I’m happy to share the great news that my good friends Maggie, Mike, Dawn, and Robbie have been nominated for 2026 Best of the Net. Also, Robbie’s son, Michael, who’s following in his mom’s footsteps. Editor Michelle Navajas of Hotel by Masticadores found their work to be worthy of this high honor, and I couldn’t agree more with Michelle. So, please join me in Congratulating not only these talented authors, but all of the nominees! You can read about these amazing authors and their writing by clicking on the link below. 🎉
And I’ll leave you with another peek into Colorado beauty that inspired a poem…
Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National ParkSprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National ParkTrail that loops around Bear LakeTrail of Aspens with the Rocky Mountains in the distance
Dear Nature,
You cast your spell and all sense of reality magically slips away into the ether. Your shimmering lakes entice with their serenity. We inhale peace, exhale burdens. Your trails lead to places only presented in our imaginations. We inhale peace, exhale burdens. Your mountains humble in their magnificence. We inhale peace, exhale burdens. Your aspens captivate, donning their golden apparel. We inhale peace, exhale burdens. Thank you for your beauty, for your gifts of tranquility… priceless gems to be cared for, never to be taken for granted.
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Thank you for your presence! I hope you enjoyed the pics and poem, and please visit Michelle’s post to Congratulate the nominees! Have a wonderful day! ❤️
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book) Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology Co-Author – This Is How We Grow Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023 Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024 Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025
I am honored and grateful to be included in Gabriela Marie Milton’s upcoming anthology of haiku! This is the second anthology I’ve been part of following the beautiful Petals of Haiku released in May 2024. Thank you again, Gabriela and Literary Revelations for believing in my work. 🙏
From Gabriela’s blog post:
@LR_Publisher, just sent out letters of acceptance (or rejection) for our upcoming book Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. Congratulations to everyone who was accepted. Please help me spread the news. Soon, we will send you the whole design of the cover – as you know, the art on the cover belongs to Japanese artist Hikari and the fine art photography included in the book to Japanese artist Naoki Kimura. Over 240 authors were included.
All photos courtesy of Literary RevelationsPublishing House.
For more information and gorgeous photography by Naoki Kimura, and to read beautiful and evocative poetry by Gabriela and other poets she features, please visit her site by clicking the link below.
I’m sharing a little bit about a dear friend of mine, Resa. She is an amazing photographer with a passion for taking pics of outdoor ephemeral art, and the artwork she finds is stunning and unique. Resa opens our eyes to this incredible corner of the art world, and our lives are enriched and better for her discoveries!Today she shares gorgeous owls, and I’ve always been fascinated by these beautiful birds.Check out her post!
Her site is “Graffit Lux and Murals”, dedicated to showcasing & documenting Graffiti Art and Murals in Toronto and Winnipeg. But she also features Street Art of other cities around the globe through travels of hers, and guest contributors. Taking these pics is a passion and a joy, and it shows in her blog posts. Each work of graffiti art or mural evokes thoughts in her, and these thoughts are reflected in the titles of her Posts.
I’ve closed comments because I’m directing you to Resa’s blog. Visit her and you’ll know what I’m talking about. 🥰
Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day! Sending out peace and love! ~Lauren ❤️
Resa at Graffiti Lux Art & More recently featured my 13-year-old chocolate lab mix, Copper, so I’m reblogging because if you’re a dog lover, you won’t want to miss her post! But not only is Copper Boy featured, so are John’s adorable Twiggy and Marina’s beautiful Hera! But first, below is a little bit about Resa if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her:
I’m an amateur photographer who has a passion for taking pics of outdoor ephemeral art.
My name is Resa McConaghy, and my site, “Graffit Lux and Murals”, was originally dedicated to showcasing & documenting Graffiti Art and Murals in Toronto and Winnipeg. However, I now find I am featuring the Street Art of other cities around the globe through travels of mine, and guest contributors.
Taking these pics is a passion and a joy. Each work of graffiti art or mural evokes thoughts in me, and these thoughts are reflected in the titles of my Posts.Some of these pieces may already have been named by the artists. If I know the original name, I will name it so.
