Leaf: It's starting to feel more like home. (Pai, Thailand)
Rae: It was so wonderful to spend time with my parents. It wasn't enough, but how could it be? I'm so glad we had this beautiful time with them. (Sidney, Canada)
Leaf: Baskets like this make me want to go on an old fashioned picnic. (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Rae: Could there be anything sweeter than this door on a floating home (like a houseboat, but without a motor)? I love the flower boxes and the cat knocker. (Victoria, Canada)
Leaf: Looking for snacks to take on the dreaded, three hour bus trip to Pai with 1000 turns and bends. (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Rae: On Kai's birthday, we went to a birds of prey center, here on Vancouver Island. I believe this beautiful bald eagle was rescued and brought to the center. Her handler, Sarah, told us all about how she holds the bird very close to her body to cultivate trust; being close means they are protecting and trusting each other. (Duncan, Canada)
Leaf: As we walked from our dodgy motel room to catch a bus early in the morning Taran found this love-heart puddle. He called me, then he pointed to himself, pointed to the puddle and pointed to me. I adore him. (Udon Thani, Thailand)
Rae: Totem poles carved by members of the Sechelt Nation. The middle pole has a welcome totem, which welcomes people of other nations. (Sechelt, Canada)
Leaf: We went to the COPE museum and learnt more about the sad reality of all the unexploded mines still all over Laos. This exhibit reminded me of this verse: 'They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation,nor will they train for war anymore.' The Sacred Scriptures- Isaiah 2:4 (Vientiane, Laos)
Rae: My parents live on Vancouver Island, and we have to take a ferry to get to them. We've taken many ferry trips, actually, this month, going to different locations, and I love being on a boat, crossing to an island. This woman is one of many who would rather sit outdoors than in. (Georgia Strait, Canada)
Leaf: High powered, public aerobics by the Mekong River. I love watching the ladies who are selling snacks also participating from their stalls even from a distance (not in this picture, but in the one in my mind). (Vientiane, Laos)
Rae: Loading horses (as I call them, I don't know what they are really called) across from the ferry terminal. When I took this photo, five or six ferry workers were also enjoying the sunset in their fluorescent work vests and hats. One had his phone out to take a picture. I love seeing people enjoy beauty together, especially guys in work clothes. (Tsawwassen, Canada)
Leaf: This is the life: a permanent hammock strung up in the back of your tuk-tuk so you can kick back and relax in between customers. (Vientiane, Laos)
Rae: Collecting stones on the beach can become an obsession for me, that's how much I love it. (Victoria, Canada)