Beauty in Expected and Unexpected Places

This morning is just lovely and I had to steal the moment and take Hazel for a walk around the neighborhood. I was even organized enough to grab my camera on the dash out the door in order to snap a few photos that inspired me along the route.

This first one makes me laugh since I took it right outside a small grade school. I had kids watching me out the window asking "what is she doing?" I'm taking a picture of something cool, funky, and beautiful (to me).

Since I'm a big fan of lime green/yellow green/olive green (you get the idea) I happen to just love the light bright green blooms on trees in Spring. This big leaf maple just really caught my eye!

The wonderful thing about living in our neighborhood are all the bits of "country" I see around me, while being only about 5 miles from downtown Portland. We live in an older neighborhood and my fondness for old peeling paint on buildings got me with this one.

These clear Spring mornings just remind me that everything is a circle. Everything is new, renews, grows, branches out - every year without any help or prodding from us. There is really such solace in that thought for me when I get frustrated with the world and how it isn't doing what I want it to!


Finally, a secret little garden spot a few blocks from our house - one of my favorite spaces around! It's next to a big old white farmhouse, and I just love to walk by this space on hot summer days and imagine laying in the shady grass of that tree enjoying a good book and some lemonade.

Take a little break from your day and see what beauty you can find that inspires you!