Play Date

I'm playing with PicMonkey.

  I've never used a photo editor before,

 and it's FUN!

  This one will be great

 when they add

 the collage feature.

  Easy peasy.

 Here's the same photo with the color enhanced a bit

This is a small pond in our frontyard. 

The wire net is to keep Egrets and racoons from

dining on the fish.

I added a frame to this one.

And some text which isn't easy to read

..on a learning curve here.

And a softening affect

Here's the frog pad

The roses are blooming.

I've already enjoyed 2 bouquets

the succulents are happy too

( this isn't a closeup - they're huge )

We found a mature Sansevierias (aka MotherInLaw Tongue)

 in an alley !  It's waiting for a home

A bird nest fell out of our Pepper Tree that hangs over the driveway

 We don't know what kind of bird used it.  Hummingbird?

It's soft like a towel.

Other garden friends

my favorite (:

 

I'ts a lazy day ~ I'm heading for a fluffy pillow somewhere

Counting My Blessings

Susy

Trip Report

We hit the road on a rainy California morning, heading to Texas for a reunion of Mr. D's Army unit.  Over one hundred of them had trained together at Fort Irwin, California, and shipped out from Long Beach in 1968 to Vietnam.  

 

By the time we passed Palm Springs, we had blue skies and smooth sailin'

 

Not long after they arrived in Vietnam, my husband was re-assigned to work as an artillery adviser to the Vietnamese.   He really didn't remember the others at the reunion, but some of them knew his name from  being on the other end of the radio when he called in the firing coordinates for the heavy artillery.

  Apparently those things are not easily forgotten.

  I took one look at the pictures they had in albums and started to cry.

 We were newlyweds at the time he was deployed,

 and it's still hard to think about all they went through.

The reunion was hosted by a retired Officer, at his country road ranch.

He and his beautiful and talented wife were very gracious

 and treated us all to a day of down-home food and music.  

She's an artist, and her wood-burning art can be seen here 

  (these photos are from her website)

The color is added with pencils or pastels

I was taken with the property and all the rustic elements

and wandered off and went a-shootin, while hubby reminisced

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

I'm joining my blogger buddies at
  Spiritual Sundays

Vintage Inspiration Friday 

Bye Bye

Not that I've been a consistant blogger by any means, but I wanted to let you know I'm taking a break to enjoy a short road trip with Hubby.

We're heading east to attend a reunion of his Army company that fought together in Viet Nam ~ although, sadly,  most of them never came home.

I hope to snap lots of pix and have an adventure or two ~ and will post the highlights when we return.

Counting my Blessings,

xo Susy

He is Risen

Return From Calvary (1891)  ~ Herbert Gustave Schmalz

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.
       ~ Jesus

Counting my Blessings,

Susy

and celebrating the good news at Spiritual Sundays