Cape Cod Memories

"My soul is full of longing

for the secret of the sea.

And the heart of the great ocean

sends a thrilling pulse 

through me"

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

We travelled 1,800 miles …with the view of spectacular colours of Autumn {sigh}

pumpkins and charm everywhere :-D

lots of beach walks

and beautiful homes

"For her the ocean was more than a dream,

it was a place she needed to visit to find herself.

And when she returned to the city,

you could see 

the sun in her eyes

the wind in her hair

and taste the infinite salt on her lips"

~Jose Chaves~

I think I love the ocean

because it's calm, beautiful, infinite.

But also angry, harsh, and magnificent.

And that intrigues me.

A {few} visits to Ben & Jerry's was a must

 as I had my wisdom teeth out a few days before leaving … 

Strawberry Shortcake ice cream {which is my favourite B & J flavor} was a wonderful treat!

A tour of the Ben & Jerry factory

yum

life & art ...

Coyote

***

 visitors to our little  cottage garden

have been wonderful (art) inspiration & each spotting is as magical as the first!

It's hard to believe that in a city garden you can have Coyote/Crows/Fox/Owls 

These 4 are painted on wood and embellished with ribbons and trinkets, but I am working on turning the images into cards :-D

Crow

Fox

Owl & leaves from our Maple tree 

making waves

***

I always wonder about the origin of the beach glass/mermaid tears I find along the lake.

What was it before it shattered and the water took it for a journey … softened its jagged, broken bits and returned it to the sand?

Looking down at a handful of gathered  coloured glass, rubbing my fingers along them and turning them between my thumb & finger is a walking meditation. Peace & Serenity in my hands.

"What were you, before the water took you by the hand … what lessons did you need to learn before returning to the sand?" 

Walking a new painting into existence.

Last week, along with beach glass,  I found some amazing "talking stones". I refer to them as talking stones as I see very clear images in them that speak to me. They are utterly fascinating... A crow with open beak, polar bear, bird, mouse, a woman … (images can be found on my Instagram). That day I had a very heavy gathering bag :-D

 I have had lots of ideas floating around and have  been happily painting away.

I won't be adding any new pieces to my Etsy shop this month which is on Vacation Mode starting today until November 1st, but  "making waves" will include a few pieces of beach glass with every print.

"we return

 to each other

 in waves.

this is how 

water loves"

~nayyirah waheed~ 

through the fields ...

"the clearest way

 into the Universe

is through a forest

wilderness"

~John Muir~

***

Happy October 1st!

Temperatures have been all over the place here in my little corner of the world. Turtle neck, jeans and boots one day... shorts, t-shirt and flip flops the next.

I was looking out my kitchen window this morning enjoying a cup of tea and all the birds in the garden.  Our  hanging baskets of red geraniums are still blooming & because I had a fresh block of suet and a spare suet cage, I decided to hook it over the shepherds crook that holds the geranium which is just outside my kitchen window. It has become a little birdie hangout! They absolutely love it and I think maybe it's because they can sit in the flower basket instead of having to hang onto the suet cage.  Another huge bonus is the squirrels haven't spotted it! They have been known to knock the suet cage off the tree branches and drag it away! I was watching a woodpecker on the suet cage and a male cardinal in the flower basket eating all the fallen suet  The female was watching nearby, sitting on a garden chandelier we have hanging in the middle of the pergola. A Carolina wren was walking up and down our lilac tree(we now have 2 in our garden) , three of the feeders were filled with Sparrows, two turtle doves and a chipmunk were on the grass below eating fallen seed , and 2 blue Jays (we call the Blues Brothers) were on the deck eating peanuts. And then ... a hummingbird flew to the geranium, then rested a moment on the bird feeder hook and off she went! What a wonderful way to welcome in a new month!

I hope your corner of the world is filled with magical moments too.