Spring and Summer Update Part 2: The Nikon ones

Today I had the thought-"now this is the summer stillness I've been longing for."  By that I just mean I've finally had time to catch up on some things I've been wanting to do for a long time.  Little things like cleaning the pantry and my art room, getting this blog all caught up, and starting homemade kombucha again. Plus as I'm writing this it's still in the upper 70's and yes that is definitely worth mentioning again.  The sunshine is just so very nice.  I'm also starting on planning for my library next year and I am SO excited about the year! It's going to be such a fun year. 

I wanted to mention that I'll be having a small original art sale on IG in a few weeks! (the week of July 5-9) Stay tuned if you're interested! 

So these are my Nikon pics. I won't bore you with a long sob story but basically I'm not able to import into Lightroom and edit my pics there currently.  This is actually good news for me, as it totally speeds up the process.  It means that whatever I shoot in the camera is just how the photo is.  No fancy filters, no fake skies (not that I've ever believed in those anyway), no editing at all. Just straight from the camera to the blog.  Something about the simplicity and honesty of that pleases me. Here's what I've captured this spring and summer......

You know webs forever weave their way into my heart. Especially the ones hidden down in the grass where you really have to be paying attention to notice. 

The fog on a lot of these summer mornings, is simply glorious.  Betsy's holding the red cup because she just fed the pets, as she does every single morning. 

The tomatoes are much taller now!

I know the thistles are a nuisance. And yet still, I am always so drawn to them.  I truly think they're beautiful, thorns and all. 

It has been so much easier to eat more plants when the garden is filled to the brim with kale! 

We don't have a lot of blueberries, but we sure have more than we started with so I'll take it! Blueberry bushes alway make me think of my grandma's house.  She has the best blueberries and always shares with us. :)

The pattern on this moth caught my eye...

Just wandering around, taking in the bounty that summer has to offer. 

Sigh....if only it were summer 3/4 of the year. 

I know those of you who strongly dislike the heat would disagree with that proposal, but I just adore the wildflowers, bugs, hummingbirds, green grass, blue skies, and warm sunshine.

There's a little spot in our yard where coneflowers grow freely.  I always say they look like they're reaching up towards the sky with all their might. Just looking up! This year there were even more coneflowers than normal that popped up! Just delighted me!

I always enjoy sitting by our bulb garden and admiring Brett's handiwork with the rock wall. 

We've had more sleepovers than I could almost count already this summer, including having some of the cousins over for a couple of nights.  The girls made apple and pear turnovers and my nephew kept the watermelon and I company in the kitchen. 

That golden hour gets me every single time.  It'll never, ever get old. 

My whole heart!! 

Captured by Brett. :)

These were captured with my camera's timer. They turned out kind of dark...but still I like them.

Wild blackberries are our fave!

So is driving around in the truck with the windows down.

We went camping for a night.  Betsy and I woke before 6:00 and took advantage of the quiet and went on a glorious bike ride.

See what I mean?

Glorious.

Birthday week and sunburn.

For real, we've celebrated for at least a full week! I'd say this gal had a very happy birthday indeed. 

Did I mention we had kittens? I know, I know, probably too many times already.  I told Brett I went years without knowing how much I loved cats and cat humor and all things kittens.  So now's my time! :) We never had cats growing up and I used to be allergic. I even remember when I first dated Brett he had a cat and I could hardly stand to go to his condo because my eyes, throat, and nose would itch SO BAD I could hardly stand it.  I guess I grew out of the allergy? I can rub these little kittens right on my face and I'm fine! I think living in the country has cured me of a lot of allergies, actually.

I mean. Can you even handle this cuteness?!

On your birthday you get waffles with Nutella and sprinkles!

That one little clover that was a different color caught my eye.

And back to the glorious camping views Betsy and I were rewarded with on our early bike ride! This is the White River. It's beautiful, but surprisingly disappointing when it comes to swimming or wading.  For that, it's the Buffalo River for me. I dream of a cabin at the Buffalo River someday!

Finding the light, always.

I have to be honest, when I uploaded all of these Nikon pics to my phone camera roll, seeing them all together took my breath away.  Brett has a fancy new iPhone for work and I truly enjoy taking pictures with it! I'll always be a phone AND DSLR fan.  But there's something unique about these Nikon pics that my phone just can't quite capture.  

How about you? How are you recording the joy and life that fills your day?