water, water everywhere

I've always loved the organic nature of water -- I've even dedicated an entire project to it on my blog.  So last week, when the temperatures in Houston were hovering near the 100s and I decided to take my daughter and her friend to play in the fountains of Discovery Green in downtown Houston,  I relished the opportunity to shoot some more water shots.

So on these hazy, lazy days of summer, share with us your own water shots, whether they be of a glass filled with icecubes, or a serene beach shot.

The Calm Out Back

a full menu
inflatable starfish
and a palm tree made of glass
anchored in the bay
lights dim
to that familiar tune
drenched in the remains
of an evening sun
and buoyant conversations
she seeks
the calm out back

* * *

I've been infatuated with words lately. The whimsy and weight of them. I captured this image at the beach last summer and found that the words followed a few days later. Do you find that images linger in your mind and take shape in new ways? Do you let the words come to you just as the images do?

The Sidewalk Says it All

I don't know what it is, but there's something about a handful of words folded into a photo that takes the message to a new level.  Have you noticed this, too? 

This week my kids and I chalked little phrases of encouragement and fun all along the sidewalk leading from our house to the nearby elementary school for the first day of school.  We were delighted to be on a super secret mission to ease first day jitters and everyone enjoyed their role in bringing some joy to our neighborhood friends.  Taking the pictures of our adventure only added to my fun.  It made me want to share the happiness with you--the whole experience of writing the messages & then seeing the delight that followed was so incredibly gratifying.

Do you have a message that needs writing on a sidewalk sometime soon?  A few words of encouragement for a kid just waiting to be gathered from the pavement to your lens?   Let's take this week to make some magic--not only with our words, but with the images we create from simple but kind experiences--like leaving a hope note on a sidewalk for the first day of school.