Claude's Cove

Winter blues

2012-02-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Not Really..in spite of the balmy days and sunshine and non-chilliness of this "winter" season,we still feel that February blues longing for longer days head set.The days only getting longer minute by minute, still not fast enough. The daffodils blooming out weeks ahead of their normal due date, the rains beating down and making things grow.It's been a kindly break from the past couple of icy and stormy winters and people are smiling in between the clouds and finding time to sit in sidewalk cafes and laugh in the sunshine. Life is good. Some days pass in melancholy, but doesn't that just go along with winter and gray days?

We, all of us, are keeping our chins up and looking toward spring cleaning, polishing and dusting off the collections and getting out on those sunny days and antiquing, cleaning off the gardening beds, collecting seeds and dreaming of growing gardens, letting the sun beat down on our face and breathing in the fresh cool air as we muse over what lies ahead.

Giving Thanks

2011-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

This Moment we have everything to be thankful for, home, jobs, family and friends. We have weathered stormy times and survived. now we give thanks for all the people who got us through.

Turkey number one. Guided by the "Real Simple get ahead on the holidays feature, I put together our first turkey dinner of the season. While my sweet man still spends his Saturdays at Trader Joe's, we decided early that we needed to get one of the TJs brined turkeys, as we waited too late and missed out last year. Mid-month, I pulled out the roasting pan, simmered a saucepan of Cider Glaze and Roasted a beautiful bird to Bronze perfection. The other beauty of starting early is the opportunity to enjoy more sides than can be consumed in one sitting.
(Cider Glazed Turkey, buttered turnips, cornbread stuffing with apples and giblets, cranberry sauce)

Thanksgiving Day the family gathered at the newly refurbished home of my brother and sister in law in the woods at Claude's Cove. All of our family traveled in from distant miles, as well as my sister in law's brothers and sister in law. My Thanksgiving morning was spent in my tradition of watching the Macy's parade and making a selection of side dishes from recipes I'd been gathering over the past weeks. Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Bacon (Trader Joe's recipe), Smothered Country Green Beans (Garden & Gun) and a Traditional Cornbread and biscuit dressing , a Southern Living Recipe, but a dead ringer of what Mom and Grandma made in past years. Last but not least, a homemade Cranberry Sauce made of a blend of fruits, juices and spices, not too sweet and a mellow accompaniment to the main dishes.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup cranberry juice
1 bag of fresh whole cranberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 TBS Fig Preserves
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. Allspice
1/4 tsp.ground Ginger
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes until cranberries burst. Cool and chill before serving.

The family gathered and feasted and talked and wined and dined together on a gorgeous Autumn Day, where the sun filtered through the trees and jewel toned color glimmered still.

A welcomed day after was for resting, relaxing, and gathering a collection of antiquities for vending. Off to the Antique Mall, then a stop off to visit my old buddy Jimmy at his Antiques Shop. It was so great to see him and, as a bonus, from his treasures,, I found a perfect "McCoy" Turkey Platter for a steal!

Turkey platter McCoy as we'll call him, came home for the roasting of Turkey part deux. Another TJ bird, rubbed with varietal salts and spices, we served it up with a broccoli casserole, more dressing and leftover sweet potatoes from the day before. All leaving plenty for the turkey salads, turkey soups and sliced turkey sandwiches for days and weeks to come. yum yum. And Amen.

A day of Grace

2011-11-26T16:53:00.001-08:00

We started our Sunday and day of our major mission with a quiet walk across town in the early morning, our destination, Sun Studios. We arrived for the first tour of the day and had an exhilarating walk through an historical piece of musical heaven. Our guide was such an animated and exhuberant talent of replicating the moments that had gone down in those corridors for decades. The building vibrated with soul and presence and still such aliveness of current talents that continue to come and spin tunes in this magical palace. It was our beginning to an historical delve into Memphis history.

Next stop, Graceland. All I can say is that it was a far more peaceful and tranquil place than I could have imagined. Not as grand a specticle, nor as over the top in many ways. For the time that Elvis lived there, I think it was a modest home, compared to the L.A. mansions of the Hollywood elite. Nevertheless, the tour, the sights, are well laid out and a tribute to someone of great talent, and someone who I believe was a truly compassionate and giving person. Fame takes it's toll, but his family has preserved his place, and he truly is running through the veins of the city of Memphis. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity to go exploring in such a fun, vibrant and friendly place. Elvis lives!

touristing

2011-11-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, a beautiful fall day beside the Mississippi. What to do but wander the streets of this unknown city, shop, eat and take it all in. The temperature couldn't have been better, hovering around 70 in the daytime and 50s in the evening. Saturday was our shopping and tourist day and our first full day to indulge on what good eats Memphis had to offer. Thanks to our Scottish friends, we had some tips they had collected from some locals to find some of the best the town had to offer.

After our ramblings on Beale Street, we headed to The Flying Fish, home of all wayward Billy Bass castaways. Saturday then became Fry-Day. Fried catfish, hushpuppies, okra, shrimp, oysters...am I forgetting anything? Oh, I also had a few oysters on the half, so we could truly say we had six of one and half dozen of the other. Really. We sat at the window seats looking out on to the street and had ourselves a feast. All was very well cooked. Not too sleazy greazy and just what we'd been looking for. Awesome!

After the feast, we rambled back to the hotel and deposited our shopping treasures, then went back to our Bardog family for some happy hours before our next exploratory venture. Late afternoon we walked north on the Main Street trolley line. Oddly, we never hopped on the trolley, it always seemed to be going the other way. It was fine with us to walk and take in the city sights in such a fine fall climate. We ventured into the Pinch District, which is known for being an art center of the town. Viewing sculpture, galleries and performing arts venues along the way. We made a visit to Westy's for some refreshment and bantering over where to go for dinner.

We strolled back to our room for a bit of college football news and went over our lists of suggested places. We finally opted to go for Gus Fried Chicken, another place to walk to in the cool of the evening. Oh, man, you wouldn't believe the fried chicken! It was a modest and unassuming joint, but filled with folks who obviously enjoyed the fried chicken. Of course we got that with sides of fried green tomatoes and friend dill pickles.

All of this to complete our 'Fry Day'. Then in search of the 'tums'! Oh, what a day!

Memphis sights

2011-10-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

It was a very romantic weekend in the way that you fall in love with a place and its inhabitants from the present tense to its past. In such a beautiful and inviting season, the sun, the attitude, the vibe that came from strolling along streets that have seen decades of history in music and trade. The city which felt Southern in nature, but larger than I had imagined and livelier and friendlier than I'd dreamed.

Historical architecture towered above in color and texture and dimension as much as the people walking the streets. Music exuded from the crevices, around corners, rolling out into the streets with a spirit that could catch you up and wrap itself around you and squeeze you until you smiled. Music was in the air.

Shopping at Lansky's clothier at the Peabody. Watching the ducks paddle in the fountain, then on to souvenir shops of postcards and tourist bling on Beale Street with some actual well-defined folk-art mixed in. People gazing and PBRs at the Rum Boogie Cafe and a sparky bartender named Sindy from England. A gathering of artists and musicians filled the park off of Beale Street. It was a lively and happy mix of colors and creations and jumping and joyful sounds. What a day and what a place to be.

Come fly with me, come fly come fly away

2011-10-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Up Up and Away...my man and I had a fantastic getaway thanks to some very special friends and family. A quick drive to Charlotte to catch a straight flight to Blues City. While strolling through the airport, I stopped in the newsstand to pick out my in flight reading 'zine. I heard Vic over my shoulder while I was still perusing my choices, "This is it, Vanity Fair, Johnny Depp is on the cover. You know you want it." nuf said.

We arrived on the sunny banks of the Mississippi around 4 pm, checked in to our cozy room and deposited our belongings. Then we ventured out to see the neighborhood. The lobby doors opened directly out to the trolley line and a park across the way.

As we strolled down a couple of blocks, I looked around the corner to see a neon sign that said 'Bardog'. It was calling our names. We ventured in and discovered our first 'neighborhood' bar and doorway to meeting some really fun people. Not to mention their bar food was excellent. No sooner had we settled in, than three fine gentlemen from Scotland came along and we instantly became friends.

After a jolly old time with them, we had a short rest and went in search of our first Barbecue feast. Our choice of the evening was Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous. The Best dry rub ribs you can fathom, spicy beans and slaw and a pitcher of Michelob. Geez Louise!

We took an after dinner stroll to Beale Street but didn't venture in to the depths of neon profusion and blaring blues. Maybe another night. A nightcap back at the Bardog and rest for day 2.

At my Brother's House

2011-09-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Brother's shed

As August blazed to an end, the family gathered at brother's house for the second anniversary of the birth of our little man, Charlie. It was a sultry summer afternoon on the side porch of the cavernous yet comfy garage filled with artifacts from various and sundry times and collections. Burgers and beans and birthday cake. An audience of a dozen watching the maestro in action, the toddler of two, the center of our universe for this day. We wondered over how our only one missing, Sarah, was faring in her new cozy nest in the borough of Brooklyn, the eye of Irene hovering over, having already wreaked havoc on so many.

The calendar page turns and the days of September bring gentle relief to the long hot summer we've endured. Tropical storms, turbulent up the seaboard, lives and homes upturned, Irene roared all the way to the uplands of Northern New England, relentless to reside over the oceanic waters and ripping apart riverside towns that had no idea what was coming. Even my best loved ones in Vermont had bridges torn apart and repairs to attend to in the aftermath.

A welcomed holiday weekend and gathering with good friends for a pleasant day on the waters of Jocassee. Picnic lunch, balmy breezes, chit-chat and cool dips in the lake, it was so much fun to get away for a day. Dinner and a movie with family, New Orleans style, Jambalaya. Painting projects and chores to complete some of my to-do lists, but never all.

Little GTO

Photos by Thomas Hammond

feasting

2011-07-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

'As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.'

