Hope it is a great day. Love ya, Mum
Happy Anniversary-Meg and Jake
Hope it is a great day. Love ya, Mum
Author Archives: annandmeg
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Branson at its most elegant-The Chateau at Table Rock Lake.
Electricity
This is one of my favorite shots from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The color in the jellyfish was simply electric.
Above the fog line
The beauties of Sonoma Mountain at sunset….from Meg’s point of view.
A horse trailer on the side of the road, with a sunset view of the valley down below.
Sonoma Mountain Road at sunset.
Sonoma Mountain, From Mom’s Camera
After a beautiful morning hike in Helen Putnam Park, and an afternoon of wine tasting in Sonoma Valley, we ended our day of girl bonding by driving up the Western slope of Sonoma Mountain to watch the sunset. It was a stunning view.
Barn on Sonoma Mountain Road
It’s a rough and windy road going up the side of the mountain, but all the views along the way are incredible. From rustic barns to glowing valleys to old fences, it’s a beautiful way to end the day.
Sonoma Mountain Road at sunset
Happy sun-setting.
The Vintage West
I took this photo with my Olympus E-PL1 using the sepia setting. The river below is just on the north side of Peter Skene Ogden Park, in central Oregon. In a way, it made me feel like I was exploring the Wild West.
Motherly Love
Last fall, my sweet Mum sent me a greeting card to keep me pumped during the campaign. The front had a little animated character with a bubble saying “Three of my favorite words?”, and then when you opened it up, the card finished, “That’s my daughter.” Mum’s handwritten note underneath says, “It just fit how I feel about you.” I keep on my desk in my office because it always give me a little boost of joy in the morning. So today, what are three of my favorite words?….That’s my Mama!!
Meg and Mum, enjoying a sunny day in the backyard in Kansas City, Summer 2012.
My beautiful Grandmom, Kay Mesle. I have no idea what year this picture was taken, but I would guess sometime in the 1940s.
Nothing can compare to a mother’s love. I feel it from Mum. I still feel it from Grandmom. It’s calming, reassuring, and encouraging. I am fortunate to have a number of “moms” in my life. As we would say in the Mesle family, “it takes a village,” and I certainly am grateful to have such wonderful people in my life supporting me along the way.
In addition to my amazing family in Kansas City, I am lucky to have my fabulous Auntie here in California. As the “redheaded McCollister women” (as Tio likes to call us), we make sure to enjoy living in California to the fullest and explore every nook and cranny we can find.
Meg and Auntie spending a day in San Francisco, April 2013.
So today, say Thank You to your Mom, your Grandmom, your Auntie, your Bobbie Lou, your Nancy Lee (all of my amazing “moms”). Say Thank You to the women who support you and cheer you on. They are amazing women, and deserve a little extra love on this beautiful day.
Happy Mother’s Day to my sweet Mum, and to all the Mothers out there!
HP: From Meg’s Point of View
With Mum visiting for a few days from Kansas City, I wanted to show her some of my favorite places to run and hike. Helen Putnam Regional Park is one of those places. On a beautiful Saturday morning, we parked the Jeep and headed out with our cameras.
Looking through the trees at the trails beyond, Mum thought this trail looked like an old path for the wagons venturing into the west during the California Gold Rush.
This was such a funky tree. Its branches dipped all the way down to the ground, and its knotty trunk had a whole family of geckos. Such an interesting site.
This is a great shot of the trails at HP. I love running here, or walking with the kids, or just going up and taking in the views. It is such an amazing treasure here in Petaluma. One of the many reasons I love living in beautiful California.
Walking In Helen Putnam Park, Mom’s Camera
Family travel always involves exploring the environment around us. Northern California is a perfect destination for discovering new and wonderful places. On a recent visit to see Meg, we put on our walking shoes and, with cameras in hand, hiked and drove through the wonderful countryside in Sonoma County.
Our first hike focused on Helen Putnam Park, located just west of Petaluma. The park includes 216 acres of grasslands and forests. In late April, the wildflowers were in bloom throughout the park. The well-worn walking paths and old wagon roads could easily have been formed during the years of the California 1849 gold rush, when pioneers flocked into Petaluma from the Northeast.
We watched this woman happily make her way over the hill and around the bend in the path.
Home to geckos and birds, this gnarled old tree seemed timeless.
This old barn can be seen from the entry way to Helen Putnam Park.
Made in the USA Series: Good Buys, Great Clothes
Our blog has repeatedly turned to the issue of buying local products. When we are together, Meg and I enjoy finding clothes, appliances, and local establishments to investigate and evaluate. Her most recent visit was focused on clothes. We are determined to search out and discover exciting products made here in the states and to look for other “good buys”.
Wow. That is the best way to describe this season’s “made in the U.S.A.” clothes Meg and I found at Halls Department Store [1] on the Country Club Plaza. Enticed by Meg’s $200 gift card, we decided to check out Halls’s upscale clothing department to see what we could find that is made here in the states. We were so excited. There is nothing drab, boring or unappealing about these labels. Names like Citizen for Humanity, J Brand, Splendid, Vizcaino, Yoana Baraschi and Bailey44 are on the shelves in great styles, vivid colors and wearable clothes. While not priced for everyone, they are proof positive we can find great clothes manufactured here in the states.
Meg loved this top made by Splendid. Virtually everything in this photo was made in the U.S.A.
This is a fun, casual dress by Splendid.
Definitely patriotic, befitting its “made in the U.S.A.” heritage, this is another dress by Bailey44.
I bought this top made by Bailey44.
Who said you can’t find a variety of fashionable clothing made in the U.S.? Well, actually we have said it ourselves! Now we are finding that with persistence, and a willingness to carefully check labels, we can find great clothes we are more than happy to wear ourselves. Happy shopping!
[1] Some or all of these brands are also available at stores such as Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. They are also available online.
Shifting the Balance 