Blue Sky Blues

Ryan Adams - Blue Sky Blues Pin It

Daisies

I took my camera on a walk not long ago and ran across some lovely daisies growing wild. Daisies are the happiest flower in my mind and one of my very favorite flowers. I think it is nearly impossible to look at them and not be a bit charmed. It could be the color, or the childhood memories of playing He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.



I've decided daisies and the golden light just before the sunsets is a perfect combination.

Do you have a favorite flower?

Radical Face - Always Gold Pin It

My Summer Neighbor

I have some beautiful trees in my front yard - and I've put off having them trimmed back as long as I could, mostly because of this beauty that moved in this spring:

I had the best time this summer watching this patient little momma bird watch over, first her eggs, and then her birds. She was elusive and hard to capture with a camera. But it was so fun to share my porch with this tiny family.

With fall coming, I can't put off trimming the trees any longer, but the birds have left the nest, so I think I'm safe. I have my fingers tightly crossed that they'll be back again next summer.

Tristan Prettyman - My Oh My Pin It

Steer

Missy Higgins - Steer Pin It

Soaring and Goalsetting

The mountain I live on is the hub for para gliding in the the Salt Lake Valley. I'm not brave enough to think seriously about giving it a try, but I do love watching those who are. I can't help but think it must be incredibly peaceful up there.

I'm celebrating one of those birthdays that end with a 9 today and decided it may be time to set some new goals, so I pulled out these photos to remind to dream big. When was the last time you sat down and made a bucket list? What were some of the things on it? So far, too many of my items seem to involve travel and house projects - I think I need a bit more variety.

Because I'm not feeling particularly young today, I'm hoping listening to Fun.'s We Are Young will help me pretend for 3 minutes that I'm younger than I feel. Pin It

Thanksgiving Point

Way back in April, my sister, her kids and I went to one of our favorite places, Thanksgiving Point, to check out the flowers and let the kids run off a bit of energy.

I swear the flowers here get more amazing every time I visit. I keep hoping I'll have a year with a bit less travel so I can justify a season pass, and then visit every couple of weeks so I could see the changes to the gardens through the season.

The flowers on this tree were so soft and romantic.

The door to the Secret Garden, designed to look just like the one in one of my very favorite books.

The trip was successful. I got some photos, my sister and I had a chance to catch up, and the kids ran out some of their energy. Photos of them were not going to happen this trip - they were too busy exploring.

I'm in love with, The Proof of Your Love, an amazing song by For King & Country. Pin It

Home

Dierks Bentley - Home Pin It

London Experience: The City

Even without the Games, London is an incredible city, and while I didn't have much time to play tourist, I did try and take every opportunity to explore and take photos while I commuted to and from places for work (and occasionally for fun.) Most of these photos are from my iPhone and Istagram, which I got just before I left and quickly became a new love. I'll never give up a regular camera, but I'm convinced the iPhone is a great alternative.

I ate lunch at this Mayfair tearoom so often the waiter started treating me like a regular. It was close to our office and they offered a great variety of food - something light for me and a little more hardy for the guys.

I've made it to London multiple times, but never taken the time to ride the eye - and after this trip I still haven't, something to do on my next trip I guess.

I spent most of my time in Mayfair, a beautiful part of the city, even if it felt a little too "posh" for me to feel completely comfortable in.

I spent a LOT of time on the tube - including a few trips to Canary Wharf - this shot was taken while I rode the escalator up.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament - it doesn't get much more iconic than this.

A beautiful sunset over #10 Downing Street.

While I was walking to one of the venues, the volunteers were using a blow horn and asking up to stay on the "pavement" and off the road. Adele's song, Chasing Pavements, suddenly made more since to me. In the US we typically call them sidewalks, and I didn't realize it was pavements in UK English. Just when I think I've mastered UK English I learn something new. Pin It

London Experience: Triathlon

One afternoon I left the hotel I'd been working from to go to the hotel I was staying in. I quickly discovered the bus stop I'd been using was closed, so I kept walking and found myself along the bike portion of the triathlon event. I'm pretty certain, I wasn't there for the event, but for a training session (mostly because there were very few of us along the course.) But it was still fun to get this close to the some amazing athletes.

It made for a long commute home (I had to walk the entire way because all the bus stops were closed) but it was so worth it.


Looking at these photos again make me excited to take my new bike for a ride!

Typhoon's Morton's Fork made me sing along as I listened to it today, so I thought I'd share. Pin It

Such Great Heights

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights Pin It

London Experience: Swimming

My boss managed to get his hands on a single ticket to the final day of Swimming. Since I knows this is one of my favorite sports he kindly gave the ticket to me and I set off that evening to watch Michael Phelps' last swim.

First up, I got to see the US Women take the gold in the 4x100 relay - they were amazing and so full of personality.

The second event was the Mens 1500 meters - a long event, which gave me time to snap a quick photo of the events biggest Canadian fan (who just happend to be sitting two seats from me.)

Finally it was time for the Men's 4x100. I caught this shot of Michael Phelps' about to dive in for the last swim of his career (in the middle.)

This photo is taken during the medal ceremony - I found myself imagining Michael Phelps was taking a moment to take it all in one last time.

Watching the US flag fly over the stadium and listening to the anthem was a powerful experience, one I will always remember.

For obvious reasons, here is The Cave Singers: Swim Club. Pin It

London Experience: Tennis

One Friday morning during my stay in London I woke to an email from a friend saying she had a couple of tickets to Tennis that day and did I want them. I instantly emailed her back saying YES and started trying to rearrange my schedule to make it happen. The chance to sit in Center Court at Wimbledon was already a dream come true, it is one of those iconic sports venues that I'd always dreamed of visiting. But the day got infinitely better when I stopped to check who was on the schedule for the day: Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro, Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka, and Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic.

I got to Wimbledon about 20 minutes into the Federer match and was worried I'd missed the best stuff, instead I got to watch them play for another 4 HOURS! The match was the longest three-set men's match of the Open era and it was amazing. The bonus of the day was the amazing seats I had - third row just opposite the royal box. I could see facial expressions and drops of sweat, the hours just flew by.

This set of photos shows the end of the match, the slow walk to the net, the exhausted hug, Federer's subdued victory wave, Del Potro's head in his hands, and the walk to the dressing rooms.

Did I mention I watched this match for 4 hours? Well in that time, my crush on Federer was immortalized by a ton of photos as I tried my hand at sports photography. I should probably be embarrassed to show these, but I suspect I'm not the only person out there who thinks he is amazing.

Next up: Serena and Victoria Azarenka (the current #1 in tennis). This match lasted barely an hour. The photo on the bottom right pretty much sums up the match. Serena dominated, she was powerful and decisive Azarenka seem to have nothing for her.

The next match was the one the crowd was clearly there for, hometown hero Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic. A win by Murray meant he would again face Federer in the finals. A rematch of this years Wimbledon (which was won by Federer.) Murray, with the crowd very much behind him won, and went on to take the gold medal the next day in Men's Singles and the broze in Mixed Doubles.

Last up, a few crowd shots. The guy in the orange shirt in the top photo: Bill Gates, he was in the royal box. In the bottom left photo, the guy in the grey USA shirt that everyone is staring at and taking photos of: Kobe Bryant. No one famous in that last shot (that I know of.)

I listened to this great song from Lucero on the Tube to Wimbledon: On My Way Downtown. Pin It