Ernest Hemingway 'A Movable Feast'

I am beginning to be happy and to make plans

A feast of nature and the sea is one of the most cleansing and enlivening of epicurean delight, as it usually is a true hands-on experience, removing the shells, or even gathering from the sea. I vividly remember going clam digging as a small child in the Albemarle Sound on the Outer Banks. Wading into the water and scooping up sand laden with clamshells. It was a sport like none other I had experienced at that early age. When we brought them back to the house and my cousin prepared them, they were far too strange and exotic for my limited palate of those days. I was more intoxicated having had the salt water lapping over my knees and elbows and pluff sand underneath my fingernails, the sun blazing on my towhead and bronzing my face and limbs.

These days, I’m happy to say my tastes have changed and I could devour all the shellfish you could pile onto a platter. In answer to that question, what would you have for you last meal? I’d say a plate of oysters on the half shell, with some lemon, hot sauce and horseradish. That is a feast of the gods.

J D water boogie

2011-07-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Summer afternoon. Summer afternoon.
The two most beautiful words in the English language.
- Henry James

ladies of the lake, part deux

2011-06-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

cool, calm evening. waterfront
waves lap over rocks
motorboats hum and whir and stir up more waves lapping over rocks
standing surfers skim across the watery surface
tall and tan
with arms that ripple in muscular sculpture
adonis creatures parade before us
relaxing, unwinding
expelling all thoughts that entangle

pan-seared tuna steaks, ravioli stuffed with arugula and parmesan
sauteed in fresh sage, parsley, basil, sea salt and olive oil
black olives and grape tomatoes on the side

why is this lady smiling?

early morning red stripe sunglow over the horizon of the lake
cool breeze morning air
coffee from the italian pot
red razberries, pancakes, maple syrup
Yum!

meandering through the day
take a dip, sunshine slips behind the clouds, paddle upstream
cool breeze, hanging on the shoreline
boat watching, talking, writing, creating, collaborating, contemplating

day three..sunshine, pack up..pack out
swim, float
roll on down the road
up the mountain, past the head of caesar
brevard, hendersonville
west first pizza
Yum!

stormy weather, whipping wind
lights out
Bat Cave, scarecrow ladies stand still along the balustrade
arrive
Geneva Hotel
lights out
power off
tiki bar juking
river flows
bikers paradise

rites of spring...

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

confirmations, graduations, transitions...

I am returning from an intermission of numerous changes. The measure of time that it has spanned is uncountable at this point,to determine where it all began. So much has changed.

Wrapping up an epoch of studying, searching, trial and error and bouncing back from grossly humbling circumstance. New connections, beginnings and inspirations have given new light to a dark season.

I am packing my gear for the annual 'Ladies of the Lake' camping excursion. I am bound for waterfront relaxation and the company of a dear friend. Plein air art, campfire chat, floating and sunning. Vistas of misty blue mountains, the full moon will be shining down and we will be ensconced in twilight. Summer will move in around us, as if we haven't already had enough heat frustration. We will have the icy cold waters to chill and exhilarate us. I am ready to unload the weight of confusion and break out into a fete of exuberance.

While there are still mountains to conquer and holes to dig out of, I am, piece by piece pitching away the nagging elements that have weighed me down. Small steps back to a normal existence are hard to take patiently. I want to go running to faraway places and exploring paths that I never knew existed.

It is with much contemplation and scrutiny that I have envisioned my path. It is in revelation that my visions are taking shape day by day. However, still my impatience quells my contentment.

I continue to search each day for enlightenment and comfort. I am fortunate to be spending my days with an inspiring group of people. I have so much more to learn and I am lapping it up like creme brulee.

March Madness

2011-04-01T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hoop de doo

no mo sno

open windows

blustery days

greening up...seedlings pOp

edibles inch up

fresh herbs are back to savor the pot

wisteria wists

wistful days

lakeside walks, dockside reading

bask
in the resurgence

fresh start

Anew

Like a lion

2011-03-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

March roars in.

Pardon my absence of mind, thought, liturgy, rambling...
My favorite quote these days is that I've got so many irons in the fire, I've got blisters on my fingers.

That's a good thing, I guess. Bakeshop trainee, medical office studies, a sassy haircut, appointments stacked up and backed up.

I find myself entranced by color, combing through swatches, testing surfaces, making progress on some furniture painting projects. Always looking for inspiration.

Rummaging for collectables and still dusting off and polishing attic finds.

Candlelight reflections warm the twilight evening.

The antique candlelit mirror was Claude's shaving mirror which hung on the back porch in the days when he lived here.

Jonquil yellow breaks the neutral background in the back yard of bare tree trunks and fallen leaves. Soon a haze of leaflet buds in reds and greens will mist the treetops and hedgerows and in one day they will all POP out. Spring will be sprung. We are lucky to have had a few choice and pleasant midwinter days on the porch.

Happily, growing season is just around the corner.

Clara

2011-02-18T05:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Clara!

Tom

2011-02-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

I find it hard to believe that it's been seven years since his departure.

Cycles turn, time passes. Still combing through drawers and boxes, folders and files, often special collections are found. This latest time capsule may have been filed away circa 1982.Photos of him, Matt the toddler, me and Matt, baby Sarah, airplanes, a waterfall, a hot air balloon, a fiddler friend. A page of music, a hymn, a photo of a special project, an envelope addressed 'Papa Hammond', most likely Matt's first handwriting.

Some days I work in his workshop making creations from things he left behind. Sometimes he helps me to find things that are lost, sends me angelic messages, watches over me - my guardian.

Winter Ramblings

2011-01-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

On the heels of a snowy and wintry birthday week and on a recent and rare trip into the city, I took a little time to stop in to one of my favorite "junkin" places. 'Shinola' is a den of eccentricity located in a terra cotta brick and mortar strip of storefronts that sat empty until a few short years ago, when a gentleman named Ben dispersed his collection to fill up and spill out into the side yard and parking lot. It is a rambling myriad of thousands of square feet of antiquity.

Lamps, chandeliers, paintings, armoires, statuary, chairs, chairs and more chairs - stacked upside down and every which way; Folk Art, Oriental Art, African Art, chests of drawers, glassware, a long stretch modern vibrant BLUE sofa illuminated by sunlight from the open bay door in the back warehouse, one live honking goose in the garden of well-worn yard art and paraphernalia.

Cupboards, tables, relics, tchotchkes, piled high to the sky and hanging from the rafters. One could spend many hours, yet days perusing the treasures here. Mannequins, tops, bottoms, full body, cardboard celebrity cut-outs, just lifelike enough to make you jump when you turn a corner and come face to face. Rooms that only your toe can enter in to.

I did not take photos, but surely you get the picture. Where some might see chaos, I see a culmination of many great collections gathered up by someone who sees a vision of passage where artifacts transcend their owners and become dispersed into others' collections.

Somehow, I relate to it so well. I liken my surroundings most often to a cross between "Pee Wee's Playhouse" and " Wilson's Five and Dime".

'suzy's shinola'

off to market we go!

------

This adventure was followed by a wonderful lunch date of Poblanos and other spicy delights at Compadres with Sandy and Mary Beth. A Happy Happy Birthday Day.

------

Another day shortly after that adventure, I joined the 'Tybee Girls' for some retail therapy and lunch, once again in the city. I'm on a roll. We visited Mayme Baker's Studio of Interior Delights. Then ventured down to Main Street to the Christopher Park Gallery of whimsy and folk art creations. Lunch was at their cafe on the side, 'Rainer's' yum - homemade soups and beenie weenies - good, fresh food and surrounded by more whimsy and happy art.

All of the visuals and interactions of this week made for great inspiration in the creative journal. Many things (ideas) are blossoming and SPRING is not far away, Thank Goodness!

Visions

2011-01-17T07:05:00.001-08:00

Reflections of a winter's day.

Epiphany

2011-01-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

Today I look ahead into a new year, into an always uncertain future.
I treasure the gifts I have been given in this life. I remember the special ones who have given me more than things, but memories and recollections of times full of great fervor. Visions of places I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Here stands Larry looking out over the great Atlantic near one of the places I believe was closest to his heart, Gloucester, Massachusetts, Rocky Neck. Larry probably visits this spot regularly now from his place above that he recently left us to go to.

He was my long time friend, my mentor, my teacher, my co-worker, a father, a grandfather and a divine artist. He dedicated his life to capturing amazing images of the wintry landscapes of Northern New England, the rolling hillsides of Italy, and the rocky shores of the New England shores. He taught me many things about painting and how to look at the world around us. My walls are scattered with his creations. I've missed seeing him for a number of years, but we still delighted in calling each other on occasion. Now I miss him even more.

paintings by Laurence W. Howard
July 14, 1931 - December 8, 2010

Bottle tree

2011-01-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

definitely looks best with a snowy backdrop

White Christmas

2010-12-28T05:57:00.001-08:00

just magical...

Trees of Claude's Cove

2010-12-28T05:51:00.001-08:00

Country Cedar from Claude's Cove

Callie's Bay Tree

Tree of Paradise

2010-12-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

France

Trees of Christmas

2010-12-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

Japan

There may be no other more expressive symbol of how someone displays their festive spirit of the Christmas season than the Tree of Christmas. One of the best twenty five cents I've spent was on 'The Trees of Christmas', Abingdon Press 1969.

As I recently heard someone lament that this Christmas they would have no tree, it seemed so forlorn that some focus couldn't be made to exude a more uplifting spirit to honor the season from someone who had so much to be thankful for.

The tree of Christmas has had many shapes and presentations throughout the world and the ages. In my first lone apartment, I decorated a Norfolk Island Pine with modest ornamentation.

Brazil

Some of my fondest memories are of tromping through the fields of both my grandparents' farms to cut the traditional Cedar for our Christmas tree. It is a tradition that we still carry on.

The tree need not be a tree at all. A branch, an armature, a structure to adorn with lights or garland, large or small, indoors or out, it is an offering to the season to project a belief that love is around us, that beacons lead us, that we must carry on traditions to maintain our strength to move on, to new years, new generations, and pass on the memories that we hold dear.

