something about this area of the yard reminds me of blogging. plus, the weather has been perfect. plus, dogs are cooperative photography subjects in perfect weather.

anyway, this is emma's favorite spot now. the lizards hang out here and she knows it. she fancies herself a great hunter but is not particularly good at spotting them. she sees them when they move, but it seems as though lizards are aware that movement makes them easy to find. this photo, although not perfect in it's timing (she was in pure pose, till i clicked...) it is classic emma now. she "hunts" for lizards by watching my index finger...when i see one, i raise a finger in the reptile's direction and she will commence the search. this is a picture of her looking for lizards while looking at my finger as i look for lizards for her...

today was another perfect weather day. very unexpectedly on the cool side. low humidity. very refreshing. the gardenias are fragrant and my basil, bless it's heart, only gets used in floral arrangements, which you should try. the combination of scents is summer...

we just returned home after spending a long weekend at a dog-friendly beach and lovely beach house. the occasion was to kick off summer, having the weekend before graduated our youngest son from auburn university. it was a couple of days of nothing, just as planned. a house filled with those we love (including the pups, who, by the way, were not particularly thrilled to be there. happy to be included, but a bit wary all the same). the refrigerator stocked. trips up and down the beachwalk to doze in the sun. no agenda, just a time for clearing the head and the calendar. i highly recommend it...

i am a huge fan of projects. i like helping to put on events, big and little. my brain thinks in terms of themes. a title on an email triggers a package thought... a silver charm gives me an idea for a party... perhaps it comes from a teaching background with a history of hundreds of bulletin boards in various classrooms over the years. maybe it's that i always need a creative release. maybe it's because i like to shop but really dislike window shopping and this way there's always something specific to look for...

whatever the case, this photo is from my latest project. a ladies' tea. the kind where everyone decorates their own table. i like the small surface area (i.e, a tabletop) as i get a glimpse into what other women are thinking...this particular tea had a 50s theme as the subject for the day was "50 ways to be a better woman". good stuff. one of my contributions was a "slumber party" table, aptly named because i got to clump all my thoughts into a common goal since i just couldn't successfully narrow it down! i used a sheet for a tablecloth, my favorite mismatched (the only way i use it) fiesta ware, several Betty Betz books which i've been collecting from eBay, curlers, coke bottles, french poodle knife rests and napkins, an autographed "crush" photo (which was a character my husband had portrayed years earlier for a summer camp for kids), and these cute "little pink book" address books that i found at a bookstore for favors.

several weeks worth of creativity culminated in a single afternoon, then slept for many hours...