now we know what it is...what.s your pathway to get there?

i.ve been thinking about pathways.

i like pathways.

love them actually.

apparently i like to photograph pathways.

pathways inside of pathways.

speaking of contentment...

...and

...of pathways.

just where exactly...

...does your pathway to contentment lead you to?

or from?

(sounds similar to what is...but it.s not...it.s how!)

...contentment is?

i.ve had a word swirling around in my head over and over this weekend.

contentment.

{me.  oregon coast . october.  2009}

care to share?

contentment is........?

...in a rut?

sometimes all we need....

 is to just "see" ourselves from a different perspective.

you might be "surprised" where you can find "yourself" 

when you change your point of view!

happy weekend heart friends!!!

...an accidental tractor pull...

i know. i know. 

 how does one just accidentally show up at a tractor pull?

here.s the story

it all started one recent saturday morning when i set out with my two daughters on a photo treasure hunt.  each loaded with a camera and a list of things to photograph, we headed to a local historical park that is known for it.s quaint old buildings and wild chickens 

(which i am obsessed with as of late)

(i mean honestly...isn.t he wonderful?)

we were surprised when we arrived to see that the park was closed for the "annual tractor and steam engine festival"...closed unless we paid the entrance fee which i was not about to do.

until...

i peeked in and saw all sorts of wonderful "old" things.  old people.  

old tractors.  old paint chipping off said old tractors (another obsession of mine).  fascinating old treasures up for auction...  

the disappointed look on my girls faces had me whippin out my wallet 

right behind billy-bob dwayne and his sweetheart earlene-jo.

(not their real names of course)

i knew i had made the right decision when the first thing i saw 

was a chorus line of elderly farmer folk, 

down right enamored with the pulling capacity of the new john- deere 620.

...then art through the lens began.

for some of you, this may be "old hat" but i was raised on a ski slope, 

not in the fields. so i was like a kid in a candy store.

these darling farmers get together for some 

good ol noise makin, dirt flyin, smoke sailing competition.

these guys holler lots of funny things and tell everyone what to do.

these guys wait until it.s their turn to hook their "babies" up to the sled.

this is the fellow that "mans" the sled.

the tractors each get a turn to pull the sled along a track..(dirt)

the sled gets harder to pull the farther they go.

this guys waves a flag when the tractor sounds like it.s gonna blow.up.

and these guys sit idle...but thrilled...on bales of hay, half a toothpick hanging out the corner of their mouth, donning their favorite farm equipment hat bought...

from wally!

the girls and i had a "rootin-tootin" good time...

...with the good old boys and their rusty toys!

(if you.ve actually read this far..i highly recommend headin on over to your nearest tractor pull...

and bring your camera.  you won.t be disappointed.)

...baskets and birthday candles.

we celebrate easter in the gardner home.

this an {oooold} photo of my mom...aka...the easter bunny,

getting caught in some secret bunny business.

(she wore those ears and that tail every year! bless her heart!)

today, i hope that you fill your basket...

with whatever brings you joy!

...and i hope when the day is through... 

you have a sweet place to land.

enjoy my dear friends!

....................................................................................

(speaking of enjoy...)

...these numbers are significant today 

for an incredibly wonderful soul who came into my life last year.

this is my heartwing-scarf sister...kolleen!

i know!  i know!  she.s gorgeous!

one of the most beautiful things about her is that 

she is just as stunning on the inside as she is on the outside.

this is her being painted by the ever.so.present andrea scher 

on the oregon coast last october.

the word that soaked into her skin was just so incredibly fitting.

good.

{of favorable character; agreeable; pleasant; amusing; 

clever; true; virtuous; kind; benevolent; loyal.}

and that.s just the beginning.

happy birthday shining star!

it.s a baskets and birthday candles kind of day!

...B is for bubbles.

i.m a sucker for bubbles.

i think random bubble days are a necessity.
bubbles are like temporary bursts of art in motion.
we surprise ourselves at how big they can get.

bubbles as big....

....as your head!

bubbles inside of bubbles!

we blew the motherload of bubbles!

some were really fast!

....and some were slow!

if you.re very careful...they come to you.

...but then like all good things in life, you have to let them fly free...

goodbye bubbles!

with or without children... 

i highly suggest you go create some bubble art today!