Blueberries on Quaker Squares + Fresh U-Pick

My current favorite cereal is Quaker Oatmeal Squares (the brown sugar flavor) with fresh picked blueberries that are only $1.10 a pound at the local produce farm. The cereal is hearty with a good crunch and flavor, not overly sweet. And with the blueberries...oh...Perfect!

Below: fresh-picked blueberries from our favorite u-pick farm, Philbrook Farm, in Vancouver, WA. They don't have a website yet otherwise I'd link to it. This season, the u-pick blueberries were only $1.10/lb!! Such a steal for a bit of work picking the berries, which are so easy to pick compared to thorny blackberries.

Lilah Maureen

I just love the outtake above from Mark and Marella's newborn shoot. Great energy.

...and, of course, a family photo...

Silver Star Mountain, Round 3

It was an overcast day as we set out for our third trip up Silver Star Mountain. The third time is the charm. Not only did we finally make it to the top but the hike was the most stunning I'd ever seen it, just chock full of blossoms and color everywhere! In some parts I swear it was like hiking through someone's well-maintained garden. I can't believe how perfectly the wild blooms grew. Just smashingly beautiful! The pictures don't do it justice. Like so many things, you just have to be there.

That hill in the background above isn't our final destination, just a bump along the way.

Can you believe how perfect the plants look? Utterly amazing.

Couldn't resist posting another one of Max among the blooms. He looks so cute!

When we came to this huge flat field bursting with yellow flowers I honestly felt like I was in some whimsical land. It was fantastic and magical like The Wizard of Oz and the Yellow Brick Road. The sun would come out for a fleeting moment and the whole expanse would light up powerful and golden. It was the most exhilarating and breathtaking thing I've seen since living here. Amazing. Just absolutely amazing. It was an experience so wonderful that I wished all my good friends could be there to experience it also.

It's Blackberry Pickin' Time!

We've been picking the free blackberries that grow around here and I tell ya what...There is nothing like FREE produce to make something as delicious as a homemade pie. Well, the inside was homemade. The crust was organic, whole wheat, ready-made crust from Whole Foods. I took one look at the directions for making pie crust, deemed it far too time consuming and quickly opted for the (actually quite scrumptious) store variety.

Above: me quickly devouring a warm piece of pie a la mode. And yes, I was shooting and eating at the same time. I love to eat. I love to shoot. So why not do it at the same time?

Below: More blackberry and ice cream fun at home!