Inspiring Thoughts and Pictures

I'd like to invite you to visit my new blog "Inspiring Thoughts and Pictures." (inspiringthoughtsandpictures.blogspot.com)

Once or twice a week, I'll post a quote and a photograph meant to inspire and uplift. Only positive thoughts and images!The quotes will come from all sorts of folks and the photographs will be mine.It's my small way of contributing to a more positive and beautiful world. Check it out HERE, and sign up to get the post by email. (Enter your email in the box below the post).

A Little Beach Scene for the Winter-Weary

My husband, RVPainter, has been very inspired by the beauty of the Florida Gulf Coast. Here is a painting he did this week - it's long and narrow - 4" by 26". I love those dimensions, because they capture an ocean/beach scene really well. He's got an ETSY SHOP now, with more of his work.

If you've had more than your share of wintry weather lately, you might enjoy seeing some palm trees and sand dunes. He's also doing some demos over on his blogs: RVPAINTER and AHHPUNTAHHHGORDAHHH.

Fort Pickens Dunes

I'm up to Chapter 17 of RETURN TO CANTERBURY, the sequel to THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE. I'm excited about where the story is going, though I don't always know how I will get there! That's the adventure of writing -- being surprised yourself by what happens next!

Hope you are off to a good start this week!

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.