Sunday Stills: Mid-Summer #Reflections

It is almost the end of July already. Wow, time passes quickly and there is only a month left of summer! Have you been busy this year? Seems like a good time to reflect on the year so far, while sharing your favorite reflections.

Boy, it is hot here in Eastern Washington. This past week, we saw temperatures climb to 98-100 degrees F (37+C). Makes one yearn for this snow scene…

Life in a Washington Winter
Reflecting on a Washington Winter

Although our area is safe (at this writing) we’re dealing with smoky conditions ranging from “unhealthy to hazardous” levels. Wildfires in Northern Idaho, and the seemingly never-ending smoke from wildfires in Oregon and Western Washington have surrounded us. Yes, the wildfires are hundreds of miles away, but the smoke is everywhere. I’ll save the smokey images for later in August.

Smokey orb over pine trees

Let’s go visit the water and cool off a bit, what d’ya say?

Close to Home: Lake Spokane

“The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.” – B.K.S Iyengar

Quiet River Reflections
Reflections of Green and brown

Time for reflection at Lake Tahoe in Northern California

Lazy Summers at the Sacramento River Delta

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” — Sam Keen

The Sacramento Delta is world-famous for its windsurfing and board sports during summer. The inland Sacramento Valley heat pulls in the coastal marine layer and creates magnificent winds for windsurfing, and eventually cools off the Sacramento area evenings with the delta breezes. But there are days where the wind does not blow and we get these calm waters.

calm delta water
Calm delta water

Calm Delta waters are also perfect for stand-up paddling!

two paddleboarders
Molten Delta Sunset
Delta Sunset “Sun Glitter”

Take Time For Reflections on Road Trips

Reflecting on our latest road trip through California. In San Diego, we visited a local lake and a wildlife preserve.

White egret and seagull
White Egret shares rocks with a seagull and 5 turtles
stork reflection
Black-necked Stilt admires his reflection
Black-necked Stilt admires his reflection

Three days spent in Bandon, Southern Oregon…

Sea Stacks Bandon Beach

“As water reflects the face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” – Proverbs 27:19

ocean sunset reflection
Sun Glitter, Bandon Beach, Oregon

As we spent our last night of our 40-day Spring Road Trip in Hood River, Oregon, we reflected on our good fortune, memorable views, excellent health and wonderful friends and family.

Hood River, Oregon

Sharing for Birds of the Week, Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday and Lens-Artists: Summer Daze.

blue swatch

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is simple to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives. Your original images reimagined with AI tools in post-editing are also welcome.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

If you are participating in the photo challenge, I look forward to seeing how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore Scenes from the Fair or Rodeo.

The themes for August are ready to view on my Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Page, which is updated monthly.

“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime!”
― Kenny Chesney

awesome week bitmoji

© 2026 Terri Webster Schrandt | secondwindleisure.com. All rights reserved. All content on this blog is protected by copyright and may not be copied, reposted, or reblogged without written permission.


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79 responses to “Sunday Stills: Mid-Summer #Reflections”

  1. Gorgeous landscapes Terri. Sorry about the smoke. 🥰

    Like

  2. Water is so soothing, Terri. I love that laziness quote. Sums me up exactly, right now xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Jo! Summers should be a bit lazy!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Beautiful stilts, I mean Stills, Terri. Some of your reflections are crystal clear. Those make the best jigsaw puzzles as they are almost the same color and shapes of the objects themselves. Hope you are having a great week. I’m not wishing to see the snow scene, but a bit of the coast would be nice.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Marsha! I love wandering around the Gilbert Riparian preserve when we’re there. Are you still doing the puzzles?

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  4. Omigosh, Terri! What a glorious display of amazing scenery and reflections. The Sun Glitter, Bandon Beach, Oregon photo is awesome. Stay safe from the smoke and wildfires. 💛🌻

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Eugi! As the comedians say, I got a million of ’em. 😁 The wildfire smoke has dissipated for now.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Terri. 😊

        Like

  5. It’s hard to pick a favourite in all these amazing photos, but I think i want to be an egret in that local lake.😁🤩

    Love the sunset and those reflections on lake tahoe. Fantastic images, Terri.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Hazel! I didn’t realize i had so many pics of reflections. Do you have birds like egrets where you live? They stand like statues! Happy Tuesday on Monday!

