My favorite photos of 2011

I’m still learning to use my new camera, but I sure got a lot of practice with all our adventure this year. Here are some of my favorite photos.

 

We learned that bears like to eat dandelions

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My daughter discovered the most fascinating animal at the zoo

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I spent a little time in our back yard capturing ducks and lily pads

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my daughter showed off her fashion sense

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I trespassed in a beaver family’s back yard

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I listed my 10 favorite places to be 

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I got up close with some Poppies – I had no idea they were so hairy

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I tried out the macro lens chasing down raindrops

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My daughter and I explored Turnagain Pass in Alaska

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I went tourist at Pike Place Market

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I got all deep and philosophical about a Foggy Day

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and I can’t finish this post without including another picture of the sweetest little girl in the world

Gem

Green

Green

We saw so much beauty and variety on our trip from Seattle to Alaska, but the predominant color was most definitely green.

green

Yes, I know I should label all the pictures with the specific locations where they were taken. Maybe next time I take a trip, I’ll take better notes to accompany the photos.  Or, even better, I’ll have a camera that records GPS coordinates in the photo’s metadata. I’m all for technology that allows me to be even more lazy.


Dear Gem – Month 27

Last month you spent more than 3000 miles in the back seat of grandma’s overpacked car.  It took us 10 days to drive from Seattle, Washington, to Soldotna, Alaska. But then we took the long way through the Canadian Rockies, and did a little sight seeing as well.


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I was a little worried about how you would handle all that change, and all that time in the car, but you were a little champ. It turns out that you are a great traveler.

You tolerated the tight quarters
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You slept in a different hotel every night
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You picked too many dandelions to count
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You explored a “castle
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And after that, anytime you had a chance to get your hands on a couple rocks, you stacked them together and told me you were “building a castle”
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You saw rock sheep
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and buffalo
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and bears
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oh, my…

And spent a lot of time walking around on trails
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exploring
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and running around
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You played in some of the coolest playgrounds anywhere
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but it didn’t matter how cool the playground was
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you were mostly interested in playing in the sand, and building a sand castle
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And through it all, you kept a smile on your face (well, most of the time) and made the trip fun for me, and grandma, too.
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Since we got back from that trip, just a couple weeks ago, we moved to a new home. Now there’s a big adjustment for you, too. But as usual, you roll with the punches, and find all the fun new things to enjoy about your new home.

Thank you for reminding me to look for the joy in everything.

I’m so lucky that I get to be your mommy.

I love you.

Dandelions

I love dandelions.

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They are such simple, earnest, friendly, happy flowers. I understand that people tend to despise the weed, but they warm my heart.  They’re like children; they may make a mess of the yard, but really they just want to make you smile.

Besides, their greens are yummy.

These bear cubs thought so too. They were making quite a nice meal of Dandelions right alongside the highway. (We were a little east of Whitehorse, YT, here.)

Posh digs for a beaver

This is where the wealthy, well-to-do beavers live.

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On our drive through Canada, we’ve encountered countless beaver dams and lodges, but this area covered acres of stepped dams with lodges back farther away from the road.

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These little lakes created by the beavers were surrounded by babbling brooks, mosses, and wildflowers.

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As it was, I spent quite a while traipsing around their back yard, and invading their privacy

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I would have stayed longer, but mom and the baby were waiting (besides, I was wearing flip-flops and shorts – and walking through an area where all the little trees and bushes were sawed off by the beavers at ankle height)

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