addiction to want more. There is something incredible about watching the sun rise, and it's not just the beauty of it, but the reminder that time does not stand still, that it waits for no man. So I'm sharing some pictures from the sunrise just yesterday morning and how time changes, and sometimes it is so subtle that unless we take the time of day, we don't even take notice.

6:33 A.M

6:34 A.M.

6:41 A.M.

6:56 A.M.

6:56 A.M. {photograph life, looking up at the sky}

7:06 A.M.

7:18 A.M.

This was later on in the afternoon . . .

{Textured with Pixel Dust Photo Art age it, and painterly}

And lastly my Flower Art Friday submission, using Kim Klassen's Oh My, and Red.

{shoot.edit.submit}

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely

in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke,

thoroughly used up, worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow, what a ride!"

- Hunter S. Thompson

Time, it's that one thing we can't save, that must be used.

As the world turns we get 1440 minutes a day, how are you going to use yours?

Make it a great day!

Love, Kim

XO

       

Photo-heart connection, number VII

We do not live life in the big picture,

we live it moment by moment in the small details.

It was on our vacation in Florida that I captured this. He was walking with his mom, it was

early morning and quite overcast, and on the verge of raining. And as little boys do, he stopped often to check things out along the way. That is until this moment,  when he stopped and very purposely went and stood in the surf. I remember it like it was 5 minutes ago. The way the air smelled and the sound of the crashing waves, the beautiful reflections in the sand, and the misty pastel like colors of the morning all etched into my memory.

But most of all I remember that there was intention in how he stood. His body language gave way to what seemed like much thought and contemplation with some wonder and awe.

I wondered what he was thinking, what he was feeling. What made him go and just stand there.

But perhaps it was just that, the sounds, the smell, the entirety of it. And because he is a small child and most likely does not yet live in the big picture, he was just simply enjoying the moment in a way a child

does . . . naturally, unconsciously,  and moment by moment.

This image reminds me how of important it is not to let that inner child in me grow up too much. Because really, what good is the big picture if there are no details, no pauses to look back on.   

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. - I would love for you to join me over at my collaborative blog today, Focusing On Life,

as I'm sharing a little confession.

 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Hello August, more heat and two tropical storms!
Not much else on my mind at the moment...so on to the prompts.

{ going back in time }

Oh so many ways to interpret this one, but this is the one prompt I left 'til last minute. So I went back to the archives to last July when we visited family. We made a trip into Chicago to the University of Chicago campus where my hubby received his Masters Degree, in this very Chapel almost twenty years ago.

{ something just for me }

When you're a mom, you let everyone have a "taste", or the last piece, and they borrow things you might
never see again. But, no one in my family is into bling, so I'm guaranteed that these are something just for me! ; )

{ best part of my day }

The best part of my day, is Folgers in my cup . . . wait, wait, that's the second best thing. The first is a beautiful sunrise and I only wish it was everyday that I could watch this incredible event. 

{ night and day }

Well, mostly this night and a little bit of day. After watching the sunrise on the bay we drove to Galveston and it was a night and day difference from where we were. Just to the left in this picture, that you can't see is where all the day, and pretty blue sky is. I was hopeful it would just pass or blow over, even sat in my chair in the sprinkling rain, but to no avail after a couple of hours it was getting worse....so we packed it in and called it a day, or is that night?

{ look up }

What to do with any leftover snacks when leaving the beach? Throw them out your car window,  look up

and click away!

Hope you're all having a great weekend and see ya at the hunt next week!

Love, Kim

XO

Beach happenings. . .week in review

"To live is so startling

it leaves little time for anything else."

- Emily Dickinson

In fact it actually leaves little time to clean one's house!

But hey, I don't think I want to be remembered for that anyway....

I was able to get to the beach twice this week, once on my birthday and once with a friend.

The birthday on the beach was well, a bit of a bust as it rained.

But later in the week my friend and I packed snacks and drinks, books, journals and of course

my handy dandy blue kids net, you remember that one.

We left fairly early set up our chairs, and umbrellas and had ourselves a grand time.

Eating, talking, relaxing, playing . . . rinse (literally),  and repeat.

And it was quite an eventful week at the beach . . .

This was Sunday morning, the birthday edition sunrise . . .

{Shoot.edit.submit}

It seems when I get out that handy dandy blue kids net (lol) I always make a few friends, and they are always quite a bit younger. Together, the three of us caught 375 hermit crabs with a few olive snails thrown in!! I put a few in my make shift glass aquarium and holy cow, one came straight out and took over the shell of another crab. Although this was much to the demise of that other crab, and he struggled for awhile trying to get him out all the way. I'm sparing you the photo and the details as interesting as it was. . . and yes you

are welcome!

They were all put gently back from where they came.....

As I was taking these pics of the hermits, I hear, "he got a shark".....

yes, I dropped everything to go look, well not the camera. It was a very young Bonnethead shark.

They can get up to 5 feet, but average around 3 feet, and are timid and not dangerous to humans.

AND, I just had to hold it . . . it was pretty amazing and its skin was a bit sand papery. He needed some

help staying above water until the water could wash back into his gills

I watched this guy practice his balancing act for the beach Olympics . . .

. . . and the seagulls take a bath.

But then, you see something that makes you go hmmmm . . . at first I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I scooped it up with my net and was quite perplexed to see this poor red eared slider, a fresh water turtle, floating in the ocean, a very salty body of water. So I rinsed him with some fresh water, had a photo session and found him a safer home. Isn't he just adorable?

This year on the Galveston State Park beach, the vegetation is in abundance with these little yellow flowers and as I was looking for shells I spotted this tiny, and I mean dime size tiny butterfly looking for a snack.

{Flower Art Friday -I used Bonnie's (pixel dust art) painterly texture and love the effect I got on this}

And for Photo Art Friday the theme is doors, and in keeping with my beach theme I used doors from a church in Galveston and overlayed an image of pelicans with some clouds. I used a Kim Klassen texture sunkissed, and two from Pixel Dust - etched in stone and painterly, removing the textures at 100% off the doors in a way to accentuate the crosses. I thought the pelicans were perfect with church doors as they fly with such grace and the hint of clouds remind me of heaven.

"Heavens Grace"

Can you believe it's August already? My kids start back to school in a matter of weeks, and my son starts football camp for high school next week. We are a huge high school football fan family and in fact my daughter has the countdown at 21 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 40 seconds until the first football game.

And one last note, about a pesto called Ernesto, as in Tropical Storm Ernesto. It's on track to become a hurricane by Monday and currently in the Caribbean but it's a bit early to know just where in the Gulf of Mexico it will land. If the high pressure system currently in my area of the gulf stays then chances are it will most likely take a turn for Mexico. This is the time of year when hurricane season starts getting really fired up as the water is very warm, especially in the gulf which is what gives fuel to the storms to grown into major hurricanes. Keep your fingers crossed for all of us here in the gulf!!

Until next time,

Love, Kim

XO