Malcolm and I were away on vacation with our kids for the first two weeks of July, so a big chunk of the month was consumed with an adventure in leisure and speed. To understand that statement, read the post here. Or, you can interpret the experience from these photos taken from my highlight reel. Lesson; don’t be lulled into complacency by the beauty of the French countryside – London awaits!
It took several days to decompress from our trip and sort through the 1500+ photographs that we took. I edited and arranged about 400 in a 60-page Shutterfly book, that is still waiting to be published. I’ll get to that eventually. I like to let the pages marinate for a while and give them a last look before pushing the print button.
When I wasn’t playing with vacation photographs, I spent time curating a few ‘Blues and Pairs’ for a post for Terri’s Sunday Stills. I had fun digging into the archives to come up with a few photos I haven’t shared before. The two photos below didn’t make the cut, but I think you might like them. I took the first one, which turned out quite abstract while standing on a dock, watching a school of fish feed just below the surface.
On the subject of photography, I had fun playing with my cell phone settings as I experimented with still-life photos in the kitchen. The white countertops in the kitchen of our new place make a great backdrop for food photography.
Fruits and vegetables were the star of the show this past month and I will show you more in my next post for What’s Been On My Plate.
According to my gym app, I checked in 10 times to work out in the past two weeks. Clearly, I am on a mission. First of all, it is too hot to do anything outdoors, so tennis has been severely curtailed and walks and bike rides are impossible to comprehend. Sooooo….the only thing left is the gym. I have fallen into a good routine of workouts and healthy eating that only a class reunion could induce. Yep, my 50th! It will happen in September and as you might imagine, I am both excited and apprehensive about the occasion. High School! Yikes! So, if you have any advice to offer, I am all ears.
Spending some time with Malcolm’s mom finished the month on a high note. More to come on that topic in the next post.
That pretty much wraps it up for July. Wishing my big brother a happy 70th and many more. I’m sure Hawaii was a blast!
Sharing With: What’s Been on My Calendar Donna, Sue, Deb, and Jo.
Picture Retirement 
I loved your holiday post with all the fun family pics etc. I have no advice to add about high school reunions (I avoid them like the plague!) Any friends I had in high school that I’ve wanted to stay in touch with are my friends on good ole FB – so I know what they and their families are up to. Anybody else……not worth the angst of figuring out what to wear and what to talk about (I’m such a piker!!) Good luck – I’m sure you’ll have a blast if you’re a regular re-union-er. 🙂
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Hi Leanne, I did wait until the last minute to reply and some days I’m still not sure I want to go. There are only two or maybe three people that I’d care to visit with (not on FB) and I’m not sure if they will show. We are planning to stay with my brother and SIL, so if I decide to bail, they will be good company and the drive won’t be a waste. Thanks for stopping by.
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Sounds like a busy and enjoyable month! I love your shot of the lavender fields 😮
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Sarah, thank you. It was definitely the kind of day that made me wish I owned a Drone. Those fields were amazing.
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Suzanne,
My advice–GO! You’ll wish you did later. Our 50th was a lot of fun, and we worked hard to find classmates and have a big crowd. After 50th, I’m not sure we’ll have another, so I was glad I made the effort. Your pictures are great, as usual, and I look forward to future posts. Stay cool down there! Joe
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Hi Joe, I will probably go. I paid the check for both of us, but Malcolm will likely sit back and visit with my brother while I go alone. I don’t think I will know more than a half dozen people – those who have a presence on FB, but you are right. I will probably regret not going.
It has been incredibly hot here in South Florida. I’m sure you guys are feeling it too. Thanks for the visit.
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Hi, Suzanne – Your new white countertops do make an excellent backdrop for food photography. Your photographs (as always) are amazing. That’s super exciting about your upcoming 50th year reunion. I went to Richard’s 50th year High School reunion and it was a blast!
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Hi Donna, I paid for Malcolm, just in case, but he will likely sit it out. He’d rather hang with my brother and drink bourbon on the back porch! Taking the food photos with my phone camera was fun. I will have more for your upcoming What’s on Your Plate.
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Malcolm know that I absolutely loved Richard’s HS reunion and I originally knew no one else there other than Richard. But drinking on the backporch with your brother does sound liking a tempting alternative!
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I loved following your travels on Instagram…I’d always vowed not to go to France in summer, but those lavender fields… 50 year reunion…wowsers! Enjoy…
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Jo, the temperature was perfect for the time we were there. One week later and we would have been fighting the heat. The lavender fields were pretty amazing.
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Darn! We missed those lavender fields when we were in Fance this May… must go back! Your pictures are lovely, as usual. I look forward to reading about what you created with that yummy pear.
I will be attending my HS reunion this year too. Many of my friends still live local so there will be a lot of familiar faces. Ten years ago, at my 40th I connected with several people who I knew in HS but weren’t in my main circle. I found that we had a lot in common and now I consider them very good friends. We all change so much over the years – some good, some bad – so it’s nice to “re-meet” friends and maybe shuffle who our adult selves want to stay connected with.
I also attended my husband’s 50th last year and had a good time. We were staying at a hotel so I could bow out a bit early and let him be solo for a while.
