Wednesday, July 20, 2011

last week (or a few things that go too fast)....

time on the water & time to notice things

go karts & being seven

17 years & dusk at the beach

Time with family is one of those things that always goes by too quickly. After a few days together in a lovely house set up for twelve you kind of get into the rhythm of living large. There's lots of noise, someone always around, someone always cooking something or making plans to set off to the beach, go for a bike ride or walk and once we part ways I always feel a little melancholy (it's as if I instantly feel nostalgic about events that happened only days ago). We've done a handful of these trips thanks to the generosity of my in-laws over the past 12 years and they have become a treasured means of looking back for our family. But now we are home and settled in, unpacked and trying to stay cool as the temperature hovers around 115 : ( I am on a mission to keep the chickens cool now that they are living outside 24/7. So far today I have fed them frozen baby peas, cool cantaloupe and blueberries and misted them with the hose (they didn't like that last one). I have also set a small plastic tub on it's side in their run and put a few frozen ice packs in it so it it a bit like a cooling room. They haven't come around to lying inside the tub yet but I'm going to keep putting treats in until they get the idea. I'm so happy to say that the office is cleaned up and put back together and my studio is calling my name. I have a looming deadline ( ETA 10!) and nine boards prepped and ready to go. I didn't realize how much the chicks sharing my space would hinder my ability to work. The heat lamp, closed door and fine layer of dust that took over the room led to zero painting being done for a number of weeks but now life and painting go on. I'm hoping to share the foundations for these new pieces within a few days and am looking forward to working on a large family of pieces which is something I haven't done in a while. What are you up to during these dog days of summer?



4 comments:

artslice said...

Your vacation sounds like it was full of life and fun! What a gorgeous couple you and C are... I've not seen a photo of the 2 of you together. Very nice :)

Who know chicks and chickens could take up so much of your art time. You sound like a great chicky mama, keeping them cool. Sorry to hear it's so HOT. Hope you can keep comfy.

We're swimming and getting ready to paint the house. But first comes the roof/gutter cleaning, major tree pruning/shaping and choosing colors. Badly needed... it's like Grey Gardens 'round here.

tangled sky studio said...

one more hot day and then a cool down with lots of gardening to around here as well : ) good luck with the painting... you know how i adore choosing colors!!!

Janice La Verne said...

Hi Beth! THAT is the most beautiful chicken coop I have ever seen! I love chickens and their reptilian feet. Thanks for the comment about my carving. I took a class where I finally learned how to do it after 20 years! It was always frustrating before, now it's relaxing and satisfying. It has to do with paperthin, shallow cuts with really sharp tools. Who knew? I love reading your blog... you are one amazing artist...

Sweet Mess said...

I love your chicken coop! It is always interesting to see how other people make it work :)