Italy

Why even our pets get all peppy and exuberant when the tree comes into the house and becomes illuminated and surrounded with treasures whether old or new.

It's a most wonderful time of the year.

December dates

2010-12-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

painting - miPods

While everyone seems to be making their lists for the latest tech-bots, gadgets and wii-bop-doo-dahs, I am making mine for ingredients and recipes to bake up, stir up and box up for sharing with my loved ones.

One brief trip to the mall for some meager tangibles to let a few know that they haven't been forgotten.

Sharing coffee with a friend and comparing recipe ideas. My first shopping trip to Trader Joe's, what fun!

The social season starts to bustle. Heavenly holiday tunes by the Chamber Singers . Warm turkey gumbo made by the maestro, Marybeth. An afternoon lunch date with more special girlfriends on a misty mountainside.

Wood fires crackle and we back up to absorb the warmth and coziness.

Let the baking begin.

Charles Phoenix's Cherpumple: The "Monster" Pie-Cake

2010-11-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

Gazing

2010-11-18T05:27:00.001-08:00

It makes me very happy when family comes to visit and find magical visions to capture in our surroundings.

photos by Thomas Hammond

Parasol Days

2010-11-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

Polka dot parasol bounces along the pathway repelling droplets falling through the autumn mist

Golden foliage pales and drops piece by piece to the soggy ground

Sleepy heads dodder groggy to the breakfast room; boot clad, slickers glisten, daylight softens, eyes awaken

Sunny side is not up today

Bird Season

2010-11-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

It's just around the corner, well actually, it's always bird season here at Claude's Cove. Whether we're watching Herons and Hummers or Cardinals and Crows or the phenomenal Pileated Woodpecker, there always seems to be an abundance of bird life to fancy our bird-watching pleasures. We have a breathtaking natural habitat that invites those who will to stay with us year round if it suits their nature.

Although you know that what I'm really getting at is the big bird of the year. I've been racking up points to get the Thanksgiving turkey to share our thanks with the family. I've been poring over page after page of the latest Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving special issue and testing recipes for sharing later. My autumn treat to me was the Lee Brothers' 'Simple, Fresh, Southern' cookbook, a valuable addition to my cooking library. Last year I served the Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin, which I think rocks and have made a few other times. This year I will harvest some of brother's collard greens from the great greens patch and make Collard Greens with poblano chiles and chorizo. We've already tested that one and guess what, it rocks too. It is a new spin for me on greens and southern food.

The Lee collection of recipes accentuates good vibes of the south and they don't seem to have any qualms about admitting that this is a vital part of their background.

Easing in to my favorite holiday time of the year, best wishes to everyone for Peace, Prosperity and Comfort and safe travels to your destinations far and wide.

painting- Golden Winged Decalia

French Hens

To the Bat Cave!

2010-10-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Finally. A day to run away to the hills and Apple Valley, to our favorite places that mark Fall and all that goes along with it.

Summer's last tomatoes

Sugar pie pumpkins waiting to be carved and baked into deliciousness.

Ghoulish blue-gray-green pumpkins stacked like zombie heads in a giant wooden box.

turban squash. acorn squash. butternut squash. spaghetti squash.

Fashion plate lady Scarecrows parade, wink and wave in the crispy Autumn glow as passersby wander into a melodic emporium of craftiness and good cheer. Elixirs of freshly pressed cider refresh and begin the Happy Hours of escape to Hickory Nut Gorge and it's magical mood of a perfect Fall day.

A tiki bar hideaway awaits with more refreshment and riverside exotica and conversation.

An all-day date with my favorite guy, piles of fresh mountain produce and a few silly souvenirs to satisfy our whims. Autumn at it's best.

October Fest

2010-10-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

October

cool cool rain.. flannel..fleece..corduroy
black cats. scarecrows. family birthdays
Happy Birthday Sarah, Victor and Jim

blankets
warm rich colors red russet orange yellow ochre rust sanguine
mulled cider. hot toddy
sitting inside on a cloudy fall day sipping soup and hot tea
the feel of a soft flannel shirt

Oh, no, I'm not ready for cold cold weather...we have baked all summer, please, oh please give us our properly allotted Autumn. The days are already short, the air crisp and nippy in the morning and the evening. Let there be days of soaking up warm sun while picnicking on a mountain ride.

painting - Aubergine Apparition

A Chili in the Air..

2010-09-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

summer wanes. cool nights. windows open. apples. pumpkins. pies. drives in the mountains. apple cider. tailgating. state fairs. autumn colors. mums.

chowders. stews. planting the winter garden. collard greens, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, lettuce, parsley. raking leaves.

September

I think it's time for some chili.

White Chicken Chili

2 TBS. Olive Oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can diced green chiles
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup tomatillo sauce
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 TBS. cumin
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white hominy (Maiz Pozolero), drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime

In a Dutch Oven, saute onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add green chiles and cilantro and stir to blend. Add Tomatillo sauce, chicken stock and cumin. Stir well and add cooked chicken. Add beans and hominy and lime juice. Stir and simmer for one to two hours. Serve garnished with avocado, roasted red peppers and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Read All About It!

2010-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

It started with a gift. "Life Is A Verb", a book, a birthday gift from my dear friend, Donna. Oddly, in it's relation to 37 days, I had little more than 37 days to become one of the many unemployed. As I plunged headfirst into a world I knew little of, I grasped at every thread to find, remold, educate and express myself to move onward and upward.

I found that giving of my talents and energy to good causes has been a life raft amidst the flood of Bureaucratic BS, my being a small fish in an ocean of others searching for their next landing as well.

"Life Is A Verb" is a captivating and inspiring book by writer, Patti Digh from Asheville NC. When I learned last summer that Patti was composing a new book, I signed on to contribute an illustration. A most Happy Moment came for me in being accepted as one of the artists from around the world whose work would go to print. Another most Happy Moment was to receive my copy of the finished product, "Four Word Self Help". It is available to you September 1, 2010. I urge each and all to explore the concept of these simple yet deeply meaningful thoughts composed by someone who, in my book, is a very wise woman.

Read Book Be Enlightened

Happy Birthday!

2010-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday little man...he is the forerunner for our family in this millennium. He is the inspiration for all the story telling that started here in Claude's Cove.
He is one very special boy.

Succulence

2010-08-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I recently found an oasis of color and vibrance at the center of the state farmer's market in the midst of a long hot summer. A distinguished man in a straw hat distributed bouquets of loveliness to many who came looking for a splash of nature's color to bring home. Sweet Williams, Gladiolas, Dahlias, so many dramatic specimens that I don't begin to know all the names of. Many walked away smiling with bountiful color in hand.

My pick was a current obsession with succulents. The plant vendor had a fine variety in colors and clusters. My choice was a Sempervivum, also known as hen and chicks.

I've had an interest in doing a painting of a single one. I sometimes become overcome with these visions of things that I must paint, as with things I must cook, places I must go, and so on.

I also procured a few nice sweet onions and some local fresh okra for making more okra pickles.
I was sad to see that the hot pepper farmer from last summer was not there. We do have our own small crop, and on the "to do" list is "make hot sauce", but the vision of his table last summer was colorfully stunning.

I also ran into an old friend, which made the day complete. There is nothing like a good tailgate market in midsummer for visiting, for inspiration, for awesome fresh food and healthy eating and for seeing the vast abundance that nature gives us. Its great to have these bright and cheerful places to go and find succulents, and other stuff.

2010-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas Edison

______________

I think that I shall drink a peach.

Peachtree Punch

This luscious and creamy smooth refreshment was invented for the opening of Trader Vic's in Atlanta, one of our all time favorite places to visit. It is a tried and true recipe and an astonishing elixir for what ails in this onerous summer.

1 medium fresh peach, peeled, pitted, and quartered
1½ ounces silver rum
2 ounces orange juice
¼ ounce coconut syrup
¼ ounce peach liqueur
1½ cups crushed ice, plus additional ice cubes
1 sprig mint, for garnish
Grated nutmeg, for garnish
Red wine or double old-fashioned glass

Reserve one of the peach quarters. Combine the remaining three peach quarters, rum, orange juice, coconut syrup, peach liqueur, and crushed ice in an electric blender and pulse for a few seconds, just until uniformly combined. Pour into the glass and add ice cubes to fill. Garnish with the remaining peach quarter, skewered on a cocktail pick, and the mint sprig. Dust with grated nutmeg.

Recipe from "Trader Vic's Tiki Party!", by Steve Siegelman, Ten Speed Press, a fantastic guide of history, party planning and recipes for cocktails and food.

Ladies of the Lake

2010-08-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

July was the annual girls camping trip. For four days we floated and floundered on the shores of Lake Jocassee. We ate like queens. We told stories, watched shadows in the moonlight, painted pictures and knitted and purled for as long as we wanted.

White morning glories hung like dew drops from the banks of the water's edge. Hardwoods towered above us while large feathered friends crowed about.

Boat tour with hospitable friends.. visions of waterfalls. ferns. moss. and rainbow. Riding roof top...laughing ladies sliding, splashing. Cody and Cinnamon happy smiling.

Ahhhh,...a mini break..

photos by M.Palmarita

The Garden Muse

2010-07-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

photo by J.T. Hammond

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
-Marcel Proust

____________

There she is in her Most Happy Place. It is time I introduced the Matriarch of the other side of my family. Grandmother Pauline.
The farm that my father's family finally settled on after a number of years of tenant farming, was just a stone's throw from Claude's Cove. Mom and Dad met in high school. As country neighbors do, the families occasionally got together for special suppers. We will delve into that aspect at a later time.

I spent many childhood days visiting my grandma's hilltop farm. I believe her greatest loves at that time were being encircled by her family, music, and gardening. She labored for hours with her own hands building stone walls and pathways and growing lavish roses, lilies and other beautiful flowers.

