Image of the Day

Underwater rooms are places that sometimes only exist in our wildest of fantasies, but more and more in this day and age these rooms (and entire hotels) are becoming a reality made possible by architects and designers globally. Read more at: https://inthralld.com/?s=underwater+spaces

Photo courtesy of: https://inthralld.com/?s=underwater+spaces

Inspiring installations from Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama using infinity mirror walls. You can see more of her amazing work at: https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/past/2011/yayoi_kusama_look_now,_see_forever

8/26/2013 Image of the Day:

Photography by UK based photographer Suzi Marshall. I love this image as it reminds me of sitting in a beach house, looking out at the ocean and writing down your thoughts, ideas and dreams… You can see more of her work at: https://xaxor.com/photography/photography-by-suzi-marshall.html

Image of the Day 8/27/2013

Cancun Underwater Museum (MUSA), Mexico

Opened to the public in November 2009, the Cancun Underwater Museum features more than 400 life-size sculptures sitting on the sea floor in 28 feet of water. It’s a museum without walls, and each work of art is made from pH neutral clay that encourages the growth of corals and attracts sea life so the sculptures will grow and change over time. Read more at: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/gonzo/7-marvels-of-underwater-engineering-7#slide-7

Image of the Day 8/28/2013

Stone Footprints by Iain Blake

Stone Footprints” created by photographer Iain Blake. Ian found a lot of smooth stones and pebbles and placed them in fun footprint patterns: five tiny stone “toes” surround a larger stone. Amateur photographer working in the emergency service sector in Renfrew, Scotland, the Stone Footprints photo series is quite simple yet creative concept. Alongside with creative idea the photos themselves are amazing in their crispness and composition.

https://www.beautifullife.info/art-works/stone-footprints-by-iain-blake/

8/29/2013

Love UK based photographer Suzi Marshall’s work! This image of a web that you know took many hours to weave is quite beautiful! You can see more of her work at: You can see more of her work at: https://www.thedphoto.com/inspiration-fix/beautiful-photography-by-suzi-marshall/

8/30/2013

Are you brave enough to go on this? Love this photograph by Karolus Linus! Love the whimsy and makes you feel like a kid again looking up at this awesome ride! Photo courtesy of Flickr

8/31/2013

I have always been amazed at what ballerina’s can do and the beauty in ballet. Here is Svetlana Zakharova as Giselle. She is a recipient of the Golden Mask Award (best female role in ballet) in 1999 for her performance in Balanchine’s Serenade and in 2000 for her interpretation of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. She also received nominations in 1998 for Giselle and in 2002 for Now and Then. You can read more on her website: https://www.svetlana-zakharova.com/Biography.html

Svetlana took part in all the major tours of the Mariinsky Ballet and from 1999 on she was invited as a guest star by the main ballet companies of the world, including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, La Scala in Milan, English National Ballet, and New National Theatre Ballet in Tokyo. Here she is with Roberto Bolle production of Swan Lake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6xhKxDGWqo

9/1/2013

Artist Pete Fecteau made this amazing mosaic piece out of Rubik’s cubes! The mosaic is made of 4,242 officially licensed Rubik’s Cubes. It measures 19′ x 8’6″ x 2.25″ (5.8m x 2.6m x 5.7cm ). It weighs roughly 1000 pounds (454kg).

As my husband said when I showed him the image – “It’s amazing what people can do when they set their mind to something.” To read more about Pete Fecteau and his work go to: https://petefecteau.com/2011/04/15/dream-big/#more-13

9/3/2013 YARN BOMBING:
Considered to be the mother of yarn bombing, Magda Sayeg work has evolved to include the knitted/crocheted covered bus in Mexico City, as well as her first solo exhibit in Rome at La Museo des Esposizione in the summer of 2010 . You can read more about Magda and her work at: https://www.magdasayeg.com/about.html

9/3/2013 WEEDY SEA DRAGON
The camouflage that weedy sea dragons use to hide in the temperate marine vegetation they derive their name from is so successful that once they reach adulthood they have no natural predators. Unfortunately they are still at risk due to habitat destruction. The males of the species carry the bright pink, fertilized eggs underneath their tails for about two months before the fully formed young hatch and are left to fend for themselves. (courtesy of National Geographic.com at: https://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/male-weedy-seadragon/).

9/4/2014

Montana Magica Lodge:

Located in Región de Los Ríos, Chile in the Patogonia forest. It is a lodge built with quality material by craftsmen of surrounding communities and Puerto Fuy Neltume, small wood-based mountain villages. Isn’t it magical?! To read more and see more photographs of this magical place go to: https://www.huilohuilo.com/en/accommodation/magic-mountain-lodge

9/6/2013

Cinque Terre, Italy:
The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia.

