Starting July

The Family and the Holiday

Ten days into the month and I have time to sit and write another entry for the blog. Since we bought our home five years ago we've had an annual BBQ for independence Day. In 2019 we had our largest get together with nearly 30 people in attendance. That was the most I'd ever want to host because it becomes a bit overwhelming for me and my anxiety kicks in.

This year was a much smaller event because of concerns about COVID-19. Middle, D-I-L and the Grandnuggets made plans with new friends this year. Middle enjoys a lot of fireworks and while the display he put on in 2019 was a lot of fun, our yard can't support fireworks safely. They met a new couple who also have children and they've all become great friends. With their larger property a few towns over we knew he'd have a great time because he could put on a great fireworks display.

There were 13 of us here on Saturday and the weather was perfect. We swam, played volleyball in the pool, beer pong and cornhole before diving into smoked mesquite chicken, burgers, dogs and delicious sides. Later after more swimming as the sun began to set J got a fire going and everyone enjoyed S'mores around the firepit. It was good to be with folks again and we hope that our state can continue to re-open. We're cautious in our hope because other states like California, Arizona and Florida are struggling with new cases of COVID. This is going to be with us for a long time. But we've made it to the halfway point of 2020 and we continue to pray that the country, the world will get to the other side of this pandemic.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Family-Photos/Summer-2020/i-WL762KS/0/a519caee/1280/IMG_1891-1280.mp4

https://photos.smugmug.com/Family-Photos/Summer-2020/i-2kx36Bq/0/348bb416/1280/IMG_1883-1280.mp4

Along with recovering from the holiday weekend I dove into photo organization this week. The other half of my Dad's 35mm color slides was sitting quietly waiting to be scanned for more than six months. This week felt like a good time to get it done because it's a quiet, relaxing task that also takes me down memory lane. I'm not sure why Dad decided to put the camera down but the timing coincides with my sister and I nearly double digits. That's a whole other train of thought to take a journey on later. It's amazing how introspective and retrospective I've become in my 50s. But it's honestly been a blessing and the knowledge I glean is passed on to my family. Back to the slides...

The first shot is so candid and makes me smile. Candid shots are the bulk of my photography journey. Capturing life's daily moments is something that fuels me. Posed shots have their place but the candid stuff is what you talk about years later. And that's why I love the photo of my younger sister and me sitting on the couch in our family room watching TV together. Obviously we were more interested in what was on the screen than in my Dad taking pictures. I have no memory of this day whatsoever. Then again it was 1967.

This is another one that makes my photographer's heart smile. Dad decided to take portraits of P and I. The backdrop is Mom's red blanket from their bed hanging over the double kitchen window. Three month old P is propped on a pillow as I sit on the kitchen table. It's wonderful. Now begins the long restoration process for each of these memories.

And that's how July got started for us. I've got numerous projects in the works as always and I can get back to posting to my blog on a regular basis. Keeping the blog and writing in my daily journal allow me to document our lives. And that's important to me because everyone always enjoys it when I show old videos or pull out the photo albums. There's a wonderful bond that happens as they look at photos and talk about them. The photos get the memories started so that the smiles and laughter can follow. It's always helped us especially when a beloved member of our family has passed away.

Now I'm off to watch Greyhound on Amazon Prime. I'm due for a post about the books I'm reading and the shows/movies we're watching/buying.

Peace,

B