Autumn's Arboreally Cool Falling Leaves

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

~John Muir

When I shared this tree with you in September, I thought I was showing you one tree, but a closer look tells me that this is two -- perhaps three -- trees after all.Several trees that have been growing side by side for years in Valley Forge. Through sunlight and snow. Providing shade for walker after walker . . . Covered in leaves . . . and covered in no leaves at all.

November finds my tree(s) nearly bare of leaves. But beautiful still.Especially in the early Autumn dusk.

Check with Julie, for more cool trees.

Well, hello Miss Sophie!

Sophie sleeps a lot. Her mom says that she sleeps about 23 hours a day. Sophie's dad was a good sleeper too. So I consider myself very lucky to catch this flash of those lovely blue eyes.

Halloween brings folks together

While I'd have gotten around to posting about this at some point, it was the prompt of Elizabeth that prodded me into doing it now . . . . when it is relevant. Check out her blog for links to more Halloween fun.

In January, I was invited by Dede Warren to participate in a Halloween round robin with four other women -- the first time I'd been asked to share in this sort of fun and I eagerly accepted!I chose a Book of Shadows as my theme -- a witch's journal of sorts.This is my spread.

What fun to work in all the books and to see the art that came back in my own!

Although we live in many parts of the country, I have met almost everyone who participated in this RR , and I count them all among my friends. I have learned so much from each of them!

(I am sharing everyone's work in the order in which it appears in my book.)This is the spread that Keli created in my book. I adore this woman's work, her choice of colors and material, her patience and generosity, and her laugh . . . as well as her spirit. I have learned so much about spirit from Keli.The next person to work in my book was Dede. Dede and I met at my very first art outing, and we've been good friends ever since. I've stayed at her house and she's stayed at mine, and rarely does a week pass when we don't talk on the phone, even though we live on opposite coasts.From Dede I learned that there is no point in merely keeping a lucky rabbit's foot when you could keep the entire rabbit. And that it's good to paint your house inside and out before company arrives. (She actually did this.) Oh, and that you don't have to share blood to be sisters.

Next, my book landed in Texas, with the only member of this group that I have yet to meet face to face. Mendy is a fellow dog lover, a teacher, a wife and mother, and a terrific artist. This is her lovely contribution to my book.From Mendy I learned that even mermaids can soar!The last person to work on my book (or really the first, but the one who chose the last pages) was my dear friend e.b.. Above is her spread. e.b. is the first blogging buddy that I ever met in person. I will never forget taking the ferry across Lake Champlain toward her house and being met by her walking down the dirt road, carrying flowers.

e.b. and I have been friends ever since, and she was my first (but not my last!) experience of people being just as they seem to be on their blogs. e.b. taught me to let the art take me where it will.

Thanks friends for the gift of your art and your friendship and yourselves.Wishing you all the elements for a happy Halloween!

xo

Great Pumpkin Express

I spent the afternoon on a haunted train with J & K and their sweet little family.

The ride took about 90 minutes and the cars were filled with costumed kids and their folks.

Oh, and some ghoulish characters passing out candy and Halloween greetings.Kiran loved the M&Ms . . . . . . but he wasn't so sure about the witch that passed them out.Sophie just slept . . .and slept . . . and slept, through the entire afternoon!Arrgh!

Art and The City

I was fortunate to spend almost a week with two of my best girlfriends last week.

That's us in the middle . . . okay, not really, but hum along.

Yes, this happened to be when my grand daughter arrived, but still we managed to fit in a ton of art.

The first thing we did was to shop a local flea market. Sorry, no photos; we were too busy shopping.The next day we went to NYC. To Metaliforous, M & J Trims, to Tinsel Trading . . .We visited many NYC stores, but the most notable was this one - the secret stash.An amazing store and incredible mess.I bought this (plus, plus, plus!).and made this -- a total copy of my good friend Karen Cole's work.

More to come . . .

And GO PHILS!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Sweet little Sophie arrived safely last night. Oh, the places these feet are going to take her!

This is where it all happens . . . (such as IT is)

I feel very fortunate to see my studio featured in the fall issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors Studio.Especially since I'm featured in such 'neat' light.
Things don't always look like this around here.
In fact, they rarely do.
But you might understand about that.

*photos by Roy Groething.
Check me out here.

Some things change . . .

Today was Kiran's mom's last day of work . . . for the foreseeable future.Which is perfectly understandable, as her second child (the eagerly anticipated Sophie) will be arriving in the next few weeks.
I'm looking forward to Sophie's arrival mightily, I'm just not eager about removing the Kiran stamp from my Thursdays.
It's not like I will no longer be able to spend time with this sweet, helpful kid, as his folks only live 15 minutes away.
It's just that Thursdays have been our day for the last year and a half.
Our day to do whatever we want . . .
Chatting with friends.