Wouldn’t you love to fly over there for the weekend and stay for a few days (or weeks?). A girl can dream… Looking to take a trip there? Head over to this website for more information: https://www.cinqueterreonline.com/

9/9/2013

Baby Zebra. Love how the black and white photograph really showcases his stripes. Wild zebras live in Africa and they have excellent eyesight and hearing. They need it to keep tabs on predators! To read more about fun facts about zebras go to: www.sciencekids.com

9/14/2013

Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains within Pike National Forest, 10 mi (16 km) west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America. Photo courtesy of: https://coloradospringsbrand.groupsite.com/galleries/photo/201984

9/18/2013

Colorado

My dad took this picture outside their home in Colorado. It was reported this past week to have “Biblical Rainfall Amounts” and on 9/13 over 8 inches of rain fell across a hundred-mile expanse of Colorado’s Front Range, causing thousands to be evacuated as local streams turned into rampaging torrents. Today was one of the first dry days in over a week and this picture was taken at sunrise.

9/20/2013

How many colors are in a rainbow? According to: https://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2012/08/14/how-many-colors-are-really-in-a-rainbow/ “Going off of unique frequencies, there are more colors in a rainbow than there are stars in the Universe or atoms in your body, but that goes far beyond what we can perceive. Your imperfect eye can (probably) only discern about a million distinct colors when you view a rainbow, or anything else, for that matter.”

9/26/2013

“Starry Night Over the Rhone” by Vincent Van Gogh.

In September 1888, before his December breakdown that resulted in his hospitalization in Arles, he painted Starry Night Over the Rhone. Working by night under a gas lamp, Van Gogh painted this work directly from nature. Van Gogh wrote about this painting:

“… it does me good to do what’s difficult. That doesn’t stop me having a tremendous need for, shall I say the word – for religion – so I go outside at night to paint the stars.'”

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9/30/2013

One of the entries for the National Geographic’s Wildlife Photo 2013 Contest. Love the look on this guys face! It is just begging for a great caption! To see more entries and photo courtesy of: https://seriouslyforreal.com/amazing-world/the-35-most-spectacular-wildlife-photos-from-the-national-geographic-photo-

contest/

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10/3/2013

Love this image of the trees leaves changing color for Autumn. We are just starting to see some leaves change here in Southern California and are planning on making some crafts using these gorgeous leaves. Find your favorite tree and hang out awhile with the kids and enjoy the seasonal changes! Image found on Indulgy.com.

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10/12/2013

Iceberg Lake, Montana. We visited Montana about 6 years ago and I can still remember how absolutely gorgeous it was. The rivers and mountains were quite breathtaking and I dream of going back there again soon! To read more about this beautiful state go here:

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10/16/2013

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China. Located in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, Guilin is considered to be the pearl of China’s thriving tourist industry on account of the natural beauty and historic treasures. This is a gorgeous photo of the Reed Flute Cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations created by carbonate deposition. I would love to visit China someday! To read more about this area go to Guilin Travel China. and to read more about this popular tourist attraction in China go here.

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10/19/2013

Sequoia National Park is a national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California, in the United States. It was established on September 25, 1890. The park spans 404,063 acres (631.35 sq mi; 1,635.18 km²).^[1] Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the park contains among its natural resources the highest point in the contiguous 48 United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level (Source: Wikipedia.com). Many of these sequoia tree’s are over 4,000 years old and were protected against logging when The National Park Service incorporated the Giant Forest into Sequoia National Park in 1890, the year of its founding, promptly ceasing all logging operations in the Giant Forest. To read more about this amazing national park go to Visit Sequoia.com.

10/21/2013

Chand Baori Step Well in Rajasthan, India

Chand Baori is one of the oldest and attractive landmarks for Rajasthan. It was built by King Chanda of the Nikumbha Dynasty between 800 and 900 AD and was dedicated to Hashat Mata, Goddess of Joy and Happiness upon completion.^{(Source: Wikipedia.com)}

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10/27/2013

Middleton Gardens, South Carolina

The Gardens, which Henry Middleton envisioned and began to create in 1741, reflect the grand classic style that remained in vogue in Europe and England into the early part of the 18th century. The principles of André Le Nôtre, the master of classical garden design who laid out the gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Palace of Versailles were followed. Rational order, geometry and balance; vistas, focal points and surprises were all part of the garden design. Source: https://www.middletonplace.org/gardens.html

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11/4/2013

Lollipops:

More than about any other candy, lollipops remind one of childhood! According to Wikipedia: The first confectioneries that closely resemble what we call lollipops date to the Middle Ages, when the nobility would often eat boiled sugar with the aid of sticks or handles.The invention of the modern lollipop is still something of a mystery but a number of American companies in the early 20th century have laid claim to it. According to the book Food For Thought: Extraordinary Little Chronicles of the World, they were invented by George Smith of New Haven, Connecticut, who started making large boiled sweets mounted on sticks in 1908. He named them after a racehorse of the time, Lolly Pop. (Source: Wikipedia.com).

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11/10/2013

I see this photograph by Tony Ludovico reminds me of what a beautiful planet we live on! The birds in the photograph are called frigatebirds and are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term “frigate pelican” is also a name applied to them. They have long wings, tails, and bills and the males have a red gular pouch that is inflated during the breeding season to attract a mate. Source: Wikipedia. Photo courtesy of Pelagic Gear and Tony Lucovico.

