Photo Friday this week starts A) with the Florida grandkids and B) not with our other grandchild, Mr. T., in Bahrain! Mr. T. is still not allowed – name or face – on the Internet.

But I will describe the “Mr. T.” photograph I would have loved to share. Imagine a beautiful three and a half-year-old boy, sporting a train t-shirt because, well, he is all about trains, sitting at the breakfast table munching a cookie. He is wearing a contemplative “I just woke up” look, and he is also wearing his orange “sunnies” to protect his eyes against the glare of the new day. Mr. T. has slightly tousled sandy hair, a deeply intelligent face, pursed lips, an alert “poised for action” posture and – more than anything – he wants to play trains with his Grandaddy Derek!

“Real” Florida:

I love the above photograph of David and Beks because they are out there experiencing “real Florida.”

Nothing against Disney, but this is the Florida Rebekah and I loved, and tried to expose friends and family to when they came to visit.

When we were dating we would save up enough money to rent a canoe then spend the day at one of the many springs, or on the St. John’s River.

I remember camping in the Ocala National Forest. I ran our canoe into some overhanging trees because I didn’t know how to steer, then watched Rebekah calmly remove the water moccasin that dropped in from the branches.

Blue Springs, De Leon Springs, Juniper Run, Hontoon Island, Alexander Springs, the St. John’s River. De Leon had picnic tables with griddles in the middle. We’d come in dripping wet in our cutoffs and cook buckwheat pancakes while we dried off.

The next photograph in the series tells the ongoing story of Max and my mother. He’s so big he sits at table height and she either doesn’t notice his head next to her plate or she doesn’t mind.

Max is such a comfort and an encouraging presence to my mum. He walks in, he immediately sits down with her or lays down at her feet, and he offers the ministry of calm presence.

New Life:

Finally, a set of images documenting the slow but steady onset of springtime. We still have freezing temperatures every couple of nights, and winter is not quite done, but there is so much evidence of new life.

I especially like the brand new leaves, pushing out and vibrant with newness.

Photo Friday challenge: Keep your eyes open this weekend, and see what signs of life you can document – DEREK