carol is winging her way back to the prairie as i type this. she left early this morning. bah. i’m back to my solo ways. but in her honor i made my way to the market this morning for greens for tonight’s supper. i told her i’d go for a walk tonight. i guess i better keep my word.
a couple of days ago she pruned some of my trees and shrubs and made an arrangement from some of the branches. if you know the name of this purple-flowered shrub above do let me know! i used to know but forgot…
here are our twin sketchbooks. they’re playful mish-mosh capture-what-you see type of sketchbooks. no “finished” visual journal type pages. quick draw and splishy splashy paint, but many left sans paint. i’ll take pics of the whole thing and post soon.
the cards on the front are by emmy lou packard – wonderful artist from mendocino who studied with diego rivera/frida kahlo in mexico many moons ago.
the north coast will be with me until i leave for guatemala and have a new landscape etched into my imagination. my mind is soft and malleable. easily influenced by place.
right now i’m soaring with these pelicans about 6 inches above the water.
the cool water feels good on my wings.
i miss watching the ocean change colors from aqua to navy blue. we snuggled up in our blankets outside each night to gaze up at the milkyway. count yourself lucky if you’re in a dark enough part of the world to see that swath of starshine this time of year. i am not here at moss cottage, but one day i think i would like to be.
right now i am watching monarchs flit through the oak branches. they’ve been very active today as they migrate south. i think they really begin in earnest in november, so these must be early starters. we saw hundreds of them along the coast while on our grand tour of california. diving, soaring, delicate, but strong.
hope you’re well. happily immersed in some delightful passtime. the days grow short. eventually they’ll cool. even down here in LA. we’ll all hunker down for the season. except i’m planning to keep moving. i just finalized my november trip and am nearly ready to commit for december. i’m on the trip-a-month plan.
it’s a shame i can’t be content to just be still in the home i love. but i am restless. ruled by possibilities.
it’s nice of you to come along for the ride. i like your company. see you soon.
“Ruled by possibilities” that is the perfect mission statement for all that you do. I LOVE that !!
These shots are just Gorgeous,,,!!!!!
Will you share information about the camera you used here And also the one used on your Awesome lily shots…??
Thank you in advance.
Lay back and look up….you are in the lap of Mother Nature,
Or so it seems from here.
BTW, I’m so glad you are on Sabbatical!!! I needed it….HA!!! Suits my gypsy soul….
Hugs,
~sass
I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear that you saw many Monarch butterflies on your travels!! I have not seen any here in my little part of VA and I plant my gardens to feed the pollinators and to help the butterflies make their passage south. Thank you for sharing all of your photos and your butterfly news!! makes my heart happy!!
What a wonderful trip! Excellent photos! I am waiting for “our” next trip! Thank you for taking us along.
I think someone has already answered, but your mystery plant is the delightful Duranta … loved by butterflies! I’m having such fun following along on your travels.
We call that flower in Australia “Geisha Girl”. I love watching your travels and enjoy looking through your lens into where you stay and what you explore! Love the trip a month idea!
I love this trip and anxiously await the next. The night skies have been incredible here in the foothills of the cascades. If I am not out on the deck I am laying in bed watching all the action. Travel on friend, travel on.
I almost forgot you’re on sabbatical. School’s back in session but you’re not. Hooray for you! I like your Trip-A-Month plan. Keep sharing with us Stay-At-Homes. We’re having so much fun.
I’ve so enjoyed this Moss sister trip. Love all the photos of the two of you having so much fun. I really like the juxtaposition of the shot of the ocean through the barbed wire, suggesting that people keep out! Your trip a month plan seems to be working out very well. Can’t wait for the next one.
tagging along with you is pretty darn wonderful Mary Ann. Your photos are always captivating and you are a master wordsmith in the re-telling of your adventures. Seeing the world through your eyes is something I look forward to and hold dear…..Star shine…indeed…gotta go way up north to be truly blissed out by Ma nature’s night light show but when I am fortunate enough to be there; looking up is one of my favorite things to do. The shores of Lake Superior offer a stretch of sky and water that can almost keep up with the mighty Pacific…the only thing she lacks are the tides…but she can do other tricks, like cover herself with a spectacular coat of ice in quite an array of blues and greens, in the winter and make it disappear come spring. She doesn’t do it every year though, she is sneaky that way. 😉
Your blue flowering shrub is Duranta, Saphire Showers, according to my sister who has a couple of huge ones in her San Diego butterfly garden. So beautiful, especially with Monarchs and Swallowtails flitting about.
