Watercolor Washington Wednesday

Watercolor sketchbook sketch
5 x 8 1/2"

"When the clouds rolled away..."
Mount Rainier - August 20, 2015
Watercolor - 10 3/4" x 13 1/2"

It was a cloudy, misty morning when we left Seattle for our day trip to Mount Rainier.   But in the early afternoon, voila!  The clouds rolled away and we could see The Mountain!  My daughter and I actually thought the mountain looked even more enigmatic with the few remaining tenacious clouds and we quickly snapped photos before they finally dissipated.

May you listen to your longing to be free.

May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.

May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart something good is going to happen to you.

May you find harmony between your soul and your life.

May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.

May you know the eternal longing that lies at the heart of time

May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.

May you never place walls between the light and yourself.

May you be set free from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair.

May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you and embrace you in belonging.

~ John O'Donohue

We Love Because. . .

We Love because He first loved us – John 4:19

Do you believe in love at first sight?  I do!

On this day 28 years ago, I had my first date with my husband to be.  A blind date, yet!   Love is not blind.  The moment I first set my eyes on him, I knew.  And I could see he was the one for me.

This is a card from a box of stationery I found a few days ago by La Bonne Vie Studio in Hermosa Beach, California.  It is beautiful.   The Bible verse one of my favorites, (and it is my favorite shade of purple, too!)

It was a set of six cards.  Emphasis was.  I am taking one out to keep.  I’m pretty certain the recipient will laugh and not demand it back to recomplete.  Sometimes all that is missing is just love.  And that love completes. 

Oh! The Places You Will Go - Colorado Edition

While visiting Colorado Springs, Colorado earlier this week, a group of us rode the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. (Oh yes, yours truly was 14,115 feet in the air. Which was 15 degrees, and that said air was blowing at 70 mph - creating a windchill effect of -50 degrees. Yes, minus!)

But on the way to Pikes Peak, we went through this fun, quirky town called Manitou Springs. The next day, we took a cab and spent a few hours there. Got a pizza at Marilyn's Pizza House (decorated with all Marilyn Monroe photos), "The Royal Canadian Mountie on a Surfboard." Canadian bacon, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, pineapple and basil. Super yum!Bought Hawaiian Salted Chocolate Bark at Chocolate & Ice Cream . . .

Warmed up with a White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha latte (I almost got the White Chocolate Pumpkin latte, but the eenie-meenie-meinie-moe game sealed the liplock fate) at Marika's Coffeehouse...and a takehome package of Rooibos Caramel Cream looseleaf tea (watch for upcoming Thursday Teatime review!) bought purely on the scent alone. I had to keep from opening the bag and shoving a wad of tea leaves in my mouth right then and there.

And then we stopped in this store with a bathtub out front filled with concrete soap bubbles called Salus. There I found and bought for $15 three "slices" of homemade, organic soaps -- Sand Dunes, Tahitian Vanilla and Tuberose.

Earlier in the day, I went to Seven Falls - so beautiful and icy this time of year.

And two days before that, I went to the United States Figure Skating Museum - Here's Michelle Kwan's skating outfit from the Long Program of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, designed by Vera Wang. All in all, a fun little escapade to Colorado and Colorado Springs, as I try to see, eat, drink and shop my way through all 50 states!
_____
Now y'all know I do not accept advertising, nor promotionals - anything I blog about here is just personally what I like. And figure well, maybe you might, too. I also love to support and encourage people to shop independent stores and entrepreneurs. Win-win all around. They stay in business and I don't miss out when I need more or want to visit again.