Its fleece as white as snow.....

 

 

Saturday, April 6,2013 was a spectacular spring day. Ideal for a trip out to the country. Rebecca, a friend from work, lives with her folks out Ridgeville way and she invited me along with our other friend, Pam, and her two girls to come out to see the lambs. Oh...lambs! Cute, adorable, spindly-legged, bleating lambs. What a place! There are lambs and sheep and 3 horses and 4 heeler hounds and chickens that lay eggs and anoles and 2 donkeys and lots of gold finches and even saw a downy woodpecker. Lots of azaleas and old-as-Methusala oak trees as well. It was calming and peaceful- idyllic. The only drawback, and a big one, is that it is located so very far away from civilization. But, it's a wonderful spot to visit.

The bride, pretty in white



Mar 3,2013 = a glorious spring evening, perfect for a wedding overlooking a lake, friends and family gathered, a duo singing quietly in the background. Except that, with the wind chill factor, it was literally freezing by 5pm. OMG!!!!! was it colder than cold. So, we all shivered ,and those clever of us who had read the weather reports who knew it would be chilly (not freakin' freezing! and, luckily,me for one!), pulled our coats about us as we watched what was, indeed, a beautiful ceremony. Rocky (Rochelle) Smith (who so happens, married a Smith) is one of my dearest friends, Shirley's, oldest daughter. Brent is a wonderful guy and the two of them are truly happy and well suited for each other. A couple of Jewish traditions were incorporated into the affair. At the end of the ceremony, the groom stepped on a glass:

"There are many ideas of why a couple breaks the glass during a celebration of marriage, but there are three thought to be most authentic.

• Temple: Breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is a reminder of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem.
• Be Fruitful: A hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glass…or that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.
• Marriage is Forever: A broken Jewish wedding glass is forever changed, likewise, the couple are forever changed by the marriage and take on a new form."

And, during the reception, the men and women each formed their own circles, men about the groom, the women around the bride, all holding hands, singing and taking turns to go inside the circle to dance with either Rocky or Brent. Then, a song I even knew- Hava Nagila!!!!. It was quite the exhilerating, laughing, joyful time!!!!! Such fun! Which continued with a fantastic DJ playing hits from the 50's all the way to hip-hop. A fabulous, fabulous buffet- open bar. A super big hit were the glow sticks, which people would connect to make one large loop, allowing for several to dance together. And, the conga line- don't forget the conga line. Wonderful tug-at-your-heart speeches from Shirley and Steve (Rocky's dad). The evening was capped off with all the guests lighting the way to the couple's car with sparklers.

Didn't have the usual one-on-one time with Shirley, but I was included in the entire day's events and even helped video the ladies getting glammed up and helped in the decorating. It means a lot to me to be part of the inner circle, as it were. Participating as family, not merely a guest- that means the world.Love Shirley to pieces- shame that England is such a long way away and we don't have the opportunity to see each other more often. But, then, it makes each visit all the sweeter.

Kiwi Green, Pink Rose, Orange Mango- Yum, Gelato!!!

 

 



This was a fun visit with Nyree on the weekend of February 8th. We started it all with a trip to a new toy store in the upper part of King Street where they are in the process of expanding downtown northward. We spent nearly 2 hours searching for something for Mia- such a hard job-NOT! It was 2 hours of fun and amazement! So many really, really cool, fun, interesting,etc etc etc things. And, one especially neat thing is that practically every gadget or lamp or thinga-ma-bob on the shelf they have opened or put together or whatever, to show you how it works! Love that- and, judging from the energy of the employees, they love it, too! The Lego ferris wheel has over 8000 pieces! The dragon is large enough so a child can sit on it and pretend to fly through the air. There were way too many things to name. I wanna go back...Throughout the weekend we ate at Joe Pasta, gelatos at Paolo's, The Mustard Seed, Coconut Joe's; saw a play, of course the talking, laughing, and all that good stuff. We also each made a Vision Board. Actually, it took about 5 hours just to choose the images or words that touched us (as opposed to what people usually do and simply cut out pictures that represent what they want- car, tropical isle, Eiffel tower,etc- instead of being moved=connected to the image/words). We had to assemble the next day. Now, I'm supposed to lose, recycle, put away the board as opposed to what "they" usually say about looking at it every day. Once made, the intentions are sent out to the Universe to do its thing to have events transpire(which could take years depending on the desire). I wanted to create a board concerning my life as a full-time artist. Looking at my board, I am truly curious as to what these images have to do with that. It looks like it could be quite the adventure!

Shimmering Tresses of Blue, Copper and Silver Wire

February 2nd found me in downtown Charleston visiting the Halsey Art Institute to view Lesley Dill's exhibit. I also watched part of a film featuring the artist, so it was quite wonderful to have some insight into her creativity. Her larger than life pieces where the words/quotes are predominantly featured are quite fabulous, and, though their true meaning and impact are a bit lost on me, I can still truly appreciate them. And, I am in awe of the imaginings in her mind when looking at the dresses. But, the wire just blew me away. I can't even fathom thinking or dreaming of such a piece, but, it is , oh, my...... The meaning of the display, so important to Ms Dill, escapes me (so I am glad she speaks of what it represents)- I am dumbfounded, however, by how 2 million feet of fine wire can look like long, long tresses of hair. In fact, when the Institute opened the packed-down display, then put it in place to exhibit, Ms. Dill instructed them to go in each day and "fluff" it. She is simply amazing!

A Stroll Through Colorful Charleston

"Your first macaroon? Ah, then you must make a wish!" So said the very French lady  proprietor of the French bakery " Macaroon Boutique" located on John Street when I made my purchase. Alas, I'm never there before the eclairs ( with which I fell in love while in France and had at least one everyday) are sold out. But, then again, I don't stop in all that often. John Street- one of my favorite streets. It has a parking garage, restaurants, a theatre, a French bakery, Italian gelato,ending at King Street with its smoothies, shops and more extending in either direction. Just a short walk to Calhoun, hang a right, go about a block and across the steet is the Halsey Art Institute, which was my destination this particular day (exhibit in next blog).It was a glorious February day, great for a stroll and popping into places like The Blue Bicycle Book Store, chock-full of used books and a lovely 16-year old cat. Tucked here and there into the bustling downtown is the College of Charleston campus. Aside from the usual concrete buildings, it's possible to step from the sidewalk into a quiet oasis of spanish moss laden trees and hear the sound of water in fountains- tranquility in the midst of chaos.