The Party isn't Until mid-October

"Hey, Fall!"

"You arrived early, but since we're good friends and all, you can just hang around until the party starts."
("...too bad you brought Wind and Rain along, they weren't invited for a reason.")

Shadow Hopping

Today, as Bits and I are in the kitchen eating our strawberry granola bars and dancing to the music in our heads, I realized there was no other child in this world better suited for me.

We took another family walk in our soon to be spring U.P. and Bits shadow hopped my silhouette and giggled every time he misstepped.

Mike has, for sure, lost any hope of increasing his heart rate and attaining an actual quality walking pace when I'm along for the stroll, because my "shiny object syndrome" always gets in the way. Something wonderful that I see today may not look the same tomorrow, so the need to capture the moment always compels me to stop even with the frustrated vocalizations of my husband. Honestly, do you not see the beauty in the peeling paint of a green light pole against the receding snow in the background?

I can't help myself...I like what I like and my eyes scan constantly for new inspirational shots. People should feel lucky that I'm not taking pictures of all the dog poo left by our cold friends during their winter walks (honestly, I'd have enough pics. to make a substantial coffee table book).

Wooly Worms and Want-a-bees

Looky, looky, I'm out of hibernation like the wooly worms.

Here are pics from my first true family walk since returning to the world of employment. To say I've been busy would be correct. To say I work too much, also correct. To say I really miss photographing and blogging would be the truest statement yet.

Woolly worms are out and cattail seeds are striving to separate themselves from their tethers.

Please enjoy these first images of the 2010/2011 U.P. winter that I've captured, although rather late in the game and hopefully I'll have spring pics next week or so.

Here's my inspirational motto for the week: "Keep crawling woolly worm!"

Randall's Bakery...They Have Cookies, Need I Say More

Mmmm, cookies, donuts, danishes, cupcakes, and more. We added a somewhat unnecessary, necessary stop to our walks around the lake. Think very rewarding pit stop in the form of delicious baked goods. The shop was noted in a more recent issue of Midwest Living mag. and it is fabulous. The only downside to filling our tummies with a cookie or two is: whatever calories had been burned on our walk were cancelled out by the calories we added at our stop.When you can buy a big cookie is only 65 cents, and a puruse through generous selection of romance novels to read while you snack, you can't say no.

Weeds, Seeds, and Berries

Technically fall is here and has been for about a week or so. These photos were preemptive to the changing colors on the trees. Before the trees stole the spotlight and filled the landscape with floods of color, the foreground at our feet was putting on a preshow.

Mike invited me for a walk with him and Bits, and I was really not feeling like it, but at the last minute decided to go. On the way out the door I grabbed the camera, and that should have been the warning sign for Mike: his leisurely walk was about to become a whole lot leisurely and turn into more like a game of red light-green light. Rule of thumb: if Amy takes her camera, a walk will take quite a bit more time and patience.