If I know the name of the artist, I will credit them under the photograph and/or in the body of the post. If you are an artist & have not been credited, you can reach me by email with your info. I will gladly update the post. If you’re here, it’s probably because you love this type of art as much as I do. I hope my pics do the pieces some justice.
I am thrilled that Resa loved my poem “Copper Boy” enough to include it.So, here’s what she has to say about Copperin which she gently inserts a plug for Ever So Gently:
And now to see those gorgeous dogs at Resa’s, click on the link below ⬇️.
Thanks again, Resa, for including Copper! He sends you lots of slobbery kisses! Good thing you keep those sponges handy ‘cuz he loves to give kisses, but in his senior years, he’s also a bit drooly! 😂🐶
I am touched by those who enjoyed my book and who have written beautiful reviews. 🩵 And a friendly nudge… if you enjoyed my book, please consider sharing a review on Amazon and Goodreads. The best gift for authors! 🙏🏻
Thanks to you beautiful friends for visiting today, and I wish you a fabulous weekend! ~Lauren ❤️❤️
It has been a wild, exciting ride with the launch of my new book and all the wonderful support I’ve been given. But in the midst of the excitement, my father-in-law has been on hospice for almost two weeks, and it’s been tough, to say the least. A surreal time, waiting for the inevitable. But his large support circle ensures that he is comfortable and loved, which is most important.
Before he started to decline, we already had our backpacking trip reserved in the Sierra Mountains, but with his encouragement, we are still going. Although, due to my foot issue, we decided that I shouldn’t push it. My foot has been cooperating, but I’d hate to overdo it and take five steps backwards. So, we’re camping. We’ll be relaxing by the lake, surrounded by ponderosa pines and nature’s warm embrace. And this is really what we need. My brother-in-law will ‘hold down the fort’ while we’re gone. He also told us to go. “Dad wants you to enjoy the adventure.” We will have our Spot X satellite device though to stay in touch. And obviously, if something changes before we plan to leave, we won’t go. Always ‘one day at a time.’
So, I’ll be offline next week and will return the following week of the 21st. The photo above is from one of our trips to our favorite Sierra lake, and the poem below is in my book and one I wrote while sitting on the shore in the company of the smooth water, and journal and pen (and hubby, of course.)
The Sun Knows
Evening advances. The shore wears nothing but a few rocks scattered on its sand. In their quiet space, a father and son hold fishing lines hoping their luck will lift. A lone sailboat glides by pausing for the unfolding. With hair the color of an egret, an older man leans against a stump.
Clouds understand why we wait. A fine yellow highlighter has delicately outlined their smooth edges. Occasionally, trout jump out of the still water, only a few ripples show their excitement.
Then suddenly the sky explodes in tangerines, salmons, canary yellows – brighter with every second. It’s as though a painter swished her brush back and forth on the immense backdrop, to the left, to the right, repeating with the grace of an orchestra leader. Can the sun slipping behind downy clouds be more spectacular?
The blog tour will continue when I return and I have to share two more beautiful reviews:
Reading Ms. Scott’s poetry is like roaming the pages of a spiritual book and you can feel a connection. Upon picking up this book I first read “Ever So Gently” and felt an instant connection, as I’ve lived such moments myself during bushcrafting adventures, connected to nature and all of creation. As I continue to read, each poem is equally as deep and reveals not only the writers soul, but my own. ~ Scott Mitchell – Lauren Scott will touch your soul.5 stars
What an endearing gathering of short poems, some written as Haiku and other syllabic poetry, but all comforting, calming, restorative. Presented in three sections, these verses pose the wonder of nature, the love of family, even the delight of a pet. An elegant medley. ~ Joy Neal Kidney – An endearing collection.5 stars
I am humbled and grateful for these lovely reviews, and I want to thank you all for the ‘book’ support, the visits, the comments, and the love. So, have a Fabulous week! Stay well and Be happy!
