The Howell Blessings

Honey and I went to the Hinckley Reservations this past weekend and walked the Hinckley Lake Loop Trail and back. We took our new camera's with us and snapped away at anything and everything we found of interest or thought would produce an interesting picture.  Below are 3 of mine that I took of one tree.  This sycamore tree made for interesting texture and colors. Thanks Daddy for letting me know what kind of tree that was. Click on any of these pictures to see them larger. 56mm>F/11>ISO 100>White Balance Auto 1 Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore) is readily identifiable with broad, maplelike leaves and a trunk and limb complexion of mixed green, tan and cream. Some suggest it looks like camouflage. It is a member of one of the planet's oldest clan of trees (Platanaceae) and paleobotanists have dated the family to be over 100 million years old. Living sycamore trees can reach ages of five hundred to six hundred years.  Steve Nix/About.com 56mm>F/11>ISO 100&g

Many years have passed since we said “I do”, We sealed that day with a kiss. I never once gave up on you As we traveled through heartache and bliss. Those early years were certainly rough As we played at love like little ones. Our trials made us both too tough And we considered calling it done. We grew apart and became disenchanted Even though we stayed together Our love for each other we took for granted But to each other we stayed tethered. We both matured along with our years And something began to blossom. We traveled forward to new frontiers And our journey has proved to be awesome. I remember not what day it appeared It snuck up on me like twilight I realized at once that we had cohered And that somehow we’d be alright. Fast forward down this path a bit And you’ll see two people in love As surprised as I am, I must admit We now fit like a hand in a glove. With a gentle brush of your lips on my neck You send shivers down my spine. I’ll try to keep m

Tonight I went out with a couple of my girlfriends.  We met at a local restaurant which wasn't too far for any of us. We hadn't seen each other in several months so conversation started flying from the minute we sat down together. The waitress finally gave up checking to see if we were ready to order and just told us to put our menus on the edge of the table to signal to her when we were ready. I love having friends like that.  Even though we don't get together as often as we would like, we pick up where we left off when we see each other. For the next two and half hours we talked and ate and talked some more.  We all left with smiles on our faces and plans to meet again soon.  I came home to a quiet house, still smiling in my recent memory of good fellowship. I started a fire in the fireplace and made myself a sweet treat.  Hot chocolate is perfect for such frigid night. We all should take more time to get with our friends. We work, come home, sleep and do it all again

My husband loves to play chess..and he's very good at it. So with that in mind, I created a table setting that he would enjoy sitting at.He seems to enjoy all my endeavors at the table, but I wanted something just for him.  Check! It's your move now honey. I will be submitting this tablescape for Tablescape Thursday over at  between naps on the porch . Check it out to see plenty of inspirations I've never been very good at chess, but with this tablescape I think it's a winner! Chess players time clock Simple but dramatic color scheme Close up of the layers This Fleur de lis makes a bold statement Choosing sides A marble chess set acquired on a missions trip to Guatemala. A gift from our son.  I love the detail of the chess pieces Sources: White plates Corelle Red plates Waechtersbach Fun Factory Black Chargers, tablecloths and chair sashes at Tableclothfactory.com Chess pieces and Fleur de lis at Hobby Lobby Checkered table runner handmade