Ist Kayak Trip of the Summer

Toni and I finally took to the water this morning after months of fretting about how our aging bodies would handle getting in and out of the kayaks. Over the past months we have tried to think of some kind of pull-bar arrangement that would help us to our feet, but couldn't come up with anything. We finally decided that we should just go, and let the chips fall where they may. As it turned out, we managed the task fairly well. That is to say, no one fell in the water. Being a chipper 65 to Toni's 70, I landed first so that I could help her if necessary. I made it gracelessly to my feet and onto dry land on the second try, with surprisingly little difficulty. I pulled Toni onto the beach and she managed to push her hind end up onto the back of the kayak. From there, she took my hand, stood up, and stepped out. With a triumphant hug, we loaded the kayaks into our individual cars and headed home.

The weather was perfect for our voyage, sunny with a little breeze, not too hot. The water was like glass until we got to the lake at the end of the river. There it was a little choppy. We floated along, rocking with the movement, and I wondered if that might be the way it is in the womb......at least before the fetus grows too big to move freely. It's calm and soothing, yet little by little the first stirrings of boredom creep in. The urge to move on gets more compelling and eventually we put the paddles into the water and start to take control. I suppose that's like the fetus, too, moving into the birth canal without any clue about why, or what lies ahead. The only impetus is to change what is, even if it means going into the completely unknown.

I thought I was working on a good analogy there, but to compare embarking on the process of birth with the process of not knowing how to get out of a boat is a bit of a reach. I better leave it at that.

Landscaping the Chicken Pen

Actually, I bought this bush to give the birds a place to wait for their turn at the feeder. It turns out to be quite a curiosity for the chickens, though, as well as sprucing up the area. I hope it will survive the ride in the back of my car and then the transplanting process. According to the tag on it, it is suposed to be very hardy and forgiving of poor soil. It's amazing how it perks up the area with its little white blossoms. There was another one at the nursery where I bought it, and if this one makes it through the next week, I may buy that one, too. It's a lot of bang for the buck.........

Speaking of which, I left my pocketbook in my cart at the dollar store and somebody stole it. Luckily I had left the car key in the ignition and my camera on the front seat of the car, along with my wallet. The thief got nothing but a $2.00 pair of glasses and a set of useless keys.

Good-bye Fern

Fern is the first horse I got acquainted with at the shelter and yesterday she went to her permanent home. She was adopted after being rescued in February. What a wonderful feeling it is to see her brought back to health and go to a good home. The shelters facebook site is being overwhelmed by comments from those of us who volunteer there. You can almost see us all jumping for joy with tears in our eyes. Every one of us are so sad to see her go, yet so full of good feeling about her getting a permanent home.....and so overwhelmed by our own complex emotions. One thing we all agree on is that we are getting more than we are giving out of volunteering there.

First Finch

Considering this is taken through the window, this seems like a pretty good picture using the zoom on my new camera. I have been bemoaning the fact that no goldfinches were coming to my feeders. Then, lo and behold, this one appeared as I was getting back from my walk with the dogs. I grabbed the camera quickly and got him. I hope this means his friends will come in the near future. I like the sparrows that have been out there, but the color of the Finches is so beautiful..........

New Guy in Town

This is Petey (not my idea), the latest rescue at the shelter. He's a hackney pony, very cute and loveable unless he's eating. He prefers privacy when at table......

Lupine Painting and supplies

I did this painting of the Lupine on Dog Island with acrylic on paper.....I'm hoping the gallery downtown will take it even though they want watercolors. It's water media after all...........

My supplies came yesterday.....bye-bye money, but hello art materials. Now I have what I need to keep going for quite awhile. It doesn't look like much for what it cost, but it will last at least a year. As long as I don't use the brushes for acrylic, they will survive many a painting. I tend to leave brushes dirty, usually standing in paint water, but eventually they escape. If they have acrylic paint on them the dry into rocks. It's a reason for sticking with watercolor and oil, but sometimes a girl just has to branch out.....

Out of the Kill Pen

This is Najii, an Arabian Andrea rescued. She's riding him for the first time since he came to the shelter. He was sick and a bag of bones.............it's inconceivable that somebody would abuse and neglect such a beautiful animal.....

Today's painting

It was a beautiful day, but I didn't feel like being outside. My mind was on painting, since I've just ordered a huge supply of paints, paper, etc. Everything was depleted, and I made some money at the show in Bangor. The order hasn't come yet, but I had bought a small supply of acrylics last week and I decided to use them. I've been wanting to get back to acrylics.......I look at my old ones and think they look good. Now that I've tried them again, I realize that it isn't the medium that has changed. It's me. I just don't paint the way I used to. Anyway, this is what I see through the windshield as I drive into the driveway. Straight ahead is the door into the shed. The dog fence is coming toward me, right next to the neighbor's half-built deck. Between the two is Diana's house. I love the shapes and angles. I can see that I need to straighten out the edge of the foreground house, but otherwise I am pleased.

It occurs to me that progress, or at least change, is inevitable. I should never have thought I would paint the way I used to just because I went back to acrylics. Still, it's not quite oil, either. Have I come to see things differently, or is it that I have changed the way I use pigment and brushes as I pile up paintings behind me? Whatever, there is nothing I can do.

Dog Conversation

New Bike and Garden Update

Shrouded with the delusion that I was much younger than I am, I bought this bike (my kayak in the background). It's just like the one I had in fourth grade....a blue Huffy. It has no gears, no handbrakes. I have managed to keep up pretty well with the advances in technology in most areas, but I have to admit I have not been able to master the bicycle we once called "English Bikes." Eastport is full of hills, so I wish I were able to take advantage of these newfangled things. Without gears, I am almost sure to be thwarted in any attempt to use the bike for transportation. I saw myself cycling to the IGA, possibly with a wicker basket strapped to the handlebars for the groceries I would buy. Probably the groceries included a long loaf of French bread. So far I've ridden it up and down the street in front of my house twice, sweating and puffing from the effort (the street goes slightly down hill and then back up again).

On a more positive note, my garden is certainly fulfilling its promise. To me it is the showplace of the neighborhood.

Another positive note ought to be the fact that I sold three expensive (for me) paintings at the show in Bangor. I felt rich for about two days, dreaming of all the purchases I could make, all the bills I could pay off. It was as if I could have everything I wanted.........new furniture, rugs, a printing press, etc. I couldn't think of what to buy first. Sensibly, I finally went on line with the idea of replenishing my art supplies. After all my painting of late, I need everything......paint, paper, canvas, brushes, ink. After I had gone on line to the discount art supply site and listed what I considered the absolute minimum, I was astounded that my tab was almost five hundred dollars. I made myself click "buy" though, knowing I would regret it later if I didn't take this opportunity to get what I need. So, along with my new bike and my new camera, I am back where I was four days ago. In most ways it's a relief. I have my toys, and now I can get back to the business of living my life as I live it. Money is a distraction that I have always found very intrusive and obnoxious. I am happily back where I want to be.