Spring has Sprung

Click to enlarge.

The first day of spring was not one to disappoint: plenty of sunshine and lots of time spent outdoors at the beach and in the garden.

Some of you know that I've been an avid surfer since my teens and spend as much time as possible down on the beach and on the water. The center photo is of me at my favorite "secret" beach this past Saturday enjoying the sunshine and surf.

The other eight pieces of the mosaic, well, what can I say? The bulbs -- freesias, Dutch irises, daffodils --are all blooming happily and the nasturtiums and lavender are showing their colors as well.

Be sure to visit Mary over at Little Red House for more pretty mosaics!

Shadow Shot Sunday

We've had a seemingly endless stretch of storms here in Southern California: rain, hail, high winds, high surf, the works! Good for getting lots of work done, not so good for outdoor activities or shooting shadows. So... here is one of my favorite shots from last summer. My boyfriend and I like to switch off taking pictures of each other surfing. I shot this one of him in the golden afternoon light at the end of a long beach day many months ago.

Be sure to click below to check out all the other shadows over at Hey Harriet!

Summer into Fall

Summer passed in a whirl of beach days, gardening and, of course, creating new pieces for the upcoming Christmas season. As ocean temperatures begin to slowly drop and nights grow chilly, I'll fondly remember the summer this way: