It's All About The WHIMSY!

Missing in Action

I have been a "bad" blogger of late...and I apologize....Daily life is a cycle and mine are in large part regulated by the furry creatures who live with us...

Mateo, our diabetic kitty has been struggling of late and vet visits are an almost daily routine.  He is doing better with IV fluids but each day is a question mark....He used to be a rather large cat of 17 lbs.....now a shadow of his former self at 8 lbs.  We do love him to pieces and it is hard to watch the decline...

This is his "I have to go to the vet again?" face...tomorrow another visit to the vet...

I am thankful for each snuggle with him...

I blinked and an entire month was gone!

Where, oh where, has summer gone??

Travel has been constant for weeks..

Flying away just like this Outer Banks gull.

 

 

Just back from the Outer Banks where I spent the week

with all these people..

 

 

Meet the family...yes there are quite a few of us..

We like each other so much that every three years we spend a week together at the beach...pure joy!

Squeezing in a little painting time was difficult...

 

Happy to be home but it is WAY too quiet...

Re-entry is always hard...

Here, there and back again

                                            I've been traveling!

 

Certainly not a tree native to Rhode island..how lovely!

 

Sunny southern California to visit

my equally sunny sister Judi

 

and number one son Ben and his girlfriend Drew.

 This photo is from Drew's graduation reception at the

Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

She is one very talented artist!

This is part of her gallery wall-AMAZING!

And she graduated with honors to boot!

 

Spend two wonderful days with these lovely ladies

Gina and Judi

There were shopping adventures and yummy food.

 

 

And peaceful calm on Judi's glorious porch

 

 

We even squeezed in the Long Beach Flea!

Judi and I reflected in the port hole..

we did some damage here...enabled shopping but such fun!

 I don't think we really got much sleep!

 

Early morning play in Judi's studio-she's a wizard with a drill!

 

 

There was much in the middle that was left unphotographed.

 Many fabulous meals,

quality one on one time with my son, 

a memorable evening at the Magical Castle in Hollywood.

Sometimes it is wonderful to be in the moment

rather than observing through a camera lens...

Thank you all for the memories, I'll be back soon, I hope!

 

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky!

As I was blissfully (read  ignorantly) settling in to the reality of my 60th year...My DH and the Sisty Uglers had cooked up a little surprise for me..  

Here they are hiding in the corner of our usual Friday night tavern spot..

and they are a lovely sight to behold!

Katie, Lisa, Mary, Me, Judi

All flew in from across the United States for a weekend of celebration and, well, craziness.  It happens when we are together.....we can't help it.  My first thought after I wiped away a few tears and regained my composure was - Oh dear!  I don't think I have enough wine!!  Not too worry, DH had made preparations.

This is the SPECTACULAR stamp set they gifted to me.  Fabulous!!  If you're wondering, found at Bliss Farm Antiques in Massachusetts. 

 

 

There was shopping..

 

Silliness..

 

 

Shopping...

 

 

Oh dear, Alex and Ani...shopping...

 

A visit to the Farmers Daughter..you may notice several of us are wearing the same coat...that was the shopping..

 

Did I mention we are very silly when we get together?

I am so, so thankful to have each and everyone of them!

Auntie Camp part 2

But wait there's MORE!

Choose a really hot and humid summer day and go pick blueberries!  Then come home and eat as many as you can..

The next really hot day visit the butterfly pavillion at

the Farmer's Daughter. It was wonderful..Did I mention it was hot?

Kayak Wickford Cove and explore an Island, thank you to Morgan and Carol for that treat!

Go shopping with your Aunts..

model hats for them...

offer to carry all the bags!

Love up another animal...

And reluctantly say adieu until next year...it was grand!

it's sooooo quiet here....

Ah, Auntie Camp 2012

 

The second annual Auntie Camp has concluded!

..and what is it you might ask?

 An annual gathering of two nephews from the Midwest who come to this small New England coastal village for silliness, beach days, art and history...and lots of animal love from my menagerie.

 What began as a week long trip has now evolved into a grand tour of three weeks !

It all started with a road trip cross country from Chicago to Rhode Island..

with a brief stop in Cleveland to visit friends

attend a baseball game and eat cotton candy..

visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

then on to the East Coast.

 

We have established a few rules for Auntie Camp.  

1.  We brake for Dell's Lemonade 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  We beach every afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Inside Scoop once a day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Eat Lobster and go to a movie..or movies

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...act silly at movies...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Collect treasures to take home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Play in the studio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Love up the animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow...

Where did July go?

July disappeared in a flurry of travel and activity.  

Time to catch up with a few highlights.

Sisters!  I have four! 

 And each and everyone is an amazing, talented, extraordinary woman.

It is a rare that we are all together in one place as we are spread out across the country.  We reunited for a few days in Chicago during July.

 

There was much silliness, some memorable dancing, and little sleep with late night conversations.  It was the best time!

How I love them all!  

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.