tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89556162011-12-14T20:10:31.724-07:00Mindful musings and images from travels around the world and around the blockThree Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.comBlogger411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-8821454952570604222010-05-17T05:49:00.003-06:002010-05-17T06:19:34.036-06:00

The price for waking early will come later in the day, late afternoon or so, when I'll be struggling to function, but for now it's worth the cost to have this time in the not-quite-dark but not-quite-light time. Windows and french doors wide open to the chill night air of the desert. Unseen birds chirping brightly. The faint hint of traffic sounds in the distance. Quiet inside to be cherished and

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-81475549555197373352010-05-16T06:54:00.002-06:002010-05-16T07:22:51.640-06:00

Early Sunday morning. Early morning cool air infused with oleander blossoms. Freshly brewed cup of coffee. Classical piano on stereo. What's wrong with this picture? That I'm writing this and not immersed in final touches on a sermon, not filled with the anxious anticipation and intensity of preparing to lead and teach. Today, all I have to do is prepare myself to worship, dragging along another

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-62159559840752134322009-01-11T08:59:00.005-07:002009-01-11T09:41:31.869-07:00

Most of my candidates for immediate phrased in retirement derive from scream-inducing overuse or misuse in advertising. One that is currently grating on my ears and nerves is from the trailer for the movie "Grand Torino" describing Clint Eastwood's starring performance as "prime vintage." OK, I get they want to say that this role is in the style of early Eastwood yet not merely a stroll down

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-50931204531250154742009-01-03T23:07:00.002-07:002009-01-03T23:33:23.837-07:00

The sky is a dominant feature of the landscape in the southwest. So few days are cloudy that the absence of usually brilliant sunshine clouds my mood before I have consciously acknowledged the weather conditions. My daily activities move from room to room as I follow the light around the house. Living on the west side of the mountains, I'm rarely aware of sunrises, but every dusk is another

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-56549505552739682832009-01-02T11:54:00.002-07:002009-01-02T12:06:11.215-07:00

Broken. Empty. Abandoned.Building. Institution. Community.Past. Present. Future.Symptom. Symbol.Broken Body?Empty Tomb?Dead Church.

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-30349624247711123882009-01-01T20:08:00.002-07:002009-01-01T20:58:45.690-07:00

Of all the traditions observed at the end of the year, the one I'm finding most annoying this year is the listing of those who "left us" - as if a decision was made to deliberately travel solo to a distant destination - or whom "we lost" - as if the lives of the famous and accomplished are possessions. The recounting of "passings" and in memoriams did not seem any longer than other years or any

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-70459099932671436402008-10-27T08:38:00.003-06:002008-10-27T10:01:39.276-06:00

I voted yesterday. Yes, a Sunday afternoon in October, not the first Tuesday of November. What a change from my first vote in a Presidential election. (Way) Back then, I was a wife, mother of a toddler, and living in rural NW PA. To vote, we went to the township hall? fire station? (the distance of years has fuzzied the memory) Into a huge metal box, pull the lever to pull the curtain behind me,

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-25624763327588598992008-07-13T09:46:00.002-06:002008-07-13T11:10:05.999-06:00

For more than 25 years, a diffenbachia plant has been part of my household. Not just some anonymous purchase from a garden center, this huge splash of variegated green in my dining room began as a start cut from one my in-laws had tended for years. As is the tendency of these tall-growing specimens with placemat-sized leaves, lower leaves die and fall off, leaving lengthy leave-less stems. So,

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-65932682244916268732008-04-20T11:34:00.003-06:002008-04-20T12:22:41.626-06:00

In the Bible, 40 is a significant number, a way of saying "a very long time." From the 40 days in the ark, to 40 years wandering the wilderness on the way to the promised land, or the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert after his baptism, and thus the church's observance of 40 days of Lent, 40 is also understood as a time of testing and discerning in the midst of uncertainty. Just how long is this

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-30330136885005068582008-02-23T18:46:00.001-07:002008-02-23T18:49:02.651-07:00

Here's sampling of photos from hanging out with Z in Seattle for 3 weeks.

