A new Christmas tradition

Belated Christmas greetings from Cancun! I hope everyone had a delightful day, filled with peace, joy, laughter, good food and good friends and family. Or peace and quiet...whatever you desired.

We decided to do something different this year and came to the beach. So odd on one hand to spend Christmas day among palm trees, lazying by the pool and enjoying umbrella drinks (the girls love virgin pina coladas). I'm really thinking that this should become a new Christmas tradition. There are enough hotels here to allow staying at a different one each year for quite a while.

Enjoy the photos! 

A stroll around the lake

In between bouts of rain, I slipped out for a stroll around Cove Lake yesterday. There were legs to be stretched, fresh air to be breathed and a bit of solitude to be found.

 
These mountains are visible from my parents' backyard. The cloud display has been magnificent these past few weeks. As have the sunsets...when it wasn't raining, that is.

My original plan had been to follow the path that rings the lake each day...gather a leaf or two and possibly a discarded feather or two. Rain and days spent at the hospital prevented that.

When the sun peaked through the clouds and a bit of blue was visible...well, it seemed the perfect time and place to offer up a most heartfelt thank you to the dogs above. All is well. And that is so very sweet.

Wednesday morning

As usual, I woke before the others in the house

and decided to stroll down to the beach

 to see the sunrise.

Along the way, little things caught my eye.

Patterns emerged. Some man made.

Some not.

Those were the best.

There were birds,

jellyfish,

shells, 

tide marks,

stones,

footprints

and feet.

 There were waves that caught me unawares

(and soaked my sweats up to my knees!).

 

And waves that gently caressed the shore.

I even saw a star

and found treasures to bring home. 

How has your morning been?

Oh! Tomorrow is Roy G Biv time again. We're up to I = indigo. As indigo is a tricky color, feel free to interpret it as you choose (meaning that if you're like me and forget to search for indigo, blues of any sort are more than welcome). Enjoy!

Beach week

My family has gathered in North Carolina for beach week. The sun has been shining, the temps are hot, the water is cool...all is as it should be. The beach is working its magic with me and will hopefully sooth away the ennui that had been plaguing me lately.

I rose this morning just in time to fix a cup of tea and watch the sunrise play with the clouds.

After time at the beach and pool, after 2 bike rides, ice cream, lots of family and down time, I snuck away for a few minutes to experiment.

This journal of khadi paper yearned to go for a walk by the water and then...

decided to take a little dip. Thoroughly drenched (yes, both of us courtesy of a sneaky wave), we ventured back to the house to change 

into something a little rusty....the book, not me.

I'll see how it looks in the morning. Who knows? A little tea may be just the call.

Night all.

3rd Annual Artist Retreat - Saturday

This time last week, I was still in Oz. The last day of our artist retreat had arrived. Pieces were hung in preparation for a Skype show 'n tell with our friend Julie back in Virginia. The studio was neatened, no more rust laying around on the floor. Packing had begun Friday night.

Before the Skype session, I had a bit of time in the annex. Just me, my camera and Pam's wonderful water.

Honestly, I could have made a day of it in the annex just taking photos. The length [16 feet] combined with the body of the spun polyester is perfect for replicating the undulations of waves. Add those that Pam created and I swear that waves crashing on the shore could be heard in the distance.

Pam - Envision an installation of sorts where you walk into a room to be greeted by wave after wave of water moving across the floor.  Just a thought...

With Esmerelda and Cecil looking on, we'd arranged our work in a way that we hoped would give Julie a good idea of what we'd been up to all week.

Pam and I found ourselves standing back and being amazed at how her water and my rust compliment and, pardon the pun, flow together.  Our previous work didn't.  Could have been my very bright color palette. Now...well...now we can see the joint exhibition taking shape.

Then the computer rang and the show 'n tell began. Lap tops do come in handy.

It was great fun to stand back and watch Julie's reactions, listen to her questions, answer a few myself, etc. All too soon, it was time to stop. Pam and I were off to town to shop for my little urchins.

That night, I went back down for one last look, one last visit. Standing alone in the studio, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and offered thanks to the studio, the muses, the house and all in it for the week, the magic, the friendship, the haven, the heaven that was our 3rd Annual Artist Retreat.