A month in pictures- part 3

For the last part of my so-called summer break I (Alex) headed back to my hometown which I always look forward to-- who doesn't love going home?

1. Something in the kitchen

Don't these look good enough to eat?  Nothing beats the bright reds of a bowl full of strawberries.  Many of you probably know how I feel about things in the kitchen in general.  The best part about strawberries is that most of the work is done outside where I enjoy being much more.  I have grown up picking strawberries every May since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  It is just family tradition to pick berries together during the last couple weeks of May.  This year I about missed it though.  Due to the very warm spring my mom started picking strawberries in late April-- this is unheard of.  Luckily I made it home in time to pick the last few berries of the season.  Beyond the experience of picking the berries (I usually eat at least one for every three or four that end up in my bucket), it is also a great opportunity to spend time connecting with others.  I invited one of my friends who just happens to be my neighbor over for the evening and enlisted her to help me pick (that's right I invite people over and put them to work-- maybe I should work on my hostess skills).  We had a great time chatting as we were picking.  Later that evening my mom and I convened around the kitchen to stem and freeze the strawberries.  I have many great memories of the family gathering around with strawberry juice running down our arms as we stay up late into the night to put up our harvest.  Of course in addition to picking strawberries there is the pleasure of eating strawberries.  One of my favorite breakfasts is waffles covered in fresh strawberries and whipped cream-- amazing. 

2. A number

I guess I could say 4 is my favorite number and it is also my favorite lane on the track.  In high school if you had the fastest time coming into the race then you usually started in lane 4.  This probably wasn't my start lane for many races but I remember in grade school when I would go down to the track run I would always pick lane 4-  at the time I didn't realize I was running farther each lap around the track but that didn't matter.

3. Nature

There is just something about a golden field of wheat.  While I was home wheat harvest started-- Memorial day weekend.  Yet again this is unheard but due to the warm spring it ripened up early.  I didn't grow up on a farm or have ever been directly involved in harvest there is still an excitement and anticipation that runs throughout the entire community during wheat harvest.

4. Something historic

I already wrote a blog about my adventure through southeast Kansas but here is a picture from watching the presidential motorcade when President Obama visited Joplin, Mo.

5. Adventure

As usual, I'm always on the lookout for my next adventure.

6. Noon

Throughout this picture challenge I really had no idea how to take a picture to capture "noon".  I just happened to be across the street from this courthouse then the clock struck 12pm.  For some reason this picture reminds me of the movie "Back to the Future".