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-79184759447901595002008-01-31T07:34:00.000-07:002008-01-31T08:01:40.798-07:00

Who would have thought that a night out to a college basketball game would add up to so many firsts? A couple and another woman who are regulars at UTEP games, invited me to join them last night. We went early to have dinner near the arena - which insures a good parking space. At Ardovino's we shared a Four Seasons gourmet pizza: 1/4 green chili & ricotto, 1/4 sun dried tomato and pesto, 1/4

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-84389593171112569562007-11-28T16:43:00.000-07:002007-11-28T17:15:02.994-07:00

Now that Thanksgiving weekend is in the past tense, I find that more and more I dislike driving at night. Every time I venture out in a residential neighborhood after dark, I begin muttering and mumbling. What are they thinking? What in the world motivates people to engage in such excesses of gaudy, tiers of tacky, and unrestrained ugly? Whoever came up with the idea of inflating plastic replicas

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-65923124535903890832007-10-15T06:55:00.000-06:002007-10-15T07:25:00.120-06:00

Acclimating to changes in climate is a major concern following a move to a different region of the country. Now that we've gotten past the worst of the summer heat, I'm enjoying what seems to be a second chance at spring. Yes, it's still quite warm with temps getting to high 80's or 90, but the lows are getting lower, down into the low 60's. Plus it takes longer during the day to get to that high

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-45306204672364956152007-09-27T09:09:00.000-06:002007-09-27T09:30:39.069-06:00

Talking to my brother last week, he mentioned they'd already had frost in Minnesota. I mentioned that I'd just been to garden centers buying snapdragons to plant outside. Fall gardening in the southwest means replacing the plants done in by heat and dry but still with plenty of blooming season left. So more lantana in hanging baskets, hibiscus in pots for inside and out, rosemary as a shrub, and

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-18302322096567419652007-08-29T14:12:00.000-06:002007-08-29T15:57:12.970-06:00

A crescent of white accented the red globe of the lunar eclipse against the night sky over El Paso as I left my house for the airport v e r y early Tuesday morning. By late morning, my flight was approaching Seattle on a route which offered spectacular and lingering views of Mt Ranier. Ahhh, Seattle, the Emerald City, trees that are tall and loaded with leafy green, an ocean of water, and cool,

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-62675458116493445492007-07-31T20:33:00.000-06:002007-07-31T21:14:07.379-06:00

The digital camera I've been using for the last three years has been great for most of the photos I take. Close ups and distant shots are beyond its capabilities, but its small size and ease of use has more than outweighed its limits. The camera goes almost everywhere I go. Especially during my sabbatical sojourn in Seattle, I grew accustomed to always having the camera in one pocket and cell

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-8201489243628416312007-07-01T18:53:00.000-06:002007-07-01T19:24:47.256-06:00

One of the posters from the World War II era which is popular again features a Rosie the Riverter type woman in her work clothes, flexing her muscular arm. The caption is "We can do it!" As a person who is not naturally gifted in things mechanical or muscular, nor one who really wants to even think about how things work - as long as they do when I turn a key or flip a switch, I've usually

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-40247757688191847992007-06-24T17:49:00.000-06:002007-06-24T18:16:21.918-06:00

Brian Williams and NBC news broadcast from El Paso-Juarez last Wednesday night. Blogging about the trip, Williams referenced working in the the 100 degree sun and expressed his growing exasperation every time someone told him: But it's dry heat. I'm with him. It may be dry heat - but it's still HEAT!Yes, I've been more miserable in the heat and humidity of the midwest. I still say it's hot here.

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-69826323992736950962007-06-23T20:03:00.000-06:002007-06-23T20:40:45.339-06:00

In the mail this week came a little booklet called "How to apply to be a Texan." I've rented a house, obtained gas, electric, water, cable and phone service, opened a bank account, and started a new job but until I complete all the steps required by the Texas Department of Safety, I'm not officially a Texan. The first step is insurance coverage, which in a nice bit of timing, was due for renewal

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-14880145719146581002007-06-17T15:04:00.000-06:002007-06-23T20:59:00.106-06:00

Last March, I was struggling to decide whether to renew the lease on my apartment in Wisconsin for another six months or to give the required 60-day notice vacate at the end of the May. On the 30th, the call came that I was the choice of a church search committee to serve as interim pastor. Two weeks later, I was in El Paso for interviews, signed the lease on a house I found through the web, and

