hello. lummi island & i are getting along fine & dandy. the days are long as summer days should be. and i spend them surrounded by salty air, the sea, a big snowy mountain that towers over bellingham off in the distance, bleached white driftwood and seashells, a pile of pens, paint brushes, beach treasure, wildflowers, deer, birds, and hardly any people.
we venture off the island every other day or so and head south. there are good things there too, but i love getting on the tiny whatcom chief ferry that doesn’t hold more than 10 cars or so and chugging back to this place.
we met charlotte who gave us a tour of her garden. she sells flowers in tin cans from a stand in front of her house. she’s lived on lummi for 50 years. her garden is splendid!
deer are everywhere including on the beach. we put dandelion flowers behind our ears when we went for a walk in the woods. i bought a book at a used bookstore in port townsend about the sound. i read it at night. i would tell you the title but that would mean i’d have to get up and go look.
tomorrow it will rain and i can’t wait. reading napping arting absorbing the atmosphere. the little dirt road down to our cottage is bumpy and narrow. tall grass and maidenhair ferns and wildflowers and a whole entire forest with moss and leaves and earth and deer line the path on the way in and out.
what are you doing off in your little corner of the world? let us know. we like reading your comments out loud in dramatic voices when we travel.
Oh, the sky! The flowers! The pie! My beloved beach roses! The art-making table! And that little snowy hill. Perfection!
Mary Ann, that pie! The flowers! The cooler temps, rain, art making, reading and napping…. Driving home from work today the temp in my car said 108.
Two dear friends, who I turned into crazy art journaling fiends, are flying from Seattle to visit me in Dallas in three weeks — you know their love of me and my art supplies must run deep to voluntarily leave the Pacific Northwest and brave the hellish heat and humidity here.
On a more interesting note, i have a very tall planter in a protected area on my patio that seems to be the Beyonce-maternity-ward-nest for upper class doves in my neighborhood. You see, i have had three mourning doves check into the planter for the last 3 months for back to back birthings of twin baby doves. i’m thinking it’s time to charging for this premier nesting condo. Maybe there’s a dove version of vrbo?
And lastly, speaking of vrbo, i just booked my trip to Buenos Aires for end of August. It’s winter there now…perfect escape to see street art and enjoy cooler weather!
How’s that for a dramtic reading?? Lol.
—kimberly
Love your photos, love your art, love your rambling thoughts….you need to publish a book….or two!
Hi Mary Ann, I looked at your post last night on my iPad but when I looked at it again today (to actually read it!) I was stunned by the photos. They look so much prettier on my laptop! That first one looks like a painting. Maybe your next subject? Anyhow, I concur with others who are giving you high fives for your photo skills.
As for me, I am hibernating for the moment. The heat index is brutal—sometimes going up to 110. OMG! That will take the wind out of your sails. The actual temp is not bad for July on the Gulf Coast—around 90 or 95—but our humidity takes care of the rest of it. So since I am on a forced occupation at home, I have some projects that need attention. I have WW II memorabilia that belonged to my husband’s father who passed away in 1968. So I am making shadow boxes with photos of him and some of his ribbons and assorted other bits and pieces for my husband and one each for his three sisters. It is a surprise and I know they will love them. One of his sisters was only 13 months old when he died, so she has no memory of him and that is very painful for her. I think the box will give her something tangible to remember him by.
I have a ton of other artsy stuff in my craft room and I have been watching a guy on YouTube named Mike Deakin that I really enjoy. He lives in Leeds, England and is a very entertaining fellow with his art tutorials. He does a lot of mixed media things so give him a look if you are interested.
Well, you and Sister enjoy your time on vacay. My son and his family are coming down Saturday for a week of camping out on Santa Rosa Island which is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. There is a Civil War era fort there (Pickens) and has hiking trails, Blue Herons, pelicans and tons of shore birds. The Gulf is on one side of the island with surf and gorgeous sugar, white sands that squeak when you walk on the beach. The other side is the Sound side and is calm and tranquil enough to let a baby play in the water. It is one of our favorite places to camp since it is one of the “wild places” without much commercial development on that end of the island. We won’t camp overnight with them but will go out there a few days next week since it is only 30 or 45 minutes away. Pretty cool to have such a great place so near home and yet….light years away.
