Melissa Ann Goodwin

Melissa Ann Goodwin

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Going with the Flow

We feel nicely settled in to our new home in Florida. The RV has been sold - we are sad that it's no longer ours, but glad that it all happened quickly and easily.(We were lucky!)  It was a hard day when we dropped it off in Tampa to have it driven back to Indiana to its new owner. We couldn't bear to do it ourselves - it would have made us too sad :(.

This seems so long ago  - it is just coming up on a year ago that we went to pick up the RV. This is the first picture of me standing in front of it, wearing my Dreamcatcher T-shirt
When I look at all my postings last year and see the pictures of the great places we went, I am amazed. We had great weather (with a few glaring exceptions) most of the time. To be in Maine and Nova Scotia for two months and have only a day or two of rain is almost a miracle!! I am so grateful for the wonderful experience and yes, I do know how lucky we were to do it.

Near Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia

RVPainter on the rocks at Ocean Point, East Boothbay, Maine. I've been crawling on those rocks since I was a little kid, and for a while, RVP and I lived in East Boothbay and had a gallery there. We'd get coffee and sticky buns on Sunday mornings and go sit on these rocks.
Now I am teaching three yoga classes a week, with plans to add two more in summer. That will still only be three mornings a week, so it's a nice schedule. I teach Gentle and Level I. The studio is beautiful, and the students have been very welcoming to me.

My husband, artist JR Secor aka RVPainter, has been painting up a storm! He's working in a funky semi-abstract style with palette knife, and palm trees are his current inspiration. (Gee, I wonder why!)

He's got a new blog called AHHPUNTAGORDA, where he does demos of how the painting is done. Today he's sharing tips for Frugal Painting, for all the starving artists out there :)

He also has a new ETSY SHOP with more of his work. He's doing a lot of smaller pieces and they are very reasonably priced. Here are examples of what he's been up to, and here's his Etsy link: JR'S ETSY SHOP.


 

These are small paintings - 5 by 7 on canvas, and they sell for $30, shipping included within the U.S. Can't beat the price!! He's got some 4 by 6 paintings that are only $20, shipping included! Perfect for the small spaces on the wall.

Last weekend we drove down to Naples, which is a beautiful town about an hour south of us. Pretty beach and gorgeous downtown with lots of shops and restaurants.

Naples Beach
RVPainter enjoying a custard in downtown Naples
Most importantly for me, I'm writing quite a lot. I've written a number of poems, and hope to put together a collection eventually. And, I'm up through chapter 15 of the sequel to The Christmas Village, which I think I told you is called Return to Canterbury. Story ideas are coming fast and furious, and I'm pretty excited about where it's going. Hoping to be through at least chapter 20 by the end of March. I'm looking for reviewers for both The Christmas Village and the new book when it comes out, so let me know if you are interested or know someone who would be.



29 comments:

  1. THANKS DW (RV-er talk for DARLING WIFE) nice blog post and a wonderful highlighting of both my blogs.

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  2. Melissa, Your year on the road is over? No temptation to make it a second? I'm glad everything worked out so well for you, and it sounds like it recharged the creative juices for both you and your husband.

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    1. No, I needed a home and I am happier with one. I wish we had a motorhome to take off in, but it's so nice here that it doesn't feel like a hardship to stay put. Maybe we'll get something smaller, like a teardrop. We are both cookin' with gas creatively, so it seems like it was the right choice.

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  3. I always feel sad when I sell one an old car- so I imagine parting with the RV was very similar. All those memories! Glad it went well. I have to say the last year you have had sounds just dreamy. :)
    ~Jess

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    1. Jess, I know -we get attached. And it was our home too. And we had such great times and such challenges - it was life intensified. It was a wonderful year and I have only good memories of our travels.

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  4. It sounds like you're settling really well back into static life - the yoga lessons are great, and I glad you're writing more. Naples Beach looks lovely :-)

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    1. Yes, it's a good balance - time to be social and share something I love (yoga) and time to be a hermit and write. Naples is a pretty town!

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  5. Anonymous3/02/2013

    So glad that you and your husband are settling into life in Florida. I've got a couple of Tai Chi videos, so I've been giving that a try.

    Have a great weekend! : )

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  6. What beautiful photos and painting. This post made me feel good....I think the person who bought your vehicle is very fortunate. Lots of good vibes there....

    Maria

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    1. Glad it made you feel good! It's nice to bring happiness to the world. I think our RV buyer is very lucky too - lots of good feelings associated with it. Hoping they'll keep the Dreamcatcher logo on the back and that one day we'll pass her on the road and honk and wave.

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  7. I love the way that you and RV Painter grab life with both hands and fill it to the brim. A slightly confused metaphor there - but I hope you know what I mean.

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    1. I never thought of myself that way, but now I kind of do.I loved your metaphor :)

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  8. Melissa, wow, what a wonderful time of life for you and your husband. You're traveling, experiencing new things, writing, and your husband is painting. I wish you more of the same.

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    1. We have been, and are, very fortunate. It feels good to be writing, and the sequel is getting exciting!

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  9. Dear Melissa, it's good news that the writing is going well and that your husband is painting up a storm! I'd be happy, pleased actually, to do a review of your second book. I read the first one and so enjoyed it. I've passed it on to a family with four children and they all enjoyed it also. Peace.

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    1. I'd love it if you'd review it! Thank you for the kind offer.
      xo

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  10. I'm so glad you're settling in, and that things are going so well, creatively.

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    1. Thanks Paul. It feels good to be back to work.

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  11. What an amazing year you had. I remember when you first posted about your RV adventure and it doesn't seem possible that it was a whole year ago now!
    Glad you are happy in your new place and both feeling so creative. I'd love to review your new book, can't wait to read it. :)

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    1. Julie - it went by so fast! Thank you so much for your offer to review - I would like that very much. By the way, I have Polar Night on my Kindle and can't wait to read it! I'll let you know when I've read it, and we can highlight it here too :)

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  12. Glad to hear you're settling in and happy! Have enjoyed reading about your adventures, adn look forward to the sequel to your book!

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    1. Hi Katie - we are really enjoying it here. Hope you are well!

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  13. I feel as if I just caught up with all you've been doing the past year. I think you had tons of fun! What a change - from Santa Fe to RV to Florida!

    Love your husband's palm trees. I'm bookmarking this post so I can come back and get the link for his Etsy shop when I have time to look.

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    1. Hi Carol! I sent you his link in email. Thanks for coming by - we have had tons of fun over the last year, and we still are. Having fun.

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  14. It sounds like you've had an amazing adventure. It makes me feel like a stick-in-the-mud living here in Leicester UK.

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    1. Rosalind - believe it or not, I envy you! I love the U.K. We had the most wonderful trip to England and Wales in September - you may thank me for the two weeks of sunshine you had in between all the rain - it only rained a half day the whole time we were there! We went to London, Bath, Liverpool, and Beaumaris Wales. I have a friend in Bath, and we spent a beautiful day at Stonehenge and Stourhead House. Liverpool and Beaumaris were part of a personal journey to learn about my mom's experiences as a child evacuee at the start of WWII. Would love more U.K. trips in my future!!

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  15. What a wonderful place you have chosen to live. It looks nice and warm.

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    1. It really is lovely. Winter weather here is a delight - not hot, and there are some chilly spells that give a nice variety. We'll see how summer feels - that will be interesting...

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