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-11438747331255485722007-03-28T08:03:00.000-06:002007-06-18T15:22:46.716-06:00

Calendars are a quick and easy way to add visual interest around the house or office. When I travel, calendars for the next year are often what I choose to bring home for a souvenir of the country or state visited. My family have been calendar givers at Christmas, from the bank calendar we gave to my grandmother every year, to the Far Side editions that I've given to my kids. Once the year is

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-26917608474585727732007-03-26T11:08:00.000-06:002007-03-26T11:48:05.249-06:00

April is looming on the calendar at the end of this week, a sunrise of light cast on the receding winter.Unfamiliar warmth greets the early morning - 59 when I woke at 7 am with the day zipping along toward a repeat of yesterday's 70. The sliding door to the balconey is wide open, along with all the windows. The woods across the way are roaring with the sound of the tree peeps. The sun is gaining

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-74808716072318022772007-03-15T16:23:00.000-06:002007-03-18T11:10:25.060-06:00

The blue tarps are gone. One of the first things I do in the morning is pull back the blinds at the sliding doors in my living room. I love light. I need light, lots of it. I picked this particular second floor apartment because of its view to the west of sky and trees and geese flying pond to pond. Of course, I also have a view of the building across the parking lot, identical to the one in

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-33369131058761527962007-02-25T16:32:00.000-07:002007-03-17T20:52:07.863-06:00

My intention in taking this photo was to capture the long line of flags of the nations, capturing a variety of colors and designs. Walking up and down this section of the terminal, I snapped the view from several different angles. What wasn't obvious through the viewfinder was how set apart from the flags of other nations was that of the USA. Isn't that an apt commentary on the current state of

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-70503609278279364632007-02-25T16:07:00.000-07:002007-03-17T20:53:05.236-06:00

So how often do we ever look at the world from the bottom up?Walking through O'Hare airport is always a visual adventure, mostly because of the diversity and number of people sharing the same spaces. Last week I landed late one afternoon, emerging from an American Airline flight to a relatively empty terminal. If passengers lift their eyes to look above the arrival/departure screens and signs for

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1164158383502916372006-11-21T16:51:00.000-07:002007-03-17T20:54:15.763-06:00

I've lost my calendar. Not the datebook I carry with me, not the appointment calendar on my desk, not the scenic wall calendar, or the page-a-day calendar on my dresser nor the one on my Google page or my doc mac site, but the one I've carried in my head for the last two decades. I've lost my mental liturgical calendar, that internal sense of seasons and Sundays that created the rhythm of my

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1162941097588809252006-11-07T16:10:00.000-07:002007-03-17T20:56:22.877-06:00

Very late on a Sunday night is not exactly an ideal time to channel surf through basic cable but at least I could postpone trying to sleep. I confess that I’ve been feeling more and more anxious about the elections as I’ve been feeling more and more anxious about the state of our nation and despairing for our future. Would the headlines on Wednesday morning bring the shock and gloom of loss - two

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1162483513733941452006-11-02T08:22:00.000-07:002007-03-17T20:57:51.734-06:00

Last Friday night, Adam Wainright threw a pitch caught by Yadier Molina. That pitch was the third strike of the third out of the ninth inning of the fourth World Series Game won by the St. Louis Cardinals The fans in Busch Stadium, the players on the field, and me alone in my living room erupted in championship cheering. But as much as I was happy that the Redbirds won the World Series - after

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1162058008599464042006-10-28T11:34:00.000-06:002006-10-28T11:53:28.610-06:00

On the way home from the grocery last night, I saw an unexpected sight: a tall evergreen that was covered with colored lights. Yes, a Christmas tree on display in someone's front yard. Not just before Thanksgiving, but October 27!!! OK, granted this is WIsconsin and we've already seen snow flurries and felt winter's icy breath blowing down our necks, so I understand the practicality of getting

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1156637064311328472006-08-26T16:15:00.000-06:002007-03-17T20:50:58.627-06:00

