Smile

Why does she drop a nasty old toy in her food dish...then try to eat around it? : )

Sign

Sweet surprise at the U.S. Open.

My Fave Thing

Just one thing? Really? (Journal page created while doing Susannah's JYL course.)

Smell

Other than a great cheeseburger, this may be the only thing I find tough to resist since becoming a vegetarian.

Number

Home.

YES

If you're one of those people who doesn't ask because you're afraid the answer will be "No," you'll be wrong 50 percent of the time. Just one of the inspiring messages in this handy little book.

Sunday Morning

A rare treat...

Hear

A Pisces' lullaby...

Sacred

A few favorite talismans from my "altar."

Midday

Microwaved lunch at my desk. Windowless office. The sound of rain pelting the roof. Who needs to see a picture of THAT?

Something Old

My grandmother's milk pitcher. Once utilitarian, being old has rendered it precious, but useless.

Taste

Banana spice muffins-- a new recipe inflicted on friends during Sunday's brunch to celebrate the newlyweds. (Thanks, Susannah, for listing "taste" twice on your prompt list!)

White

Can't stand the smell of these lilies. But stashed in the goodbye bouquet given to me on my last day of work, they prove that white is not the absence of color.

Looking Down

Jim high above magical West Pond. My favorite secluded spot along one of my favorite NJ trails.

Touch

My cat is not the warm and fuzzy type. So capturing a touchy feely moment proved to be quite the photographic challenge!

Floral

Books

So much for the demise of the physical book! This is just what's stashed in my nightstand...the Kindle is for books I'm too impatient to get from the library.

Stillness

Two interpretations...equally enviable.

Home

Setting off on the next leg of my career journey next week...and this will be my new and improved home base. Thank you, Jim, for the big nudge!

Far Away

This prompt made me realize how few shots like this I ever take...

Play

Our new summer obsession...

Red

Flowers were such an obvious choice, so I poked around for something less ubiquitous.

This collection of Jim's coolers caught my eye. A man can never leave the house with too much cold water...

Taste

Tastes yummy? Just a taste? Tasteful? So many options.

I went with basil from the garden, fresh mozz and Jersey tomato. Never is a caprese better than at the height of the summer...eaten al fresco.

A Selfie

Just the word sets my teeth on edge...but in the spirit of the August Break, here I am.

Skyline

Tree farm on the road to Califon, NJ.

Diagonals

Buttresses jutting from the historic Lake Solitude Dam in High Bridge, NJ. Just one of the surprises we found during Sunday's 20-mile bike trek along the Columbia Trail.

Close Up

The best part of getting so close to the cherry tomatoes: that summer-in-New-Jersey smell.

Love

Captured perfectly by photographer Ashley Bartoletti at my son's wedding last Saturday.

Yellow

What a surprise: a burst of sunshine, smack in the center of a cactus bed!

Circles

Had planned to complete today's circle "assignment" by capturing yesterday's raindrops making concentric rings in puddles.

Failing that, here are those same raindrops today: clinging to the underside of my glass patio table as the sun rises.

August Break

I'm taking the plunge and joining Susannah Conway's August Break group project.

The challenge: a daily blog post about something. Anything.

Thankfully she's provided the assist of daily prompts. And encouragement to keep it simple. Ready, set, go:

BREAKFAST
A day without coffee is like a day without...well, I wouldn't know!