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Janis, that is interesting that you connected to people who were not part of your HS circles. Wisdom and maturity on your part, or just didn’t like how some of your old crowd turned out? We will be staying with my brother who lives just a few miles from the venue, so it’s a similar situation for Malcolm. He can choose to go and duck out early, or not go at all. I’m leaving that decision to him. I will share the recipe (that we made up) for the pear next time. It was yummy!
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I actually said “OH!” out loud when I saw the lavender fields. What a sight! I need to go to France in early July. The rest of it was just as lovely in different ways…looks like you had a wonderful month! But it went by soooo fast!
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Hi Dawn, July did go very fast and our vacation went even faster. I would have loved another week to explore the countryside of France.So much to see.
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We spent 3 weeks in Italy many years ago. Even when I got home I wanted to go right back. Soooo beautiful. France looks like it would be the same.
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Those French lavender fields are absolutely stunning! I’ve always wanted to see them myself, we’ll see if that’ll ever happen. Your July looks pleasant and I know the pain of having countless photographs to edit after a trip!! Many times I ask myself “why did I take 100 photos of the same rock?”
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Susanne, isn’t it funny how everything becomes more beautiful, unusual, or interesting when we travel? Oh, I’d better take 100 photos of that rock because I may never see it again!
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You certainly rounded out July and gave it a good send off. The photo of the lavender fields is beautiful. Wishing you a fun August.
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Judy, except for the vacation, I am glad July has passed. It is so darn hot here people are getting sick. I hope things are better in NH.
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The heat we are seeing this summer across the country is really unbelievable and hard to live in. I hope your area cools down. We are down in the 80’s this week, and it is wonderful.
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I had no interest in my own reunion but went with my husband to his. He reconnected with an old friend and I loved both him and his wife and we’ve since visited them and vice versa several times. It’s funny how things work out. I agree with everyone about your lavender fields image. it’s stunning!
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Tina, that is very encouraging. We will see how things go.
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Your month looks and sounds like it was delightful and pretty and restful. I hope your August is just as lovely.
[In case this matters to you, Feedly, the way in which I follow blogs, says that you no longer exist. I couldn’t believe that so I came looking for you. Feedly can be temperamental, but so can WordPress, as my last post that was published but not listed in Reader proved. Anyhow just thought I’d alert you to this.]
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I input your new [?] url and now after a couple of tries Feedly is sending me here again. Kind of odd, but so be it. You’re back in my fold!
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Hi Ally, thanks for the headsup. I moved the Domain name from GoDaddy to WP and changed the Domain name to something that reflects how my blog has evolved. Eventually I will also change the blog name to ‘As Life Evolves’ to be consistent with the URL address. Traffic has been a bit slower, but my suscribers have all seemed to find me one way or another. Thanks for taking the time to figure it out! You really are a cool kid!
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I do like a good mystery!
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I know I did it backwards from the way it should be done, but then again, I have never been good at following rules. 🙂 Thanks again for letting me know how it reacted in your feed.
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Love all your pictures… I have once again fallen away from taking any pictures, which really hurts my blog posting headers! LOL. I’m hoping seeing your pictures inspires me to try a bit more. It’s lovely to look back on a month of visuals.
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Pat, if my photos inspire you in any way, I’ve accomplished a goal today. Getting caught up in life and forgetting about taking pictures is a good thing too. Sharing positivity, in whatever way we know best is what we do here, in bloggerland, so it’s all good!
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Hi Suzanne, what a great month you’ve had, those lavender fields are gorgeous! Well done on compiling a book and narrowing your photos down, that’s always the hardest part isn’t? Not sure I have any suggestions for the 50th school reunion except get ready to see some older faces :). Thanks for joining us.
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Hi Deb, I’m sure you can relate to sorting the photographs. You must have taken a few while visiting your family. 🙂 It is a tall task, and one I am glad to have behine me. Thanks for the visit.
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Hi Suzanne, Off the grid, camping the past month and I want to see what you, Malcolm and family have been up to. I cannot imagine how challenging to sort through your amazing photos. I find your perspective and philosophy on picture taking/curating interesting and informative. I always find it challenging to choose favourite photos. For lack of a better description, I call it the ‘goosebump factor’ especially with similar photos. Why does one photo create goosebumps? I may never have the answer on ‘why.’ I agree with you on the white countertops and food photos.
Wow, another thing you and I have in common. A 50th reunion, except for me it is in 2024. You look amazing, Suzanne! You are a knock out, even for a 40th reunion! 💕 Erica
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Hi Erica, thanks for the surprise visit. I always smile when your comments pop up! Yes, our reaction to a photograph is so personal, isn’t it? It seems much like interpreting a poem or finding an ‘ah ha’ moment in a good book. Some people take things at surface value, and some see more. Those who ‘feel’ are the really special ones. I’ll bet you can figure out who my favorite people are. More like you, please.
I hope all is well and you are having a grand summer. Off the grid sounds perfect!
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Thank you Suzanne, for my ‘awwww…’ 💕Ups and downs around here, like all of us, and my choice is to connect with the inspirational, supportive ‘ups’ like you. We will continue to connect. 💕 Erica
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