Ornamental Crabapple

Looking back through my past entries, I realize that I have photographed the gorgeous ornamental crabapple tree down the street every year at about this time. This year's entry is quite a contrast with three years ago. This morning, Blake and I were returning from a long walk and he wasn't really in the mood to wait around for me to carefully frame a shot which I could actually see in the bright light, so I took this one on a wing and a prayer and quite liked the result.

Blake had another walk this afternoon which turned out to be a surprise early birthday present to me from dear OilMan. He brought Blake to Tone, the pilates studio to meet some of the folks there and then we walked a few blocks to the jewelry store downtown, where I chose a pair of earrings to go with the necklace he gave me last year. When he was inside the shop with two ladies making much of him, Blake was quite happy to lie down and wait quietly...and perhaps distract the ladies' from looking too closely at OilMan, in need of a haircut and looking rumpled, and me in my workout clothes.

I think the beautiful necklace and earrings I wore out of the store with my workout clothes did quite a bit to raise to tone too. You are a dear man, OilMan, for planning this surprise when I haven't been perhaps the most sympathetic nurse in the world.