Week 23: By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Debby

When I decided on last week’s topic of painted rocks I assumed, incorrectly, that Carol might do some painting with her granddaughter as I had. She never ceases to surprise me, for her submission was totally unexpected.

I forgot about the rocks, as I was painting canvases instead, and had to rush to get something done in time for the blog. And since I had all these rocks on my table I kept on painting, and ended up painting a piece for this week’s Full Moon.

I can safely say I am done with rocks, but it gave me some fun and the break I needed.

Carol

I love the full moon. I love the way the light reflects on the water or shines through the trees… I love the way it lights up the landscape at night.

The full moon this week was the Sturgeon Moon, so named by the Native Americans because this is the time when the sturgeons start to spawn around the Great Lakes. So it seemed only natural that I drag the hubby down to Lake Ontario to take my moon picture. The moon was a gorgeous reddish colour and reflected on the calm water of the lake.

It was so beautiful that I went home and got my good camera to take what I thought would be better pictures. Alas, National Geographic is not going to be beating down my door for my photos. The ones I took with my phone pretty much showed a reddish dot in the sky. The ones with the good camera caught the reflection of moonlight on the water nicely, but the moon itself looked like a cluster of three.

But then, as I was feeding the cats before going to bed, I noticed the moon outside the kitchen window. It had risen high enough I could see it clearly over the tops of the trees behind our house. So I took my phone out onto the deck and took my pictures – every one was a winner, but this one was the best. LOL

Week 22: Painted Rocks

Debby

This was my suggestion and you would think, because I gave Carol weeks of notice, that I would not have been caught unprepared. Thing is, I’ve been painting like a demon for the last few months, and other things have fallen by the wayside. Not pleased with my effort and as a point of pride will have to do another and put more effort into it.

Word of advice for anyone wanting to paint rocks...a coat of gesso to prime makes the surface smoother and the paint go on better. Recipe for homemade gesso is 1/4 cup talc, 1/4 cup water. Mix together and add 1/2 cup white acrylic paint and 1/4 cup white glue.

The house is my submission. The cats are for you Carol as an apology for being late.

Carol says: I’m posting both pictures because the cats are just so darned cute!

Carol

As soon as I received this week’s topic from Debby I knew what I was going to take a picture of.

Our town has an ecology garden just above the west beach, with a boardwalk separating the two. There are many beautiful features of this garden and one of the most interesting is the display of painted rocks.

In case you can’t quite tell from the picture, the sign says: Take a rock for motivation, leave a rock for inspiration. I find these rocks very motivational!

Week 21: Red

Debby

I didn’t seem to have contact with something red over the weekend, and will be honest and admit I forgot. I hoped to come across some jazzy red car, but not likely in my neighbourhood.

Today, I was in the Bulk Barn and planned to take a picture of one of the candy bins, but it was too busy, Seniors Discount day and all.

So here are the red candies I bought for the grandkids. Picked out the red ones and it made me think of that Smarties jingle. “When you eat your Smarties do you eat the red ones last?”

Carol

I had just the opposite problem - so much red to choose from! Red placemats, my favourite red coffee mug, old red book covers…and my antique wing chair is upholstered in red velvet. I finally decided to go with the red daisy in the planter on my deck, a gift from a friend.

After a great start the gardens are starting to look a little wilted these days, but this plucky little daisy is still doing great. It deserves to be showcased.

Week 20: Sunrise/Sunset

Debby

Sunrise, Sunset, a beautiful old song written by Lewis Brock Jerrold and Sheldon Harnick:

Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly fly the years,
One season follows another,
Laden with happiness and tears....

Carol

Like Debby, the first thing that came to my mind was the song, Sunrise, Sunset, from one of my all time favourite movies, Fiddler on the Roof.

This wasn’t an easy picture for me to get because early morning and late in the day are both my busiest times of the day and it was hard to get out of the house. And then the weather wasn’t very cooperative either – we’ve had a lot of cloudy, overcast skies lately. I finally checked what time the sunset was supposed to occur one evening and then dragged the hubby with me down to the lakeside where I managed to get at least one decent shot.

And for the record, that's not a distant hillside the sun is hiding behind, that's a cloud bank. :-)

Week 19: A Taste of Summer

Debby

I asked my grandchildren what they considered the taste of summer. I thought they might say chips from a roadside chip truck but their answer was a resounding ICE CREAM! So we ventured downtown to the ice cream shop where they serve Kawartha Ice Cream, the best tasting ice cream in Ontario, in my humble opinion.

The flavours in the photo are, a very obvious Blue Bubblegum, and Moose Tracks which had swirls of chocolate, peanut butter and tiny peanut butter cups. It was all delicious.

Carol

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of a taste of summer is vegetables fresh from the garden. In some ways I think I was spoiled as a kid. Although we lived on the edge of town we had a huge vegetable garden, and besides making jams and jellies, my mother also made relishes, pickles, and chutneys. I used to love putting the tomatoes, onions, and peppers through the meat grinder.

I’ve had a couple of failed attempts at vegetable gardens in the past, but my next door neighbour has great success and loves to share her bounty. I was going to post a picture of the cherry tomatoes that my husband and granddaughter planted (they’re covered with tomatoes) but my neighbour sent her granddaughter over with a much larger selection.

The only thing better than fresh produce is a neighbour who likes to share. :-)