On the Move

Here are today's August Break photos.

I have a 4-door Sedan and so much to take on my trip to my second home on the Oregon coast.

How will I get it all in????










I did it!!!  Now to fill my cooler with green smoothies for the road.  I'm ready and I'm excited.  Can't wait to see my beloved, my son, and the dogs.  They're waiting for me!

I am deeply in love with Colorado and Oregon.  I can't wait to share my discoveries with you as I explore the coast.  And even though we will be spending a great deal of time there, for now we still live in the mountains.  I'm looking forward to sharing both of my favorite places with you through photos and stories.  Join me on the adventure!

Conditions of Satisfaction

I learned about the conditions of "enoughness" from Jennifer Louden, and today they served me well.

I started Susannah Conway's August Break challenge on August 1st.  By August 3rd, a mere 2 days later, I'd already missed adding a photograph to my blog.  I'd taken one the night before, but forgot to post it.  It was a busy day of packing up to leave the retreat at the Loretto Center, say goodbye to my new friends, drive the two plus hours to Fort Collins, shop for groceries, drive up the canyon, unpack ... you know how it is.

But I declared myself satisfied with what I had accomplished yesterday as I blew off 3/4s of my "to do" list, eased into a hot bath and then took myself to bed much earlier than usual.

Today was another sluggish day (see my posts below about slugs!), but I did have some fun taking a photo of a shadow on a wall and a little watercolor my husband brought me back from Japan years ago.  I took the photo (which I love) and then played around with one of my ITouch  Apps -- Snapseed.  Lots of fun to see such a dramatic change with just a few clicks.  A few clicks was all I could handle today, and I declare myself satisfied.  Thanks Jen!

And, late but I think still beautiful, here is the photo I wanted to post last night but didn't.  Sunset over the mountains as seen from our meeting room at the Loretto Retreat Center.

Rest and Renewal

I am renewing my spirit in this sacred place.  It will be difficult to return to my home tomorrow, because I still have traumatic memories from the recent fires.  But here, at the Loretto Retreat Center in Littleton, Colorado, and with this group of amazing women, I am reaffirming for myself that all places can be sacred depending on how we choose to be while in them.  If we enter a place with intention and a gentleness of heart and spirit; if we enter prayerfully in whatever way that means to us ... the place is then sacred.  I pray that you may also make your special places sacred and that your spirit will be continuously renewed.

An August Challenge Begins

So much has happened since my last post.  Wildfires, evacuations, mudslides, road closures ... too much to go into here.  Over the next few months, I'll share what we've been through as residents in Colorado, a state that had ten active wildfires burning simultaneously this summer!

But today, I'm beginning something new and exciting and much more fun than all of the above.  It will be an enjoyable project to help me ease back into blogging.  I am participating in Susannah Conway's August Break.  It is a challenge to publish at least one new photo each day during the month of August.  Some days I'll add a few sentences to explain the photos.  Other busier days the photos will have to speak for themselves.

August begins with a retreat at the Loretto Center in Littleton, Colorado.  Although I've never attended before, this is an annual event put on by Kathleen Adams. This year, Dana Reynolds is co-facilitating with Kay.  After the summer I've had, the retreat is nourishing and enriching.  It is preparing me for our imminent move to the Oregon coast.

But more on that later!

What has YOUR summer been like?  Do you have links or photos to share?  Would love to know -- share below.  And see you tomorrow.