Take care and keep those cards and letters (and photos) coming!
Marcia G.
mmmm sugar white sand beaches!
Trying to get my 10,000 steps in a day. Just finding a cool time to do it. Here in the foothills of the Cascades it has been hot so one has to rise early. Mary Ann you got me doing this and now I am a FitBit user. LOL Love your Mount Baker photo. So glad you are having fun. Are you still wearing your FitBit?!!!
great about your 10k steps sharon! i still wear mine, but rarely get 10k steps
Here in So Cal, the weather remains muggy, but is supposedly getting dryer. I hope so, these sorts of days leave me sitting and staring a lot. I’ve finished two paintings, one surprised me, a sample for my tapestry class and am now contemplating using some drawings of odd people I have made over the years for my next tapestry sample. Spinning a bit, as in spinning yarn, not a bicycle. Also, tending to SarahCat who is 18 years old and just had an “episode.” Love your photos – the PNW is a favorite place. Doug, my husband, is from BC, and talks about us moving back. That first photo today jump-started me out of my doldrums. Thank you!
Here at Quail Hill (near Duncan Vancouver Island) we are gettjng ready for the drive to VIctoria Airport (YYJ) to pick up Stephanie who is flying in from Germany! She is actually in the air as I type this. Through the modern maguc of the internet, we sang in Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 3 and 4 and met up ‘for real’ London UK 2 years ago. This will be her 1st visit to Canada and lucky us..we on the Island get to show her our little piece of the Pacific Northwest.
We are also doing the Slow/Go with lots of things circled on the map but if we don’t get to them o well.
She liked my 1 shipping tag a day sketches that Im doing for the #61daychallenge, so I’m putting together an arting kit for her with waterbrush, tiny paint palette, and tags.
Have been enjoying your island tales and photos and sketches from both of you !thanks for sharing❤
fun to have visitors you can show off those amazing totem poles in your town!
Hey girls!
Beautiful photos! And lovely words describing the abundance of the Northwest. My parents finished their college days in Bellingham. I remember climbing up on our roof and spending time eating bing cherries from the tree that hung over the house. Also spent most of my childhood walking on those beaches collecting shells and little pieces of silver driftwood. I live in the high desert now and sometimes the wind reminds me of the ocean waves as it washes down the canyons near my home.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Looking forward to your new online course.
Best to you, Nan
cherries on the roof. what a wonderful memory nan 🙂
Koma Kulshan is the Indian name. It means Great White Watcher. Love your photos and descriptions of all you see.
Such stunning photos! I wish I were there. I don’t feel well right now. Had a fall and hurt my back and it’s painful.
I’m trying to figure out a way to visit London without being overwhelmed by the crowds, noise, etc. as I was during this past vacation. I am not tremendously outdoorsy, so I’m cautious about going somewhere where I’ll need special hiking shoes or a walking stick! I am open to suggestions.
Enjoy, enjoy!
London has wonderful parks….Hyde Park is huge and near the Victoria & Albert Museum, most of the museums are open one evening during week, too. There was a new Museum all about the History of London built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, it is fantastic. There are many neighborhoods on the West side of London, ie Richmond that are quiet and easy to negotiate (not as crowded)….you can walk along the Thames, in this neighborhood. Oxford & Cambridge are day trips. I hope this helps. We visited there this Spring
Hi, Holly–thanks for responding! I did visit Oxford and also Charleston House in Sussex (did not want to leave!). I will definitely look into your suggestions. I think I was in Hyde Park, but that was in the 1980s!
so sorry about your back sandra. hope you’re feeling better soon. holly’s ideas sound lovely
What am I doing…
taking care of business literally, so that I am ready to go with peace and enjoy our vacation in early September. I love traveling off season.. for the quiet and slower pace. We (my husband and I) are headed to Seattle and Canada, specifically Vancouver Island. I hope to find that a nice balance between go and slow on our ventures, but knowing that I am the go and my husband the slow, it will indeed be a balancing act. Your travel post are always good for a push in that direction. Thanks for that, enjoy your adventures, and please continue to share and inspire.
