Gone adventuring.

All life is such an adventure.

One square foot of grassy lawn is an entire world.

But there's no denying that travel opens new chapters, 

and I am off again.

Gone adventuring.

Hello, England!

First it was three days in London and now

(pinch me)

Mr. Wonderful and I are in Bath, England.

Oh, dear me. We had the most AMAZING surprise!

I will tell you the full story soon, when I can upload the video, but in all my life I don't think I've ever fallen down the rabbit hole into a wonderland more delightful than I did yesterday along the River Avon.

And Mr. Wonderful just happened to be taking a video on the iPad when The Unexpected happened.

There was a very surprising spontaneous invitation and we leaped straight into a fairytale...

video of it all with the art that was involved the minute I have a good internet connection.

My pencil and pen, brushes and scissors have been flying.

After all, how can an artist resist when surrounded by so much inspiration?

There has even been opportunity to sneak peeks at the sketchbooks of other artists.

Look what I found in the British Museum in London...

pages from a medieval sketchbook!

And now I am longing for the walnut ink I boiled for myself last October.

If you want to know how to make your own walnut ink, I'll share the recipe when I get home, but it's no guarantee that your sketches will be this amazing.

Look at the golden shell this fellow has on his helmet, protecting his ear!

Tomorrow we leave for Ireland, Norway and Belgium.

I will check in again soon and share more adventures.

But for now, pour yourself a lovely pot of tea and sip a cup of comfort,

and think of me, across the sea, where I am doing the same

and thinking of you.

The gift of YES

I promise myself so much every year.

"This summer I will sit in the dappled shade of the cherry tree and paint." But I never find time.

"This is my year for kayaking and sketching the moon jellies."

"And making my own leather travel journal."

"Cycling across our little valley."

But somehow it doesn't happen.

But this year it was different.

I said yes!
Yes, please.

And if you've noticed my absence here lately, that's why.

Munch a ripe peach and let the sweet juice trickle down my arms?
Why yes, don't mind if I do!

Roast another marshmallow? Meander in the garden? Cycle at sunrise? Adopt a puppy?
YES! Why not?

I cycled. Sketched. Painted at the beach.
Snipped under the apple tree.

Kayaked into the sunset. Sketched and sketched and sketched.

Baked a dozen pies. Probably more. Ate more than my share of each and every one.

Lettered all day long without stopping.

And so much more.

Best summer of a lifetime.
Why wait to give ourselves the gift of that one little word...

YES.

Was this the summer you gave yourself the gift of yes?

Let us welcome in an autumn better than any other.

What's your plan? 

Let's plan it, do it, make the dreams a reality.

Make this autumn the one we tell ourselves yes!

Painting plein air in the garden...

Summer painting in the garden is the very best of all.

This afternoon it was strawberries!

 I sat beside the alpine strawberry plants so cheerfully mounded in the garden.

They have lasted weeks beyond the cultivated types.

The piece I painted today isn't finished yet, but oh, was my mouth watering for one of these pastries I ate in a French bakery in New York...

And yes, I did lick my fingers!

I've been busy in the studio and will be posting more crafty DIY videos- it has been far too long since I pulled the old ones down. These will be quick and easy little things you can do in minutes- such a satisfying way to craft.

The ordinary extraordinary

"The only difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one is the extraordinary pleasures you find in ordinary things." - Veronique Vienne

Isn't she right?

And wise?

Oh, the thousands of pleasures of everyday life!

"Is not this the true romantic feeling- not to desire to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping you?" ~ Thomas Wolfe

Let's vow to savor the moments, the ordinary, extraordinary little moments.

They are the things of which eternity is built.

Summer figs

Fresh figs!

Essence of summer...

Don't you just love how real life becomes art?

My baking frenzy and penchant for figs collided in deliciousness

alongside a favorite mug and napkin.

Yum.

Summer afternoon in the North Cascades

The road twisted temptingly and we followed it up into the mountains...

...stopping to linger in fields sprinkled heavily with dandelions...

and admiring the leafy goodness of summer foliage against skies of the most gorgeous blue.

Is there anything more delicious than a summer picnic?

Only a summer picnic complete with cherry pie 

and a nap with a favorite puppy under a leafy canopy.

Do you agree that the best treatment for feet that have been in shoes too much

is a fast dip in icy glacier snowmelt? 

Tiptoeing across a stream on granite and shocking your feet in the chilly bubbles...

Oh, summer, you leave us smiling and breathless!

There is nothing on earth like the mountains near home in July.

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words

in the English language."

-Henry James-

The fine art of the One Hour Miracle Vacation

Do you ever feel the need of a restful vacation but find it completely impossible?

Then it's time for what I call the One Hour Miracle Vacation.

You don't need anything exotic or fancy.

Just go somewhere nearby where you can get outside and hunt for miracles.

Don't worry, there are enough miracles in one ordinary square foot to shock and completely revive you.

Just go outdoors, open your eyes and look for little everyday wonders.

I did it today.

I'll spare you the details but oh, honey, I needed restoration.

And I got it in the ripples on a leaf, the sparkle of water in the sun, the cerulean sky.

Tiny daisies in the grass.

A leaf laying in a bed of moss.

Ocean. Forest. A feather right by my toes.

I found seaweed.

A lovers' bouquet laying on an old log.

A heron gone fishing.

I even glimpsed a spotted fawn and her mama in the dappled sun at the park's edge.

An hour given over to looking deeply and with gratitude at the world around you is an amazing One Hour Miracle Vacation.

And maybe the best miracle of all is the way it leaves you feeling so refreshed and delighted.

Oh, thank God for one hour vacations right in your own neighborhood. 

I challenge you to do it, too...

Take one hour somewhere outdoors and look for ordinary little wonders. 

You'll be surprised how refreshing it is.

What's inspiring me today: the shades of summer

It's the height of summer.

Inspiration right at your fingertips.

 

The shades of summer are the most fantastic of the year, or so it seems to me.

All the hues of July almost sing...

the brilliance of leafy greens and olive colors in our raised bed runs through so many shades and values it defies reproducing.

No less stunning are the  subtleties of succulents, with one plant containing everything from magenta to yellowy green without ever looking the slightest bit muddy.

In summer it's the colors that stun me and send me back to my palette again to try to get better fidelity to the amazing shades of summer's glories here in our beautiful little valley.

 

 

In a few weeks I'll have another artist retreat in my studio, and we'll be painting en plein air... the valley is the perfect spot for creativity, humble and glorious stirred together.

Thank goodness for the long days at this season.

I can hardly bear to close my eyes at the end of day, and find myself dreaming in living color all the night long, happy to wake to another morning of brilliant color.