Last week, we spent the day in San Francisco celebrating my husband’s birthday. The weather has been very wet and cold, but we were blessed with a stunning day in the city. Yes, the temperature was crisp, but the sun shined, warming us like a blanket and creating lovely photos. Even though we’ve visited this iconic city numerous times, I can’t help but take more pictures, especially of the Golden Gate Bridgeand the bay.
Our destination was The Legion of Honor (above top) which stands prominently above the Lincoln Park Golf Course. If you’re interested in learning about this fine art museum, I pulled the information below from Wikipedia:
The Legion of Honor displays a collection spanning more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.
The Hall of Antiquities displays ancient works from Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome, including sculptures, figurines, vessels, jewelry, and carved reliefs. Notable works include a 4,000-year-old carved wood figure of Seneb, an Egyptian royal scribe. The collection is supported in part by the Ancient Art Council, which offers a speakers program focusing on the ancient world.[7][8]
The museum’s collection of European Decorative Arts includes a gilded Spanish ceiling from c. 1500; numerous items of furniture, including Horace Walpole’s commode of 1763 from Strawberry Hill House, west of London; and three period rooms, including the Salon Doré from the Hôtel de La Trémoille, Paris, said to be the only complete example of a pre-Revolutionary Parisian salon to be displayed anywhere.[11][12]
The Bowles Porcelain Gallery displays an array of porcelain and pottery from England and continental Europe with a strong emphasis on the eighteenth century. Adjacent to the gallery is the Ceramic Study Center.[13]
The Contemporary Arts Program, which brings the work of living artists into dialogue with the building and the collections, was inaugurated in 2017 with an exhibition of more than 30 works by Urs Fischer installed throughout the museum.[14] Subsequent exhibitions have featured works and interventions by artists including Lynn Hershman Leeson,[15]Julian Schnabel,[16]Alexandre Singh,[17] and Wangechi Mutu.[18]
Situated off the northwest corner of the Legion grounds is the Holocaust Memorial, a sculptural group of white-painted bronze by George Segal installed in 1984. Although not part of the Legion’s collection, the sculpture is often seen by visitors to the museum.
The Legion of Honor has played a big part in films:
The museum plays a major part in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo (1958) when Scottie (played by James Stewart) follows Madeleine Elster (played by Kim Novak) to the museum, where she stares at one painting for a considerable time. The painting, a portrait of the fictitious Carlotta Valdes, was a prop created specifically for the production by artist John Ferren and is not housed at the museum.[23]
As much as I’d love to detail each photo, time won’t allow, so I hope you enjoy these visuals. The slideshow below presents only a fraction of the paintings, sculptures, furniture, architecture, porcelain, and silver.
We spent most of the day at the museum, but when we finished perusing each room, we walked around the grounds, enjoying the greenery of the Lincoln Park Golf Course (above photos). After leaving The Legion of Honor, we drove through Ocean Beach, pulled over to look at the view, and between the soothing colors of the ocean and that bright blue sky, we were in awe. More photos! And of course, a selfie was necessary, especially one of me sneaking in a kiss for the birthday boy.
As we were leaving and since I was driving, my hubby took some photos of the bridge (again, we can’t have too many). Then we took a slow drive through a picturesque coastal town and stopped at a cool bar on the bay and enjoyed the serenity from the stunning viewsof the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.Before we left this beautiful spot, we walked out on the pier for more photos.Because fog and wind pay frequent visits to San Francisco, we truly lucked out with the weather on this celebratory February day. So, when I think of an adjective to describe this Saturday in the city, the word that comes to mindis Glorious!Cheers!
I hope you enjoyed this little slice of San Francisco. Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely weekend ahead. ❤️
A few days ago, I was inspired byMarina’s post:https://marinakanavaki.com/2022/11/03/the-clouds-sometimes/. She is a dear, dear friend and a fabulous painter, photographer, and musician. And we share the same love of clouds, or truthfully, any artwork the sky chooses to display. So much that we agree we can never have too many photos! If you don’t know Marina, I hope you’ll pay her beautiful site a visit. So, no poetry or story today, just photos from a morning walk – a sky that took my breath away…
Hope you enjoyed and I wish you a marvelous Monday!
Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author 