Time blows by!

OK, we have had a New Year come along, Inauguration Day in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day, Ground Hog Day, a monumental storm, the State of the Union tonight and Valentines Day in a few days.  Tell me where is all goes and goes so quickly! Regardless, as the door says it's not what happens but how you handle it. One of the all time greats as far as I am concerned.

Our wonderful friends Jamie Hogan and Marty Braun who have been doing posters for Portland Stage  for some time invited us to see Greater Tuna thinking we might enjoy it because of our connection to Texas and because it is set in Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas.  Here is the set behind Art & I. The two actors Tom Ford and Dustin Tucker play 22 parts during the course of the play.  It was wonderful and histerical. Go before the 17th-you won't be sorry.

The record breaking storm was beautiful and oooohhhh so much snow. Portland broke the 78 or 79 record by receiving 31.9 inches in this 2013 Nor'Easter. It was light, fluffy and very dry snow. When I later took Sadie out, my snowshoes were going all the way down to the ground. Inconvenient to say the least, but beautiful.

In the middle back of this photo there is a Dayak fence post and the wee man is buried up to his bits, literally. The birds love the feeder under the eve of the house. They spy on us all the time and we do likewise.

Once the sun came out, everything took on that marshmallow look. Just imagine if it all was marshmallow fluff! Sadie worked really hard to help break trail so we could easily get to our different routes for our walks.  Her goal is to eat all the snow she can find. As you can imagine she is a happy old girl at the moment.
We did go backshore to see if the tree trunk had gone out to sea. It had moved but it was still there.  Considering 20 foot waves coming right at it during astronomical high tides, it really is a miracle of sorts. Funny how that tree has come to mean so much to me over the years.

Trying new things this year has been easier than I thought since a gal on the island has been making regular arrangements for a model for life drawing.  I have been both sculpting a little clay to soften my body sculptures as well as trying my hand at drawing which is way out of my comfort zone.  Both have been fun and inspiring. Nothing like getting out of the old box now and again.  Thanks Nancy.

During the 2012 election season, students at Maine College of Art got assignments from professors relating to the current conversations. One I loved is above.  I hope you see what I see in this too. I meant to include this in a previous blog but never managed it. As it goes, I am thinking this is the time. With all of the recent deeply disturbing evidence of women still not being perceived as human I am ever more hopeful that the time has come to have the whole conversation on a global level.  I pray our time is now to meet our vision of the best humanity can be with a deep abiding desire to have it apply to the whole. The entire whole.  In regards to everything.

I also pray that this is our time for our country and all the countries represented within our country to find a way to deal with issues that we understand all too well in our own lives.  Maybe a look back at history would find a time when we all banded together and looked at the best we could do for the most instead of what I affectionately call the "lawyers way".  Maybe a good dose of humanity (the real deal) could help pave the path. Yes, I am an optimist and I see the best in us all.  I know this can happen. Just keep your chin up and your heart open and we can change anything. Believe!

In closing, may you be delighted by this wonderful photo of the Bottle Chapel at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. It was taken a while back when we were visiting dear friends there. Things like this just make me happy!

Happy Valentines Day to all!
Let love abound.