We were thrilled to see the Milky Way the same night we watched the Pleiades meteor shower. I still don’t get how we can see the Milky Way and also be part of it.
By the way, killer shot of the ocean, river and barbed wire.
I think it is so wonderful that you have a sister who shares the same loves in life that you do. Special! It’s also wonderful that she is looking out for your health:). Listen to sis, Mary Ann. She loves you, and so do we. Those purple flowers are soooo pretty! Cannot wait to see the inside of the journal and I love the front cover. Exceedingly awesome. Nice long drawn out video? Hint hint! I too have been wondering about, and admiring those red edged labels for quite awhile. They add such a wonderful touch. Every day I check your blog to see what you have been up to. You always have so many interesting things to say and to look at. Feasting…
This may seem an odd question…but where do you find those stickers with the red borders like the one on the left twin sketchbook ? I’ve seen them pop up in pictures of your journals and I love them but can’t find them in stores!!
hi rachel,
my nice friend sara berry gave me those old red vintage sticker/labels. you have to lick the backs. go on etsy and do a search. there are old boxes to still be found all over the place. i love them and have them in 2 sizes.
Ooh thank you!!! 🙂
A place where you can see the ocean AND the Milky Way! Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!
The last time I was able to see the Milky Way I was in Tuscany. I was so surprised — we were out in the middle of nowhere, as much as you can be, in Tuscany, in an agritourismo where I bet no more than 6 vehicles went by in the 20 hours or so we were there. But still — in Italy, which is hardly unpopulated…..
We ate supper with the owners, and then walked “500 meters!” back to the building with our comfy room on a road so dark it was hard to see the edges of the road.
And overhead the Milky Way……………..
I hadn’t seen it since I was a kid, when I could see it from my aunt and uncle’s farm………………..
Last month I went to the Planetarium in Chicago. They told us that we could do a MUCH better job of lighting what we need to see, while putting way less light into the sky (and save energy in the bargain). It would be nice to get to see the Milky Way more often……………
as for the flowering plant…. I learned form a friend last night that there’s a app for that… just had to say that… any way… she used an app to identify flowering plants which she doesn’t know the name. I’m sure there are many different ones. Sad to see you trip is over but there’s another one waiting in the wings.
Your writing is lyrical, Mary Ann, and I love your travel journals. One of my favourite blogs of all time – thank you.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful journey with us ~ you have the wonderful knack of conveying mood and feeling so clearly and simply.
Safe and happy future travels ~
http://kaiserpermanentehistory.org/latest/emmy-lou-packard-wwii-shipyard-magazine-illustrator/
This is an article about Mary Lou Packard when she worked as an illustrator at the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, CA during World War 2. Very interesting story.
I think the little purple blossom edged with white is Sky Flower, Duranta, one of the Verbenaceae….kind of hard to tell on the phone screen, so don’t go betting any big money on my answer….hugs, sharron
Sharron, could it be hardenbergia?
oh you clever woman…that’s it!!! i will write it down this time.
it’s been an outstanding tree-like shrub and the flowers are exquisite!
I am incredibly lucky to be able to live in a place where you can see the night sky (at least when it is not raining). I should take more advantage of gazing upward at it. “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” Galileo
Aloha, Kate
Thanks for taking us along. I am a big fan of sister trips. Armed with the skills and ideas you shared in Sketchbookery, I am going to a local artist for 3 days of watercolor instruction beginning Monday. Travel on, travel in safety!
sounds fun sylvia!!! watercolor is captivating…