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Here I am back at home, jetlagged but none the worse for wear. There is so much to say about our visit to Bordeaux which I will begin on Monday in a 3 part post........lots of photos.

Lake Superior Bound

Me

Tomorrow we are headed north. I've gathered together all the essentials......sketchbook, camera, pencils, erasers, some watercolour pencils and I'm all set. I derive unlimited amounts of inspiration from walking the shores of Superior. It is an unbelievable place to visit.



And speaking of beautiful, I heard this song last week at the end of an episode of Nurse Jackie (which is now one of my favs) and couldn't get it out of my head until I found out who sang it. Two words, the phenomenal Patty Griffin........sorry about the cheesy video but I couldn't find it on you tube any other way.


See you in two weeks

Finally............

Me & The Girls on the Beach

I was so hoping to post last night but it was my friend Joan's b'day so we headed next door for a celebatory glass of red wine. By the time I arrived home my pillow, not my computer was calling my name. I fared no better this morning as I was helping John out in the office as his assistant is off for March break. Finally...........here I am!

A brief (ok, maybe not so brief) recap of the vacation...........

The flight out of Toronto ended up being a nightmare! We arrived at the airport at 4 a.m., yes, 4 a.m. for our 6 a.m. flight. We were sitting on the plane ready to take off when the pilot informs us there has been an "incident". By now I have already taken my Gravol and am feeling rather "buzzed". I never fly without Gravol and a plastic bag.........you figure it out! After sitting the tarmac for another 45 minutes we find out the guy (I don't know what you call him. maybe confused) who backs the plane away from the ramp has instead backed the plane into the ramp. The plane now has a hole in it the size of Miami. At this point you could feel dissention on the part of the passengers. Some were half mumbling in a concerned sort of way that perhaps they were going to go find some sheet metal and duct tape. At that point I wished I'd had more Gravol. Now we all had to continue sitting on the plane for another hour until the insurance people arrived and the police. Finally back at the lounge area we found out the only plane they could find was one leaving at 3:30 that afternoon. I am now qualified to give tours of Terminal 3 at Pearson Int'l as I know it like the back of my hand.

Back to the vacation part which ended up being what a good vacation should be.........relaxing. Feeling the sun on my face everyday made winter back home seem like a distant memory. Although I must say as much as I love the sun it does not love me back. I am sure I'm the only person who heads south and comes back as white as when I left. My SPF 50 is never far away. Yes, pale and pasty would be correct.

Two of my favourite people whom I talked to everyday, Erica and Giselle. They also served my favourite drink which was a Miami Vice (part pina colada, part strawberry daquiri and a touch of rum) and no, I didn't want to know how many colories it contained.

On Tuesday we visited Basseterre which was the closest town. They had a bus tour but I really don't like that sort of experience. We just grabbed a cab and headed out. This is the center of town which they call the big green clock. Everything seems to originate from here.

I really wanted to take as many photos as I could as well as take in the local culture.

Here's a picture for Tracy Helgeson........this guy was darting in and out of traffic for what seemed like hours.

When we walked by one of the local schools all of the kids in the yard came running toward us in their blue uniforms.

They were so excited to see us but more than anything they wanted to sing for us. So we stood there mesmerized by what was a perfect moment in time. All these beautiful 8 year olds with smiles as wide as can be singing just for us. I looked at the girls and without saying a word I knew they felt the power of that moment. I think above all else it was my most favourite part of the entire trip.

On Thursday morning John and the girls decided to go on a Rainforest Hike which apparently involved a lot of twists and turns up the side of a mountain. The queen of motion sickness gratefully declined. I got myself a coffee and spent a few hours in the lobby sketching and people watching. It was surprising how many strangers approached me and either watched me draw, asked me about my art or just commented in general. I ended up having a fabulous time and had the opportunity to speak with people from all over the world. It's amazing what life presents to you when you least expect it. Those moments always end up being the most precious.

Now back at home I'm getting anxious to get back into the studio but it looks like I'll be burning the midnight oil all this week. I'm helping John in the office so the only chance I'll get to work will be in the evening. I still have at least 5-10 more small pieces to finish before the show opens at Ridge West on April 3rd. I just got the invites today which I'll post tomorrow.

Hope you, my fabulous readers, are well and looking forward to Spring.

My Feet Are Back on Canadian Soil

Had a wonderful vacation but with mounds of laundry ahead of me, I'll be back later tonight for my first post.

I'm Outta Here

See you in a week!

Back From The Islands

So here I sit at the keyboard of my computer sadly longly for the Grand Cayman Islands. Oh, did we have fun. First of all we stayed at the Ritz Carlton which was an experience in itself. Interesting to see how the other half lives. When I got home it was sad to think I had to actually start to make meals again and my bed. It was nothing short of beautiful and the people were amazing. I talked to Andrea from Romania, Wiyoung from Bali, Coutney from Jamaica, Tasmine from Cuba and the list goes on. Most of these young people joined the Ritz so they could see the world. Wiyoung told me he is headed home next month to Bali for two months to see his family but is hoping to get a contract in Vancouver so he can see what snow is like first hand. I told him I have seen it first hand and am not that excited but good for him.

(yes, I know this is a duplicate picture but I couldn't figure out how to erase it)

On our third night there a dinner on the beach had been arranged. No shoes allowed. They called this the "shoe valet".

The band, the sunset, the pina coladas...........what could be wrong with that?

We spent everyday at the beach but oh, was is hot! At least 40 degrees celcius. I spent most of my time in the shade as I am pasty white and the sun does not like me. But I was in the water at least three times a day with a 50 SPF on as it was so very warm. When it came to snorkeling I was definitely a chicken so my oldest daughter took my place but was a tad frightened when she came upon a barracuda. My youngest spent most of her time on the blue matt "trying to catch some rays".........her words not mine.

It was wonderful that the girls found other kids the same age to hang out with. They thought they were living quite the life until we returned home and there were rooms to be cleaned and chores to be done but until then...........................

The last night we were hosted at a dinner in which we sat with two other couples we had gotten to be quite good friends with. ...........ironically they were all from Canada. Mike and Julie and Adrian and Carol. Our kids had all hit it off from day one and so did we.

That's me on the far left.

So as all good things must come to an end..........so did our trip. I spent most of today doing laundry, cleaning the cat's litter box, pulling weeds from my garden and scrubbing the toilets but during that entire time I still had a smile on my face.

Back From The Islands

Got in this morning at 2 a.m. Still trying to find my bearings. Will post tomorrow with lots of new pics and info. Had an amazing time!

Hope everyone is well.

Taking a Mini Vacation

Benched 11"x14"

Work in Paint & Thread

I'm off to Toronto today to spend some much needed time with my Mom and my sister. We won't do a whole lot but right about now that sounds perfect to me. Probably rent a movie tonight, order some yummy chinese food, sit around and laugh and be silly. When the girls headed off to school today they wore rather confused looks on their faces as to why I wouldn't be coming back home tonight. They are so used to having me around.......who else knows where their green socks are or where they put page 4 of that math project that is due tomorrow? John is an amazing father but he too seems a bit confused when I'm gone as to where everything in the house is located. One day when I was driving my oldest to work at 6 a.m. (yikes) in fog that was as thick as pea soup...... I was almost in tears as I am terribly frightened of driving in bad weather........yes, Kelly I said it. When we finally arrived my daughter took my face in her hands, stared at me in all seriousness and said "Please drive home carefully, if anything happens to you our whole house would fall apart". Oh..........to feel needed.