I played for long hours and days with cousins or childhood friends, riding horseback or staging imaginary sagas in the hand built fort, complete with lookout tower. The tower overlooked the clay tennis court where other cousins exhibited their physical prowess.

Many family reunions occurred there. Roasting split whole chickens slathered in barbecue sauce over a fire pit. Many hours of my aunts slaving over the stove to feed the dozens of us who came just to play. More hours of putting away freshly picked produce from Grandmother's garden to feed our families through the year.

This summer we have put away much happiness from the garden. We are blessed.

Pickled Green Beans

3 lbs. tender green beans
4 hot peppers, fresh or dried
4 garlic cloves
4 tsp. peppercorns
4 tsp. mustard seed
4 TBS dill seed
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. celery seed

Trim and wash beans.
Sterilize canning jars and lids. Fill each jar with beans. To each jar add 1 chile pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp. peppercorns, 1 tsp. mustard seed, and 1 TBS dill seed.

Bring water and vinegars to a boil in a non-reactive pan. Add salt, pepper flakes and celery seed. ladle vinegar solution over beans leaving 1/2" head space. Clean jar edges and place lids on securely.

Boil in hot water bath 10 - 12 minutes. Remove and let cool. Check lids to see that they have sealed. Allow to sit for 3 - 4 weeks for flavors to blend.
Makes 4 pints.

You say tomato..

2010-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I say, "Let's Eat!". Let's eat them now on fresh white bread and as John T. Edge said, "Standing over the kitchen sink with the juices running down your arm."

It was my pleasure to discover a program on South Carolina ETV this last sweltering Saturday afternoon while escaping the heat. At the end of the regular Saturday food shows line-up, Dr. Walter Edgar hosted a symposium on Southern Food featuring speakers, John T. Edge, Matt Lee and Ted Lee. It was an eloquent review of historical reflection as well as an observation on where we have arrived in present day respect and honor of our culinary heritage. (Re-airing July 12th at 7 pm)

Our summer suppers at Claude's Cove, and breakfasts and lunches for that matter, have been laden with fresh garden vegetables. Nice, juicy tomatoes and bushels of beans, also squash, eggplant and peppers.

In inspiration from viewing Dr. Edgar's review of Southern fare, I pulled out my best kitchen knife and cutting board and chopped up my first summer batch of Gazpacho. Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup originating in the region of Andalusia...it is also said to have been a product of Southern kitchens generations ago, called Gaspachi.

Gazpacho

2 cups tomato juice
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp hot sauce
dash of worchestershire sauce
2 TBS white wine
1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients and allow flavors to blend for several hours or overnight. Serve in chilled bowls and garnish with your choice of fresh herbs. Serves 4.

In my kitchen which IS the heart of my home, I chop and stir and simmer and create in the space where my grandmother made many meals and creations for her loved ones. Her spirit stands beside me and comforts me. When I can do nothing else, and life feels all out of sorts, I go into this sacred place and sometimes, magically, rewards come out that soothe my heart and soul.

In my quest to re-create my life, my career, in soul searching and daily inspirational reading, Sarah Ban Breathnach cinched it. My life path did not come to me as a ready made mix in a box. It has been made from scratch, one ingredient at a time, year by year. One might think that we would be nearly ready for the feast by now. I think I may still be short an ingredient or two.

I was also inspired as I recently viewed a video interview of a sculptor. She said she found her sculpting 'Muse" at age 55. That made me feel much better. Many great creators have found their niche at that awakening time in life.

Accentuate the Positive

2010-07-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

"In times of great adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."
-Lee Iacocca

Amen and Amen

Green Baby Green

2010-06-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

Talk to me about going green...how about the Green diet? laced with a little red and yellow.

Why I was raised on a green spoon, started eating organic about the time I started eating solid food...farm raised chickens, eggs and milk. Homegrown vegetables, fresh herbs, canned foods from the fields for the winter.

This summer we are blessed by the Jolly Green Giant and Mother Nature's Rain ...numerous pints of pickled green beans, refrigerator cucumber pickles, cartons of beans and squash in the deep freeze. Daily doses of cucumber, tomato and yogurt salad. Luscious, juicy tomato sandwiches, piquant, garlicky pesto and caponata. Ahhhh, the freshness.

A Saturday jaunt to a North Carolina tailgate market to see what they have that we don't...not much, I see, but I did grab a bagfull of good HOT jalapenos, since ours are not quite ready.

bean basket photo by J.T. Hammond

Matinee Mania

2010-06-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

painting - Laurence of Hospicia, artist unknown

Already, the long hot summery days call for diversion and escape to faraway places. The breeze lulls, afternoon storms rumble through, the laundry flaps on the clothesline.

I run to gather in the freshly dried clothes before the next stormcloud bursts. The dog hunkers in the corner, then paces and pants and worries over the noise and the drama of these daily summer occurrences. He seeks comfort in the closeness of his companion.

Hours of study and research go by. Mornings spent planting, weeding and watering before the heat becomes oppressive.

There are endless projects and tasks to attend to, but there is an inner yen to flee. A need for other scenery. These walls are dark, the air is stale.

For a while I roamed markets of castoff treasures and collected odd pieces to trade off or use in other creations. Now I pile full boxes of excess, hauling away for others to plunder through.

I go for a matinee. A much anticipated outing with my good friend. City princesses trek off to exotic places in their overwhelmingly garish fashions. They whine and complain of their less than perfect perfect lives. The outcome of this escape was far less cathartic than I had hoped, the movie part, that is. Delirious Divas riding camels across dunes and picnicking under tents while served by handsome butlers.

I once rode on an elephant with a friend. We were at a State Fair and I dare say had more fun on that excursion than those silly divas in their harem couture.

What we need here is a windfall, a ship, a real job. Spare me from the hours of waiting for my number to be called in this game of economic roulette.

Calgon, take me away...

Floating along

2010-05-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

painting - 'Adrift'

days float by, studying, gardening, finishing old projects and starting new ones

spring rain has created lush environs and many blooms and blossoms scattered on the porches

spring cleaning removes the cobwebs from the mind and the crevices

turning the soil and planting seeds and plants will make our summer table alive with nourishment

berries ripen. our anniversary approaches. celebration. we have grown another year closer

To Market

2010-05-03T14:45:00.001-07:00

Callie and Susan go to market..

Asheville Farmer's Market, Annual Herb Sale. She's told me about it for years. Why I've never gone before is inexplicable and inexcusable. We had a post-birthday outing in her honor to go and procure plants for our summer garden. She wore her new and lovely sun hat. I was astounded at the greenery and floral abunda. We had a wonderful day gazing at fragrant herbs, exotic flowering plants and enormous strawberries that exuded intoxicating aromas.

flying pig

mermaid art

Lovely Mermaid Art by Burton Edwards of the J & B Herb & Plant Farms in Roxboro, NC

We came home with Cinnamon Basil, Lime Basil, Lime Thyme, Purple Basil (it was a veritable Basil Heaven), Lavender of at least two kinds, Herbal Dog Biscuits, Chives, Russian Tarragon and yes, a piece of Mermaid Art.

Such amazing discoveries...I must go every year evermore.

Giving

2010-04-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

painted birdhouse - Homes of Hope

Giving what I've got. That is what I do these days. I've found amazing satisfaction in creating from my resources to give to people and places that mean something huge to me. While digging out my creative space, I found many pieces of art materials that had lingered too long here, so I decided to donate them to a place made specifically for creating, where people come when they have nowhere else to go. The Art Room at the Triune Mercy Center, Greenville, SC. Nowhere have I ever felt so much energy in an artistic fashion. I know that is saying a lot. I haven't gone there yet to create art, but the people who run it are so full of spirit and creative inspiration, I am so inspired that a place such as this exists. I hope to spend more time with them in the future. I attended an Easter holiday Tea Party there recently that was such a vision of enthusiasm, it was very hard to leave. My next gift to Triune was a painted birdhouse for their contribution to a fundraising auction for Homes of Hope. The Tea Party featured the painted birdhouses as centerpieces, painted by local artists as centerpieces amongst fresh garden flowers and many festive balloons.

For my family, I try to give things from my heart and my hands. I became a quilter at an early age inspired by my grandmother and my mother. For Sarah and Thomas, I created designs for their surroundings appropriate to the times and places where they were born. Thomas' quilt was a four square that included a Tall Pine Tree pattern in honor of North Carolina where his mother hailed from, a Maple Leaf signifying Vermont, where I was living at the time, and a Chinese puzzle to note his birth in Hong Kong. A quilt for Sarah was a medallion of a sailboat that signified her parents' love for sailing, the sea and great adventure.

My most recent handspun piece is another small coverlet directly from and inspired by Claude's Cove. A simple fishing boat, a great blue heron and fish. For all of my days at Claude's Cove, I will never express all the inspiration that comes from this place and what it means to me in regards to my family.

On Saturday we will celebrate my mother's birthday and I will give Charlie his special "Claude's Cove" quilt. I hope he has not already grown up to much too have his baby quilt, but it can go with him throughout his days as a memento to where his family came from.

Love to all.

Ever After

2010-04-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

painting - Angel Oak

Whether it be the presentation of the colors for a veteran of one of the most horrific wars of our time, or the playing of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones as a recessional, these were portions of services I have attended in these early months of this still new year.Two people who I've met who touched my life and then went on. It is fitting that passing into that next dimension does involve some ceremony that individualizes the one who is being honored and remembered.

As I recently strolled the grounds of the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, I was entrenched in a calmness of quiet and beauty. A balmy breeze whispered through the Spanish moss draped throughout the graceful and magnificent trees and shrubs interspersed around acres of sculptural elegance. Many generations rest there. It is a stunning expanse perched along the Saint Augustine Creek where a plantation once stood dating back to the 1700s.

The banks of the Saint Augustine are a tranquil repose for contemplating the hereafter. It would be a satisfying spot to have my ashes set along the banks to blow out into the marshes, the sea and evermore, or any place of that sort.

