Swamp and Gator Pictures

I am still not quite in my groove yet, but I thought I'd better show you some photos before it feels like yesterday's trip to me. Wow! So much is happening and I can barely keep up. But more of all that later...

For now a picture heavy post with many alligator photos from an adventure that was amazing!! Pictures were taken by all four of us and some of them Jim and Tia took on the second day when Daniel had to take me home because that bug I caught was really bugging me...

Not much explanation is needed, so just enjoy...

Alligators were everywhere! Our friends, Jim and Tia, counted over 120 of them the second day...

Tia spied this gorgeous barred owl on the second day. My aunt and uncle took a boat tour in the swamp the morning of our arrival (they were coming back from a road trip to Florida) and they actually saw the owl hunting.

After a long day paddling, our nice big campsite was a welcome sight!

Foil dinners... yum!!

And me feeling pitiful already. Good thing nothing keeps me down for long... all healthy again!!

Tomorrow, I'll have some more photos for you of Savannah and also Fort Sumpter we visited in Charleston yesterday. 

Checking in!

Well, dear friends, we are back safe and sound from our adventures in the Okefenokee Swamp, our friends have left for their home in New Mexico, and our minds are still spinning with all that we've seen and done in these few short days.

I will have amazing photos to share with you, as we saw more alligators on this trip than we've ever seen before and the weather was simply amazing! Truly an incredible adventure!!

However... I picked up a little bug along the way (better than picking up a gator, right?) that had me out of commission for a whole day and then some.

If you click on the photo, you can see an alligator in the picture.

So I'm going to take a few days to fully recuperate and get my old energy back. And when I do, I have much to share with you!

I hope you are all doing well!! I've sure missed connecting with you all...

Another Pastel Sketch

In between getting our house ready for our guests and tomorrow our house sitter and getting everything together for two days of camping tomorrow, my pastels were calling to me. Very persistently!

So, I gave up and did another quick little sketch. These fast drawings are fun for me. I don't have much time to think and they often turn out quite expressive.

Well, tomorrow we are going to the Okefenokee Swamp to canoe and hopefully see some alligators. I would also really like to see some snakes, which last time we didn't at all. We'll be camping there as well, but a little outside and in an alligator-free zone. I've been nervous about it for the past few days, but today I feel excitement and I think I'm just going to go with that. Last time we went, we had a wonderful time and I expect the same for this trip. Plus, we get to share it with good friends!!

I'll be sure to take lots of photos and share them with you when we get back.

In the meantime, I've really missed checking in with you and am looking forward to doing so again very soon!! Wishing you a great few days!!!

Illustration Friday - Stir

As she reflected on her future, hope began to stir within her. 
 Pastel drawing, 7 x 10 in.

It is curious to me. I lived without painting for 42 years of my life and never missed it. Now, if I go for one week without painting something, I have serious withdrawal.

So, just now, I took 15 minutes and did this little sketch - only with pencil at first, but I had a craving for color. A serious craving! But because I need to keep the guest room tidy (more friends coming to visit tomorrow), I took out my pastels instead of my paints.

Oh, how I love them! I had forgotten how satisfying this somewhat messy medium can be. At the end, I loved the sketch as much as the pastel dust covering my hands, and I felt ready to tackle the rest of my busy day!!

Wishing you a great Monday!!

Blossoming Changes

As spring is exploding here and everything is starting to blossom, I am feeling some changes budding in myself. It always seems to happen after very busy times. And often in the spring - after hibernating through the winter.

At first I only have a vague sense of something shifting and something new emerging. Ideas and suggestions by others (often Daniel) have taken root and are starting to emerge. And then, suddenly there is more clarity. Does that happen to you? 

This morning I woke up and decided to take a very beginning drawing class at SCAD, an idea Daniel and even my dad and sister had mentioned to me a while ago. Back then I wasn't ready. Now I am. I'll sign up on Monday and if I get in will start on the 28th. I'll keep you updated.

I also decided that I want to pay more attention to myself, including my appearance. That may sound shallow, but it isn't. I feel like I have really developed creatively and suddenly it seems that my outside doesn't match the inside anymore. I've become much more playful in my inner life and somehow my outer self hasn't caught up.

I tend to not put much thought into what I wear and how I wear things. I find some things that are comfortable and I wear those. I have many things in my closet I never wear anymore because they take a little effort to put together with the right kinds of accessories. I tend to wear the same earrings, the same necklaces, the same scarves. So....I want to take my closet and look at it with artist eyes and start making full use of it. Even though that means that I might actually have to iron more (not my favorite activity). I'll let you know how it goes. 

As part of that whole change (and I don't know how that fits in), I want to pay more attention to all the beautiful things that are out there, especially on blogs and Etsy. I want to spend more time delving into this creative community, being immersed in it and sharing what I find. Exactly how I am going to do this, I don't know yet.

My aunt, uncle and cousin who were visiting are all on their way and enjoying warmer climates for now (Florida and Mexico). The visit with them was great fun and we enjoyed every minute of it!

On the bird front, the bluebirds have started flying into the bird house with nesting materials (I'll have to put out a few of my yarn scraps for them to use). How exciting!! This morning I saw the cowbirds sticking very close to them, though, and I hope they won't lay an egg into the bluebird nest. I did read that the bluebird house openings are usually too small for the cowbirds and I hope that's true.

Wishing you a most wonderful weekend! I'm looking forward to catching up with some of your blogs today and tomorrow!!