random reflections

Pairs: Reflections on the Canal

Every week when Debbie and I walk the canal, we turn on the Runkeeper app on my iPhone. The distance rarely changes more than 0.1 of a mile, but our time is improving. The best part about having my phone handy is that it's ready to capture a lovely view. Here are two reflections for this week's Pairs at Helena's blog. Check out the rest of them there.

This is the first bridge we walk under as we leave Shoen Place in Pittsford. I didn't notice that the reflection of the sky is much more detailed in the photograph than the actual sky until I uploaded the photo. 

I don't know the technical name for this structure, but it's used to control the amount of water in the canal. You can see the difference in light between the two photos. This one was taken on our way back to Pittsford, probably an hour later than the first photo. I love the arrows pointing at one another.

It's a good thing we weren't hoping to walk today! It's nearly 7:30 in the morning, and still almost dark since it's been raining and blowing ever since last night. It's gotten much cooler, too. It's supposed to clear up (but not warm up) this afternoon. I hope it does because we've been invited to a fall celebration at Skylar's school which will take place outside.

Pairs: The Birthday Cowgirl

Monday was Skylar's fourth birthday, and we celebrated twice. The first time was at her party on Saturday. Thunderstorms were forecast, but didn't show up until well after the party. Thank goodness, since the Cowgirl theme included pony rides in their back yard. Betsy rode at a stable growing up and knew the woman who ran the stable, so she brought over two ponies for an hour, and the kids loved it. Here's the girl all decked out!

 

 

It took her awhile to decide about the ponies, but once she got on she absolutely loved it. By that time, most of the other kids had moved on to the swing set and making bubbles, so she was able to ride for quite awhile.

On Monday, just the family assembled for cake and family presents. We gave Skylar a homemade gift certificate for Zooclasses at the Seneca Park Zoo. Grandma and Skylar are going together. Yeah, for that! They're specifically for 4 and 5 year olds, and each month focus on a different group of animals. October will be our first class, and it's all about birds. We're doing it on a month-by-month basis to see how she likes it, and to coordinate schedules.

Here's the birthday card I made for her. For once, I had the design in mind beforehand, and it came out just the way I envisioned it. 

 

This one took a few dies to put together:  Balloons & Baby Party Animals (Simon Says), and By the Numbers & In the Meadows (Papertrey Ink), as well as a little heart punch I've had forever. The stamps were from Baby Party Animals, and Winnie and Walter's Big, Bold and Merry. The confetti in the balloon came in a Simon Says card kit and is from Martha Stewart.

Linking the Pairs to Helena's fine blog where you'll find other interesting pairings for sure.

 

Pairs: Morning Light

When Debbie and I arrived at Schoen Place yesterday for our morning walk, we noticed the beautiful light behind the parking lot. I didn't even know there was a small pond back there, but here are two shots of the morning light. It was a bit foggy as well. After a total washout of a weekend, we've had a week of almost perfect weather:  cool nights and mornings, and warm, sunny afternoons. 

 

We're really enjoying our weekly morning walks along the Erie Canal. We start in Pittsford (about half way between her house and mine) and walk to Bushnell's Basin. Round trip is about 5.8 miles, and we have breakfast at the Coal Tower Restaurant at the end of the walk. Yesterday we agreed we'd keep it up until it snows so, hopefully, we'll have many more weeks to go!

Pairs: Soaking Up the Summer Heat

As leaves begin to turn (yes, there are red leaves on two of our trees already!), it becomes ever more important to soak up the last of the summer sun and heat. We've been spending a lot more time on our patio:reading, eating summer, sharing a drink at the end of the day. And Monday, we took some time to go to the pool one last time. 

This week the photos weren't taken intentionally for Helena's Pairs meme, but when I looked at the week's photos, these popped out at me. You'll find more takes on the meme right here.

Pairs: At the Market & On the Table

Goodness! How did it get to be Wednesday already? I popped open my Feedly this morning and saw all kinds of pairs posted already at Helena's blog, and thought I'd better get with it. Fortunately, I have my pair for this week. On Saturday, Tracy and I made our annual "fall" trip to Ithaca. We went a little early this year since the Commons has just been renovated, and they were celebrating the reopening over the weekend. 

