I love October

I made Nanimo bars for Women's Weekend 2014 - super yummy!

Suddenly we are at the end of October...what happened (I ask myself)?  Early in the month I renewed my drivers license hoping for a better photo. That didn't happen. I think I want a younger photo.

Our annual family Women's Weekend was fun as usual but different for me this year. My daughter is the new and improved version of me and her advice and insight is relevant and valued by her cousins. I'm over the hill for current advice but I'm still good for talking about the "olden days." I can see how Women's Weekend will someday go on without me and I'm happy about that though it is bittersweet.

A few days after Women's Weekend, I met my old friend Mary for our twice yearly lunch - always the month of her birthday, then mine.  October is my annual medical month, first a flu shot and on to my annual Adult Wellness Check. I keep making the same mistake on my Adult Wellness Check "test." There are line drawings of three animals. A lion, a rhino, and a camel. Every year I call the rhinoceros a hippopotamus then quickly correct myself. Well, they're both big.

Next came a simple cold but it got a little complicated in the middle and now, at 14 days I'm getting over it. I think I got it by reading the People magazine in the doctor's office. Lunch with my sister and cousin, Monday night football games to watch my Kennedy High School freshman grandson, some Saturday games to watch my 13 year old grandson "Wildcat," a routine dental appointment, a 60,000 mile maintenance on my car and selection of the fireplace and garage doors for the new house have rounded out my month. Oh, and a Sherwin Williams color fan deck to ponder (more about that later). I've become a big Pinterest collector for our new house.

I haven't been painting but did have a chance to reflect on my years of art through an invitation to post for Around the World Blog Hop.

REALLY good stuff

My show opening last night gave me the opportunity to connect with Ginny and Bill, who own quite a few of my colored pencil pieces from a dozen years ago. Now, they also own "When All is Said and Done!" Thank you Ginny and Bill.

A festive evening in Olympia for the October Artwalk. While I visited with artists and customers in the State of the Arts Gallery, Jay was outside visiting with vendors.  Chocolatier, Brother Bliss, was set up right outside the gallery. Below is a photo of a few Blissful Wunders truffles Jay purchased. We continued on to a delicious dinner of Willapa Bay oysters (Jay) and Ling Cod (me) at Anthony's Home Port. We were celebrating my show as well as our house foundation that was poured at 7am that morning.

One more thing: When we delivered the artwork for this show last week, we took Annie along for the ride and during a short dog-walk we discovered Patrick Dougherty's Stickwork. Wow, take a look!

Good Stuff

My show, Of Time and Treasurers, opens at State of the Arts Gallery in Olympia tomorrow.

Our little lake house (and my new studio) is popping up. These are the forms for the foundation that will be poured soon. Good stuff happening these days!