Catching up

A pinched nerve takes a long time to repair. It has been over a month now, and though I am much better, I am not totally healed. Physical therapy has been the biggest help. I felt better, i.e. less pain, on Saturday, so I decided to go for a voluntary outing on Sunday, Christmas caroling. It is such fun and I knew I would feel better afterward. Our group, about thirty church folks from ages six to eighty-six, was one of five to go to a few places around town to sing those wonderful Christmas songs. I hope it was as therapeutic for the "audiences" as it was for me! Since that maiden outing two days ago, I have learned I can go but I must take it easy. That is probably something I have been needing to do for a long time!

Hanging in there

Today I encountered two people with pinched nerves. The first was the girl who answered the phone at the optometrist's office when I called to cancel my appointment. After I explained, she said, "Honey, I understand. I've had one, too." She said had no relief from the usual treatments either but that ice and yoga stretches helped the most. Her pain lasted about a month. And later, while I was delicately pushing a cart around Harris Teeter, I saw a man with his left hand gripping his left shoulder while he reached for something with his right, and his face was wincing in pain. He looked like me! I said, "You look like you have a pinched nerve." Yes he did, poor fellow, and we began a conversation about the agony and what works and what doesn't. It helps me to know there are others, but I hate for anyone to have this problem.

Ouch!

There has been no art or fun the past week and a half.

Maybe it was when I tripped over a curb, or slept the wrong way, or maybe I just held up the iPad with my left hand for too long, but somehow I managed to get a pinched nerve in my neck. It affected muscles in my back and my left shoulder and whole left arm. My entire upper left side has been in pain! But today I am glad to say I feel like I am on the mend. So far I have had three visits with my wonderful chiropractor and two visits with an acupuncturist. As for acupuncture, it is something I thought I would try if I ever had pain. So now I have tried it, and I don't like it. 

One thing I learned is that when you are in severe pain, nothing else matters, and your mind can't go to its usual places. Today I had a thought that did not pertain to my predicament, and I realized I was getting better! I hope so, because I have a Thanksgiving dinner to prepare.

Scary?

My black cat awaits trick or treaters.

Fun with birds

more gulls

Seeing them walking gives no indication of their big wing span or grace in the air.

Pelicans at Southport

Guests

Vivian and Tony are here this week from Massachusetts. It is great when people come to play. During the day we saw a lot of the pretty sights around town and had lunch at a restaurant on the waterway. What a nice view from our outdoor table. Tonight we enjoyed downtown things including watching a scene being filmed for a tv show.

Grackles at the beach

I'm so glad to get a new camera, and it is slightly better than the small pocket one I have been using. I think we will have a long relationship! I just kept it set to automatic this evening for the trial run, and here is one of the pix. Grackles were out by the hundreds this evening, eating the seeds that the sea oats provided.

Reflection

As I was driving through the adjacent neighborhood on the way home from the library, I saw a flock of geese poised at the edge of a pond, their feathered bodies perfectly reflected in the water. What a time to be without a camera. When I got home, I put my camera in my pocket and went back, hoping to find them, but by then they had scattered to less than interesting places. However I did find this egret looking for and finding lunch. Whether I get a decent photo or not, I love watching the ways of animals.

Love

Last evening while I was at the end of land, I saw a guy with a big camera climbing a sandy hill. What great sight would he be overlooking, I wondered. Soon I saw what he was photographing, a young couple in love. Maybe an engagement picture?

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Another beautiful day

 . . . in the Port City. It is still cool this October morning with bright blue and sunny skies but is expected to warm to the mid seventies in the afternoon.
Shortly I will be leaving for the ArtWorks.  We try to be there every Saturday as we are open to the public.  I am thankful for that place. It is a short straight four miles from my house and on the way to most places I go, so I am there often. Another plus is that it has successfully filled absences that "retirement" created. A real blessing.
So off to enjoy the fall weather and play in paints!

at the beach on friday

iPhone pic at a downtown grill

Downtown Wilmy

A carriage ride today.

The Moon

I was hoping for a sight of the eclipse last night, but all I got to see was the big beautiful moon of early night and the total darkness in the early morn. Tonight by being out on the Oceanic pier at sunset and moonrise, I was assured of seeing something almost as awesome.

First there was a pretty evening sky.
But as the sun set and the big orangy moon started to peek over the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, Mother Nature started another awesome show. Soon dark consumed all the light except for the now golden rising moon and the brilliant reflection on the water. I was enthralled along with the others on the pier.

From this morning

October is the prettiest month at the beach. My time there this morning was heavenly.
some pix...

Shocked!

I still feel stunned that three of my photographs have sold, but I am thrilled and grateful. Usually I just see them on the computer, but when they were matted and framed, I admit they looked pretty. Just like us women on a good hair day when we take the time to fix up and dress nicely.
The money from the sale is negligible, but the validation is priceless.
Now I must start taking pix more seriously. Maybe there is someone else who would like one.

On this last day of September

"Everything seems impossible until you get it done," I recently read.
A few weeks ago, I felt that I had bitten off more than I could chew, or in other words I agreed to more than I felt capable of doing. But today I accomplished the last task. Whew... It was all good learning for me. Now that I have done it, entering another show will be a breeze.

After I dropped my pieces off at the Arboretum, I drove down to the beach since I hadn't been in two months. How I have missed it! Then I stopped by the Fresh Market where I bought some of their Tuesday specials and of course a few milk chocolate covered malted milk balls that I savored on the way back home.

Today a new neighbor moved in. The first thing he did was put up a modest Reds flag in his front yard. That works for me since I have happy memories of going to two of their home games many years ago. I got to meet him and tell him so.

And tomorrow I have been asked to fill in at a bridge club. I have not played more than a hand or two since I began nursing school, so I hope I don't embarrass myself.

An iPhone pic at high noon.

Pix at the Bellamy

Framed and hanging there. 

Simply take pix

I realize it isn't life or death, but I have been sweating some art things this week. Though I have never participated in an art show in my life, I signed up under peer pressure to enter two. And yikes...they both start next week. Why oh why? The real answer is that it is not just about the art, it is about learning the process of how a show works.

This afternoon I felt relief when I decided to resort to my default setting, photos for both. Whew! Thankfully that is considered art. I have loved finding something interesting or pretty to shoot and post to my blog. That is all the satisfaction I ever needed. I hope I won't be too shy about having others see my photos framed and hanging on a wall.

I am not ready to show a painting since  I am less than an "emerging" artist. I feel like a chick inside the shell pecking to climb out. In a few years, I will paint something spectacular and will proudly show it off, but if I displayed something lame now it would only reflect my utter beginner status.

Maybe next year . . .

#8: Carolyn

Carolyn is a glass artist, and lovely person I might add, whose space is few studios down from me on Rembrandt. She recycles glass in a unique way and ends up with a delightful piece of art. Since I have never seen the process of transforming plain window glass into art by way of a kiln, I don't have even a fuzzy mental picture of how she does it. From old panes and blue wine bottles, she makes really pretty necklaces, earrings, windchimes, wall hangings, decorative window glass, and whatever else comes from her creative mind. Perhaps remaining a mystery is part of its allure.

Two fun evenings

Last night I helped with registration at a neat event the Art Museum is having, and for over four hours I got to watch as artists brought in one of their own works of art to be in a huge exhibit that will run until February. It was inspiring, educational, and stimulating!

Tonight the hubby and I went to an outdoor concert at Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre, my first one there. KebMo was the headliner, but the guy who preceded him, Anders Osborne, was excellent, too. About twenty minutes into his singing, the sky to the left of me turned a beautiful salmon-pink (the photo doesn't do it justice) and a pastel rainbow appeared to my right. The crowd started oohing, and the singer came to the edge of the stage so he could see it, too. It was a magical moment.

