A Gift.........

December has been a busy month.......

it began with the news that my father passed.....not unexpectedly

........and that event blended into a journey to where I began,

 to embrace family 

and celebrate... 

December birthdays......

and that blended into coming home....

 to where I live now

......to 'pass through' my post office and pick up held messages and packages.....

and then move on to the place of new friends to celebrate Christmas and now cross over into the
New Year...........

all a seamless flow now........

dreaming of landing long enough in one place to make a mess making things........

and as I opened my cards......

and parcels...

this lovely gift.....

from two friends......

the 'giver' and the 'maker'.........

brought such JOY to my heart!

to know that in this life I am so blessed to have friends...

givers, and makers and makers who give.......

 who are connecting with each other in the most important ways........

I give thanks to all of you and feel the JOY of our connection....

which was, as I look back to my ramblings of last holiday season.....

my goal for this year.

To experience JOY...and I have.

And for the record, as I reflect on this year and look forward to next.....

the word that seems to keep surfacing is.....

CLARITY

Wishing all of you a very very Happy New Year....

filled with Peace, Joy, Abundance and Good Health!

Mosaics......

Just released!  

A beautiful and inspiring book....

Mosaics

by Elizabeth Atkins-Hood (my friend Bid) and Elizabeth 'Joy' Bell

 ....whom I had the great pleasure to get to know on my trip last year to New Zealand.  They join the ranks of more than a few of my friends who are publishing wonderful inspiring books!

This book is filled with beautiful photographs of their work and those of others who have inspired them......with tips and projects that will be sure to inspire anyone who has ever had the urge to 'nibble' at glass and tile.......

and how timely....

since.....

our little town has imbarked on yet another public mosaic mural project 

This one depicting the town's history and surrounding flora and fauna....

my contribution is the floral in the center....

(a loose interpretation of the 'globe mallow' by a western newcomer!)

and this mural......

will be quite large.....

as always...

requiring many hands to make it!

Birds of a Feather......and more.......

And speaking of 'Magic Feathers'........

last weekend.........we traveled to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.....to see the Festival of the Cranes......celebrating the return of the migrating Sandhill Cranes

 and other fowl

to the Bosque:

Bosque [bos’-kay]

noun

1. Wood, tract of land planted with trees and brushwood: forest, grove; any woody place. (m)

......in November.....every year......

It was a beautiful fall day, a gift so late in the season.....a warm, sunny....didn't even 'need a coat' day. 

There were thousands of birds...best captured with a telephoto lens and a tripod...

and the whole thing was an awsome spectacle....

but I'm not so sure the most lasting memory of this day won't be.......

the green chili cheeseburger  Roy and I shared.... 

skinnined up to the bar at the Buckhorn.......

Magic Feathers..........

Lovingly Stitched for Jude's Project

and in honor of my dear friend Wendy.....

note: making magic isn't easy and requires practice!

Please go here and join in the fun!

Rock Art.........

and on that snowy day near the end of October,

our merry band braved a walk......

to see.....

these petroglyph treasures near Abo Mission....

and 

were treated to

strikingly sweet berries from a large Algerita bush

at the end of the trail....

Thank You to Ranger Billy Weinman, 

our most excellent guide for this adventure!

Astonishing beauty......Sausalito and Yosemite........

Fog....

Rolling over Sausalito

a giant wave of blinding mist

crashing

into the bay.....

.......cloaking the Golden Gate Bridge

The Half Dome at Yosemite National Park

and

ranges beyond...

viewed at Sunset from Glacier Point

The 'Tunnel View'

encompasing El Capitan and the Half Dome

Yosemite Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

El Capitan

Mariposa Grove 

of Giant Sequoias

note: the cabin is not a miniature!

Trying one on for scale!

Sunset over the bay from Oakland

Cathedral of Christ the Light

An astonishing piece of Architecture

With beautiful blue skies.......lovely sunsets.......and sparse crowds.....

my traveling companion and most excellent host

assured me it would be a trip of a lifetime.......

as it was.

Lucky for me I am living many lifetimes in one!

Postcards from California......catching up!

 A temporary 'lull' in the action here has allowed me a a few moments to reflect on my recent visit to the San Francisco Bay area, north of there and on to Yosemite........

after a ride to the waterfront to gather a bit of chocolate....

from here.....

we sipped an amazing Irish Coffee...or two... at the Buena Vista.....

and

then visited the warf....

and took a long cab ride back to our hotel where I succomed to a 'bad cold'....

no worries.....had a good night's sleep

 and 

 The next day, tissues in hand....

 we walked to 'Golden Gate Park'

and experienced....

the Conservatory of Flowers....

and....

the Japanese Tea Garden.....

and 

enjoyed....

some tea.....

and

more.....

then we wandered to....

the amazing

de Young museum......

and....

the next day....we wandered some more.....

and some more...

and then....

boarded a ferry

to the other side of the bay.....

and

were whisked.......

to

Muir Woods.....

and

an amazing sunset.....

at Muir Beach.

And now....

I must now pause.......

to write...

some more.....postcards.

whew.