Our first stop, as always, was the Ithaca Farmer's Market. It's really one of the best ones I know, and we have a list of favorite stops there. It's been awhile since I bought flowers there since I have to buy the container as well in order to keep them alive for the rest of the day and the 1 1/2 hour ride home. But I couldn't resist.

The flowers I purchased are right there in the middle of the display.

And here they are on my kitchen table. The woman advised me to change the water every day. I have, and I'm happy to report they are still beautiful as I write this. Matt, Betsy, and the girls are coming for dinner tomorrow night, and I'll move them to the dining room table. 

One other photo, just for fun. It's not often I manage to get a fun selfie, but I caught both of us in these celebratory balloons on the Commons.

I'm off now to link up to Helena's blog and check out all the other Pairs for the week.

Pairs: Photographed and Altered

I've been admiring Honore's Waterlogue Wednesday* creations for several months, and although I've owned the app for some time, rarely remember to play around with it. Yesterday my friend, Mary, and I had a lovely lunch at the cafe at the George Eastman House and visited the current exhibit, "In The Garden." Before we left, I took a photo of the real gardens at the George Eastman House from inside the conservatory, and thought I'd give Waterlogue a try. I'm quite happy with the results.

You can find this week's offerings of Pairs at Helena's blog.

*Edited to add a link to Miriam's Blog where I first saw Waterlogue! You can find many lovely examples there.

Pairs: Zoom In, Zoom Out

We walked through Highland Park this week after dinner, and I was surprised to see how differently it has been planted since the Lilac Festival when it was all pansies. The colors are gorgeous. And I'm including two Zoom Ins, because I couldn't decide which one!

Zoom Out:

Zoom In #1:

Zoom In a Little Closer #2:

I love the colors in this flower!

You can find more Pairs at Helena's Blog right here.

A PAIR of Anniversary Cards

I'm finding it more difficult than usual to get back into the usual routines after being away for so long. There are a lot of big projects that need to be tackled, as well as many smaller ones, and it all seems a bit overwhelming. I did take time this week to make an anniversary card that needed to go in the mail. I had planned to do some posts while we were away, but the internet was often very slow, and frankly I didn't spend much time on the computer, so those never happened. That means I have a pair of cards to share.

Our last night in Canada was our 42nd wedding anniversary. I had made my card for Tracy before we left and gave it to him over dinner at The Cattle Baron, a restaurant recommended to us by a delightful young man sitting with Tracy on the flight to Calgary. We had excellent Alberta steaks at a quite reasonable price. 

All the supplies for this card came from the Simon Says May Card Kit. 

It's not often that I make a card with no stamping on it, but everything I needed was in the kit.

The card I created this week is for my daughter's in-laws who will be celebrating their anniversary next week with Sarah, Adam, and Caleb who fly to Washington tomorrow.

Both the confetti stamp and the "Celebrate" diecut are from a new Papertrey Ink set called "Good Times." The card is a premade one from Memory Box that's been in my stash for years. The gold cardstock is from Paper Source, and the enamel dots from Simple Stories. 

It was good to get back to crafting, and I have several more cards to make that should be in the mail shortly. I'm linking these up to Helena's lovely weekly meme, Pairs.

 

Pairs: Traveling

One more set of photos from our trip. We're now back at home after spending a few days with Sarah, Adam, and Caleb as well as stopping in Toledo, Ohio to have dinner with my three cousins---one of whom I hadn't seen in 24 years! It was a fabulous trip, and we're finally beginning to feel a bit settled. We're at least unpacked.

On the Ground and In the Air

Calgary and Chicago

Canada and the United States

I have several things to post and hope to get back to some semblance of a schedule in the next week or so. I have a presentation to make a week from Sunday so that's the next priority, and then the schedule is looking pretty clear. 

Check out the other Pairs at Helena's blog.

 

Pairs: The Fickle Weather

One thing we discovered quickly in the Canadian Rockies (and Glacier, as well) is that you can't count on a weather forecast. Early in our trip, one of the waiters told us that "if you don't like the weather going out the front door, go out the back." Not far from true! These photos were taken within minutes of one another--one out the front window of our car, looking east and the other in the side view mirror, looking back to the west.

East and West

Front and Back

Stormy and Clear

You can find more interesting Pairs at Helena's blog.