Home at Last!

Hey there, Hi there....Heeelllloooo!!!!
Yes!  We are finally back....and let me just say, I missed you guys!!

We were delayed a few days due to car trouble, but we got back late Friday night travel weary, but safe.  Despite a few hiccups, we had a lovely time!
Here are a few highlights... (if you are not a vacation photo person, click away now...this could take a while ;P)

But, before I get started, I wanted to share my new Blog Button with you...made for me by Sharon at Plumrose Lane!  Isn't it gorgeous!  Please take it, if you wish, (html code is on my sidebar) and consider Sharon for any of your badge, banner or background needs.  She does wonderful work!  :)

Most of you already know that we take this trip every year, meandering our way up the California and Oregon Coasts.

We stay in motels when we are just passing through....or in the larger cities that don't offer camping.  But, whenever possible, we stay in our trusty tent.  We just can't get enough of the fresh air, ancient trees, birdsongs during the day and bright stars at night. 

This campsite, in particular, was my favorite.

I loved falling asleep to the sound of the river below us.

A wonderful thing about camping is that it forces you to slow down a bit.  Everything takes longer ie., cooking, washing dishes, getting ready for bed....so, we don't feel the need to rush leisure activities, either.

Maggie and Daddy made a list of the animals they wanted to see in the campground.

She is coloring a butterfly.  Looks like she couldn't decide how many chipmunks to look for :)

We make it a point to return to the Redwood National Park every year to hike the stream trail in Fern Canyon.

Aqua socks are a must on this trail.

Oh, and it seems I'm looking for love in all the right places :)

Maggie adores water.  She's a little fish.

This was her first Summer without her floaties....and she is turning out to be quite a strong swimmer.

We drove all the way up to Seattle this year.

We saw the Space Needle.  We picnicked at the park watching people get drenched in this awesome water fountain.  It was actually cold and on the verge of raining at the time!

Some raindrops were sitting perfectly on this hydrangea....and I just had to capture them...

We also had fun in a Children's Museum nearby.

Maggie and her Daddy worked hard on their building project.

And made a house big enough for her to play in......

....we had fun with clay.

I made a slug in honor of these amazing ones we discovered in Washington!

Here's a view of Puget Sound on a cool, gray day.

 We visit lots of museums, aquariums and zoos when we vacation. They are filled with things my Science Teacher husband, animal-loving daughter and I can all enjoy.

I saw this sign in one of the Science Museums we visited....and it made me think of you, my beloved Bloggy Buddies...heehee!

While the photos of Maggie frolicking in water usually have Jim nearby, anytime there are animals involved, I'm right there with her....haha!  I just love touch pools and petting zoos :)

That's a baby opossum above.  We also got to pet a bobcat kitten :D

....and a puma kitten!

Maggie wants to be a Veterinarian  (of course, she does adds other things in the mix....Dolphin Trainer, Baker, Spy, Zookeeper....but Vet is consistently at the top of the list :P)

She sure seems happy around animals, that's for sure.

This apricot skunk seemed happy with her, too :)

We got the priviledge of seeing so many incredible creatures! 

 From this beautiful butterfly....

...to this wise elephant....

....an attentive Mother Swallow and her hungry babies.....

...a red panda...

....a tufted puffin....

....and a swan family....

Inspiration was plentiful...

From murals...

...to sculptures....

...to architecture....

Palace of the Arts, San Francisco

Creative sparks were ignited :)

We celebrated the 4th of July in Salem, Oregon...

...and, what's more, I met up with blog friend, Heather Henry, while I was there!! She was so sweet and we shared a lovely chat whilst perusing the racks of a local consignment store and getting a bit of Fro Yo.  You can read about our meet up (and see some of her amazing art) HERE :)

So, despite a bit of car trouble....

Our trip was definately an experience to remember!

Because you don't get rainbows without a little rain :)

...and as long as we have eachother....

Life is Grand!

Thank you so much for missing me as much as I've missed you!  So glad to be back to share our adventure! 

 Now, I need to go catch up....so, if you don't see me right away, please know, I'm making my way to you to give a big hug and find out what you've been up to lately!

Grabbing some coffee and stretching my fingers in preparation...haha!

XO,

Cam

Summer Fun on the Books

Hello everyone!
This post is bittersweet for me.  I love that I can join in one more week over at Butterfly Effect,  the theme is BOOKS....
....but, I'm going to miss you sooooo very much!

You see, we are leaving for our annual camping excursion tomorrow....so, I'm going to be disconnected and unplugged from CyberWorld for a while.  Please don't do anything too exciting while I'm gone!  Then, again, it will be fun to catch up with all of you upon my return.

Plus, I'll get to subject you all to lots (and lots...heehee) of pictures ;-P

We look forward to being together, enjoying the great outdoors and getting away from the heat of the Summer every year.

I love trees, always have...and one of my most favorite things about camping where we do.

I was thinking about them at sunset when I tried coating book pages in black acrylic paint and smooshing (such a technical term, I know...haha) them together to see how the image would transfer to the other side.  The answer....

Not very well...but interesting to try.

Maggie was so intrigued by the whole notion of painting inside books...she wanted to join in.

This is her tree, complete with grass, sky, flowers, the 3 of us....and the words, "I love my family" :)

I also just played around with a quick face and lots of bubble wrap stamping....

Maggie told me her next page represented her room...and how we switched the blue, dark space into a bright and happy place for her. (You can read about that transformation HERE)

She added glitter as the last layer, which is hard to see here, but really does make the whole page sparkle.  I  was smiling to myself thinking how easily she grasps the whole concept of expression.  Proud Mama moment :)

Well, I guess that's it for now....

Need to finish cleaning the house and packing up the pantry items...so, I better go, but I'll most definately be thinking about you!

Sandy toes and Adventure awaits!

See you Mid July!

Yep, you read that right!

Enough hugs to last you,

Cam