Continuing a Tradition

Last year after I moved to Wilmington, my now eighty-eight year old Aunt Margaret asked me if I would like to join her Book Club. Of course I said yes, and today's meeting started my second year with them. The new president made nice booklets of info for each of us, and on the first page she had written that the Tuesday Book Club was founded in 1942. Margaret had told me it was the oldest book club in town, but knowing the actual date really made it come alive.
The women in the group started talking about what was going on that year. The main thing for me was my mother and daddy's wedding, but of course for the rest of the world the main thing was World War II. We talked about how all Americans had to sacrifice for the war effort, and how books were probably expensive then. This book club was set up so that each woman bought one book and brought it to the first meeting. Then on a monthly basis, the books were swapped around in an orderly manner.
The protocol that was established in 1942 is the way the club runs today, from the serving of the tea and coffee, to the reading of the minutes, to the close of the book report.
I almost feel as if I am part of history when I am there.

after a year

Moving to Wilmington was a long awaited goal that was achieved, and now I have lived here a year. Time marches on, as they say. I still occasionally marvel how it all worked out so well, especially toward the end. I am still happy to be here and into this phase of my life.

I am sitting at my grandmother's old sofa table that I use for a desk. It is one that she and my grandfather bought in the 1920s when they were newly married and setting up a home for themselves and their daughters. I remember the table from her living room of later years, and how it held her small Christmas tree with its colorful lights and a few precious old ornaments, and I was the child. I remember my grandmother when she was "giving up housekeeping" and the table went to live with my mother. Now it is mine. Sometimes I feel as if it should be locked up as a treasure, but I have locked up too many treasures, and they have become useless.

Outside a storm is passing over, and I am listening to the sounds of thunder and rain. I love the crazy weather here that seems like such a force of life, especially the stunning skies and their ever changing beauty. As with all summers, to me the easiest season, this one has passed too quickly. I must not take for granted the beach being only ten miles away and remember to go as much as I can in the early fall, the best time.

I haven't done anything new to my house since about March. After moving in, I added to and moved stuff around until I reached a place of comfort with how it was. But now I want to go at it again and paint walls and make other changes in one room. Matter of fact, I am itching to get it done.

It is good to be in Wilmington.

# 7: Cathy and Jeannette

These sweet sisters who are from the outskirts of Wilmington moved into the studio next to mine in May, and I couldn't have gotten better neighbors. Cathy (on the left in the white top) has been painting for forty years. She is an accomplished artist who works mostly in oils, but she also does fabulous woodcarvings. Jeanette has recently retired, and Cathy is slowly but successfully getting her interested in art. We do need something to do post retirement, don't we! Remember the tee shirt with the zebra on it that Jim was wearing in an earlier post? The zebra was Cathy's art. She does fine charcoal drawings of animals. How she does that beautiful detailed work is beyond me!

Cherokee Rose: Take 2

Several years ago - I wrote about it on my blog then - I was at Greenfield Lake and met a nature guy who was photographing flowers on a big bush. He told me that it was one of the finest specimens of a Cherokee Rose he had ever seen. They were new to me, so I wanted to get in on the action and took some of my own pics. I posted one back then. Since I have been living here, I have stopped at that spot a time or two, and I have found it covered in vines and neglected. I don't know if it has been blooming.. So in remembrance, here is another photo of the pretty wild rose.

Churchill on speaking

While cleaning off a table, I found these notes I had taken during a talk on Winston Churchill. I will see if I can decipher them.

"Give in only to good sense and honor."
"The price of greatness is responsibility."

When speaking to a group, he advised: Start strong. You have ninety seconds to get the audience. Get involved in the audience. Know who is there. State your aim. Know what you want to get across. Focus your message. Paint a picture in the minds eye so the audience can "see" what you see. Talk to, not at, the audience. Relate to the audience. Know their language. Keep your words short and sweet. (I think that may be my paraphrase.)

