RANDOM SHOTS

I tried to capture the light coming through this translucent dome.
I got dizzy enjoying the moment.

Sometimes I just don't have words to share.

A picture does tell the story so much better.

Some days I simply get in the car and drive to the next town - just minutes away.

Or we take a day trip and make new discoveries.

All I have is a tiny pocket digital camera.

I have been encouraged to get one of those really nice digital cameras with the removable lens.

Then I wonder if I really am serious about taking good shots.

I'd rather take random shots and hope they are not too fuzzy.

I'd rather linger at a place or sight I love and drink it into my heart than work a camera.

And so I simply click and hope all turns out well.

Thus, I give you a very few of my favorite RANDOM SHOTS .

I watched the ducks socialize at a local spring.

This old structure sits in the middle of a lovely park.

This is one of the original buildings of a
boarding school not too far from us in Lititz.
The church is on the second floor.

These historic homes are across the street from the
girls' day and boarding school.
New architecture nearby is made to look old so the
entire town is a lingering delight.

I had a meeting at this old church in a tiny town
that is no more than two blocks long and wide.
It is not hard to find stained glass windows like
this in the tiny churches that dot the state.

I thought I had captured the giraffe that holds the dial.
I found this at a garage sale for $1 and laid it in my
broken birdbath that no longer is able to hold water.

I poke my head into all sorts of places.
 I love this doorway to a tiny backyard space
which lies between the Linden Hall dorms.

I have never seen a Coptic church until we visited Annville, a tiny
town not too far from us.  The artwork on the outside
is magnificent.  What a treat for those passing by.

I was on my way to get my hair cut and just had to stop.
The Amish farmer hung his tobacco to dry.
The barn doors were swinging open and shut with the wind.
I clicked away until the wind slammed the doors shut.

We finally visited our PA state capital.  The inside was more
majestic than the outside.  Yet, it was a delight to drink in
the magnificent architecture of a bygone era.  Gracious
steps on either side lend themselves to much pomp and
pageantry that may have appeared a century ago.

The Ephreta 'cloister' house was created for strong monastics -
men and women.  Each had a 'cell' and the central
meeting area was in the attached building.

This old mill house is the only building left in the midst
of new apartments and a shopping center.
Sitting on a small pond, it drew me into a quiet place.

I love homes with gambrel roofs.  This was actually about
one block from the sea in Cape May, which I adore.
We don't get there often enough.

This fascinates me.  Doesn't it look like two separate homes
linked together by a separate building?  I have dreamed of
a house like this so that a mom or dad could come live
with the family.  We just have dad now and he is very
content in his own digs in another state.

So I say farewell to another time of lingering with 'random shots.'
Perhaps I'll do this again.
It brought back wonderful memories.
Isn't that what it's all about anyway?
Random Shots make memories.

TWENTY-FIVE!

We lingered at a lovely country inn on a sunny day.

25       Twenty-five is not that large a number until one breaks it down.
Twenty-five of what?
Years?
25 + 25 + 25 + 25 - 2 = 98   The age of my father

Yesterday I received a photo of myself when I was 25 + 6.
Did I ever look young!
  Or, did I age that much?

This is a scanned photo that
a friend found and sent to
me.  I was at a 'singles' retreat.

Hubby and I just celebrated 25 years of marriage this week.
It seems like a long time if we remember all the details of living together this many years.
Yet, it only seems like yesterday as we reminisce over our wedding day.
We lingered longer in our singleness than most people.

I will always love the D.C. area.  We visit annually.

There were lots of reasons we could reflect upon but, for the most part, we simply did not meet each other until all of our friends were married and had children.

Year ONE we were suppose to just get to know each other.
 That was the year that my hubby began to look for a job clear across the country.

Year TWO, just after we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary, we bought a tiny house just outside of Washington D.C.  We felt packed in like sardines and suffered from sticker shock when we moved from Washington State to the East Coast.  We loved our tiny yard and perfectly gorgeous garden.

Year THREE to NINE we enjoyed beautiful weather, a mild winter, began new jobs and learned 'the ropes' of commuting around a big city.   I even managed to return to school for another degree.  We thought we would stay there forever but we were needed elsewhere.

We moved to the southern end of Florida.
Needless to say, I quickly got use to the heat and loved the freedom of flip-flops while hubby learned to

I miss the water and salty waves and soft beach sand.

attack palm trees and shrubs that would have enveloped us in a heartbeat had he not been aggressive with the pruners and tree saw.

Hubby did his work via the computer and I found work with the church and hospital quite fulfilling.
 I even took a year off to return to school and work on another degree.
 True love is leaving hubby behind for nine months to take care of mom.
True love is for hubby to come see me by taking a two-hour flight north as often as he could.
 If there is anything that can test a marriage, it was this experience.
Yet, we found that we bonded more deeply than ever.
We both grew in appreciation for each other and were very glad when I returned home.

Hubby LOVES this kind of weather.  Good for him.

My work was more than fulfilling yet, when hubby retired, it was my turn to be flexible.  He was more than tired of the heat and longed to stretch his wings in a cooler climate with wide open spaces.

Ahhhh marriage.
We ebb and flow.
 We move to and fro.
 We land in another lovely place with farms and slow moving life.
We learn to crawl at a snail's pace.
Time seems to freeze.
 Yet, we've been here four years.
I think this will be our final home but who knows.

TWENTY-FIVE is a long time if one looks at time in one lump sum.
Yet, breaking the years into pieces makes our life look like a marvelous adventure.
We most likely have been more blessed than most.
We were unable to have children but we have embraced children wherever we lived.
Our 'children' write us at Christmas and send us graduation announcements and let us know when they are ready to go out and meet the world head-on.

An older couple enjoying a lovely jaunt.

Our life has always been an adventure.
In fact, we had an adventure the other day when we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.
We drove on an old road to a fun restaurant we wanted to try for the first time.
Our car moved too fast to take pictures but we were surprised by one amish jaunting cart after another.
Couples, old and young, with children and grand children all in their colorful summer garb, enjoyed the warm, sunny day as they drove 'coverless' carts made of the finest wood.
Horses moved gracefully up and down hills as cap strings flailed with the breeze.
Our huge engine-driven piece of metal squeaked

We wave at the kids.  They smile.

by just in time for massive trucks to whizz past all of us.
Dangerous is not the word for it.
Yet, horse and buggy, passenger car and semi-trucks all share the same roads.
Twenty-five years of travel and discovery and we seem to have gone backward in time.
We cherish this opportunity to watch the folk who truly live the simple life.
And so, we begin TWENTY-FIVE more years or however many we will remain on this earth.

I am sure we will find time to rock and lounge but not yet.

We may not make it that far but I am willing to begin counting all over again.
Maybe we will learn to linger longer and slow down a bit more.
Yet, we have so many adventures in front of us.
We are ready.
Just the two of us - and whomever chooses to join our journey - for another 25.