It's All About The WHIMSY!

California Adventure part 2...

Things I did while on a whirlwind trip through southern California..

Enjoyed a tasty beverage at a sidewalk cafe in Pasedena with sister Judi and dear frined Ginny..also made a visit to Zinnia which was of course fabulous!

An evening of art journaling at Gina's house..would you look at that washi tape stash!  

Oh such creative fun!

Lovely ladies at Flora Bowley's class

Celebrated Judi's birthday at a fabulous Malibu restaurant, Savory.  I'll not tell her age..

Birthday girl!

Antiquing..I really think she should have bought this hat!

And a stop at the French General!!!

Somewhere in the afternoon there was:

**an accidental wine tasting,

**a visit to the LA Library( wonderful!),

**lunch with #1 Son

**and a fine dinner provided by my brother-in-law prior to departure back east.

We wasted not a minute..needed a day of sleep to recover..

I miss my bbs..

California here I come!

Off to Los Angeles for a long weekend!  

To visit with these crazy ladies..

Gina and sister Judi

and the lovely Ginny

All talented beyond measure and more than a little amusing.  No lack of

whimsy here...

 

and take a workshop with Flora Bowley!  WOO HOO!!

I will also have a chance to visit with #1 son!

Thank you brother Jay for the great photo of Ben which I "stole" from your flickr page...

Must go...adventure awaits!

Birthday celebration!

This past weekend I celebrated my 29th birthday again...yes well not exactly true...I have reached the age of 59 in the blink of an eye!  How did that happen?  See that fabulous cake?  My dear daughter Katie made it from scratch, yummy!

She and her boyfriend Nick study the recipe for the lovely dinner they made for the celebration, quite the cooks!

A dear family, great friends, good food, I am blessed..

 

We ended the evening with a sky lantern launch !

Up and away!

 
I am so thankful.

But really...most days I still feel this old.

 

 
 

On Loss..

My dear Father-In-Law passed away last week after a long struggle with cancer.  We will miss his smiling face, never ending optimism, words of encouragement, Sunday afternoon phone calls...and the beautiful music when he played his saxaphone... 

 
Kenneth R Kalina

11/18/27 - 9/7/11

 

"May you continue to inspire us:

To enter each day with a generous heart.

To serve the call of courage and love

Until we see your beautiful face again

In that land where there is no separation,

Where all tears will be wiped from our mind,

And where we will never lose you again."

John O'Donohue

The boys of summer...Part 2

 
A few more adventures with the boys of summer!

Dell's Lemonade at Mystic Aquarium, a local treat!

The first, ever, taste of lobster!  They loved it!  A little uncertain about watching the whole steaming them in a big pot..but they gave in after the first one went in.

The daily afternoon swim to cool off.

Isn't this a beauty?  Experienced the bird house in Mystic, AMAZING!

Spent evenings in the studio making masterpieces!

Aunty M's busy creating!

Some serious talent here!

Farmers Market goodies..Aunt Icey and Robbie..

the bread never made it back to the house..

Traditional front porch farewell photo...

I've been advised that next year's Auntie Camp has been increased to two weeks...Awesome!

Love these boys!!

The boys of summer...Part 1

Meet the boys...Robbie and Pat,  my nephews from the Midwest who came for a week of adventures by the sea.  In what is now officially known as "Aunt Camp" we rambled far and wide in the tiniest state of the Union.

Day one adventures included a trip to Newport and a chance to play on the lawn of the Breakers Mansion.  They loved the tour!  And the Gift Shop!

Scrambling on the rocks at Beavertail State Park along the Atlantic coast, investigation tide pools...

We managed to stay "mostly" dry...

Posing at the Beavertail lighthouse with My Sistie Ugler Mary, Pat's Mom. She was "assistant camp councelor" for the beginning of the week.  

And of course some retail therapy in the Village of Wickford!

Love the paper hats at Different Drummer!  Stay tuned for day 2!

Another studio tour!

 

Brother Rob is an amazingly talented Renaissance Man, not that I'm partial or anything...really: a woodworker, a musician, an artist and more.

Here's a glimpse inside his happy place.

Check out his blog:

http://robertkleeman.blogspot.com/

You will be amazed!

Happy 4th of July!

Lest we forget the significance of this day in the midst of picnics and barbecues..

Preamble 1	When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
2.1	We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
2.2	That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
2.3	Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed

 

And here's to Brothers who blow things up in celebration of the 4th!  They are quite a team!

May all their launches this afternoon be spectacular!  Wish I could be with them!

 

Happy 4th of July!

Kindred Spirits

While roaming across the country the past ten days I had the pleasure of spending an entire day with these two lovely ladies

Gina and Judi, my sister.  They are my inspiration!

Judi has a fabulous studio where we spent the day making books and playing with art materials.

Hard not to be inspired in these surroundings!

I wanted to steal this entire arrangement and take it home with me...jealous..

What's not to like? Right?  

And some yummy refreshments too.  Thank you ladies for a wonderful day.  I do miss you both!

Blessings and Bravery

My very talented and lovely "big" sister Judi gifted me with this gorgeous handmade leather bound book some time ago.  Sometimes the sheer beauty of the object makes it so very difficult to open the book and actually write something in it..know what I mean?  Will whatever marks I make in this measure up to it's wonderfulness?   And so it has sat on "display" for quite some time gently calling to me...OPEN ME, Paint in ME!  Write something down PLEASE!

 Yes, I do think books can talk.

Well there's no going back now..

I have finally bravely jumped in!!  Believe me, this was not easy.  

I love the shape and scale of this treasure.  I feel blessed just holding it in my hands.  Thank you so much dear sister for your gift and your inspiration!