FATHER FIGURE

I'm seeing all the annual dad posts & it's hard because my father was mostly absent. I guess this is why I had to develop resilience & self sufficiency, although at times I wish I wasn't so much that way. I know my dad did the best he could under his difficult growing up circumstances. He fought many demons. When he was about 6, his mother took him & his twin brother to a boys school in Philadelphia. My grandma was raising them alone after their dad died prior to their birth. The school offered a scholarship for their education. But they didn't tell the boys what was going on, & my dad remembered being in a fenced yard & then seeing his mother & grandmother walking away outside just leaving them there. It was not a happy place for him. He did the best he could as a father who didn't know how or wasn't able to father.  But I did have a wonderful male mentor growing up who showed such love & patience to me & to his own daughter who had Down's Syndrome. Homer nurtured my art, took me for my first plane ride in his little plane & was at my wedding. Happy Father's Day to all the amazing men who fill these roles & shoes... they are truly extraordinary.

SETTLING

For 8 1/2 months I've been living my dream from my 20s and being a gypsy. It's been exhilarating an life changing. And surprisingly, I've found it hard to blog about because it's been a very personal life changing experience. My inner and outer world has become so much bigger by traveling so many miles, meeting so many amazing new people and having to rely on just myself in many new ways. I've gained inner strength and resiliency and made many new friends. I didn't know if I could do this, but I guess the only thing to do when one is unsure, is to try & in the process grow. We can do many things if we just take action and take the first step. That first step propelled me thousands of miles and has created wonderful memories and relationships. But ironically, as much as I love the wandering and adventure, I find myself longing for the very simple joys of  the spring ritual of planting flowers in pots, having my own constant work space, feeding my birds and walking the same paths each day. I always found new joys in those everyday ordinary surroundings. In many ways, I appreciate those things even more now. But some simple rituals remain... coffee in the morning and tea in the evening, meditation, yoga, a late day walk someplace... and I realize that home is a place I carry inside.

Follow my travels on Instagram HERE and HERE! 

Find art prints from my travels in my ETSY SHOP and my SOCIETY6 SHOP.

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WANDERERS and THOSE WHO INSPIRE

Early in the morning two days ago, I left my art retreat in South Thomaston (Rockland), Maine, and drove 4 hours to the Canadian Border at St Stephen New Brunswick. From there it was an hour drive to St John, New Brunswick and the ferry across the Bay of Fundy to Digby, Nova Scotia. It was wonderful even though drizzling and moody, and much better than driving all the way around the Bay of Fundy.

I decided to stay at The Harbourview Inn in Smith's Cove at the suggestion of a friend. The rooms were cozy and the Inn was in the country with quiet surroundings and lovely open views. It was a short walk to the cove, which I heard was a good spot to find sea glass. I didn't have any luck. I did have a chance to meet a fabulous couple, Andrew and Ursula, from Switzerland who had also been on the ferry and were staying at the Inn. We went to dinner in Digby where they told me of their planned adventure. They were heading next to Halifax and then on to Newfoundland to see the icebergs. After a week exploring they planned to journey to Labrador and slowly wind their way to Quebec City from the North. They would then travel to Montreal and across Canada and then on to Alaska. Once their epic sojourn was done, they would drive back to Florida. I was intrigued, inspired and excited! I had always wanted to go to Newfoundland and Labrador! And I loved their adventurous spirits. 

The next morning we had breakfast together at the inn and I enjoyed listening to their stories philosophies. Andrew commented that people say they would like to have an adventure or travel, but he said people are afraid to get out of their comfort zones - which he called a rut. They both have had so many out of the ordinary experiences and travels. Andrew talked about having gone on a freighter and gave me sites to find information on such adventures. We parted ways and I left feeling so happy to have met them. While wandering and traveling you take a little bit of every person you meet with you, and leave a little bit of yourself behind with  people and in places... It is these chance meetings with fellow nomads that inspire me. A society of kindred spirits roaming and adventuring...