Author: Terri Webster Schrandt

  • Eyes Confess Secrets of the Heart

    Eyes Confess Secrets of the Heart

    “The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.” St. Jerome The Weekly Photo Challenge focuses on eyes this week. Our animal and insect friends convey so many “words” and emotions with their eyes. My Cocker-terrier mix, Aero, reacts with a wide-eyed knowing look when I utter…

  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Fall Transition

    Weekly Photo Challenge: Fall Transition

    As we quickly move into winter, autumn colors peak at all times of the day. These photos show how natural daylight and night time light enhance the transition of the maple tree in my yard. Transition is the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge. Transition  

  • Weekend Coffee Share: In the Middle

    Weekend Coffee Share: In the Middle

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that here, in the middle of November, I am smack-dab in the middle of several different projects. How would you like your hot beverage today? I’m still all about the pumpkin spice-flavored coffee. What am I in the middle of, you ask? First, the master bedroom…

  • Surprise Victory

    Surprise Victory

    Victory …the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge! So many interpretations! This was taken in August 2013 a week before my wedding. My windsurf buddies threw me a surprise wedding shower at the delta and it felt like a victory for not only having my valued friendships, but the victory of a wonderful relationship culminating…

  • Leisurely Thursdays: Winter Cycling Tips

    Leisurely Thursdays: Winter Cycling Tips

    As winter draws near in the Northern Hemisphere, avid cyclists and even recreational bicyclists still enjoy their rides, whether for fitness, fun, or transportation. For my Leisurely Thursday post, I share tips to help you with your fall and winter cycling experience. In temperate climates like California or Florida, where cycling can be enjoyed almost year…

  • Weekend Coffee Share: Autumn Has FINALLY Arrived

    If we were having coffee I would tell you that the peak of autumn colors in Sacramento begins now through Thanksgiving unless a major winter storm comes through. Ski resorts are already opening in Lake Tahoe just 90 miles from here. Are you feeling cold yet? How about a nice, hot cup of Colombian medium…

  • Ornate Coastal Culture

    Ornate Coastal Culture

    The Weekly Photo Challenge invites us to post a photo of something that can be described as “Ornate.” The word ornate conjures up the synonym, “elaborate,” marked by intricate and often excessive detail; complicated; Ornate. In the Palomar Hotel in downtown San Diego, as I walked around the lobby, filled with surf and coastal culture…

  • One Word Photo Challenge: Winter

    One Word Photo Challenge: Winter

    Although winter seems like a distant season away, Winter is the theme for the One Word Photo Challenge. November is here and brought some rain to Northern California and we can look forward to cooler days and (finally!) cold nights. In this photo taken in South Lake Tahoe in early December 2009 near the Heavenly…

  • Zombie Plants Attack!

    Zombie Plants Attack!

    As this is the week before Halloween, let’s play with some black and white photography of spooky objects made of wood. The community garden planters at the local school appear as tombstones laid side by side. Zombie-like plant life comes alive as they appear to crawl out of their coffins. Living in the old mulberry…

  • An Autumn Moment Captured

    An Autumn Moment Captured

    This photo was our view in Lake Tahoe as we rode our bicycles. I have more photos to share in later posts, but for now, please enjoy this Sierra Nevada autumn moment brought to you by John Muir.

  • Bench Series: Dogs and Leaves

    Bench Series: Dogs and Leaves

    I recently discovered another wonderful photo challenge called Bench Series hosted by Jude at Travel Words. After coming across this photo challenge last week, I had planned this post for today, and literally posed my two dogs on this bench. My talented, carpenter hubby built and re-purposed wood planks from old softball diamond backstops into a…

  • Waiting Can be (Extra) Ordinary

    Waiting Can be (Extra) Ordinary

    (Extra)ordinary The weekly photo challenge asked us to focus on the mundane, the every day things we may find beautiful. As I took these photos, a theme emerged: waiting. My fall tealight candle holders are patiently waiting for a match to strike so that they may illuminate the fireplace mantle. Conversely, as we continue the…

  • Weekend Coffee Share: My Happy Places

    Weekend Coffee Share: My Happy Places

    Happy Place If we were having coffee today, I would tell you that I was so busy over the past few days that I had to combine my two favorite blogging events into one post! Each Sunday, I participate in the Weekend Coffee Share hosted by Diana at Part-time Monster! All are welcome to join!…

  • Boundaries of Leisure Provide Joy

    Boundaries of Leisure Provide Joy

    Boundaries Fences around swimming pools provide security from the outside world, and ensure safety both inside and outside the fence. For dogs who get to swim once a year in a public swimming pool, the boundaries of a fence exist to provide a joy that knows no bounds! The lines are painted onto the bottom…

  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

    Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

    Change is the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge. Marriage makes you vulnerable and strong. It brings out the best and worst of you, and then it CHANGES YOU in ways you could never have expected…for the better. -Maggie Reyes What better way to depict change than to share a photo of my husband and I…