Day 16: Long Exposure

This may be the shortest long-exposure photo of them all: a full moon over Lake Michigan.

Day 15: silhouette

This is the beach where the sand castle builder goes on weekends to sculpt his mini masterpieces.
He looked so well and Zen and relaxed that it took us three visits to realize he was our old ( previous ) super-anxious, crabby, thin and drawn, workaholic mechanic. If you look closely you can see the spire of the castle in the middle of the picture.

Day 14: Eyes

I's Eyes

Day 13: today's weather

Cloudy with sunny periods, as they say.

Day 12: sunset

Okay, I admit it, this is cheating. I did not see the sun set tonight.
This is from May 2010 when we went away for the weekend to south west Michigan, after I had a big scary bleeding scare at 16 weeks pregnant.
And here we are, miraculously, we an almost two year old girl illuminating our lives:)

Day 11: something blue

Isobel's chair at dusk.

Day 10: Water

Isobel playing with her water glass and spoon, table awash with water, at our local Ethiopian Restaurant. Water was poured on her head, knee, pants and on the floor, chair and table by the time she was finished! That's my water baby!

Day 9: autumn

You all might notice a theme here: end of summer juxtaposed with beginnings of autumn. This beach- comber is reluctant to say good bye to another summer by the beach.

Day 8: morning

A well earned latte from our machine that is saving us hundreds of Starbuck's dollars. Good Morning, milk mustache!

Day 7: food

Not very imaginative I know, but there wasn't much on the menu that was interesting today.
Isobel's kitchen looked very inviting.
I know. It's toddler - centric on this photo challenge.

Day 6: from a low angle

Beachcombers. Remembering stay at home motherhood on a day when my weariness and lingering cold gave me a rare day off work.
Isobel is filling my sandals with sand while I lay on the beach beside her.
Bliss.

Day five: from a high angle

View from the top of the back porch down to the patio. Isobel, water play table, black cat and sun shade.

Day four: something green!

There were many green opportunities today:  Isobel colored herself green all over with markers and called it blue! The bathwater which  I eventually persuaded her to enter turned a lovely shade of teal green and then Susan went to the gym and saw these pearl-like balance balls. The ivy on our building and fence is a beautiful shade of leaf green but that will have to wait for another green kind of day.

Day 3: clouds

Chicago: 5pm - 6pm. The dull before the storm.
And the baby turns 23 months!
Unbelievable!

Day 2: something that makes me happy

My two best gals at the beach. Favorite place again. This is Lighthouse Beach in Evanston, Illinois, home to Northwestern University and beautiful beaches and parks. We haven't been here for about two years. We usually go to other beaches that have shallower slopes into the water. Turns out this year this beach has a gentle slope too. This is the kind of beach where its easy to imagine you might be somewhere a little more remote. There are rocks and trees and little inlets at the north of end of the beach. First we met up for an end of summer picnic with some of the baby mamas in our group at a park right by the beach. We had yummy food, wine and snatches of interrupted conversation. Then Susan, Isobel, Aunty Ann ( supplier of books and princess skirts) and I tramped down to the beach and hung out for a couple of hours. The water was a little chilly and so was the air. But I swam anyway. In a borrowed t-shirt and sarong and my undies. I know, I make my life sound idyllic. The family time is the best thing ever. I wish I was off work tomorrow. Alas, no. See you all on day three.

30 day photo challenge

Hi folks, this is blogging from the I phone on my couch. An offering of love and Insert Metaphor are at it again! Photo blogging challenge. I'm still in on day one. This is me chilling on the couch after a late afternoon at the beach with my best girls. Swimming was done by all. ( or zumming) as Isobel calls it. It was chilly but so relaxing. Now she is watching Telly Tubbies in Croatian on u tube while sitting on mama S's lap. Bedtime soon!