Kissing them. (I swear this goat is smiling, and I also swear there was a Purell bath after this kiss.)

Embracing them.
Savoring old friendships.

Sharing jokes.
Watching for squirrels.

Not everything changes.

Squam was the interval

Our Squam adventure actually began in Charlotte, Vermont, when e.b. picked us up from the airport in Burlington.
While in Vermont, we shared time hunting for hole-y and striped stones on the shores of Lake Champlain where Elizabeth and her family live.As guests of e.b. and her family, we were treated to all the comforts of home as well as the fruits of fall.A trip to Shelburne Orchards yielded apples that led to . . .
a delicious pie baked by e.b.'s charming son Boone
and cider doughnuts for breakfast.
Evening found us wandering this calming labyrinth, which was just the thing to get us in the mood for Squam . . .where a cabin on Squam Lake was the perfect setting for what was to come.An evening bonfire with the music of Jonatha Brooke warming the chilly fall air . . .walks through the woods for meals and classes . . . cozy evenings by firelight with friends . . . We looked with our hearts . . .
and we saw them . . .
everywhere.
Our paths were lit by ice lanterns . . .
carved from the lake.
Our cabin ice-boxes were cooled by the same ice, kept over the summer in this ice house.We witnessed beautiful sunsets
and skies filled with stars . . .
lots of stars.
And we danced with our shadows at every opportunity.
We skipped stones (or at least watched Isabel skip stones).
And we marveled at how seamlessly art melded with nature.
Yes . . . the interval between a yawn and a sigh.

Sigh.

What did I do in New Hampshire anyway?

All three days of my Squam experience were spent in Nina Bagley's Step Into the Story workshop.

While I have taken a class from NIna, I've never made jewelry before. And frankly, I don't wear jewelry that often. But, I do love Nina's work. And she is an engaging, generous and animated teacher.

I learned a lot.

And I'm really happy with the piece I left the workshop wearing. I've had many compliments on it since.But this piece would not have been possible without my comrades, as you can see.

I shared my Squam experience with e.b., Isabel, and Karen . . . along with new friends.

It was magical.And yes. I am going to get back to my pile of photos from Squam. It's just that this was easy. Going through the photos is a little like taking an eye test: "Is this one clearer . . . or is this one?"

I've Been Away . . .

. . . and it's so hard to shake the fairy dust from my hair. Actually, I don't want the magic to end.I came home from Squam with more than 600 photos.

Bear with me as I sort through them.

"Do you think I could get a picture without the dog in it?" she said . . .

Well, that's a reasonable request, but it's not as easy as you might think.This is just how things stack up when K is here.There is always a dog (and his blankie) in the background.Or the foreground.And we kind of like it that way.

So, I PhotoShopped Atticus out of the picture . . . but just for the framed version.

Arboreally Loving This Tree . . .

Julie Prichard over at The Land of Lost Luggage and JeriAnn of Commuter's Journal are hosting their second virtual photo excursion. This year, their theme is "Getting Arboreal: A Nature Collection. The idea is that participants will photograph a single tree during the weeks of August 23, November 8, and April 4.

Okay, I'm a little late.

But, this is my tree. I'm afraid I don't know what kind of tree it is, but I will find out.

It sits in Valley Forge National Park where thousands of people walk past it every year. (See the walking trail to the left of the tree?) You can view these images even larger if you click on them.

I doubt that it was around in 1777 when Washington's troops were camped on this land. Most likely it would have been cut down and used to build a cabin or burned as fuel.This is not the first time I've taken a photo of this tree, and clearly, it won't be the last!

Harvest

CornThe season has almost passed.

I've been serving it often, and I've already frozen one batch of creamed corn.
It makes a mess, but it is so nice to pull out this treat during the winter. So I spent yesterday preparing my second batch of corn for the freezer.

This is my grandmother's recipe:

Creamed Corn

8 cups uncooked corn (1 dozen ears usually equals this)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
2-3 tsp. salt

Remove the corn kernels from the cob. (I use an angel food cake pan, stand the ear up in the center and cut the kernels off. They fall into the pan.)

Combine all of the above in a heavy pan. Bring it to a boil. Let cool. Freeze.

Make sure you have your cardiologist on speed-dial.
I found just the right citrine cabochon for my Victorian album.And I've been hunting more old Victorian albums to infuse with new life. This one is gorgeous!So is this one, but it needs some TLC.

I'll be opening an Etsy shop soon.

That, or I'll be appearing on Hoarders.

And, I'm thrilled to be published here. Thanks Dede, for inviting me to join in your Halloween round robin!

Good dog/Bad dog

Atticus has it down.