Cemetery Etiquette: Enjoy the natural peace and serenity of the cemetery.

Rest in Peace, Johnny Mercer

little things

2010-03-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

more reflections on Paris Market...Savannah. antiques. prettiness

history. patinas. rust

baby girl frock

silly menkees

zooma zoom toy car

a shrine for divine guidance

I could live here

Heavenly Chair Place

massive tree trunks bending and bowing to welcome those who come for lowcountry visions not seen in the hill country

camellias wrapped in Spanish moss

it is all so dreamy

paris market

2010-03-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ladies of the Paris Market

My romance with all things French has evolved over the years, from the love of French Antiques, Paris, fields of lavender and so on. Maybe my visits to Montreal (I know, it's not France, but has it's French influence) in it's Frenchness in the eighties where the language floated on air, the sidewalk cafes were so romantic and the eggs and croissant were the most delicate that ever passed my lips.

Maybe it's visions of Grandpa Claude riding on motorcycle there in World
War I. A gentle farming man in a far foreign land in a turbulent time.

I can't explain my obsession, but I've studied the language and altho I still don't speak it, it is like music. Regardless, I thank Patricia for saying the words, 'Paris Market' and showing me the way. It was like a journey to a faraway place.

Take me back to Tybee

2010-03-03T10:35:00.001-08:00

It was my pleasure to travel to Tybee Island GA with such a fun group last weekend. The sights were colorful, inspiring and divine. The food was fantastic. Beach walks. Island walks. City walks. Mermaids. Folk art.

coaster cat

shack cat

Dream place

more later...

Compromise

2010-02-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

painting - Edisto Marsh II

"Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got."
-Janis Joplin

________________________

Not so long ago I was given a lot of time, not by choice, to contemplate where my life is going. It has also given me much time to review where my life has been. Having made compromises in the past and not being certain that I had choices, I placed myself into some positions that really did not set well. I dare say some of those times did result in character development. I can say that more than once I have been sold short by employers of my talent and work ethic. I have no fear of work. What I fear is putting myself into a dull routine that provides no growth or appreciation of what my potential is.

I truly appreciate those who have stood by me to affirm that when your gut feeling tells you something is not right, then listen. I am thankful to have made it this far in figuring out that digging until the proper situation is found is very important. I am thankful to have an opportunity to return to school to continue to grow and learn. I am thankful to have had some time to get to know myself better than ever.
Read a lot.
Pray a lot.
To thine own self be True.

Cove Silhouettes

2010-02-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

photos by Thomas Hammond

Thomas captures stunning silhouettes at Claude's Cove of family moments special and sacred. Experimenting with old ways of photographing and documenting his own views.

brisk walks through woods and laurel thickets

Sarah gathers remnants of stories and weaves them into her creations to share on the stages of faraway places

Matt is a new dad and holds his precious gem, lovingly and with gentle care

this family is filled with talent and grace

I am so proud of them all

Glowing Thoughts

2010-02-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

navel oranges, blood oranges, tangerines

mandarin orange tea

Bright orbs of orange for dark winter days

Reading about oranges. Foodie shows about oranges. Oranges and dark chocolate. Just thinking about them is a bright thought. The aroma intoxicating. No wonder they come to us in the middle of winter, to brighten the day, to scent the air, to sweeten the senses.

Cabin fever. excavate. clean the corners. empty out.
Bring the balance back to Life.

Research recipes for comfort foods from the Barefoot Contessa.
Homade chicken stock. Bouillabaisse.

Daffodil leaves are peaking through crispy leaf mulch.
Their glowing yellow faces will show themselves soon.

Finishing projects. pulling out seed packets. contemplating spring and
New Beginnings.

Field Trip - Spartanburg Art Museum. Wolf Kahn - paintings and pastels.
Ahhhhhh...my inspiration...

You've got to love a man that braves snow and ice, hand squeezes fresh blood oranges, shovels out the tiki bar and shakes up a beautiful tastey cocktail garnished with a fresh rosemary twig.

Yum.

New View

2010-01-04T08:00:00.001-08:00

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.
-Maori proverb

_________________________

A New Year

Quiet, clouds, collage, draw. Talk to friend, Elizabeth. Email friends.
Greet the New Year with positive thoughts and aspirations.

Watch a movie, "The Secret Life of Bees"
Paint, cadmium orange, tree shadows.

Walk through barnyard with Inez. Leafy whirlwinds twirl and dance and fall.

Collard stems in compost will make garden dirt for next season.
Plant paperwhites from Marybeth in shell pot that belonged to Grandma.

Simmer mixed greens, peas, stir egg and milk into cornmeal.
Prepare traditional meal for New Years Day.
Give thanks and pray for success and prosperity in the coming year.

Christmas Gift

2009-12-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

One of my All Time Favorite gifts was this issue of "The Night Before Christmas" illustrated by Howard Finster, given to me by my beloved husband. Of course, the list of favorite gifts from many is too long to publish, but it is so fine to reflect back to gifts like this that keep on giving. The first Christmas we spent together, he gave me recordings of all the musical acts that we had seen together the previous year. It was truly one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. He has brought much music to my life over these years.

God Bless Us Every One.
Wishing you Comfort and Joy.

Santa's Workshop

2009-12-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

The elves are busy here at Claude's Cove, stitching and painting, cooking and concocting, spinning tunes to share with the hosts of the most festive occasions of the season.

We are so glad that we can be creative on a shoestring to share our love and thanks to the friends and family that mean so much to us. We're calling it a Homade Christmas this year. We're looking forward to visits from loved ones from afar and lots of good food and memories to share with all.

Making the list for the Christmas Eve dinner and wrapping up little things to send down the road for Christmas Day.

Rocco has settled in for his long winter's cat nap...and visions of sugarplums dance around his head.

Merry Christmas to All!!

Holiday Lights - II

2009-12-08T07:39:00.001-08:00

TINY TOWN

The photo tour

As in any year past, it is always the coldest night of the year when we schedule this extravaganza. Even if we went all the twelve days of Christmas, each and every one would be the coldest night of the year. It adds to the ambience. There is a massive bondfire to back up to and get toasty. Then there's the tour to keep you moving...house after tiny house, filled with eclectic collections of toys, yard decor and ephemera. It is a wonderland that tops almost any that I have ever seen.

We had a delightful evening with the Munsons and friends, touring the Tiny, eating chili and watching football. Not to mention catching up with good friends.

I love the holidays, for all those reasons.

Stay tuned, more to come.

Happy December!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a posse of Barbies, decked in rodeo gear!

Holiday Lights

2009-12-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

Claude's Barn

Illuminated by Clara

What a beautiful sight right in our own backyard.

The lights and illuminations definitely make the season.

Waterfalling

2009-11-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Cody & Cinnamon lead a tour of the falls. Lake Jocassee, Thanksgiving.

What I have to be thankful for...a couple of friends with a new houseboat...a beautiful day in late November...a destination not so far away...and tons of beauty to take in. Oh, and a couple of furry friends to spice it all up.

Well, there is much more to be thankful for...and let me not forget to tell each and everyone thanks for being my friend, my counsel, my moral support, my confidant and for bringing much love and joy to my life.

I am blessed.

Gloss and Glimmer

2009-11-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

Glitz and glamour. True confession. I AM a confirmed 'zine-a-holic. The best outcome of that to date is that I have also become a collage-a-holic, so I am a vicious cycle of ripping the pages and reconstituting them into art and other great ideas.. All of that to say, that I still have piles of them lying around and do enjoy trading with friends and moms for scoring more visual stimuli, recipes and good ideas.

Last Wednesday, I visited the Asheville Farmer's Market trying to put the pieces together for a true "Martha" centerpiece of white pumpkins and gourds.

I'm pretty fickle when it comes to 'zine topic, be it food, decor, art, fashion... I may not be a fashion plate outwardly, but I love to see a runway line up and the latest Fall Fashion issue, believe it or not. I switch my subscriptions around just to experiment. It breaks my heart to see the publishing industry taking such a heavy hit in these trying times. It hits me harder than you know.

I love a slick front beautifully photographed book of high advertising, Vogue photo shoots by Annie Leibovitz, one of the greatest photographers of all times, current gossip and events, what to cook for Thanksgiving this year, and so on...

I subscribed to New York Magazine for years just for the weekly crossword and the chance to live vicariously through a "New York" window. My most mysterious 'zine experience has been receiving anonymous "gift" subscriptions to magazines that I most likely would have never ordered. I understand the concept that it is good to read magazines and books that you wouldn't normally read. However, it weirds me out that someone that I may or may not know has bestowed me with "Parents" magazine ( I have no children, only cats and dogs), "Backpacker" (let's face it, I'm an artist and a cook and my idea of "outdoorsness" is camping in a state park and taking a 30 minute walk in the neighborhood) and "Field and Stream" (okay, for as much as I don't mind eating it...I'm just not going to pull the trigger...and I still don't know how to bait a hook!).

One of this month's faves is "Country Living" Nov. '09 issue, which features a great food article "A Southern Thanksgiving" with Matt and Ted Lee from Charleston. (i.e., Lee Bros..Winning the "Throwdown" with B. Flay, Food Network on Nov. 4th, also demonstrating at Wms. Sonoma, Asheville on Sat. Nov. 21st..FYI) I have already tested their Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin (which they also demoed on "Today" last week). Yum yum. It is a keeper! AND on the T'day menu.

Another charming article by Susan Orlean called "Polishing Silver", I found I related to in the way of loving shiny and dear things. I didn't grow up in the company of silver service tea sets and all that, however, I have inherited several sets of lovely old silver plate that our grandparents used for family holidays and dinners with special friends. I love to polish up these relics for same events with our family and friends. I have also collected a few choice small silver pieces to accent the mantle and other shelved collections to add a shiny glow to presentations.

May your Holiday Season be all aglow with shiny things, great food and loving gatherings with all those you love. We're getting cozy here at Claude's Cove.

