Photo of the Day and Home Again

We are back from the wake and funeral in Saginaw, and happy to be home. We saw lots of family and friends that we haven't seen in a long time and I am once again reminded how important they are. How I wish we would remember to get together with them in other circumstances. It seems that too often we reconnect with friends and family at funerals, and the older we and they get, the more likely this is to happen.

I personally despise the funeral tradition, but I think it has its place in providing a way to say a final goodbye and gives closure. The service was nice if too long; the only real drawback being that it was 90+ degrees and the church had no air conditioning and minimal, tiny fans. I was distracted throughout the entire service by the rivulets of water running down my face, neck and back.

It is good to be home and get once again into the routine of photos and art. I have no art to show you - I intended to do some kind of sketching while I was away (I took a sketchbook and pens with me), but didn't find the time to do so.

Today's photo is of the trumpet vine that grows in the crook of the deck and stairs. I love the greens and just that bit of orangey red that is found here and there. The birds love it also.

I have a busy day planned today. I am tutoring at 10 and then am going to make a trip to the coffee shop in Mason to watch the next series of movies from the Faces in Technicolor class. After that I am going to drive to East Lansing to visit the Hobby Lobby store where I hope to get some kind of purple paint and some green to make my face with the colors in the napkin I've chosen. I also hope to find an interactive color wheel to help my color mixing become more planned and less haphazard. Once I've returned home, I hope to begin on my third face, which I will share with you tomorrow. 

I received the ATC exchange from my friend in Niles and was quite overcome by the loveliness and thoughtfulness of what she sent.

This is a lovely story written and illustrated by her. I really think she should contact Sleeping Bear Press or some other small publisher and have this made into a children's book. I would surely purchase it for my little girls.

This beautiful handmade card.

And these beautiful ATCs.

I am just about ready to mail hers and am feeling pretty insecure about the quality of what I am sending. I'll show them to you once I know she has received them.

Gotta go!

Nice to "see" you again.

xoxo