My Secret Garden

Ever read Nancy Drew mysteries as a child? You probably didn't if you were a guy, but I found the blonde, sometimes redheaded, Nancy appealed to my sense of adventure. Thinking about her hair color, we also had that in common!

I probably owned 20 of the original 56 books written by various people using the pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. I remember having a hard time putting her books down. I'd turn on my light after I was supposed to be asleep and become one with Nancy Drew.

Taking photos of four year-old Cassie the other day while she explored my yard, started me thinking about secret gardens. I thought there was a Nancy Drew mystery titled, My Secret Garden, but when I Googled to find it - no luck. Perhaps I was thinking about The Password to Larkspur Lane or one of the other mysteries in which a secret garden was mentioned.

Amazing what the subconscious holds. Perhaps the influence of those childhood mystery stories were the unconscious inspiration for what has become my "secret garden," a hideaway with lots of perennial flowers, weathered benches, and trickling waterfalls.


With the foliage maturing, helped by all the rain, the garden has evolved over the last four years since we re-landscaped. It now looks as though it's been there for years. Just the right place for little girls (and big ones too) to pretend they've found a secret garden. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Adventure

The places I've been and the things I've seen... through my lens - all because of the beautiful children who've crossed my path in the last couple weeks.

First it was Barrett, just about to turn two, and a young man with his own ideas about adventure. He saw all those boats and thought, "Hey, at my age I should be seeing the world - or at least what's at the end of the boardwalk at Percival Landing. (Olympia)

Next it was grandson Ben, another almost two year old, who came for a visit and insisted on taking me to Pioneer Park. (Puyallup)

Then it was three week old Julian who was not so sure about the adventures I had planned for him. However, once in the safety and security of mom and dad's arms, he was just happy to nap and it didn't matter where. (Bonnie King Photography Studio)

True adventure comes when photographing a two, three and four year old at play in their own backyard complete with playhouse, swing set, and grandpa's 1957 Austin Healey! Grace, Ricky, and Spencer kept me hopping!! (Auburn)

And tonight, I get to take care of my other grandson, Micah, whose mom and dad are off on adventures of their own. To reassure his mom, Micah made this video for Kendall. To see all the familys' photos, visit www.BonnieKingPhotography.com