It's a good thing!

Autumn Views

2009-10-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

painting: Yellow Ground

This was the first of my series of tree paintings from a few years ago. The vision introduced itself to me at this same time of year, when the leaves have fallen and the skeletal elements of the trees stand out in the various dramatic light of an autumn day.

I am ready to take this series farther and in to larger dimensions. I am glad that I have some time to concentrate on this venture and to have the time to enjoy some autumnal outdoorsness. I hope to have a collection to show publicly by spring or summer, and may have found a co-conspirator to show with. This makes me happy.

I have just planted my winter garden with collard green plants and seeds of lettuce, spinach, beets and radishes. The rain came just in time to water it all.

I've been gathering twigs of kindlin for starting the first fire of autumn in the fireplace. This will make the dogs happy. It is a good time of year to concentrate on coziness, hot cider and gathering with friends and family.

Abundance

2009-10-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Germany -

Earlier this year, Annie the Nanny left Claude's Cove and journeyed across the ocean to live with the beautiful Lumia Rosamari Mulliganova. Annie traveled to Germany with Lumi's Aunt and Uncle where they had many great adventures while Lumi showed them many sights. I relished in seeing photos of their travels to museums, street scenes, cafes and stunning architecture. Best of all it does my heart good to see what abundant pleasure a visit with a new little family member can inject into the lives of loved ones.

**********

Last weekend the day finally came to hold little baby Charlie, our newest young family member. What a delight it is to see the family line cross in to a new generation.

Later in the week I had the privilege of making a new friend in sitting with 3 month old Stella. Stella lives in an awe-inspiring olive green house with aubergine trim and lovely views of pastures, animals and mountains. She was a treasure to spend time with. Holding such a loving bundle of warmth and affection, having her gently fall asleep in my lap and absorbing the peace and serenity of her simple nap, gave me such reward to care for this little person.

As the week passed we had the good fortune of visits from two old friends from North Carolina. It was a wonderful time of sharing music, reminiscing and taking in the crisp autumn air on our deck, appreciating long time friendship and the depth it gives to our lives.

This week of fresh new lives blending in to ours , and revisiting rich, long relationships gives us a comforting foundation for enriching our life together.

Pilgrimage

2009-10-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

End of September, a crisp, cool fall day. Many years my family has journeyed to the hills of Western North Carolina to acquire mass quantities of the season's freshest apple crop. As a child I rambled through the barns, around the tractors and wagons and scuffled underneath heavy laden gnarly apple trees dodging bees and such.

Monday morning, Mom and I set out for a drive through the Dark Corner and the winding woodlands of the watershed. Out Highway 64 to Ednyville, the road is scattered with roadside produce stands and orchards. Apple trees with limbs bending to the ground loaded with golden and russet fruits.

The Lyda Farm has been our favorite destination for a long, long time. They offer an ample selection of vegetables and fruits. Gigantic pumpkins, winter squash and gourds. Ghostly white pumpkins, pale skinned amd bright orange. Giant cabbages larger than your head. Red tomatoes, green tomatoes, beets and cider. Ah, the pleasure of shopping in an open air market on such a beautiful day, to return home with the reward of freshly grown harvest for the table.

Stuffed Cabbage - it's what's for dinner.
With a side of beets.

Rummage

2009-09-13T07:52:00.001-07:00

To rummage, or to ruminate, that is the question.

Whether to pilfer through attics and cellars for the mere assumption that a piece discarded into a box or a corner might be a treasure worth a pittance to another is a subject of great irony. If, by chance, I have chosen to place it in such box myself, then why should I anticipate that another would want it, presumptuously for a price? I ask myself, why do I spend so much time and energy worrying about these kinds of things. Handling and dusting and washing and ironing, this is servant's work. All to end up giving a large portion of these trinkets away? What am I thinking...? At least there may be a tax deduction in the cards.

The best joy I got out of this experience was to unload the giveaways to the thrift collectors, to trade select items with my friend and to paint the battered frames and experiment with the colors and finishes and then have the zap of inspiration to make paintings to go in to said frames.

Otherwise it is an exhausting trial of deciding what to do with this stuff. I am an admitted junk collector. So is my husband. So was my father. So was my grandmother. So was my Aunt Ruby. Where do you think it all came from? I know I am in need of counsel, but with each revelation such as this, I start to realize the things that are most important to me. I do believe that it is time to eliminate the vast quantities of stuff and concentrate on the paint and the pen, my friends. I will, however, need support and encouragement.

painting: Edisto Marsh I

September. Oh Happy Day!

2009-09-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

I walked out the front path through the morning glory garland and through the length and breadth of Claude's Cove choking on tears of joy and a hefty smile.

That baby boy is here!

As fate would have it, he made his mamma wait until September for his arrival. Could be he wanted a brand new month for his brand new day to start out his life.

He is the third great great grandchild of Claude. This weekend another one of Claude's great grandchildren will marry, and with the new year another great great grand will come. And so the family grows.

I stand on the dock and call out to the spirits waiting there that he is here. The cool breeze on my skin feels as if it could lift me up and send me soaring over the waters like a big blue heron. Crows call out from the treetops to spread the news.

On my walk home, a russet canna blossom lays on the pavement and asks for a drink. Shards from a broken coffee cup are strewn across the red clay shoulder.

I return to the chore of the day, and happily wield my paintbrush to whitewash the kitchen where grandma made us many meals of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and fried apple pies.

I pull out my paint box of many colors and continue to work on tiny studies of cove paintings and tiny furniture painted in bright colors. I see things in tiny perspective and long to hold that baby and kiss him.

I am thankful for a new season coming round the bend, a new life in our family and a new season of change.

painting: Star of Yelta

August

2009-08-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

chicken bone on the pavement
sky so blue
my grief, my behavement
I cry for you

2004

********

Downy feathers float on shallow ripples up in to the head of the cove. A blue heron glides low into the bend. Back to school. A school of small fish linger by the dock waiting for their lesson or a bite.

Summer is fading. Dry heat. Beating sun. Soon the blue of the sky will change. After Labor Day. That baby will be here by week's end and holding in his grandmamma's arms.

This week ended Stella. This summer lolled along in melancholy like the summer we watched our Daddy dying. Nothing to do but wait and care. Care about so much time passed and whether you did enough. Loving and caring was the best we could do.

Stella loved being at Claude's Cove for thirteen years. Having her babies here. Running through the laurel thickets with Inez and swimming cross the cove. Laying in a pile of leaves all camouflage in her brindled prowess. Thanksgiving. Her spirit floats through like the downy feathers on the ripples of the waters at Claude's Cove.

Amusement

2009-08-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Recently my Uncle John recounted a memory of taking his daughter and me to the local State Fair when we were very very young. I imagine it was my first trip to such a fantastic place. He gave each of us fifty cents and we rode and rode the rides for hours. I remember driving tiny red sports cars around a track, and bumper cars, neon lights and cotton candy. A Big Night of Fun.

In contrast, our community held an annual country fair at the high school. On display were colorful, flamboyant and patterned poultry, pigs in their largess, mama cows with their heifers, canned goods, giant pumpkins, prize roses, quilts and coverlets, all from the hands and lives of folks only a few miles encompassing the festival. The elder men of my family gathered for days preceding to cook and chop hundreds of pounds of meat to make the annual barbecue, the main dish of the event.

For the past week we've all reflected on the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock...in that same year, I was relishing the celebration of my 7th Grade class trip to Charleston, basking in the sea air on the Boardwalk of Folly Beach, sipping cokes and eating hot dogs and making the rounds on the carnival rides. Later that summer, I scored my Woodstock souvenir at the T-shirt Shop on the Boardwalk of Myrtle Beach. The merrymaking continued at The Pavilion,with calliope music, rides upon rides, games and photos in the photo booth.

The Fairs and Festivals from year to year are the remnants of Americana that tie our memories into the quilted threads that hang over the grandstands with Blue, Red and White ribbons.

In my past travels between New England and the Carolinas, I followed a favorite band to Sullivan's Island one summer in the late eighties. Upon returning North, dodging a tropical storm, I ventured off course for a visit to Asbury Park. What a monument to beachside, boardwalk amusement and local, pure, all American fun.

I dream about what it may have been like to grow up in the shadow of a place like that.

What I marvel at most is how each visit to a Festival, a State Fair or an Amusement Park marks special times in our lives to remember. They go on like clockwork to indicate season's change, harvest, community fellowship and commemoration. As holiday lights and watching fireworks with family and friends, they illuminate us.

My most surreal trip to a State Fair was a pre-planned trip with my husband to the North Carolina Mountain State Fair in Arden. It was September 11, 2001. As ominous a day as it turned out to be, we felt like we should get out and do something. Certainly a shroud hung over the Fairgrounds, yet the show went on. The livestock, the funky chickens, the games, the rides were on stage for all who came. We walked around, saw "Asleep At the Wheel" perform, had a couple of corn dogs and called it a night. We never even rode one ride.

Of all the greatest times at these Grand Places, my fondest recollections are those tiny red cars we drove when we were tiny little girls, the Demolition Derbys, and most of all, riding the elephant with my best girlfriend.

Babes in the Woods

2009-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Girls camping trip. A spontaneous road trip to White Oak Camp at Table Rock. Summer days. Rain drops fall. Hanging out under makeshift tarps by a sizzling campfire. Keeping company with ferns and mossy embankments. Boulder stepping stones lead in to chilly waters fed by cascading falls. July ends.

Coffee brews in an Italian pot on the new camp stove we broke in at supper time the night before. Peaceful hours knitting, drawing, collaging and talking. We are a million miles from home.

Our only commitment, to rest and relax and enjoy the scenery. Surrounded by forest, it is cool and refreshing. Unusual for the middle of summer.

Trip to Venus

2009-07-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

A week ago I ran away to visit my dear friend, Venus, and her family.

A drive down beautiful country roads, past sprawling farms and small pristine churches, I arrived in the early afternoon, bearing fresh plantains for our Jamaican feast of the evening.

