Beauty

Autumn has tiptoed its way into our house, and with the arrival of October, I am finally ready to break out my fall decor.

At the house where our children are renting, there is a lovely huge old Beautyberry bush, and I've had my eye on it in anticipation of stealing a few branches for my fall decorating.

These berries are the most beautiful shade of purple, and I often wonder if that's why we see purple used in Halloween decor since they are abundant this time of year.

I didn't steal too many, because they won't last unless you take the time to dry them properly, which I likely won't, and because they are a favorite among certain species of birds.  I wouldn't want to be accused of taking food from the mouth of "birds" now would I?!

But I did pilfer just enough to create an arrangement atop some ironstone for my dining room table.  Next year, I plan to have my very own Beautyberry bush to enjoy, but for now, these will do just fine. 

For A Good Cause

There are a lot of things I hate about social media, but the one thing I do love is that outlets like FB, Twitter, and blogs sometime allow us the ability to stick together, or reach out and help someone we've never even met.  We see that time and time again in the blog world, where we bolster one another in times of joy, sorrow, and especially need.  So it was no surprise when I visited Cindy at Fat Cow Studio and saw a post about one of her FB friends who is in need.

Now I don't know Cindy's friend Amy from Junk Love & Co., but I really don't need to.  The important thing is that Amy's father in law and son were in a terrible accident and her son is in a PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) in Vegas.  Scary times as you can imagine for any parent.  And as you can also imagine, the bills will be mounting.

Being the clever and industrious community that we are through our blogs and FB, another friend of Amy and her family jumped in to action and has organized an online FB auction to try and raise funds to help this family out in their time of need.

Her name is Barbara, and she is known as the Shabby Cowgirl .  Through her efforts, she has gathered a whole host of great auction items that will be up for grabs today between 12 pm PST until 7 pm PST.

I've donated a 12 x 12 wrapped canvas to the auction.  You can pick the artwork, one of the ones you see featured in this post, one from my last post, or anything from my website HERE. 

The choice is yours, but no matter what you pick, the money will be for a good cause and that always makes buying something even more fun.  And please spread the word, the more we can get this out there the more money we can raise for this family!

My thoughts go out to Amy and her family, and I wish both her father in law and her sweet son a very speedy recovery from their accident!

To preview the items and place your bids, click HERE.   Remember the auction is today only starting at 12:00 noon PST until 7:00 pm PST...so don't wait!   

           

Change

It was great hearing from so many of you that I'm not the only one who is tearing apart my house and going through change.  In fact painting and closet cleaning are not the only changes that have been going on around here.

When I went to purchase the domain name "Bay Studios" a few days ago, I realized it was already spoken for, so that meant that Mary Beth and I needed to come up with a new name.  After sending a few ideas her way, we both agreed on Ebb Tide Studios.

I like it, and since both she and I live on the water, it seemed fitting to have a water related name.  So from here on out we will be known as Ebb Tide Studios.  For now we won't have our own website, but we're hoping that will change sometime in the next year.  We would love to offer up different goods with our artwork on them, like guest towels, dishes, and fabric, but that's a ways down the road.

We are super excited though, and we've been plugging away on some artwork for autumn.  Both of these images will be for sale as wrapped canvases very soon so we would love to have your feedback on them.  

We wanted to capture the essence of Fall, and with this second one we were really going for a vintage feel.  I wanted to create something that had an old oilcloth feel, so I even added the golden checkerboard background reminiscent of tablecloths from the 40s and 50s.

Along with the new artwork, we've made some good progress on the house stuff.  The guest room closet is now neat as a pin...well as neat as it will every be, and the black cabinet in the living room has a brand new look that I'll share with you very soon.

We have bags of stuff to drop off at the donation shop tomorrow, and one of my dear friends is taking a black and cream toile bedding set off of my hands, so we are moving in the right direction.

And I would like to give a special shout out to my friend Papa Jim.  You may recall that he had surgery awhile ago and has had a very long road back to recovery.  Today is his birthday, and I know both he and his family are happy to have him home and to be celebrating his special day together.  

Change can be a very good thing sometimes!  I hope you are each having a lovely weekend and that whatever changes you have on the horizon are for the better!

If you would be interested in either of the images above as a wrapped 12 x 12 wrapped canvas (other sizes are also available), you can email me at kgwhouse@gmail.com for pricing and more info!

At Loose Ends

Isn't it funny how when you look back at the same time of year last year how different things can be?  It was just over a year ago that I was wandering the flower markets of France and dreaming about where I hoped I'd be a year from then.

I was dreaming of where I wanted to take my photography, how I wanted to market and sell my artwork, ways to better myself as a person, and all the wonderful possibilities that travel opens you up to.

So why is it that when that one year mark rolls around, and we've met some some of our goals, and exceeded others, that we find ourselves unsure of which way to turn until we find the next inspirational turning point?!

The past few weeks I've been re-evaluating just about everything it seems...

Like what I want to create next, what color to paint our bedroom, and today I cleared out the black cabinet in our living room, and tore apart the guest room closet.  Now keep in mind that I have LOTS of other things I should be doing, like processing pictures, vacuuming up dog hair, making something for dinner besides sandwiches (which Mr. Tide has been making btw!), and putting out some of my fall decor that resides in the huge tubs taking up valuable real estate in our living room!