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  6. Hi Terri
    Nice pictures. We stayed at home, it was too hot and sunny for us. We’ll start a little bit of travelling in October like every year. Unfortunately, we had chaos at home as we got a new kitchen and dining area. Fortunately, this is done now.
    Enjoy the end of the summer
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Like

  7. Love these Terri…so much beautiful scenery. The bird reflections are great.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Kirstin! We live visiting Arizona’s bird sanctuaries when we’re there!

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  8. Beautiful scenery! I especially love the golden hued reflections, and Lake Spokane.

    https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/2026/07/sunday-stills-seasonal-reflections.html

    Like

  9. Beautiful reflections of both kind.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. So many fabulous reflections Terri. My favourites are the pelicans and the stilt with that sunset running a close second

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Brian! The birds were fun! BTW, I added your LOTC image to my sidebar of challenges on my blog 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you very much Terri 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  11. What a beautiful reflection on the season. Your photos and descriptions capture both the serenity of nature and the stark reality of the challenges many communities are facing this summer.

    The contrast between the peaceful snow scene and the calm Delta waters is especially striking. Wishing everyone affected by the wildfires cleaner air, safety, and much needed relief.

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful moments and reminding us to pause, reflect, and appreciate the changing seasons. Stay safe! 🌿❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Mihran! What a lovely comment. The winds whipping up wildfires has diminished for now.

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  12. Your post is wonderful Terri but my favorite moment was when I read your closing sentence. so often we think of our problems or the little things that go wrong, rather than remember what’s really important. A beautiful post perfectly ended.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, Tina! As we age, we lose friends and family members. More the reason to visit often.

      Like

  13. You’ve got such an array of beautiful reflection pictures. In September when I have time I will reflect on how busy this summer was!! The garden is calling and so is camping so I won’t likely be joining in this week.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. No worries, Bernie! You go do YOU and enjoy every moment! I will look forward to what you can share later!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Your July photographs are gorgeous, Terri. These wildfires are truly dreadful. The wildlife casualties are heartbreaking.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Robbie! These images are a collection from various road trips. Those first two shots show a typical summer day here when the skies are clear.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Terri, suck lovely reflections and photos!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Sorry Terri. “Such lovely” not “suck lovely”… oops!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. No worries, Robert, gave me a chuckle 😄

        Liked by 1 person

  16. I absolutely love those reflections. Wow! It’s odd to hear and see what folks are experiencing around the country. Our summer has been unusually milder than in previous years. We’ve only had a handful of days with temps at or over 100 F. We’ll see what this week holds.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Egidio! I hopped into the archives for some of the reflections as sort of an ode to summer. Our skies have cleared but summer is far from over, as are the wildfires. I’m happy you are enjoying a mild summer in Texas!

      Like

  17. You had me at “what d’ya say?”… My beloved Auntie Millie (who is not an aunt at all, but my mum’s best friend) used that expression regularly – lovely memories, thank you. Oh, Terri, what a wonderful post! Your images are all stunning – reflection shots are my favouites (I suppose because I’m mostly crap at them!). My favourite is the Delta Sunset! Brills! Well-done you!!! xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Haha, so sweet of you to say, thank you, Pam!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. […] Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Water with Terri’s Sunday Stills-#Animal of the Month and her Sunday Stills-Reflections. The #Animal of the Month for me is the Fallow […]

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Beautiful summer scenes, Terri! No doubt people around the northern hemisphere are feeling the need for some snowy scenes… except here in North Dakota. Sure it’s been warm, in the mid-80s mostly, but often August gives us our warmest weather.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, John! Winter Snow and summer heat aren’t always something to look forward to for sure.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Wow…just gorgeous, but more accurately there is almost two months of summer left. 71/2 weeks.
    But time does fly.
    Big sigh….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Dawn! You are right, but our area seems to follow the meteorological seasonal calendar: Summer June 1 – Aug 31. And so on. Regardless it goes fast doesn’t it?

