It was with chagrin and some guilt that we brought the Purple Minivan in to be traded in as a Clunker for a new Yaris. The Purple Minivan had given us 165,000 miles of service--vacation and soccer games, shopping trips and expeditions, even served as a rolling advertisement for our son's first business. But two kids have flown the nest and one is one the edge, stretching her wings. We don't need a big car anymore, and we sure do need to save on mileage. Outside the dealership is this rather striking come-on for the Clunkers program. I used Posterize with Chalk and Charcoal to pump up the drama.

It wasn't the day I expected. I was just about to leave for work when I got a call from my 16 year old daughter--she'd hit her head in gym, and she really didn't feel well. I called in to work that I wouldn't be coming in today, collected Sierra from school, and monitored her for a while. I was pretty sure she'd had a mild concussion, so I took her in to see her doctor to confirm it. He concurred. She's OK; she's perking up nicely after having been sort of groggy all afternoon. At dinner I realized I hadn't taken my picture for the day. This handful of carnations is left over from the bouquet my husband gave me for my birthday on the fourth--clearly they have staying power! Dark Strokes was not a filter I would have thought would work with such delicate colors, but I like how it seems to make the petals glow.