Blessings 7-6-09

1. Two working women out for lunch at a brick-walled bistro: Melinda and me.

2. Praying at the beach jetty one evening last week; seeing (suddenly! instantly!) a fragment of rainbow in the sky. Hi, Mom.

3. Discovering Curtis Salgado when his blues song "Twenty Years of B.B. King" drifts over from a neighbor's July 4 cookout.

4. This quote from Michael Jackson's memoir, Dangerous:

Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On many an occasion, when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists. I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known. I keep on dancing and then, it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and the creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing...until there is only...the dance.

5. A long holiday weekend featuring:
• Granddaughter Caroline's first fireworks, watched in her jammies from our upper deck
• An all-American supper here with good friends from Providence, featuring hamburgers, Saugy's hot dogs, my potato salad, and Melinda's flag cake (decorated with blueberries and strawberries on a field of whipped cream).
• The first weekend of glorious weather we've had in months. It made my heart sing.
• Three days and three nights of Michael being home.
• Families and couples and neighbors and everyone from miles around, it seemed, coming to Oakland Beach, strolling the bike/walking path, buying clamcakes at Iggy's, setting off a zillion firecrackers and rockets, and being mellow and friendly.
• Our Take a Photo on July 4 group on Facebook. (This was the followup to the very successful Take a Photo from Your Porch on June 1. Stay tuned for Take a Photo on August 1.)

Now I'm going to include some photos to make up for omitting my blessings blogs this past weekend. Click on any photo to see it larger.

Thursday, 7/2: A lightning/thunder mashup a block away startles Daisy!

Caroline, our "flower girl," exploring my gardens in her waterproof boots. (7/3)

Orange daylilies are now in full bloom.

A splendid July 4. i thank you God for most this amazing day …


Three cheers for the red, white, and blue. And for prescription sunglasses so I can actually see this day in all its glory.

Evening moonrise, Oakland Beach (7/4)

People linger, savoring the cool clear air.

A young couple snuggles dreamily on the beach jetty as the sun sets.

Our house in its July 4 finery, seen from the bike path; Michael on porch.

Day is done; the flag waves on.

I absolutely love this photo Michael took at the beach during our walk on Sunday. (7/5)

What's going on here?

It's Daisy's preferred position on the second-story deck, looking out toward the bay. (7/5)