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      1. Yes. Regardless. It does.
        You know summer is not my favorite, give me autumn 365 24/7.
        Although you can’t love the autumn color without experiencing the green of summer first.

        Liked by 1 person

  21. Those lake reflections are gorgeous, Terri, and I love the birds, especially that stilt reflection. The Bandon photos are beauties too. Here’s mine this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2026/07/26/on-reflection-2/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Graham! We love visiting the Gilbert Riparian preserve near Phoenix, so many birds and still water!

      Liked by 1 person

  22. […] week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Reflections.’ See more responses here. Captions of the […]

    Liked by 1 person

  23. A lovely post Terri

    Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome my friend

        Liked by 1 person

  24. […] For Terri’s Sunday Stills prompt, the theme is “Reflections.” […]

    Liked by 1 person

  25. I enjoyed all your reflection photos Terri, especially the birds. The Black-necked Stilt admiring his reflection was unique since his leg was bent a little and that was captured also in the reflection. We had smoky skies about 10 days ago and Detroit was the worst air quality in the world on July 16th. The City of Detroit is 12 miles from me. The smoky skies cleared up, but we have storms coming this afternoon, evening and tomorrow which is bringing more heat, humidity and bad air quality. This Summer has not been wonderful in my opinion. I will have some reflections in my post today and also on Wednesday for Wordless Wednesday

    Like

  26. What a fantastic gallery, Terri! The Black-Necked Stilt is new to me but what a lovely bird. The pelicans too are fabulous. I love the first lake reflections particularly but they are all great.

    It’s been very hot here too, getting up into the 90s with wild fires in several areas. Much cooler today though, thank goodness. Have a great week ahead.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Cathy! Doesn’t it feel like the whole northern hemisphere is on fire? Sigh… cooler here today here too! Have a great week!

      Liked by 1 person

  27. My post https://threebylisa.wordpress.com/2026/07/26/bayou-.reflection/.

    Another great subject for the week and wonderful pictures.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Lisa! Seemed like a great time of year to share these!

      Like

  28. We have similar heat waves and smokey air here in southern Ontario, Terri, but you’ll never catch me yearning for winter! 😆 You have a beautiful gallery of reflection photos, and I love the birds as well. Never saw a Black-necked Stilt before! 😎

    https://thedogladysden.com/reflections-photography-music/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Debbie! I suppose those who had snowy winters get over it quickly 😁. I got over HOT California summers long ago. Winters are still fun, but not the fog.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Wowza! All these images are so very gorgeous! Nice work! We have a bit of the smoky air here in Coeur d’Alene (we’re on a 4-month RV trip and leave the area tomorrow). It makes for intriguing sunset photos!

    Like

  30. It’s amazing there are such vast stretches of calm waters.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful summer daze Terri! I like how you fit in multiple challenges into one post.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Anne! The extra challenges are fun! This week’s theme from you brought back great memories of life and summers in Sacramento.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. What a rich collection of reflections. I’m off to see if I can find a few!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Judy! I look forward to it!

      Like

  33. […] Terri’s Sunday Stills – Mid-Summer #Reflections – 26 July […]

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Beautiful scenes, Terri! Here in France and Spain also there are some wildfires doing a lot of damage since the last few days. People have been evacuated from some parts. I hope they get them under control everywhere 🌧️
    My entry here – https://flightsofthesoul.wordpress.com/2026/07/26/water/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, PR! Our skies are clearer today. Hope everyone there is staying safe!

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Stunning gallery, Terri. I love vistas of water. I love the special moments of the White Egret and Black-necked Stilt reflection. And the epitome of reflections… your gorgeous image of the sun at ..Bandon Beach is inspiring.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Suzette! It’s been a busy few weeks and I needed a simple SS post this week. Bandon, OR was such a great place to spend a couple of days (even if it wasn’t summer when we were there) 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You are welcome, Terri. I hope you get a chance to recharge during the coming days/weeks. Summer is so special a time.

        Liked by 1 person

  36. Gorgeous pictures and scenery

    Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re so very welcome Terri

        Liked by 1 person

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About Me

I’m a former university adjunct Professor and retired recreation & parks practitioner living in North-Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle, including photography, friends, fitness, and fun.

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