Caught Redhanded

Aging

Here is my entry for Illustration Friday - the topic this week is "Aging". Inspired by this photo, it's just a digital manipulation.

Andee's Tree

My friend Andee in Germany is an amazing photographer. Be sure to visit her site - it's wonderful. One of her shots inspired me to do a quick sketch. Here it is:

March of the Penguins

I took Luke to see a very powerful movie today. The March of the Penguins. Let me just say I hope never to return in a future life as an Emperor Penguin. What an amazingly hard life they live. The movie is a National Geographic documentary about a year in the life of a clan of penguins... how they travel by foot for over 70 miles and choose their mate for the year, the amazing love they seem to share for that short time and the pride and sorrow they go through as parents... how the father penguins share equally in the struggle to protect their offspring, the hardships they endure, the journeys they make for food and the survival of the chicks... and yet, in the end, it seems like it's all worth it. Really, a beautiful movie.

Tranquility

I have started painting again this week after oh... almost 20 years off. I'm really enjoying it. I was up until midnight last night painting these two and when I was done, I looked in the mirror and I can't tell you how happy I was to see my face covered in blue and green speckles. I think I am more excited about that than I am about the paintings. I've decided to put the first on in Illustration Friday.

My New Home

I painted this as a creative visualization tool to find my new home in Edmonds, Washington.



My house is an affordable and adorable older (early 1900's) home with charm and character, a front porch, fenced in yard, a fabulous fireplace, a cook's kitchen, is light and bright and has amazing happy energy. There are sidewalks and it is in walking distance to Luke's new school and to the coffee shop and art gallery too.

Everything is lined up and I'm just waiting for my home to go up for sale, waiting for the universe to guide me to it. It's out there just waiting for me to find it. It really is, I know it. (Soon, Universe, soon, ok?)

Two Angels

Today Luke and I had to go to Seattle and parking can be bad where we were going and so when we were almost there I asked Luke to ask his angels to help us find a parking spot - and he answered back "I already did, Mom". I had to laugh. So I asked mine too and as we pulled into the garage where there is rarely a spot mid-day... there were two spots, side by side, right by the door. One from his angel and one from mine!

Red Stars

Luke woke up this morning and told me he had a dream. A dream about red stars. That he went to see them and he touched one and he brought it back for me. But it was only a dream, Mom. So sad.

Painting, Kayaking, Safari

I painted a picture:



We went kayaking:



Our little friend came to visit again:





I made the biggest, heaviest charm bracelet:

More Secret Garden

Got more plants in the ground and released 1500 ladybugs last night.

Troll Mania

I've only got myself to blame... I put a story about a troll into my kid's head a few weeks ago while we were stuck in a 3-hour traffic jam and now it's troll, troll, troll... everywhere we go.

Here is Luke with our local Fremont Troll, the subject of most of my story. The finger up the troll's nose was completely his idea... I swear it. I don't know where he got that idea, but he wasn't leaving until he managed it.





And here is a side of Luke I've never seen in person before, but thanks to Frank's new camera phone, we get a glimps into the life and times of... this:

More New Jewelry

We Are Moving to Edmonds, WA

I've decided where we are moving to: Edmonds. Once my dream home goes on the market there anyway. It will be soon, and I can't wait. It's the closest thing to a little seaside village that I'll get where Frank still has a reasonable commute to work. It's the kind of town with art galleries, boutiques, coffee shops, sidewalk cafes, an old fashioned movie theater and flower baskets hanging from every light post. They have a beach and a bird marsh and a ferry and a train. There is a huge art festival there every year and lots of performing arts and nice restaurants. There is a great marine education program for Luke. It's going to be wonderful.


Here is Luke enjoying the ice cold water of the Puget Sound: