Today's theme is "free." Usually, one would think about the sorts of things you can get without paying for them. But I tried to go a bit deeper than that and came up with the following five.1. Memories: There are so many things I love to think about and remember. For instance, my childhood, my days at university, my first jobs, camping with my family, weddings, births, deaths. Here is a sample of a very good memory. It's around the mid-50s when my mother's parents and her brother, wife, and their first son spent Christmas with us. My uncle took the picture and it was faithfully placed in the family photo album to treasure forever. Can you guess which little girl I am?
2. The beauty of nature: You never have to pay to see the beauty of nature. It's all around us wherever we go. You can see beauty in the sunshine, the rain and the snow, in flowers and trees that are either full of blossoms in the springtime or stark and bare in the winter, in the clouds as they scud past on windy days. I took this photo last fall when I went for a wonderful solitary walk in Deas Island Park which is surrounded by tributaries of the Fraser River. It's a popular place for rowers to practise and I was fortunate to catch this shot.
3. Friendship: It's one thing to have friends, but to have a friend so dear and close that you can actually be goofy with them is miraculous. I have a few of those kinds of friends, and I'm delighted that my daughter Jaclyn (below left) has Heather. Their birthdays are only days apart and I know they'll always be best buds. 
4. Joy in the moment: I took this shot early last fall as I was strolling along the pathway at Centennial Beach. It gave me such joy to see this senior couple sitting closely together enjoying the view. It gave me joy that they had each other to share the joy of the beautiful afternoon.
5. Talent: Talent is a gift from God, in my humble opinion. I wish I had the talent that God gave my friend Suzanne. This is one of her paintings that she presented me with when I went to visit her two years ago at her place in Arizona. Her mother is also an awesome painter/art teacher and specializes in doing roses. My friend Josie is another special friend who has been given this gift. You should check out her site and see some of her little drawings.
So that's a sampling of what I think of when I think of "free." I hope you enjoyed my post and will be back again next week for its theme -wooden. Hmm...I better get thinking.
40 comments:
My guess will be the girl in black standing up :) Happy PH!!
Very nice take on this weeks theme! Awesome photos too:)
Lovely post for the theme Leslie. I'm more pragmatic and not so free wheeling as everyone seems to be this week. Love the shot of the crew on the river.
You're right, napaboaniya! Actually, the dress was a bronze taffeta that my mother made for me. I thought I looked like a princess in it! Thx yen!
Thanks, jmb. I have that photo on my computer as it's one of my favourites (that I've taken).
I agree with most of your take on the free here especially about friendship and the beauty of nature. The best things in life are free. :)
what a nice selection of FREE!
happy weekend.
I love the 4th photos..nice view
Will u visit my “Free“ Have a nice weekend
Lovely post, Leslie, with so many different points to ponder.
My guess is you're the little girl in black, on the right .... correct?
The best things in life certainly are free!!
Nice spin on the word "free!" I would also add "laughter."
What lovely thoughtful pics, it's hard to single you out as you girls look so similar.
So you have one of those families that makes everyone wear paper hats for Thanksgiving?
This is a wonderful sequence of photographs for the free theme. I liked them all and the one of your daughter with her best friend is great. I love the old family photograph, the nature one and your friend painting. A great post for the theme.
Nice choice!
Visit my FREE post too.
Wonderful posts.
Wonderful shots... great sentiments!
:) some of the best things in life, like those you listed, ARE free. Chocolate, however, still costs an arm and a leg ;)
Wow! I like your post on free.
What a nice collection of thoughts and photos.
Great shots you have here Leslie. Happy weekend!
FREE RIDE
A lovely and thoughtful collection. There are so many ideas of free that we are seeing today.
Leslie....that is a wonderful display of the theme.....I love your photos...and your stories behind them....
What a great photograph of your family! I love photos like that. I have no idea which little girl is you. You all resemble each other, but I am guess you are the baby? But that's just a guess. :-)
I love that nature photo.
I cherish all those things.
Wonderful shots...for talent I'd add music. I love going to hear live music! You and I have a lot in common from reading your blog. Thanks for visiting mine. E-mail me anytime if you'd like to chat.
Lovely post - thought provoking. Thank you for visiting my blog, free range eggs are from chickens who can run free and are not shut up in sheds.
Nice that for this week theme, evrything you post her are sure free.. ;) Have a great weekend!
Life's Impression
My so called life
Thank you for telling me about the Snow Geese. I am more happy that I was able to get the shot of them. We have some Canadian Geese here in the South that have become transplants. In the cities, they are becoming a nuisance with their droppings on sidewalks. I made these photos last Monday and had not really had a chance to investigate what kind of Geese the were.
I enjoyed your entry. I think nature is such a gift and I felt God had reached down and handed me one when I saw these birds.
Mama Bear
What a great take on this week's theme. Happy weekend
I like your interpretation of the theme.
Claudia There's no email contact info on your blogsite - at least not that I can see. If you'd like, email me at seafairwest@hotmail.com and then we can chat. I notice your husband was born the same year as mine and passed away 2 years after mine did. It's been a tough journey for both of us, it seems.
A wonderful post on the free things in life. Love the photos and explanations.
All so lovely! These things are the best and right there for us to enjoy....Have a wonderful weekend...
this is an excellent post
What a great selection of photos, Leslie. I think you're the littlest girl on the left.
Just stop and relax. You have thought of too many and they are all great ones! Thanks for sharing. :)
I love your post for this week's theme. I especially like your nature shot and the one of the older couple sitting on that log. Both of your friends are certainly talented. Lastly, your family photo was great. There's nothing like having a big family get together for the holiday. And, I hope your daughter can still call her friend up years from now like I can mine. Thanks for sharing. Happy Photo Hunt~
What lovely thoughts, Leslie - and I agree with every one. Love that first picture - so evocative...
Greetings fellow photo hunter. I enjoyed your lovely collection of piX and stories in keeping with the "free" theme. ThanX for the visit and comment. It's a pleasure to "meet" you.
A beautiful series of pictures. Thank you for sharing all these.
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