something to crow about...

We had a little rain last week...but for the most part...things are quite dry out here on the west coast. Our fields...and lawns...are all getting thirsty...and so we have the sprinklers going on occasion. The crows have it all figured out...

...sooner or later there will be water coming from this shower head...and they will have fun playing in the sprinkler. I didn't know crows had that much patience...but they have been spending a lot of time waiting...patiently.

As for me...I am off on an adventure today...and will see if I have something to crow about tomorrow. Maybe not!

Have a wonderful day...

Inukshuk...a milestone marker...

The inukshuk is a traditional stone marker...used by the native Inuit of Canada's far north to mark milestones along the journey. The first time I recall seeing inukshuks was on our road trip to Alaska...ten years ago. Big and small...welcoming us with open arms...I rather grew to like them.

With the inukshuk being the symbol of the 2010 winter games...they have been springing up everywhere these last few years. We added one to our landscaping several years ago...and have had fun building them in faraway places...like Death Valley...or Red Rock Canyon while vacationing. It's all about getting those rocks to balance...no glue or screws required.

Since birthdays are somewhat of a milestone...and since we celebrated the birthdays of two of my sisters last week...I decided they should have inukshuks to mark the occasion. And to give their garden art a little more significance...we collected rocks from the riverbed of Elk Creek...where they once had their favorite swimming hole.

Elk Creek flows through the countryside not far from our home...and was one of my favorite biking destinations in my childhood. The spot where we collected the rocks...looks exactly as it did those many years ago.

On my sister's birthday...I packed up a trunkful of rocks and drove to her home where I set about putting them in her garden...

...with the date inscribed on a leg.

The second inukshuk was for my sister Kathy...

...and will be travelling back to Manitoba with her next week...where she will have to figure out how to reassemble it on prairie soil. She has a few months to figure it out...as her actual birthday isn't until September. Since she is turning fifty...we thought we should start the celebrations early...and had a surprise birthday party for her on the weekend while she is out here visiting. What fun!

The inukshuk that welcomes visitors to our place...

...has become a favorite milestone marker for a little bird in the recent past. I see him perched there most often...and he has left markers of his own.

And this morning...we have company coming for breakfast...and the inukshuk is at the road...waiting to welcome them. We met them for the first time on the Mayan Riviera...some four years ago. They have never before been to the west coast...and so we look forward to showing them a west coast welcome.

Have a great Monday...

sunrise...sunset...

From the rising of the sun, to the place where it sets

...the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3 niv

We hadn't planned to be watching the sun from this particular spot...as our picnic had long ended and we were on our way home. But we ran into friends...and stood and chatted...until the last of the sun's rays had dipped from sight. The sunset was amazing...and as we left for home...it was easy to sing praises to the Lord...the Almighty...the King of creation.

Have a blessed Sunday...