two weeks of good stuff

Family time on Lake Thompson in Maine --> Chris & Julie's wedding even deeper in Maine --> Visiting Christine & Nate in Burlington Vermont --> Ashley, Justin, Adria, Jeff and Taryn in Northampton!

That was the best, most delicious, cheapest, friendliest, most romantic and picturesque vacation I've ever had!

I am so glad it is over.

1,000ish more photos on Flickr.

retreat to the woods

It is the time of the year where I make my annual trip to Maine and stay with my parents in my uncle's bare-bones cabin. I have been aching to get up there as it is my favorite seasonal ritual. I'd venture to say that a week of lumpy mattresses, loon calls, board games and lake baths is even more dear to me than Christmas!

Since I can remember, my time there has been primarily occupied in three ways: eating, reading and making.

Eating- As always, the tiny blueberries Maine is known for. In sauces, muffins, pancakes and fresh off the bush. Grilled corn on the cob, toasted marshmallows and whoopie pies. I refuse to eat a whoopie pie anywhere but in Maine.

Reading- I visited the library and teen fiction is still my favorite for summer reading. I picked up The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Once Upon a Time in the North, Puddin'head Wilson and a book on managing ADHD that I will probably only read a little and then I expect to get distracted and forget about. I also grabbed a book that teaches card games. I have want to be the kind of person who knows lots of card games and carries around a deck for spontaneous fun. I carried around Bananagrams for a couple weeks but found it cumbersome.

Making- The best part! I have often treated this trip like an artist's retreat. I remember as a kid, packing a huge suitcase of art supplies to make collages, jewelry, paintings or anything else I was into at the time. I once brought a huge block of plaster. This time I'm keeping it simple and just bringing a pad of paper, drawing tools, brushes and my new watercolor set. I am hoping to put a serious dent in my alligator project.

While I'm away form the luxuries of hot water, internet, television and cell phone reception, My friends Judith and Daphne will be taking care of the bunnies. I mention this because they are both really excellent individuals and I think you will find it rewarding to follow these links to Judith's music and Daphne's illustration.

I'll be back soon with all the watercolor alligators you can stand!

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I'm skipping town!

I'm leaving tomorrow for my annual trip to my Uncle's cabin in Maine. I think a little break from my day job and a change of scenery is just what my brain has been needing. There is nothing I find more refreshing than quiet time by a lake with no responsibilities.

I'm bringing paper and pens so I can get going on the zine I've been promising for a long time. My friend wrote a short story and asked me to illustrate it. That counts as a zine since we're printing it ourselves right?

I'm also putting the finishing touches on a few new designs for cards. I have a pile 99% complete ideas that are begging for attention.

It appears I have no idea how to take a vacation! Even if I can't help but work, at least I'll be sitting on a big rock with my feet in the water.

PS: I put my Etsy shop on vacation mode so it looks empty but it'll be back on the 31st.

Home again.

I'm still in Connecticut visiting my family. Justin and I had a really nice Christmas that didn't leave us completely exhausted for once.

I'm spending the rest of my week here cleaning out my old bedroom and my parent's basement. So far, it feels more like an archeological dig than real cleaning. I found a huge box of photos I'd forgotten about and my mom found some old 8mm film and set up her projector for a show. The process is slow because we are reminiscing so much and quite challenging due to sentimentality. I am running up against my desire to save my special old stuffed animals and costume jewelry.

This trip also has me experiencing something I haven't felt in years. Boredom. I deliberately chose to not bring any art projects to work on while I was here so I could have a break, but my parents go to bed so early that I've taken up puttering softly around their house for entertainment.

I miss making stuff. I'll probably make an emergency run to the craft store tomorrow.

The fine little wood house above is made by Somethings Hiding in Here.

I'll be home for Christmas

I'm leaving this afternoon for Connecticut where I'll be staying until the first week of January. I don't get to go home too often and this is the longest I've stayed since I was in college. It'll be really nice but lots of work since I'm staying to help my parents clean their basement. I surely hope I have no spider interaction while I'm down there.

I am cleaning out their basement to make room for a big project of mine that is in the works. Plans are in the formative stages but I'm pretty sure I'll be setting up a remote screenprinting studio! I am really thrilled by this concept because it means I can work much bigger and I am also happy that I'll be going to Connecticut monthly for weekend print marathons. It will take a long time to finish this project but it's definitely something to look forward to.

Due to my parent's ancient computer, this may be the last post I make for a little while. I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday!

The above image is by Doodle and Hoob of whales on a trek. I thought it was pretty prefect.

I'm back from my trip to Maine!

I had a really splendid time with my family even though it poured almost every day. The good news about all that damp weather was that the mushroom population was thriving! I spent my days crouched on soggy leaves photographing mushrooms, moss, lichen and caterpillars and taking breaks to pick blueberries and make muffins. In the evening, we sat around the fireplace and did quiet things like reading, drawing and playing chinese checkers. I'll post more later about the drawings I made while away but for now I hope you'll take a look at my "fungi on the forest floor" set on Flickr for loads more mushroom pictures.

TTFN

(I don't even remember what that stands for.)

I just wanted to let you know that I'm officially on vacation now and I'll be away from the internet for a whole week. I've just finished packing my bags and sorting my travel snacks. I'm all about travel snacks! My big packing dilemma this year was deciding what tea to pack while I'm out "roughing it". I settled on Moroccan mint green tea, mango ceylon and chamomile with a small package of my girliest grapefruit vanilla white tea to make me feel like a lady while out in the woods. I also packed up some anise biscotti for my mother and I to share. It's our favorite by far!

I'm so excited to be on the verge of a whole cluster of days purely devoted to pleasure activities! I've brought a few sketchbooks, a copy of Lenny Bruce Is Dead as well as No One Belongs Here More Than You, my swimsuit and some fine snacks. What more could I want? Well, I will miss my bunnies for sure but hopefully the loons and ducks will keep me company.

photo of our lake view by blue boo boo

~ blogging hiatus until mid August ~

I'm not complaining.....but I've been working nonstop for the past week. I mean it. I've only stopped for necessary life functions.

The upside is that all this work is in preparation for my upcoming week of vacation! I am going on my annual family trip to my Uncle's "rustic" cabin in Maine for a full week of nothing. This is my favorite kind of nothing. There is no cable, phone, paved road, shower, internet or anything and I'll be reading and drawing and playing chinese checkers with my mother and father and baking wild blueberry muffins.

So, I'm officially taking a blog hiatus to finish up my mega work week and go on a trip. When I return I'll surely have loads of new drawings to share because I'll have nothing else to do!

The photo above is of my father enjoying a book at the cabin. It's too quaint!