An afternoon of girls gabbing, catching up and finishing off the kitchen work so the next few days would be all play and no work. Later we fancied our Jamaican Jerk chicken, fried plantains and a luscious garden salad.

The following day the picnic basket packed, we trailed off to the Daniel Stowe Garden. There, on the patio, we dined before our tour, then set off down the serpentine paths under arched fountains, awestruck by the beauty of a paradise of floral and botanical wonder. Intermixed in the plan were sculptures, topiary and a larger than life bird cage that emanated as from a fairy tale, filled with brightly colored birds, flitting and flirting and posing. The finale of our tour was a venture through the orchid house exhibition, so much more loveliness than I have words to describe.

Back to home, we relished in some communal studio time, building clay, sewing and more chat. Breaking in the new studio space, giving it soul, filling its space with the love of creation and being together. Friends who have long loved the artistic link that binds us.

Another great dinner of homemade garden pizza ended our day.

Watering the garden, walking on country roads, reading, we spent the next day mostly out of doors.

Venus sensed a large truck approaching.
We accepted delivery from Mr FedEx of a couple of Way Cool chairs for the new studio. A gift for the lovely lady, from the lovely Mr. C.

Girls night out at the Patti-O Bar and Grill. Big Juicy Patti-Melts and brews and still more girl chat. These girls can talk. A Blue streak. A mile a minute. All day and All night.

It's a beautiful thing!

a moment of silence

2009-07-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

Act II

2009-07-19T07:32:00.001-07:00

For my next act, I will become a mermaid.

note to self: sign up for swimming lessons

Solace

2009-07-13T06:06:00.001-07:00

Ancient Chinese Remedy -

Take one chicken soup each day for one week
May have better effect when eaten while watching
Old movie or sports game on television
Some cracker may also make more yum yum

- - -

Easing in to the mid summer days, the humidity rises, the sun blazes, the reading session at the dock moves to an earlier hour of the morning.

Soon the days will consist of the gray haze that looms over us in the dead of summer, as the grayness of winter looms in mid February. It is the anti-pole, the extreme opposite. It is the reason why some cannot abide summer in the Carolinas. I do my best to find activity that allows tolerance and brief escape. Going to an ice box theatre for a matinee. Going for a swim. Taking a nap while a fan gently whispers a cool breeze overhead.

Some of these have been blue summer days. The question of when the right job will come along. The intent to make each day meaningful and productive and not fall into a funk that debilitates the motivation of moving forward, seeking the answers and making some progress, regardless of what it is.

I planned this pleasant day to be a day in the kitchen. A day to make happiness food, comfort food. To make use of the harvest of neighbors gardens. To taste the tangy sweetness of the first locally vine ripe tomatoes. To crunch on crispy cold cucumbers. To crisp up some fried okra that was just picked yesterday.

I returned from the market to a marathon of "No Reservations" with (have I mentioned my favorite foodie?) Anthony Bourdain. Oy vey, will I get anything accomplished today? Possibly, intermittently. This is not just an indulgence, it is my geography lesson.

Shanghai, Dali Province, China. The cormorants assist the locals in fishing for their food. I wonder if the cormorants we spotted on the north shores of Lake Robinson Crusoe are trainable?

I retrieve the remains of the butterflied lemon Chicken a la Nigella Lawson that I made on Friday. Just enough to compose a chicken salad a la Annie's Natural Cafe. Olives, Nuts, Herbs. It's the Best, if I do say so. One of my most fulfilling sabbaticals was working as the salad girl at Annie's in the early '90s. The folks I met during that time are irreplaceable. It also makes me happy that the very same kitchen is now home to Giorgio at Trattoria Giorgio, where he masters the art of the finest Italian fare that I have ever sampled.

So to cure what ails me, to wrestle with my culinary muse, I will prepare the Bongo Bongo Soup of Traitor Vic's, the original version having been made with Toheroa clams from New Zealand.
Alongside the Bongo Bongo I will stir and fry a Shrimp Chow Dun, a specialty from Don the Beachcomber in Palm springs, CA. You may find these and many other exotic and fascinating recipes in "Taboo Table" by Beachbum Berry.

And while I pass the time in the solace of my own home, I travel vicariously with Tony, and Beachbum and savor the flavors of the world and the memories of meals in faraway places and what in inspiration they have been.

Tomorrow, Cold Cucumber and Yogurt soup and a new outlook.

Mid-Summer Breezes

2009-07-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

dockside reading. water ripples. fishermen compare their catch. puffy clouds drift.

a strolling stone gathers moss for her garden.

picking berries in the early morning breeze. humidity subsides. peppers ripe add fresh hot bite to fruit salad. melon peach blueberries mint. juicy refreshment for a midsummer day.

a pre-holiday quietness hangs on the air like a silent prayer.

painting: Marshy Gracias

birds of a feather

2009-06-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

coffee talk. scenic drive. winding roads through Carolina hills. hot summer day. tour bus unloads sight seers on to small town street. girlfriends shop for inspiration. let's do lunch.

quilt show. see Jane sew. piece work. stitch by stitch. many hands made beautiful work. little bags of fat quarters wait for hands, scissors, thread to stitch by stitch in to beautiful memories.

Channeling Hong Kong

2009-06-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

On a recent hot June day as I took a break to cool off, have a glass of tea and watch an hour of my favorite foodie, Anthony Bourdain, we strolled the crowded alleys of the concrete jungle of Hong Kong. While he worked his way around the island, I started to reminisce about my long ago journey to that faraway place.

I pulled out my Fotomax photo albums and shortly discovered that this June marks the twenty fifth anniversary of my trip. My brother and sister in law were living there on work assignment as journalists, and my nephew had just been born. I thought it was my best first chance to travel abroad to a destination with built-in travel guides plus a chance to see baby Thomas in his first year.

I marveled at the exotic sights and sounds, aromas and largeness of the city. Viewing it from atop Victoria Peak or from a water taxi in Aberdeen boat village. Shopping in street markets, jade markets and markets filled with endless varieties of vegetable, fruit and live seafood. I sampled Peking duck, strange fruits and pungent, smelly fruits. I gazed at the rows and rows of roasted ducks hanging in shop windows, rode on the Star Ferry and in the zippy red and black taxis that zoomed at lightning speed on the freeways and through the alleys.

One of my most favorite dining experiences was the Dim Sum Restaurant. A cavernous room full of people talking loudly and trolleys careening through narrow aisles piled high with bamboo baskets filled with many savoury dumpling delights, including anything from meat, seafood or mixtures of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and preserved egg yolks, or flaky dough filled with fruit fillings to make you smile.

I took a short trip to the mainland, learned to use my chopsticks, and happily snapped photos to help me remember it all. Twenty five years later, I'm glad I did.

rain, rain

2009-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

painting: Moody Marsh

every day rain. thunder. wind. afternoon at the cove. two blue herons skim low over the water. drawings on paper. wax softens in the hot sun. Inez wades and wanders and soaks in her summer afternoon in the refreshing waters. rain falls. water surrounds us. garden grows by leaps and bounds. there will be food for all.

Great Escape

2009-06-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

Flaky, warm croissant with creamy French brie. Fresh fruit with herbs and nuts and spicy peanut sauce left from last evening's tropical feast, and a cup of steamy French Roast with a splash of cream. When I asked my friends to bring a surprise, imagine my delight in receiving the July '09 issue of Vanity Fair, cover story, Johnny Depp! After a late night, a late sleep and awakening to a beautiful crisp summer morning, I wielded my 'zine, my coffee and my brunch to the tiki bar, the happy place of our evening before.

Saturday night was our summer break-out to share a fruitful feast and tunes and libations with dear ones. While many of our friends spent the evening celebrating the Floridian Hukilau, we made our own more intimate version with loved ones.

In Douglas Brinkley's account of his voyage with Johnny, he wrote that they talked of "the need for escapism in a world gone wrong." Reading about their visit seemed as if they would fit right in to our niche in a heartbeat.

We can hope that in sharing our talents and creative passions with those we love, it will continue to lead us to a place where our labors make our lives richer. We escaped for one night to the candlelight and colorful lights of the tiki deck and left our worries behind. We told stories and listened to endless background music, and as everyone left, they smiled.

And so I ask myself, what would Johnny do?

Ceremony

2009-06-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Orbs of orange, white and bright yellow. Paper parasols. Marigolds. rose petals. Special words to express love, commitment, thanks, union.
A gentle breeze blows over the early summer afternoon, white chairs on lawn overlook a pond surrounded by laurel blossoms and towering trees.
Food prepared from the heart for friends and family from far and wide, shrimp, corn, sausages.
Toasts to the future.
A meld of cultural blend to tie the knot of a new life together.
Congratulations Chad and Melissa and thank you for letting us be a part of your lovely day.

***
A new day. Bleak news. Wheels collide. An old friend of many. A kind heart. A true saint. A man who kissed middle age goodbye and changed lives. Friends traveled across the continent to share their love and their stories of one special person who smiled and joked and hugged and laughed and loved life and his friends and family. Reflections of the past.
We will all miss you Joe.

mossy wunderland

2009-06-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

Every year at this time, our friend, Roy, has his annual soiree on the mountain. Every time it is a wondrous mix of people who we may have not seen in a long time, may have never met before, may have known for many years. Always, the food is tasty, the conversation spans the globe, the hospitality rivals a family reunion. It is our family of friends. A tapestry of travels, experiences, stories, music and gastronomical delight.

A cozy and rambling cabin in the woods with distinct architectural detail, crisp light and views of sky and treetops, laurel thickets and woodland flora.

