Standing Still

Sometimes in this busy life

you just need a moment to be still

and soak it all in.

Enjoy these pictures from our

September trip to Europe...

 

 

Attention...

 

It's not easy being green...

especially without a chair...

I wonder what is keeping him there?

This guy holds the key to my heart!

Happy Birthday on the Seine....

It doesn't get more Paris than this...

Are you my mummy?

Silent kiss...

We are convinced that this is a relative

of our friend Bill...

The French version..

Won't you be mime?

A toast to the good life...

Chivalry is so sweet..

Waiting for the train...

A photo op at every bend...

Boofle enjoyed himself immensely..

Visiting the master painter...

Fashion forward...

Moments we will never forget...

Happy New Year 2014

I was recently reading the "Proust Questionnaire"

on the back page of the January issue of Vanity Fair.

The person being questioned was the music producer

T Bone Burnett who has worked with such people as

Elvis Costello and Elton John.

The third question caught my attention.

"What is your greatest regret?" 

Being that it is the end of one year and going into

a new one, I'm sure many of us pause to reflect on

the highs and lows of the past year and what we may

want to change or let go of in the new.   

I've often joked with my close friends that my biggest

regret in life is that I will not be able to finish reading 

all of the books that I want to read before I die.

Thus I enjoyed T Bone's answer to the interview question:

"What is your greatest regret?" 

(I'm using this without permission so I hope the

copyright people don't come after me!)

"I regret all the books I haven't read,

the music I haven't heard, the films I haven't seen,

the places I haven't been, the people I haven't loved

or loved as I should."

My hope for this New Year is that we can all

make amends, forgive and let go of the regrets that we

have collected over the year.  That the only regrets

that are left are the ones that leave us thirsty for new

experiences....for the things we haven't tried yet...

for the things we have put off and will set out to

accomplish as the New Year begins.

Happy New Year!!

vino and vango

I had a recent opportunity to step away

from the normal Thursday evening with

a few friends of mine.  Lady Mel had been

talking about a fun place to go paint...
A fabulous place in Springfield, Oregon named
Vino and Vango

It's bright, cheerful, colorful and oh so fun!!

 All the paints, brushes, canvases and supplies
are provided in the class fee.  Just bring your
favorite beverage and snack and some to share.
Here you can see some of the painting samples
in the background and students ready to start.

Kris has never painted before...
here she is starting on her first canvas..
Way to go!!

I meant to take more pictures of the process.
This ended up being the only one..
as I got so engrossed in the process.
What we are aiming for here is a treescape.

Here is the result!
Not bad for a couple hours of play.

Here is the closeup.
This is a bit subdued to the color palette
I normally use.  But it was good to learn something
new and see the results.
Let's see how the rest of the gang did....

Here is Melysa's painting.
She is the person who pulled the group together
for a fun night of play.
Thanks Melysa...What a wonderful escape
from couch potato Thursday.
Not that I don't enjoy those too  :0)

Letting canvases dry..

Karleen shows off her painting chops...
and she said she didn't know what she was doing..
Could have fooled me..

Karleen's closeup...

And look what the newbie did!
Just like an old master...
It pays to not know what you are doing..
Sage advice for us perfectionists.

Kris's closeup..

Go to the link for Vino and Vango earlier in the post
and check out all of the wonderful options there are
for your own Paint Party.  Step out of your 
ordinary day and do something new..and be 
sure to bring some friends with you.
This was the perfect Christmas gift to me!
Thank you again to Melysa who inspired
us to go PLAY!!

And just as a bonus...we have had some beautiful
tequila sunrises and equally marvelous sunsets in
this cold, crisp weather.

If I don't post before then...
Have a very merry Christmas!!

A wee bit of fun

I've been a little bit lax keeping up with

the blogging posts.  I do have more  trip

photos to show.  I hope you aren't

getting tired of them...

Let's start with more Monet...

Don't you want to stroll the path...

sit with a sketchbook and watercolors?

I'm a sucker for stone walls and pretty flowers.

"At the end of his life, Monet hardly set foot out

of Giverny.  It became his sole source of inspiration."

Monet - The Ultimate Impressionist

 Waiting peacefully for its passenger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A wee bit of the Irish....

St. Mary's in Killarney...

One spectacular view after another at

Killarney's National Park.  We only had to go across

the street to get there.

We happened upon several fine Irish chaps 

that gave us our bearings in the park.

The weather was sunny and pleasant the whole

time of our visit.

Lovely stone walls...

 

 Celtic crosses...

 A stop at the Teahouse before walking into town.

Another view of the church...

 

One of many chapels in St. Mary's...

Striking stained glass...

Hitting the shops...

Who can resist a store with this name?

Or the jokester who had a go at this sign....

I hope it wasn't Boofle...

You can see he's doffed a pint of Smithwicks...

Oh...maybe that was Chris's pint..

He met up this cheery couple at a pub celebrating their

50th Wedding Anniversary while I was

away at the bookshop.

 

We didn't take advantage of the horse and buggy rides..

choosing to earn our meals by walking.

Not all paths lead to our destination...

The locals out enjoying the weather...

better than average we hear.

This is where we're headed...Ross Castle.

 

I'll leave you with this beautiful shot of Ross Castle.

Taken on a moody weather day while hiking trails

in Killarney National Park.