April 3 walk about…
Posted: April 4, 2012 Filed under: Garden 4 Comments »Yesterday started with a shower, but later brightened up and warmed up. I spent a good amount of time outdoors, which always leads to a photo session….
The bradford pears are really holding their blooms…maybe because its been a little chilly.
The forsythia too….greening up, but holding the yellow. Note the pond on the left, all covered up with grates…I saw the heron fly over head, but he is not hanging around this spring.
I do love this plant below, a chartreuse bleeding heart, a gift from Patrice…
And the old fashioned variety is just starting to bloom too:
Lungwort, what a name for such a delicate plant…..
Dogwood…..
The daffodils are just about done:
Bergenia…..
And lets not forget this humble wildflower:
Potent quote, 4-1-12
Posted: April 1, 2012 Filed under: Grandbaby!, Patchwork, Quotes 8 Comments »
A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.
Bill Vaughn
He liked his new quilt….and its so cute on his bed and I hope it will wear out from being well loved!
Mosaic class at Madonna…
Posted: March 31, 2012 Filed under: Mosaics 6 Comments »
Just the idea of little ol’ me teaching at a university, for whatever the reason, makes me smile! I finished up teaching a mosaic class last Saturday at Madonna University, through the continuing education department. What a pleasure being in a spacious art room, banked with windows and inspiration everywhere. And with plenty of space for everyone to stretch out, too:
We made crucifix’s…just in time to commemorate and contemplate the reason for the Easter season. Thank you to Jeff for cutting out the wood bases for us. The crosses below were photographed after the first class…they will sit and dry for a week.
I asked everyone to pose with their crosses that first week:
Here, after grouting….you can see each and every crucifix is unique and beautiful!
And I think everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing experience….including me! I loved sharing my faith and the ways of mosaic with all of you.
Sunday quote, 3-25-12
Posted: March 25, 2012 Filed under: Garden, Quotes 3 Comments »Forsythia is pure joy. There is not an ounce, not a glimmer of sadness or even knowledge in forsythia. Pure, undiluted, untouched joy. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Painting day on the island….
Posted: March 21, 2012 Filed under: Completed projects, Florida, Trying something new 5 Comments »On the last day were on North Captiva, Patrice arranged for Marie Dyer to teach a class on furniture painting. There were 4 of us, plus Marie. Marie was a fantastic teach, and a lot of fun….
Ann’s coral table, and Joan’s palm on the beach….
The start of Patrice’s high chair project…..
And I painted a small piece, for ease of transport, but it still took me alllll day! A framed mirror:
Detail photo…can you see the birds????
I learned how to mix colors….at first I was quite stumped on how to get the color of sand from red, yellow and blue…and white. But by applying the lessons of the color wheel I became more comfortable with mixing colors. I also learned to appreciate the difference between drawing and painting. My first attempt at the fish were from a drawing point of view. I learned what it means to “be painterly”. Also, Marie taught me about shading with paint, connecting lights and darks…light and shadow.
Such fun, and I was happily surprised with my whimsical creation.
And afterwards, of course, we had to have a little refreshment and lots of laughs to celebrate our accomplishments….
ISLAND TIME!!!!!
Good memories!
Fish Tails….
Posted: March 19, 2012 Filed under: Florida 3 Comments »A photo survey of our time in North Captiva would not be complete without fishin’ pictures.
Here’s Erin’s Charlie, with a really nice dinner for us. Sea Trout.
We all love the sport of shark fishing, but they are not good eating and are returned to the sea.
One of the sharks wrestled Charlie and Jeff for two hours:
before he did this to the hook:
Look at the teeth on this puffer….he was returned too.
Erin’s grouper was just shy of being a keeper!
Sheepshead….love his stripes:
Miss the sun and surf and sea life!
A Little Wildlife from North Captiva
Posted: March 17, 2012 Filed under: Florida 5 Comments »Birds are everywhere on the island….and included are some of the better photos we took of them:
a Bald Eagle:
Here I’ve cropped and closed-in on the same photo. Look at the size of that beak! He must be calling out, with his mouth open and tongue extended:
Osprey nest:
Heron at sunset…..what a perfect silhouette, unmistakable.
Cormorant.
Not sure what kind of bird this is, but do love this photo:
Pelican cruising for dinner:
Sandpiper:
Every year, this heron is fishing in the very same spot on the shore.
Egrets:
We also saw 3 manatees swimming in the canal, but they are so quick to appear and then disappear. This is the best photo we managed:
This a Wolf spider….harmless, but the biggest I’ve ever seen. That is a 2 1/2” tall tape measure case next to him.
Next up….fish tales.
Dolphin’s eye view of North Captiva
Posted: March 15, 2012 Filed under: Florida 4 Comments »If your lucky enough to be at the beach…then you’re lucky enough! -author unknown
We are home now, but what is a vacation without lots of photos to share…..hope you enjoy them:
Southern tip of the island:
A section of “The Driftwood Forest”:
A couple of our favorite islanders:
Colorful beach house on the northern tip of North Captiva:
Nope we are not done yet……next post is island wild life.
North Captiva Gardens
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: Florida 4 Comments »Patrice’s garden is just lush and green and beautiful. So well cared for…………….
Here she is…..on her morning rounds:
Her home grown bananas will be ready soon:
Some lovely details:
This is the entrance to our garden guest quarters:
Paradise! So lucky to be here…
North Captiva snapshots2
Posted: March 10, 2012 Filed under: Florida, Mosaics 6 Comments »
We spent a good part of the day on the water yesterday. We went to Sanibel and had lunch at Grandma Dots. Delicious shrimp and grouper!
Jeff and Charlie had some big fish on…..an 11 foot bull shark and a tarpon…..can’t prove it though….no photos. They fought the shark for over two hours before it bit through the hook. It dragged them a half mile into the Gulf. Needless to say they are out there trying again right now.
Patrice and I take a good walk every morning. She knows so many of her neighbors. I’ve gotten to tour many of the houses on the island.
The Bougainvillea above is within my sight as I stand at the mosaic table…..
