After a bad two weeks, this is Brooklyn offering a paw in consolation. She follows the paw with a dance - ever hopeful, always encouraging. My much loved old lady.

The Westover. Evil thing but I have to admit she displays elegance when she needs it. Or when I do.

In support of Father's Day, I did a deep dive through family records and came up with a couple of families with pictures of fathers with their children. If the photo had kids but no father, I didn't use it. There were a lot of them.

So here they are, starting with probably the most important.

The Stanfields. Cooper Stanfield and his second wife stand in the back. In front are his children, L to R: Nate, Hugs (aged up), Eric, Rayne sitting on floor, and Wyatt on the far right watching his sister with befuddlement.  Cooper was an inconsistent father, occasionally unfaithful, and although he’s made amends with his wife, not all of his kids have forgiven him.  One doesn't care; one thinks he's a jerk but so what; one is pretty much oblivious; and Rayne, who sits in front, defends him fiercely and blames her mother (who had an affair with her bodyguard so Rayne does have a point).  Now that his youngest daughter is growing up, Cooper tries harder.

Cooper and his daughter Rayne, eldest child with wife number two. Rayne's boyfriend at the time, Jimmy, is sitting back on the stage where he is safest. Father and daughter are close. Rayne is very protective of her father, something he doesn't always appreciate.

Cooper, his daughter Harmony (Hugs) and her mother. This little girl is her father's great treasure.

Slim Savage and kids. From left to right, father Slim, eldest son Will, and younger son Garrett. Slim was Cooper Stanfield's former best friend - very former since the friendship cost him his business. His son Garrett is dating Hugs Stanfield, the daughter of his dad's former best friend. Joint family events are avoided. His son Will plans on taking over the studio his father had to sell in a joint project with Camilla Lombardo (which should be challenging).

Ryan McDermott and his son Riley. Ryan had a torrid but brief affair with his employer Cooper Stanfield's wife. He got fired from his job as Cooper's wife's bodyguard as a result. Riley's mother died when he was a baby leaving Ryan to struggle to take care of them both which became even more difficult after he was fired for sleeping with his boss's wife. The owner of a local brothel and an old friend decided to help him out. Whether or not that worked was never resolved. I think probably not. He was pretty full of himself.

I probably have more photos stored someplace but it's been a while since I looked at it, opened the drawer so to speak, and none of this is new. Hope this entertains and happy 1-day late Father's Day!

Working on a couple of things one of which required a park with a path through autumn trees. It's been a bit harder than I expected, and I'm out of practice. Plus, it's been difficult to think about anything but Ukraine. Sending hope and thought and whatever else I have to the people fighting there.

The Overlook, Western Archipelago

50 Years Earlier

(Post 4 - the last one)

She started to mount the bike then paused, one hand on the fender, contemplating something, her expression uneasy.

She straightened, faced him and in a clear and serious voice said, “Don, my life has changed a lot in the past two years and much of that change is due to the help you gave me, the training you pushed me to take with Tony, the time spent learning something completely different about myself. I never dreamed I’d pick up a sword for example. Look at you though. You’re reaching the end of your game and you know it. The axe women are using you now, not the other way around, and it doesn't end there with them. You have to deal with it.”

He wasn't in total denial. The time and place she'd chosen surprised him though. Now? She'd had years to try to talk to him about a life he knew was looping around and around, going nowhere. Moreover, he thought he had more time than she believed he had. "Don't give up on me yet. I can still walk and talk."

She paused, then with more force changed the subject entirely. “Don, I’ve wanted to say this, to warn you, and this is my last chance. Beware of the Westovers, both of them. Admit what you know but don't want to recognize. Remember this was the last thing I said, it means that much to me."

Whatever happened in his future, he’d handle it when it happened, if it ever did, whatever ‘it’ turned out to be, and although he thought he knew who she was talking about, he honestly didn't understand. He wasn't going to leave her like this no matter what she was trying to say. “Don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself. Rip a hole through that place and whatever lies on the other side and think of me when you're doing it. Once in a while anyway.”

She turned the big machine out onto the road and, as quietly as she could manage given what it was, burned her path away, going south, going toward the ferry and the last island in the archipelago. Going to the Gate Rock.

He knew he’d never see her again. He would miss her.

(Thank you so much for reading this.)