The most beautiful sight of all was Nancy's moss and fern garden.
I could just curl up on it like a magic flying carpet.

transition mission

2009-05-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

erasing the past. save. delete. save. delete. shaking hands. moving forward. writing. digging. purging. thanking. cursing. praying. sharing. sorting. pieces of paper. pieces of friendship. moving on into tomorrow. hugging. moody. happy. phone calls. emails. instant messages from far away. travel. collect. new thoughts. plan. stand in the rain. monsoon spring. watching things grow. reading. watching things pass on into the sunset. clean slate. blank book for sharing. collecting thoughts. pieces of paper. paint. paint. draw. write. vent. breathe deep. create. imagine.

painting: Blue Trunk

cove light

2009-05-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

travel light,

live light,

spread the light,

be the light.

-yogi tea bag

photo by Thomas Hammond

Hokey Pokey

2009-05-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the dinner table at the farm at Claude's Cove. As I said earlier, we can fish for our dinner, or we can go out into the woods and glean the early leaves of the greens growing heartily in our back yard, voluntarily from Mother Nature.

There are the violets of the early spring with their delicate blossoms to dress the salad as a bouquet. Also, the dandelion greens, to all those who call them a nuisance and never stopped to consider they are also a food source.

Ah, but we're reaching to the real soul food element as we harvest the tender leaves of the poke weed. Surely all of you, by now, know the saga of Poke Salat Annie and the Gator and the Grannie. I imagine a little gator meat might go well with the poke, but thankfully they are not a commodity in this neck of the woods. We opted to simmer our salat with some bacon renderings and thinly sliced sweet vidalia onions.

First the greens were blanched in hot water until just tender, then sauted with bacon drippings and onions. The flavor is suttle and somewhat similar to spinach. A menu of slow roasted beef with mushrooms and gravy, oven baked mashed sweet potatoes and french green beans accompanied our fresh poke harvest.

I highly recommend you try it. It is bound to be high in nutritional value. It is all so resfreshing to enjoy. Something that is not run of the mill frozen, fast or pre-packaged, and SO green and natural that it makes you feel good to eat it.

All of that after a day of gardening and planting seeds and plants.I sit back in anticipation of a season of growth, and smile.

Gone Fishing

2009-05-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new office, as of June 1st.

How do you like the view?

Jealous?

This is the birds’ eye view of Claude’s Cove.
I have unshelved and dusted off my copy of “Fishing for Dummies”.

I’ll let you know how many dummies I catch as the summer progresses.

I’ll be taking a temporary break from the city and doing a lot of garden therapy.

Honing up my photography skills….finishing numerous paintings (pictures, furniture…)

and painting projects (kitchen, doors, trim…)

I promise to share documentary results. I really do hope that you will stay tuned in for some astounding progress in my creative development and what adventures lay ahead. I believe I’m off to a stellar start with such a hugely supportive group of onlookers.

Yeah, when I said, “Change is good. Bring it on.” Boy did I open up a big fat can of worms!

Well, when life gives you worms, Go Fishing!

Crappie. It's what's for dinner.

photo by Thomas Hammond

dog gone

2009-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Dog Gone. Heart Broke.

He strolled in to our life one hot summer afternoon last year. He was dirty and limping and looking for a drink. I knew right away that he’d be staying for a while.

Seems our lot in life is taking in the homeless…pets that is. They consist of a menagerie, from a coon hound that apparently left the hunt because she’s terrified of loud noise. Then one prize sample that we kept from the litter of eight that she blessed us with two days after our wedding. We also have a pound kitty that we adopted for Christmas several years back.

Last summer’s traveler found us, so we took him in, gave him a meal and a bath and named him Jack. Turned out he had heartworm, the second of our adoptees that we have had treated. He also had never been neutered, so we fixed that too, to encourage him to stay close to his new home. Jack appears to be a full blooded blue heeler. He’s very energetic and loves to chase balls and ride in the truck and go to the men’s club with his new dad.

Late Saturday afternoon, Jack ran away. No explanation, before he even had his dinner. He likes to visit the next door neighbors and believes, as all of our pets do, that their yard is just an extension of ours. He went there and kept on going and as darkness fell and we sat on the deck in the night air, we waited and worried that some ill fate crossed his path and we might never see him again. It was a fretful night.

Sunday was Mother’s Day and I rallied to have lunch with my dear sweet mother, did some gardening, and tried to focus on something other than Jack. After being gone for the entire night, it seemed hopeless. Mr. V dog daddy extraordinaire, kept the faith, searching the neighborhood for some answer. Finally by late afternoon he started going door to door. My best Mother’s day surprise was that he found Jack at the neighbors just down the road where he’d had dinner and a sleep over. Glory Be and how happy I was to see him. Guess we’ll be keeping a closer eye on that scoundrel, but glad to know he was just being neighborly and not looking for a new home. He also seemed pretty happy to see us.

i dream of beaches

2009-05-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

and faraway places……..of marshes and sea grass and birds soaring gracefully over the waters….i once saw an eagle perched on a tree branch over a shell mound on Edisto Island…surely one of those top moments of a lifetime, while a quiet man spent the day fishing off the dock in the river just down the hill from our cabin catching his dinner. i dream of beaches with a constant breeze and shrimp boats on the horizon catching our dinner. i dream of sitting on a screen porch and dipping my paint brush into water and painting mermaids. i dream of picking shells and being awestruck by the patterns that nature paints on their surface that even in shards reveal intricate delicacies. I dream of boat rides to islands where no people inhabit, where tree skeletons tower and birds truly are in paradise.

Thanks!

2009-05-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks!

Mr. V and I spent a delightful weekend with friends celebrating their May birthdays. It is a time when we have not been traveling too much or entertaining, so we were high on anticipation of a social weekend. We have all traveled together before for this occasion and spent several wonderful visits with them. As always, we came home refreshed and happy from this pleasurable indulgence. The food was fantastic. We met some new friends. We commiserated on the lack of work and strenuous times we are going through. However, with the comfort of friends, it is what makes these strange times more tolerable.
Thank you L&S for your hospitality.

Another cause for celebration is the near completion of the art studio there. It is a shimmering beacon in the grassy expanse of their yard near the garden. I dream of days of returning there to work together with my dear friend and spin tales and creations as we have done so often in the past.

I recently attended a networking group meeting with Mr. V that was especially for the spouses of those who are looking for new work venues. It was a very positive evening focusing on the upbeat message of seeking out what it takes to survive and overcome the drastic changes that sometime face us. One exercise from the evening was to state three things aloud that you are grateful for at this moment. For me, Family, Friends, and the Faith that we will get through this. All of us have seen other major accomplishments during this phase, and there always does seem to be a reason for change.

Change is good. Bring it on.

photo by Cabinum

Las Olas Sunset

2009-05-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

I can feel the breeze as we stand on the balcony overlooking the shore of Fort Lauderdale while attending the Hukilau in years past. It is a fantastic festival of all things tiki. Nothing short of true paradise. The sun, the music, the camaraderie. We met SO many wonderful people, it opened up a world of new connections and friendships. An incredible production of Tiki Kiliki a divine connoisseur of tiki. Also on display were fashions and art and antiquities in the tiki bazaar that were from all corners. Tiki carving demonstrations on the sands of the Yankee Clipper. Seminars on exotica music, tiki drink mixology, bus tours to the famous Mai Kai for the Polynesian floor show and dinner, also to the JetSetter Lounge, retro slide shows by Charles Phoenix. Plus music, music, music. All this, in a nutshell, or a coconut shell, will give you a small hint as to what I mean if I refer to anything tiki in the future.

We have traveled to this “convention” like event on three occasions. I enjoy my time on the beach, beach-combing, and by the pool, reading or working on whatever art project that I’ve taken along for the ride, also taking photos for inspiration and reflection after returning home.

Hukilau season is coming soon. We won’t be traveling there this year, but by all means will be celebrating in our own paradise.

‘Las Olas Sunset’ is a view from our travels there.

Happy May Day!

2009-05-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

A May Basket from my dear sweet friend, Donna, to share with all of you.

Happy May Day...also Lei Day in Hawaii.

Mahalo

2009-04-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope."

- Lady Bird Johnson

Celadon Forest

2009-04-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Celadon Forest

I admit that my affinity for tree trunks was elevated by the discovery of painter, Wolf Kahn, in the mid 1980s. I met him while he was artist in residence at Dartmouth College and I was a frame designer at Bean’s Art Store. I was instantly charmed by him and his work. He has produced many wonderful views of the Upper Connecticut River Valley and of forests of trees and their trunks in vivid vibrance. I think that meeting someone of his caliber in the art world and realizing what a kind and humble person he is, was a testament to someone following their dream and their passion in life. It was one of the top ten chapters of my life, especially in that it inspired a direction for me.

A number of my tree studies have been done on my back deck at home, at different times of the day, in different light. If you have ever questioned whether we dream in color, I can assure you that some of my paintings have come from my dreams, and colorful they are.

Dream

Claude's Cove

2009-04-05T15:08:00.001-07:00

Top: Tom and Baby Claude, Matthew Claude
Bottom: Claude Michael, James Thomas & Baby Thomas

I thought it would be appropriate to start my first post in tribute to all of the Claude’s that I have known. I have named our cove at the lake, Claude’s cove in honor of my grandfather…in namesake follows my brother, Claude Michael, nephew, Matthew Claude, and only in spirit I am calling our soon to be born grand-nephew, “Baby Claude”. We recently learned that ‘it’s a boy’ and it is a joyous time all around.

Now begins the task of wondering what to bestow him with from the tips of my fingers and the ideas in my head, a quilt? A piece of painted furniture? Something to wear? I’m not a knitter, so the baby bootz are out. Something will come to mind in investigation of his pending surroundings.

I also live in the house that Claude built. He bought the farm in the early 1940s and built a simple 900 square foot house and several outbuildings for farming purposes. He grew many crops, milked cows, raised chickens and had an ornery old mule that he worked in the field. I can still remember the smell of fresh butter coming from grandma Clara Bell’s churn. Yes, I do believe in ghosts, and they are with us every day comforting us along our way. Thank goodness and Thank God, we have a new generation on the way to play in the dirt, romp in the woods and listen to our stories of the good old days.