Can You Believe It's May Already?

I think we're all glad April is behind us - what a month filled with sadness and turmoil, yes? But can you believe it's already May??? And that means this year will soon be half over. Time goes by so fast....

We've been settled here in Florida for a full four months now and are very happy and content. Deciding to stop RVing was such an emotional decision for us, as we had originally thought to continue on. But L'il Ole Me needed a home.

I've come to believe that when things fall easily into place, it's a sign that you've made the right decision. That's how this choice feels, because once we made it, we immediately found this beautiful place to live, the RV sold and I was able to start teaching for a wonderful yoga studio.  My schedule is great and leaves lots of time for writing.

Here's some views from the condo we are renting - you can see why we like it:

A canal outside our lanai, and boats across the way

Sailboats silhouetted against the sunrise

My inability to write while we were on the road was one of the main reasons we stopped RVing. I know - it seems like I SHOULD have been able to write, but the reality was that the lifestyle just made me feel like I was on vacation all the time. It was great to go here there and everywhere, and see and do so many fun things. But I discovered that I need to be more grounded in order to write.

I'm pleased to say that the minute we changed course, my creative juices welled up like volcanic lava. I wrote some poetry and got back to writing Return to Canterbury, the sequel to The Christmas Village. I'm up to Chapter 31 and 25,000 words, which puts me at about 63%. It will be about the same length as The Christmas Village.  Still hoping to publish later this year.

I haven't been very active with this blog. These days I'm preferring to use it to help others promote their work as they publish. And I'm enjoying the simple creativity of my Inspiring Thoughts and Pictures blog, where I find a great quote to match up with one of my photographs. It's simple and soothing. I post 2 to 3 times a week, not every day. It's a quick way to start your day right - with beautiful words and images. You can follow by email. Here is the link:  INSPIRING THOUGHTS AND PICTURES BLOG. Please share it with your friends.

RVPainter has been painting up a storm and he's also had some sales success. He's doing once a week painting demos on his two blogs:  RVPainter and AhhhPuntahhhGordahhh. Some of his smaller paintings are available from his ETSY SHOP.

He's been doing many Florida scenes of course, but recently felt drawn to paint some Nubble Light and Pemaquid Light scenes - feeling nostalgic for when we lived in Maine. Here are a couple of examples of what he's been doing lately - the pictures might be a little dark - I can't tell on my computer:

Nubble Light, York, Maine

Pemaquid Light, Damariscotta, Maine

This painting is of the Mangrove in the Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel, Island. I like it because he really captured the feeling of the place, without having a lot detail. It reminds me of a fun day we shared with our friends Marylou and Jim when they were down here last month.

Mangrove, Sanibel Island, Florida

Jim, Marylou, Dick (aka RVPainter) and Me
at The Crab House in Punta Gorda, FL

We are putting together a book for Newbie RVers - I think it will be an e-book. RVPainter learned so much about RVing even before we hit the road, and he became quite the expert with tons of people following his blog. Some of our misadventures brought the most learning, and we'll be able to share all of it with the goal of helping others. And, it will be funny and entertaining too; a combination of good information and stories from the road. Funny how the worst parts of an adventure make for the best stories later ....

Events like those of last month always remind me to cherish the days and make the most of them. Sometimes making the most of them means just sitting and looking and listening and appreciating. I'm doing a lot of that these days. Hope you are too.

Have a good one!