A Snowy Walk

Snow is a novelty here. It happens maybe once a year, and doesn't last more than a day, at least in our neighborhood. It snowed at our house Saturday night but had melted by the time we came home from church on Sunday morning.

Luckily we live at the base of some foothills and wild land conservatories, really only a few minutes from home, and knew there would still be snow there. We needed to go quickly because with temperatures in the upper 50s, the snow wouldn't last long. So off we went Monday morning.

 Gemma really wanted to make a snowman, so we did that first. Actually, we hijacked a snowman some one had left the previous day. It was missing a head, so we added that along with a carrot nose, and bean eyes and mouth.

It worked out perfectly. Gemma doesn't have the patience to build a snowman, which would have meant Matt and I had to build a snowman so Gemma could put a face on it. We are not big fans of snow and I, for one, was glad not to spend half an hour getting cold and wet rolling balls of snow.

Obligatory snowman out of the way, we were ready to take a walk along our favorite nature trail.

The trail goes through some apple orchards for a while, and then you can go up to a couple of ponds, or follow the stream that flows from the ponds.

 We went to the ponds because the stream trail was closed.

 Everything was so pretty. I love  how snow beautifies ordinary things with its glistening white purity.

 I also love the natural reflection it provides when taking pictures, no harsh shadows even though the sun was pretty high over head.

What I don't love though, is cold. Lucky for me, it wasn't even cold, probably temps in the mid fifties.

It was the best of both worlds, beautiful snow and beautiful weather! 

 I was glad to get out and enjoy it with my family.

 I have to admit though, that I am glad snow is just a blip in our typical weather pattern.

 I love that here in Southern California we have days of winter, not winter as a season.

 I would get tired of it, so, so quickly.

 Actually, we did get tired of it quickly. After a couple of hours, we were done and ready to head home.

 It was fun, we took lots of pictures, and really, a couple hours of winter is plenty.



Drip, Drop

"You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side.

The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing."  Psalm 65:9-13

Marvelous Light

While taking a walk in the late morning on Monday, I looked up a the bare branches and saw the most incredible light, literally a rainbow of light around the sun. I have never seen anything like it before.

 It was so amazing, the pictures don't do it justice!

I had to majorly underexpose them to get photos that half way captured the magnificent light.

 I tried to find out what it was exactly, but nothing that I could find really described or looked like what I saw. It doesn't look like a sun dog or a rainbow circling the sun. It was beautiful, that much I know.

 And it did make me think of this verse:

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking." Ezekiel 1:28

You Capture: Brought to you by the letter 'L'

Impressions

Do you ever have the impression

 that God paints?

Sometimes I do.

And I Quote...

Eugene Peterson:

"One of the stubbornly enduring habits of the human race is to insist on domesticating God. We are determined to tame Him. We figure out ways to harness God to our projects. We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans and ambitions and tastes. But our Scriptures are even more stubborn in telling us that we can't so it. God cannot be fit into our plans, we must fit into His."

Blooming

Spring has arrived here.

It's been so warm, the flowers are blooming.

It's supposed to rain for the next few days,

but that just means that the flowers will last longer.

"And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;

It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing."

Isaiah 35:1b,2a

You Capture: Warm

My Girl

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was warm, but not hot, really quite perfect. Since there was rain in the forecast for later in the week, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather with a walk around a local university after church. It's such a neat campus, it looks like it belongs on the east coast, but  it's right here in Southern California.

Gemma happened to be wearing a classic school girl type outfit and was eating an apple. It was unplanned, but very appropriate for the setting so we took a few portraits of her. She wasn't terribly cooperative, but we manged to get a few good ones. She gets tired of us taking her picture, but what can I say? We think she's cute, especially with that missing tooth!

And I Quote...

"If I find in myself a desire in which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -CS Lewis

Ch-ch-changes

I changed my blog again. The winter theme just as doing it for me anymore since it feels like spring here in Southern California. If you're in a reader and want to see, click over!

Newport Pier

Just some

 photos of

 Newport Pier

in February.

Incomplete

This series of photos

is actually a single painting

that I have been working on

for twelve years.

It's still not complete.

In fact, it has already been added to

since I took these photos this morning. Want to know why?

Because this painting

is actaully the apron that I always wipe my brushes on.

Some day I'm going to stretch it and frame it.

But not yet.

It's not done yet :)

Winter in Southern California

On Sunday

we skipped out on the Super Bowl

and went to the beach.

The weather?

Sunny and gorgeous.

What can I say?

We live in Southern California.

But the water was cold.

You Capture: Cold