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11/13/2013

Found this photography on Evoke Creativity. As a parent, I try to encourage all aspects of creativity in my daughter and let her explore to her hearts content!

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11/18/2013

Love this gorgeous image of the dandelion! But check out what the University of Maryland Medical Center has to say about the dandelion:While many people think of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a pesky weed, it’s chock full of vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves are used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make wines.In the past, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also boiled dandelion in water and took it to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and upset stomach. In traditional Chinese medicine, dandelion has been used to treat stomach problems, appendicitis, and breast problems, such as inflammation or lack of milk flow. In Europe, it was used in remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.

Image found on Pinterest.

12/7/2013

The Landmannalaugar area is a popular tourist destination and hiking hub in Iceland’s highlands. The area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multicolored rhyolite mountains and expansive lava fields, not far from the service center. The many mountains in the surrounding area display a wide spectrum of colors including pink, brown, green, yellow, blue, purple, black, and white. (Source: Wikipedia). This image was taken by photographer Howard Ignatius and says these plants are called cotton grass. Image courtesy of Flickr.Have you ever visited Iceland?

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12/24/2013

Love this image I found on Pinterest! The wonder of Christmastime and Santa is a magical time for kids and kids-at-heart!

1/1/2014

Dr. Seuss float from the 125th Tournament of Roses today held in Pasadena, CA. Originally started on January 1, 1890, the Rose Parade is watched in person by hundreds of thousands of spectators on the parade route, and is broadcast on multiple television networks in the United States. It is seen by millions more on television worldwide in more than 200 international territories and countries. The Rose Bowl college football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade.

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1/5/2014

A New Year! What are some things you would like to see happen this year? Get more organized? Spend more time having fun and less time worrying about all that needs to get done? Those are just some of the things I would like to see happen in 2014. What about you? Image courtesy of Pinterest. by the lovely Justina Blakeney.com.

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3/7/2014

Build a Fairy House: Looking for a fun activity to do this weekend? How about making a fairy house and path? We made one and planted some wild flowers around the base of the tree. More fun ideas here: https://www.pinterest.com/melnorthway/for-the-kids/

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5/11/2014

Happy Mother’s Day! Gerber Daisies are one of my favorite flowers. I love the simplicity of them and the clean stems. What is your favorite flower?

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Image courtesy of Feedly.

5/17/2014

A Seahorse Looking At His Reflection:

There is something quite magical and mystical about seahorses. According to Wikipedia: Seahorse is the title given to 54 species of marine fishes in the genus Hippocampus. “Hippocampus” comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning “horse” and kampos meaning “sea monster”. 1000 for most species, but may be as low as 5 for the smaller species, or as high as 2,500. When the fry are ready to be born, the male expels them with muscular contractions. He typically gives birth at night and is ready for the next batch of eggs by morning when his mate returns. Like almost all other fish species, seahorses do not nurture their young after birth. Infants are susceptible to predators or ocean currents which wash them away from feeding grounds or into temperatures too extreme for their delicate bodies. Less than 0.5% of infants survive to adulthood, explaining why litters are so large. (Wikipedia.com).

Have you seen a live seahorse up close?

6/8/2014

Little Pip makes the cover of Today’s Parent!

Wanted to share this wonderful news! Little Pip is knocking down doors and taking names She and her brother are on the cover of Today’s Parent this month! Little Pip is the first child with Down Syndrome to grace their cover in over 20 years. She represents what makes each child special! #differentisbeautiful

You can read more about Pip here: https://dandelionmoms.com/2014/01/reflections-shine-on-pip-shine-on/and from Today’s Parent here: https://www.todaysparent.com/blogs/on-our-minds/down-syndrome-why-we-put-this-little-girl-on-our-cover/

7/23/2014

Stainless Steel Wire Fairies by Robin Wight.

A friend sent me an image of Robin Wight’s work where each stainless steel wire fairy is holding a dandelion. His work is absolutely amazing and it is funny because my daughter and I are always saying a new fairy is being born when we see a dandelion seed fly by. There is something quite mystical about his work! Here is what Christopher Jobson says in his feature about him: “UK sculptor Robin Wight creates dramatic scenes of wind-blown fairies clutching dandelions, clinging to trees, and seemingly suspended in midair, all with densely wrapped forms of stainless steel wire. The artist currently has several pieces on view at the Trentham Gardens and sells a number of DIY wire sculpting kits from his website where he also discusses in great detail how each piece is built.” See more over on Facebook. (via Reddit). (Source: This Colossal, post from Dramatic Stainless Steel Wire Fairies by Robin Wightby Christopher Jobson on July 16, 2014).

If you live in southern California you have probably experienced the infamous Balboa Bar on Balboa Island! This is such a fun treat to eat and you can have your choice between a frozen chocolate banana or a Balboa Bar. This reminds me of childhood and summers. What food reminds you of your childhood?