sunday grace: spring

new creatures whirl in from non-existence,

galaxies scattered around their feet.

have you met them?

-rumi

deep sigh.
deep gratitude.
for the beginning of things.
over and over again.
spring in virginia.
in this home.
in this soul.

saving me right now

greenhouse ranunculus.

rose tea.

hydrangeas and poetry.

easter egg radishes.

the wintry forest.

the romping simon.

the frolicking luca.

these jasmine and their promise of spring.

using all the colours.

a week in color {№11}

this is really "three weeks in color".  july was quietly awesome with cool days (unheard of in these parts), lots of down time, exploring sketching and watercolors, the farmers market, and happening upon a secret lotus pond.

creative time at toolry, the amazing artists' collaborative workspace downtown.  having a dedicated space to focus on one aspect of my creative self at a time (which often feels a bit broad and spread thin) lit a spark in me.  and the inspiration continued to glow throughout my weeks.

favorite summer thing:  heirloom tomatoes

favorite summer thing:  peach ice cream.

favorite summer thing:  dahlias.

this is pretty much my life.  except i was going for simon in the background.  simon is not as well-behaved as the queen's corgis.  he fancies himself an anarchist.  here's an outtake:

happy august loves!

a week in color {№6}

we are in the home stretch to spring!  i really do like these transition weeks.  goodbye winter.  even though i love your crisp sunny days and coats and soup and stuff, i am ready to feel the warm grass on my bare feet.

you guys, i am addicted to image transfers.  the block above is my first piece where i am partnering my images with bold color statements.

a sweet breakfast table while on the road.  (red truck bakery, warrenton virginia)

yes.  spring is coming.

my collection of vintage art supplies continues to expand.  i see a giant collection photograph in the making.

the napping simon.

gratitude {№13}

seriously, i don't know how any human gets through life on earth without dogs.  i am so grateful for the love and laughter these two bring into our home.  luca is a wire fox terrier and simon is a corgi.  they fight some days but mostly love on each other.  in the photo above, luca is cleaning simon's ears, a daily event.

we lost our roxy dog this last summer which makes my gratitude for these two lovedogs the deepest of deep.

above the clouds

see those blue mountains in the distance?  those are the peaks of otter.  we're going to climb the one on the right.  sharp top mountain.

when you stop to take photographs or just to be present in the magnificence of this space (or it you need to rest and your camera gives you the perfect excuse so you don't look like a total wuss), the hike to the summit takes a little over two hours. 

in the space of two hours, we walked from the last weekend of summer into autumn.

have you noticed that trails always start out looking like this?  flat, wide, totally doable?  they get you into the wilderness and then they bring out the steep rocky inclines.

for a girl like me, who doesn't really like athletics, hiking is the perfect activity.  you can't really quit.  you can turn around and go back but that still requires some effort.  i find that once i've committed to some distance, i almost always choose to get the reward (the summit.)

hello tiny delicate flowers.

and weird gigantic orange mushrooms.

my tiny buddha.

my other tiny buddha.

a heart-shaped stone.  always a good sign you are on the right path.

they are almost always ahead of me a bit.  this one always (always!) keeps an eye on me to make sure i'm coming along.

halfway there.

and we have arrived at autumn.

imagine what all of those gorgeous trees will look like a few weeks from now when virginia explodes with fall color!  shall we return?

absolutely!