The Overlook Western Archipelago 50 Years Earlier

(Post 3)

“Everything in order?” she asked.

“It’s all there. The swords, the bows, the clothes, the ropes, everything. You should be able to push or pull it all through the gate. The power almost dragged me in this morning.” He paused then said, “You know I’m willing to go with you. I may be able to get you back again and you know that doesn’t appear to be possible otherwise. We don't know why but it is what it is. Again, I'm offering.”

She shook her head. “We’ve been over this, Don. You’re not a neutral presence. I don’t want to make decisions based on you, what you think or what you need or how someone reacts to you. I’m going alone.”

Don said, “Last time, you know, but you know what you're doing.” Then, because it was irresistible, he added lightly, “Speaking of how people react to me, you know you’ve destroyed what’s left of my reputation.”

She stepped closer, took his hand and said solemnly, “I’ve burnished it, not destroyed it.”

He smiled at her. It made no difference now either way.

She turned and headed toward the bike. “I'm going to have to go. I’ll have to drive like a bat out of hell to get to the Gate before the power drops.”

“An appropriate metaphor,” he said. She caught that, the bat from hell herself, and they shared one more short, quiet laugh.

The Overlook Western Archipelago 50 Years Earlier

(Post 2)

"Well that was ridiculous. I don’t understand why he even showed up or why she didn’t cancel. She has to know what he’s been doing. And the catering? The chef alone must have cost a fortune. What do you think they paid for all of this?”

"I don't know probably a lot. You know, maybe she doesn’t care. She didn’t seem surprised, and she’s a pitiful actress. She spent most of her time for the last year up at the lake doing something while he ran around here. She doesn’t care, or she’s stupid, or insane, and probably not insane.”

They giggled.

The topic changed from the cost of the event to recent mysteries. "What do you suppose she’s been doing up at the lake? Nobody we know lives up there. Tony has that training camp where he does some kind of target practice or something. His wife isn't up there with him from what I hear. That whole thing is weird though considering the other woman who's supposed to be her friend but might be her sister that Don might be seeing. Anyway, what has she been doing up there?”

“Maybe Tony's been giving her practice taking down Don.”

"Oh I can just see that. I hear he trains people how to use bows and arrows and axes. Can you imagine her with an axe? She couldn’t even lift an axe. She’d cut off her own foot!”

He watched. He waited. He kept his mouth shut.

Behind him, a familiar voice said, “They’re right about the axe.”

Swept by sudden relief, he turned and smiled at her. She stood by her bike, one hand on her hip, lace half gloves on her hands, ready to go.

“We all have our weaknesses,” he teased. “They wouldn’t be laughing if you drew your sword.”

“I wouldn’t bother. I won’t lie, I won't be sorry to see the end of them.”

“I hope you don’t land in the middle of something worse but I doubt it.” They laughed together.

They knew each other well, knew what hurt, knew what didn’t, and knew when to laugh or leave it alone. They’d kept a lot hidden - the nature of their relationship, the training at the lake, the research on family and genetics, and the long nights at the Gate Rock after they discovered what it was and decided what to do about it. Whatever she was going to face, she’d gained power and skill in more than weapons in the last year. She could take down most of what they believed was there. He knew she could.

The Overlook - Western Archipelago - 50 Years Before.

(Post 1) In the beginning the wedding had been planned to take place in the pavilion across the street from the mansion. It had taken both of them months to carefully calculate the time, the distance, the maximum energy they could expect to generate from the Gate and how long it would stay strong enough to use. Holding a ceremony in an open pavilion would have given them no way to escape in time. They’d insisted on a night ceremony behind the house instead. They’d gotten it. Of course they had. The bride should have what she wanted after all, particularly since she was marrying the town cad.

As planned, the wedding had blown up, exploded, collapsed, sunk into a hole in the ground and steamed. Bad Don had left the helpless hopeless useless (except for her money) would-be bride staggeringly alone. Dumped her. Ran off down the yard – okay walked fast. She hadn’t visibly cried but people assumed she probably would. Later. In private. That was going to be the story - broken hearted, she ran off to console herself so don't go looking for her, not for a long time. It was going to work.

He waited in the shadows behind the trees and bushes as he tried to hide, to watch for her, and to run interference if it became absolutely necessary. The streak of light in the sky was a great sign. Power was at its highest. It was taking longer to get out of here than he'd hoped though. The caterer, the event staff, the waiters and cleaners had rustled around in confusion for a while. The last of the guests had finally marched away discussing the catastrophe. Well most of them had. The two with the most to gain or lose hung around, waiting for the chance to gain.

What he could hear from them was funny at first. He knew what they were going to say and could have quoted them before he heard them say it. It had stopped being amusing. It was total bullshit in fact. Some of it was his fault for being who he was, or had been he told himself firmly, and some of it was simply inexcusable bitchery.

I stumbled on this while looking for something else. Camilla always seems to find me and in a bad time, that's a good thing.

The woman in the middle is her brother's wife. Camilla will kill her. Literally.

Thank you Camilla

I've been taking a break for a while for various reasons (life always growling around a corner and jumping out of the dark of course). Somewhere along the way I decided to create a place that was supposed to be small and easy to use because I wanted to do something other than stare anxiously at everything that crossed my path. It does not appear to be working out that way. The first pic of the dog looking judgmentally in my direction is pretty much on target. I have an ominous feeling about this. Looking on the bright side, I discovered things I definitely do not want to use, probably ever.

I hope everyone is well, staying safe, and finding ways to see beauty.

I found some old shots of Camilla with her little girl Hailie and one of Hailie right after she aged up from toddler. They're not very good including the one of child with hand in bowl and child glaring at foot of stairs but I'm posting them anyway. Hailie seems to help make things all better.

I love the sweater. @shastakiss thank you for the yeti. Your yeti is one of my absolute favorite things and cheers me up every single time.

Hugs Stanfield's MoodBoard by @ch4rmsing. Thank you for portraying in pictures what I've seen in words.

Flying Into The Wind Stanfield Family: Hugs

Link to Wordpress: Hugs Stanfield

The Ten Things About Hugs: 1. name: Harmony Stanfield (Hugs)

2. hometown: South Beach

3. favorite food: ice cream cones with chocolate and peanuts

4. favorite color: pink

5. favorite weather/time of day: sunset

6. favorite drink: sparkling water with strawberries

7. currently reading: The Golden Compass

8. career: ballet dancer

9. if she had one wish: no more animal blood sports

10. thing she loves most in the world: family

11. one word to describe her: gentle

12. something else: unafraid

Harmony Stanfield is the daughter of Cooper Stanfield, front man for the band Mercury Rising, and his second wife Elise. Her father started calling her Hugs as a toddler and the nickname stuck. Some people thought it was cute, some thought it was odd, and her neighbor Jaegar Lombardo laughed and teased her relentlessly about it. She struggled with enough drama in her life to put that laughter very high on her list of monsters.

She has no opinion about the nickname now one way or the other. Like everything else she's grown up with, there's no way to retroactively change it. Not even Jay Lombardo can go back in time.

Flying Into The Wind Lombardo Family - Jaegar (Jay)

Jay's Moodboard by ch4rms.  Thank you - you captured him completely!

Link to Wordpress: Jay Lombardo

Jaegar Lombardo (Jay) is the older of Camilla Lombardo's two children with Heydon Mitchell. He was born in a time of relative peace in the Lombardo family - Camilla's two brothers were still living; Gabe had not yet disappeared; Camilla's friends were muddling along, some muddling better than others; and Camilla's brother Tony's wife, Jay's Aunt Eden, was safely murdered.

His father Heydon Mitchell and the band were slowing down as everyone aged and young children were born. Things were pretty much okay. It was a good time to have a strange kid.

WCIF Teen Girl Jeans or Shorts-Barefoot

I've been looking for these for a couple of years and have found nothing but pj's, and those have block feet. Is there anything like that available? Casual pants? Bloom 'sexy' feet? I posted in MTS a couple of years ago (wow time goes fast) but got nothing, and there may be nothing.

Thank you!

An engagement

Poor Kestral has a connection to the WestOver family (the family of the woman Camilla Lombardo had killed), which was never a problem before, and Kes doesn't know it, so ignorance is sometimes close to bliss if one can keep the door firmly shut against that knowledge.

(Third time this month I have had serious problems with a child and a rental car and I'm about to yank that blissful door off its hinges, so posting a thing on tumblr instead. Or at least before. This is old. I may have posted it before. My own door is rusted shut.)