Your photos are stunning! Reminds me of my visits to Orcas Island where we stayed at the Beach Haven resort in a cabin on the water. Deer outside the picture window, the sound of water lapping along the shore, peaceful quiet lovely days, roaming the island and others or just hanging out. I’m sure you are enjoying every moment.
yes oh yes jan!
Just recently we have discovered the perfect vacation balance of rest/GO. Maturity, methinks, is a great teacher.
We are off this weekend for a roadtrip to Paducah, KY and Nashville, TN. Quilt Museum and knitting event are on the agenda as well as small town donut shop taste testing.
Rest. Go. Rest. Go. Donut.
here comes a big high five!
sweating….heat index is over 100* in Richmond, VA……good for indoor sewing, reading, and preparing fabric for dyeing…..
will send you a bit of this cool air!
It’s a muggy day here in MD and they promise us a heat wave of hot and humid. Such is life on this coast. But today I’m going to court with a young woman, giving her moral support and emotional back up. She’s doing what is suggested but there is so much fear when one is doing the right thing after doing the wrong things for a while. Court she can face but it’s the Child Protective Service woman who puts the fear of God in her. Sometimes having an older woman as support when you are facing down beauracracy is a big help. It lets the caseworker know you can’t bs me because I’ve been that beauracracy myself and know. Sometimes when a person is dealing with this kind of overworked caseworker, it helps to remind that person of why they went into the field. Follow the law but do it with compassion. Prayers of support gladly accepted – for me and my friend.
And all this week medium iced coffee is on sale for 99cents at Dunkin cause the Orioles are playing at home!. I’m not a baseball person but love this promotion. To cooler days ahead!
Prayers for all Maureen! Prayers, and more prayers!
Pass me an iced coffee, would you?
me thinks, more perfect! ;o)
Mary Ann, your photography skills just get better and better all the time. Stunning photographs! The light, especially. I am so glad you got some great sunny days, and hopefully a rainy day too, which are my favorite, truth be told. To live in the PNW you must love the rainy days too, and they make you appreciate the sunny days that much more. Four real, distinct seasons. Just perfect. I love the paintings I see here and there too, and darn you, with that pie! Now I want pie!!!
It has been just as lovely south of Seattle too. I can’t believe how many times today I said out loud, to the dog and myself, how lucky I am to live where I do. Today at my pond (just out my back door) I have seen a lovely doe, who seems to think she is queen of the land around here. I saw two grey herons, ducks, barn swallows, chickadees, robins, bunnies, doves, peacocks, hummingbirds, and of course the usual farm animals. And of course, the majestic Mt Rainier just off in the distance. This morning, as most warm mornings, I woke up to yet another hot air balloon with a Mt Rainier back. I visted a local organic farm that I am a “member” of. Every other week I go there (daughter and I share the membership so she goes the other times) and pick up fresh fruits and veggies, herbs, and cut flowers. I may put a video up of it tomorrow on Instagram if it turned out. On the way out from that farm is the most incredible view of Rainier with flat farmlands spread out in front of her. Sigh. Doing a little art here and there. Today I cleaned my art space off to prepare to do some watercolor tomorrow. It was a disaster. Husband is leaving Friday to go fishing in Alaska, and then my vacation begins. My vacation is time alone and not having to cook every night. I just graze when he is gone.
On a sad note, my cat (Peanut) has been diagnosed with kidney disease🙁 Also, my dog and cat have fleas for the first time since I have lived here, and it has been a battle! Ugh. Working on it. In the past week, I have spent half a grand on vet bills and flea remedies! Feel for me. So, I may have to hold off for awhile to take your fab new class. Might have to be a fall/winter creative outlet. So, my dear, you should never encourage me, at least, to tell you what I have been up to. I do go on, given the slightest encouragement. In real life though, I am not wordy at all. Weird, that.
Enjoy your moist weather day! Hope you see whales!
sorry about peanut 🙁 so sorry…