A weekend in British Columbia...narrated by H.D. Thoreau

Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand. 

There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature. 

Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant? 

Simplify, Simplify

Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them. 

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

Once you've tasted a roasted garlic Pear and Brie Infused Pain Viennois from a wood fired oven nestled in a cedar grove, you may perish knowing that your life is truly abundant...  (ok, that quote is mine)

Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still. 

Friends... they cherish one another's hopes. They are kind to one another's dreams. 

I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below now. 

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature.
It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures
the depth of his own nature.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. 

In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high. 

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. 

The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. 

The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them. 

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen. 

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. 

That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest. 

Mother's Day Slideshow.....

Taking Matters into Their Own Hands

Ansel hates the way his hair sticks up in back.  He inherited this cowlick from his father.  Sometimes he will walk into school with his hands clasped over the back of his head hoping to keep his wayward locks under wraps. Unfortunately, this tends to attract more attention to his problem area.  I think his non-conformist hair is recklessly perfect and have ignored his requests for "product".   A few weeks ago, he decided to try and fix it on his own.  

He took the scissors and started chopping away.  I stopped him before he got too far,  but you can see the damage.  I  wish   I had let him go for it.   

And  when I questioned his decision to use SIX of his carnival tickets to color his hair at the school carnival, he knew what he wanted and rebelled against my practical advice.  

He also gets this unbridled determination from his father

The sticking out of the tongue when working on an important fort operation is completely his own. 

Emmy recently had a huge project due at school.  She wouldn't ask for help or even give us a hint as to what she was doing.  When we got to the school and saw all of the parent led projects, we wondered if we should be concerned or proud that our child wouldn't allow us to be a part of her endeavor.

I am grateful for each and every night she still wants us to tuck her in. 

Savanna doesn't need me to tuck her in, but I still try.  Sometimes I watch her while she sleeps.  

Corey has been taking a mountaineering class the past few months.  He decided that he didn't want to rely on anyone else for outdoor recreation.  He is taking matters into his own hands.