How was your spring this year? Pretty different from any other spring?

Yeah, mine too.

I’ve been going through my photos from these last months and keep coming back to the ones below. I like them because they capture moments of no worries, no thoughts of lockdowns, travel restrictions or cancellations. Instead, calm, joy and delight.

Maybe number one? A wonderful trip to the most fantastic and perfect little cabin right next to the Sandy River up on Oregon’s beautiful Mt. Hood. In just less than an hour drive from Portland you are there, deep in the forest.

I sat there in that wicker chair for what seemed like forever, just breathing, looking at the water churning, the leaves flickering in the trees, the occasional bird flying by. Bliss.

Sitting by the river may have been the high point, a close second? S’mores.

The first since,… well, since a very long time.

What an amazing idea. A melted marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker. So good.

Another moment, a hike in a wooded city park where I saw, …

can you see it?

In the tree! A beautiful owl, just sitting there, calmly watching and hanging out.

Spectacular.

After a few minutes, it spread its great wings and with a quiet whoosh, flew off.

I took this picture in the beginning of the lockdown when there was a toilet paper shortage and my sweet neighbors, who after hearing me complain that there was none at the store, stopped by with these.

Talk about generous.

The Agave Montana, remember? I posted about it just as it was starting to open. A visit a few weeks later and it was covered with flowers.

The yellow caution tape set up along the street so people could stop and admire, safe from cars.

My orchid! A gift from my brother. Continuing to bloom well over a year since he gave it to me. A big deal for someone who habitually forgets to water her plants.

A special visit from my friend Kayo. She has a day job, but photography is her passion. She had an idea to offer a photo session in exchange for a donation to a Black Lives Matter organization.

Such a good idea! I’d been wanting pictures of my hands sewing and I loved the idea of donating to a worthy cause, so we set up outside, 6 feet apart. I brought out my scissors, pins, measuring tools, thread and one of the appliqué projects I’ve been working on.

I sewed and Kayo took picture after picture.

So much of my sewing is slow hand work, it’s wonderful to have it documented.

Thank you Kayo for these beautiful photographs!

And thank you for the perfect little cabin and the owl in the tree and places to hike and Mt Hood and the Sandy river, my brother, my neighbors, the gardener who planted and tended the Agave Montana and I must not forget, a huge, well deserved thank you to whoever thought of S’mores.