Now if I ever get called upon to give a speech, I know where I can go for help.

Swans

Friday evening I went to the concert at Airlie, which has become a favorite thing. I love to sit outside in a big crowd listening to good music and snacking on food someone else has brought! But it is also fun to walk around and see what nature has to offer in that beautiful place at that time of day. It was all so pretty, but my best find were these swans in Bradley Creek. They were far out but eventually glided in to have a look at that woman who was so interested in them.

Lake pic of the day

#6: Mary

Mary is pretty special to me because she is the first one I met at the studios. It was a hot August day last year, and I had sweated as much as I could stand by the time I finally left Greenfield Lake. I had no idea I had so much steam left in me! But when I saw the Open Studios sign, I had to turn in and find out what was there. I found charming Mary painting away in her studio. It was hot there too, as it is now, but she was dressed for it, and able to work, and I was impressed. Mary had a career in art as a fabric designer, but has also been painting her whole life. I admire her boldness at working on big canvases and her confidence in tackling any subject, and she always comes up with something wonderful. I appreciate the way she encourages me to go for it. "Just paint!" she tells me.

Many thanks...

to Rob for taking the fun pictures on Saturday!

#5: Greg

Greg is a cool guy, but more important, he is really nice.
His large workshop attaches to the loading dock, and he needs it. While most of us just carry in the small stuff, he hauls in heavy old lumber, interesting tree stumps, big pieces of driftwood, and bags of clay that he will use to make something amazing. He also finds time to help us with carpentry that many of us cannot do on our own. Greg is often seen zipping around the streets of the Art Works on his skateboard, ponytail flying in the breeze.

Okra

The produce place that I go to several times a week has had some beautiful fresh okra that seems to have come straight from someone's garden. I especially love these small pods as they make perfect boiled okra. I like to simmer them for a few minutes just til tender and then bite them down to the heads. A Southern delicacy!

Lunch today

Some other girls at ArtWorks and I had lunch at a new spot today, a restaurant that specializes in street food from around the world. Since I had just seen a thing on TV about the real Ramen Noodles, that is what I got. Here the noodles are hidden under some good toppings. It was quite tasty and delicious.

Moving forward . . .

The big birthday party/family get together is a memory now, and I am three days into my seventies.
I wish I had some wise words, or great quotes, but I am just not coming up with anything. I can say that I am glad to have made it so far along life's highway, or journey, or whatever it may be called. I am glad to have my wits about me and a body with all working parts. I am glad I still have some goals, hopes and dreams. I am glad that some of the desires of my crazy hormone-driven youth (up to age forty) have been fulfilled, and I am on the other side of them. I am glad to be loved and to give love. I am glad to be a part of God's family. I feel blessed beyond measure.

#4: Shelby

Shelby moved in a few weeks ago and has almost finished fixing up her studio. Don't you love the way she painted the walls to look like the mountains? Here she is standing by her 3D printer, a relatively new way of making stuff that you can read about by clicking on the link. I got to see her use it recently. Yesterday she was distressing some corrugated aluminum siding that she will hang on the outer wall. Creative! Shelby has an art degree from UNCW and works in the film industry in props. The movie and TV business is big in Wilmington, but I have learned that it is inconsistent and seasonal. We are glad to have this upbeat and energetic young woman in our midst. Wyatt met her while he was visiting. She was "dressed up" that day, and her beautiful, long brown hair was cascading down in waves. Wyatt dropped his jaw and stared like he was in love. It was so cute!

Critters

My cat's wail on a couple of occasions called me to see both a raccoon and a possum on my back porch. Sandy was shocked, and so was I! But maybe such animals are to be expected when you live on a marsh, i.e. swamp, so as long as they don't linger, I will take it. I enjoy the songs of birds. I see dragonflies, preying mantis, and other interesting bugs around the small space that is my yard. Occasionally a pretty little green lizard will be on my front door. A neighbor's refined looking black and white cat "went missing" as they say, but after his two week adventure he returned home. Yesterday however, I saw a sign posted at the entrance to the neighborhood. "Missing: Iguana" Now how does that happen? I hope it does not show up on my back porch. I hope I am not the one to find it!