During the broadcast of last week's PGA tournament, I noticed a series of ads for a financial services firm that featured children learning to play golf. The only people in each ad were a young girl or boy with a set of golf clubs and a "grandfatherly" type gentleman watching nearby. One that was particularly memorable had a girl looking forlornly at her ball which had missed the fairway and

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1156023559637722062006-08-19T14:15:00.000-06:002007-03-17T20:49:00.115-06:00

My tolerance level for shopping tends to max out in 2 hours or 3 stores, whichever comes first. This sounds very much like a rule so I have to admit to exceptions: run-away days devoted to exploring boutiques, galleries, and antique shops; garden centers in the spring; and, any time of the year, bookstores. Office supply stores are another place where I usually lose track of time and almost

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1155439963504197852006-08-12T21:11:00.000-06:002006-08-13T21:51:36.793-06:00

I did it again. I steered my cart of groceries into the check out lane and realized that I had left my good intentions in the car. Weeks ago I decided that I was bringing home way too many plastic bags. When I'm given a choice, I request paper bags, but even those were piling up. To reduce the amount of both kinds of bags and take at least a small "green" step, I would begin using cloth tote

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1152317695415764862006-07-07T16:21:00.000-06:002006-07-18T10:44:58.180-06:00

By its very nature, moving is un-settling. Since my last post, I've packed up from my temporary sabbatical retreat after 3 mo in Seattle, driven across country back to Wisconsin via a visit with friends in Idaho where I lived for 13 yr, packed and moved out of a 4 br house with full basement into a 2 br apt, distributing my accumulated possessions among the apt, storage unit, family, friends

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1146066270189244772006-04-26T09:44:00.000-06:002006-04-26T09:44:30.243-06:00

Ballard - Swansons pots - 10 Originally uploaded by Three Seas. Shopping for plants, seeds and garden tools can turn into a browse through an art gallery, or a photo shoot for me. While my daughter and mother were selecting plants last weekend, I found myself gazing at a wonderful array of colors, shapes, and patterns. Along with shots of individual flowers, I tried composing images among

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1145731089835571122006-04-22T12:38:00.000-06:002006-04-22T12:38:09.903-06:00

Tulip Festival: Mom. Wendy, Zeb - 3 Originally uploaded by Three Seas. Four generations visited the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on a gorgeous afternoon. Yes, four. 3 in front of the lens + 1 behind = 4.The intensity of hundreds of acres of color vividly shimmering across the horizon just had to be experienced in person. Photos just can't do justice to the beauty of either single or

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1145676040764521702006-04-21T21:20:00.000-06:002006-04-21T21:20:40.966-06:00

Cottage Week 9 - 9 Originally uploaded by Three Seas. The gate opens into an oasis of peace and beauty, a cottage retreat surrounded by landscaping which seems to change day by day. This has been my home since February 7. I have 10 more days to refill my spirit at this oasis.

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1143655214093930052006-03-29T10:02:00.000-07:002006-03-29T11:05:58.896-07:00

Here I am on sabbatical, immersed in indecision - otherwise known as discerning what's next and where in my life - when what to my wondering eyes should appear but blasts from the past. One of my sabbatical goals is to concentrate on photography. I have taken hundreds of images with my digital camera since I arrived at this "cottage oasis in the city" - most just in the fascinating gardens and

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1142895961824365352006-03-20T16:02:00.000-07:002006-03-21T09:52:00.336-07:00

So I've had this blog for over a year, but didn't get beyond set up to actually posting. Helps now to have time for learning and experimenting with new software and technology, practicing the skills enough to remember how to do things, and having access to a personal tutor - in this case my daughter.Once again our lives are following parallel paths. We even shared a graduation day with

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1107800234750132772005-02-07T11:11:00.000-07:002005-02-07T11:17:14.750-07:00

http://flickr.com/photos/35442486@N00/4416844/

Three Seashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09805792975150522989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1107799439711926622005-02-07T11:00:00.000-07:002005-02-07T11:03:59.710-07:00

Here's a photo of mom from flickr - hey mom, i think this is a cool photo

sp1ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03664544144196922298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955616.post-1107797223160232962005-02-07T10:27:00.000-07:002005-02-07T10:27:03.160-07:00

sun shining through the pantheon oculus

sp1ralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03664544144196922298noreply@blogger.com0