2017 Cruise - Tampa & Key West

I'm finally getting around to posting some of our photos from the last cruise. I've noticed that I often use my blog like a photo album. Since we don't print our photos out anymore, it's really nice for us to have a record. So I'm doing this as much for us as for you.
This cruise left from Tampa, which is one of our favorite ports to leave from. The path to the Gulf of Mexico is a long one and there is much to see on the way.

 I love this little light house.

The next morning after breakfast,

We spent some time on deck. Daniel was painting,

and I may have been staring out at the ocean without doing anything. It's one of my favorite past times on the ship...

When we got close to Key West, the pilot came on board

and a short while later, we were at the dock.

We didn't know what to expect in Key West after they were almost hit directly by Hurricane Irma, but to our delight, it had recovered well and the island looked as beautiful as the last time we were there.

On our last visit we didn't go into the Hemingway house and we decided that this time it was a must!

Of course, being the cat lady that I am, I loved seeing all the six-toed cats everywhere! I think there are 54 of them on the property.

Aren't the colors great?

Cats everywhere - even on the curtains...

and in the gift shop on all the shelves.

Back out on the street, we just wandered around and took some fun photos.

Daniel did a painting of this street. You can see it here on his blog. 

We even put our feet into the water, which was quite refreshing.

I remembered this old theater that is now a Walgreens. Isn't it a beautiful building?

Then it was time to get back on board to leave for our next destination: Puerto Rico, another island hit hard by a hurricane and still not fully recovered.

I'll have pictures of that in my next blog post.

❧ Silke

Last Art of 2017

2017 is coming to a close and we've had a few busy months! I'm still making art right now that is much more realistic than my colorful paintings and I am so enjoying it! I got to draw this beautiful dog as a Christmas gift commission. I used watercolor pencils on Pastelmat paper as a first layer, followed by several layers of colored pencil, a technique I really like.

After I got this finished we went on a cruise to the Caribbean and had the best time! It's such a perfect way to relax and still see a part of the world. 

This time we both took art supplies. Daniel took watercolors and I took watercolor pencils, which I really haven't used very much at all. Daniel painted almost every day and I got two small drawings finished. 

This one is of one of the six-toed cats at the Hemingway House in Key West. I think it turned out alright.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Daniel took a photo of a large hermit crab that I found so fascinating that I had to draw it. Such great colors and fun detail. 

Before I started the commission of the dog above, I was following along on a tutorial about drawing with colored pencils. It takes a good long time, but it's quite relaxing actually.

Now that we are back I want to finish this. It should take me a few more days to get it done. After that I have another pencil drawing lined up, which I can't wait to start.

I'll be posting a few photos from our cruise after I've gone through them all. It truly was a beautiful trip!

I hope you are all doing well as we head into 2018. Our weather has become very cold for the South and is supposed to stay that way for a little while. Other parts of the country are going into deep freeze it seems. And many places are seeing a good bit of snow. I just looked at the webcams in my hometown of Münster in Germany and it was snowing quite heavily.

Wherever you are, I wish you cozy and warm winter days!

❧ Silke

Baby, it's cold outside!

Dear friends! We are cold here in the South! Not really THAT cold, but we aren't used to it. And some of us Northern transplants aren't used to it anymore! Add to that houses that aren't built for the cold and outside heating units that don't like the freezing rain and you can understand that we are ready for warmer weather again.

Yesterday I gingerly crept outside in the front yard (our back porch was and still is a sheet of ice) and snapped a couple of picture of the little icicles hanging from the plants. It was a weird sound when the wind moved through the trees - as though they were made of glass. Luckily, today it will start warming up a little and by the weekend we will be completely thawed out.

And while we all (in this part of the world) wait for Spring, I thought I'd show you some more pictures of places we encountered on our last cruise, where it was very warm and beautiful!

Where the waters were clear and turquoise.

Where the colors were beautiful and inviting.

And where the wide open vistas were inspiring!

I always find that going to different places, taking a voyage, even a road trip clears my head and fills it with new idea. And with possibilities.

I had that thought last night right before falling asleep - one has to allow the possibility for new things to happen.

Last week someone mentioned to me that they couldn't draw a stick figure if they tried. Six years ago, that we me saying that. And when you believe it, it is absolutely certain.

One day I found a blog of someone creative and that changed everything for me. She was a crafter and an artist, and seeing her creative projects, I thought: "I think I might be able do something like that."

And that was it. The tiny space that allowed for the possibility of new things to happen. And what happened after that and during the last five years has been amazing for me.

Being in the portrait class now, I was watching the teacher do a demo on the first day and I thought: "I can do that - just follow the shadows." And when I tried it, I could. It wasn't as good as the teacher's, but it was a fantastic beginning for someone new at this skill.

And now that I've experienced this phenomenon on so many levels, there really is no end to what could be possible.

I have recently made the allowance that maybe I can write after all. Not just that, but that I actually enjoy it. After years of saying to myself: "You can't write. You are a numbers girl," I find that suddenly the words are pouring out of me.

I find myself writing stories in my mind and on the computer. If they ever amount to anything, who knows, but they were there and just waiting to be invited to the creative party.

It makes me realize how much I haven't allowed into my life because of blanket statements of not being able to do certain things. Some people say that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I'm starting to think that that is true.

I still catch myself seeing something beautiful someone has made (the other day it was a gorgeous quilt) and thinking: "I could never do that." That's not really true. I have a sewing machine, I can learn, I have an eye for color, I love fabric, etc. I could do it. But I don't want to invest the time right now. That's much closer to the truth.

And it's a statement that allows for the possibility of new things coming into my life again and again.

Ok, enough with the deep thoughts. Weren't these photos gorgeous?! Daniel took all of them. This sampling was mostly from Curaçao, a place we have now been to a couple of times and could visit again and again. There are many more pictures and I'll share them little by little as the year goes on.

Oh, look at that: capris pants. As I sit here bundled up with the heater going, the humid heat of the Caribbean is sounding pretty good right about now...

I hope some of the warmth in these photos reached you and made your day a little brighter!

❧ Silke