Mr. Tide lays low when I get into one of these phases, he's learned over the years that "this too shall pass."  He simply nods and agrees with my grandiose plans to sell everything we own and move into a teeny tiny house one minute, and then announcing that I want to replace every stick of furniture in the living room and buy a hot tub the next.

And he never even misses a beat when he comes home from work to find swatches of every grey known to man adorning our bedroom walls.  He knows that my "I think I want to paint our bedroom," has turned from a 2 year long idle notion into a quest worthy of the crusades!

The walls will be painted...color still yet to be determined, the need to purge will give way to loftier pursuits, and my desire to live the simple life in a one room shack will be replaced by a need to buy a second home in Paris...or maybe the Cotswolds.  Yup, I will find new ideas and dreams to churn around in this little head of mine.

Some of those dreams will become a reality in a year, some will be long forgotten, and my loose ends will be nicely tied up like the ribbon that holds a dozen roses bought at a french flower market!  Am I the only one who goes through this?!

Fruits of Our Labors

In our hemisphere, this time of year is full of so many wonderful things...

Like apples and pears straight off the tree...

Sipping cups of tea with a spoonful of honey, while wrapped in a favorite sweater...

And color, beautiful warm, rich colors, like the setting sun, the falling leaves, and the bounty of the harvest.

It's as though the earth is reminding us to enjoy the fruits of our labors before old man winter pays us a visit.  Are you drinking in all that Autumn has to offer?!

Upon Closer Inspection

It seems as though fowl of all sorts are filling my camera lens this month, first the eagles, and then today the egrets were back.  As I've mentioned before in other posts about Great Egrets, they are skittish birds who rarely stay put if they see me coming with my scary big telephoto lens, but this one allowed me a few shots before gracefully flying off to fish in another part of the creek.

The egrets are as elusive as they are shy, so, unlike the Great Blue Herons that fill the creek year round, we are always happy to see an egret or two perched on an old dead tree that fell into the water along our property line.  Because they are so private, we can go weeks and even months without seeing one, yet every time I see one outside our window I feel like it's the first time I've borne witness to these elegant birds.

I still kick myself for not getting pictures a few months ago when we passed by a marshy area on our way up to DC.  We were rushing to get there so that I could get some photos in the city before the sun set, so we drove on by what I now assume was an incredibly unusual sight, at least in our neck of the woods.  There were dozens of egrets walking about in this mucky marsh, on their annual migration to where I don't know.  I should have known better than to let a photographic opportunity slip by, especially since I know that you rarely see that many grouped together. I hope they will be back next year so that I can make up for my lapse in wildlife photography judgement!

After snapping a few shots of this particular egret earlier today, I came inside to see if I had gotten anything worth keeping.  I didn't notice it at first, but upon closer inspection I noticed something different about his/her beak.  At first I just assumed it was part of a crab or fish I had caught him munching on, but then I realized that the beak was quite literally broken off.  Egrets, like most shore birds, have long slender and very pointy beaks to help them catch their prey.

This egret seemed none the worse for wear having lost quite a bit of his beak, but I had to wonder what sort of fight might have caused the damage in the first place?  Maybe a fight over a mate, though that would have been quite the fight.  I guess it will remain a mystery, one only the egret can share with the other egrets as they sit around cracking crabs and drinking saltwater.

Sometimes slowing down and taking a closer look has it's rewards.

Be Fearless

The osprey have mostly left our area, save a few stranglers working their way south.  Once they leave, the eagles move back along the shoreline to stake their claim to the tall pines for the best fishing perches. They are here all summer alongside the osprey, but they keep a much lower profile until their loud and sometimes obnoxious neighbors fly south, giving them free reign once again.

As the osprey give way to the eagles, you can almost feel a change in the air.  The thunderous sounds of their wings overhead seem so much stronger and more free than those of the smaller osprey that outnumber them during the summer months.  It truly is something to be sitting on the pier or on our patio and hear the sound of those big wings and the shadow they create as they fly out for the hunt each morning and back home when the sun goes down.

But it is on days like today that I think I admire those hulking birds of prey the most.  Rainy, windy days when the river is angry and the white caps make it look like a churning caldron.  The eagles seem to thrive on this sort of weather, almost daring the wind and the waves to ruin their day or keep them from their next meal.

Instead of hunkering down and letting the weather calm down, they choose to soar and ride the air currents like daredevils.  They screech to one another with the enthusiasm of young children chasing each other on a playground.  And they dive and dance, sometimes with a purpose and sometimes it seems as though they do it just for the shear enjoyment...without fear, without hesitation, without concern for who might be watching.

I think we can learn a lot from the eagles, about living each day and facing adversity with a strength and joy that makes us resilient.  Today, dare to spread your wings and fly as if no one was watching, without fear of failure, and with all the happiness you can muster...Be Fearless!!!

Falling Leaves and Dimming Days

This old house is falling down around my ears 

I'm drowning in a river of my tears  

When all my will is gone you hold me sway  

I need you at the dimming of the day

You pulled me like the moon pulls on the tide  

You know just where I keep my better side


Thank you everyone for your wonderful thoughts, emails, and comments about my new venture...I will post more very soon and I apologize that I haven't responded to each and every one of you! 

P.S.  Don't forget to vote for Rough Linen once a day, every day!  Click HERE

The lyrics above are from this beautiful song