my life in color

The really cold June called for many hours spent in the studio with Netflix.

A very hot July reduced me to a pool of sweat incapable of doing much.

Time for another list of programs enjoyed on the small screen.

A friend who knows I enjoy sci-fi tipped me onto Firefly.

Ooohh...

See, I also love westerns.

This was like a western in outer space. Best of both worlds.

I only wished there would have been more of it.

Sad that a series with a great cast and storyline gets cancelled.

Sci-fi fans, if you haven't checked this one out, you should.

From the future I stepped to the past, New York in the 1860's.

Policework in that era was brutal.

Not for people who can't handle blood.

Waiting for more episodes as I want to know what happened to Eva...

The western fan in me was more than pleased that this gem came up in my suggestions with a nice bold "New Episodes" flag on top.

Same era, 1860's, headed west with the railroad.

Right after the civil war, tensions high, in a race to get to the Pacific Ocean.

My favorite series I watched all summer.

Great characters.

Men with awesome beards ;)

How had I not heard of Anson Mount before?

I could listen to that southern accent of his all day.

A piece of my heart is in the Pacific Northwest where I lived for a year.

So a series set in a grey and rainy Seattle?

I couldn't pass that.

Glad I didn't.

Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman.

Two reasons to watch this.

The third one is the excellent storyline.

This series deserves prizes by the bucketload.

I also watched some British miniseries.

Southcliffe was hauntingly sad.

Just sad.

Good. But sad.

A man driven over the edge.

Almost the same storyline here, but without guns.

With devious political scheming.

Deliciously devious scheming.

Politicians coming apart at the seams.

And now I'm watching this.

I'd heard it's good.

Better than good.

It's brilliant.

I'm also p.r.e.t.t.y. sure I'm not the only one screaming at the screen:

"Nooooooo, JESSE YOU IDIOT! Nooooooooo!!!"

Then banging my head on the desk because you think he would have learned something by now...

Oh and everyone drives really crappy cars :)

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This post was brought to you courtesy of a fun project called
Lists with friends 2014.

The last weekend of summer holiday we took off for a couple days by the sea.

To Velkua, on the western coast.

We missed the ferry by five minutes, so we spent 30 minutes just enjoying the sun and smelling the sea.

For me it was returning to place I spent time pretty much every summer growing up.

I hadn't been back for 17 years.

The number surprised me.

And yet, it felt as if no time had passed.

Back on the pier with my childhood friend and his family.

We spent quite a bit of time in the water.

Due to the heat wave, the sea water was +26C.

I could think of summers when it had been +19C and we'd thought it was sooo warm.

This?

This was bath water.

*grin*

At first Niina was apprehensive about jumping off this cliff, but pretty soon, that was all she was doing.

Me?

I've jumped off it once in my life.

Quite enough thankyouverymuch.

Splash.

And repeat.

To infinity and beyond!

The only time she did it without holding her nose.

Yeah.

Most of the day was spent in the sea.

I was told that was because I wasn't holding a glass in my other hand to balance myself.

I'm inclined to agree.

I need to do some serious practice now.

These three got along famously.

The guinea pigs were also a hit with this one.

Sitting on the warm rock looking at this, sipping wine.

Not too shabby.

The next morning while others still slept, I read a while in the morning sun.

It's funny how even after so many years it all felt so familiar.

The scenery, the paths, the rocks.

The cups :)

I have countless memories from here.

I'd much rather sit on these rocks than any beach.

The two cabins are very discreet, not easy to spot in the photos above.

I loved the way the sea air felt in my hair. 

The way my curls felt a bit sticky from the water.

How the salt left a white residue on my skin.

How I could taste the salt on my lips.

It won't be another 17 years.

It'll be next summer.

Has to be.

I wrote so in the guest book.

The last week of summer vacation the heat wave was on week three...

So when our old neighbors invited us to their summer cabin on a lake, we gladly said yes.

Mmmmhhh... not bad..

Our older teenagers had more important things to do (read: were not interested), but this one is part dolphin and wouldn't pass out an opportunity to swim.

We got on the boat to cool off a bit.

Niina was a bit iffy about it to start with.

But she soon settled in.

We started seeing lightning and headed back towards the cabin.

But stopped to see these amazing rock formations.

As soon as we got back to the cabin to make some coffee, the sky opened and we had some major thunder on top of us.

And the electricity went out.

So no coffee.

Or tea.

There was a lot of water,  we lost the view for a while.

We got some lovely light.

Back in the water.

I took a dip too, it was warm.

When we were leaving, we got only about 150m down the road, before having to back up the road to get a man with a motor saw....

It was a lovely day.