Oh the places we'll go.

For the past five years, I have really wanted a bike.
Last week when Wyatt was here, we were in WalMart shopping for a skateboard. As fate would have it, skateboards were next to bicycles, and I spotted the ONE hanging from a rack in the midst of many. I was excited, but should I?
The next day my mind was made up. I dragged Wyatt to WalMart with one thing on my mind, something big and blue just for me. When I got to the back of the store where the bikes were, the one I hoped for was gone! I was heartbroken, but a nice young employee came to my rescue. He explained that a college student had come by yesterday and bought it, but maybe he could find another in the back. About ten minutes later he came out smiling and pushing this one up the aisle. Thank you!
Wyatt rode it to the car, then we loaded it in the back and took it home.
I still don't feel totally secure on it, but I am doing OK riding up and down the flat streets of the neighborhood. I will be taking it with me into the next decade of my life.

Entertainment

Everything is cool now that the AC and the refrigerator are back in working order.
Wyatt and I went out with friends today, first for pizza and then for a couple of hours at a "bouncy place." Since it has been so wet and rainy, this was a good way to work off energy indoors.
And on Netflix we have been watching Kickin' It, not a bad show for kids.
It is always fun to have someone to play with.

Rain and Relaxation

Yesterday morning, it quickly became apparent the air conditioner was no longer cooling. In the afternoon, we noticed the refrigerator wasn't cooling either. Thankfully the house came with a warranty when I bought it last year, but because of the rain, etc, it will be tomorrow before assessment and repairs are done. Meanwhile the rain continues. The outside temp is cooler than a usual August day, but still...I think I have become a spoiled American. The upside is good however. Some windows are open to the sweet sound of raindrops, the sky is a comforting gray, a small fan is whirring, and my little buddy Wyatt is here. All of that has left me so relaxed that I dozed right off while listening to him on the Wii. And this morning as I was lying in the bed, listening to the unfamiliar silence that replaced the running motor of the AC, I thought how wonderful the still quiet was. I was safe. It was peaceful. Over in the Mideast, people are listening to rockets and gunfire, and are afraid. How hard that must be.

At the Soccer Game

Wyatt is visiting, and Grandmommy is happy. I really wanted to take him to the Hammerheads soccer game this evening, but with the rainy day we were having, I didn't know if we would make it.  I checked to see if it was being cancelled and their website said they would play rain or shine. What the heck. We went. Luckily, it was clear and dry the entire two hours, and we had a great time.

No nurse when I need one!

There are times when I really miss working, or parts of it anyway. Like today for example.

This morning I swept the screened in porch and knocked down the accumulation of summer cobwebs in all the corners high and low. I continued onto the little landing and down the steps to the patio, where, after dropping the broom and picking it back up, I felt a sting on my left hand. Since I had just finished, I came in and assessed. I knew it was an insect bite, probably from a spider, so I quickly began my homespun approach to first aid. The fleshy part under my index finger started turning red, and the bite mark was visible. Jumping to the end of the story, eleven hours later, it is almost gone, and I hope it will stay gone.

If I were still working, I would have gone to the hospital tomorrow and asked the nurses about it, and maybe some doctors, and with all the comments and responses, I would have a clearer idea about what to do. This is one of the benefits of being around so many medical people. Among ourselves, we like to help and share what we know.

It's Rob's birthday!

Happy Birthday to my much loved little brother.

This old photo . . .

shows that I always took pictures of Greenfield Lake.
From the time I got my first camera, one that took size 616 film, I have loved to take pictures. Back then I tried to make each one count. No delete button was on it, and all sixteen were developed, the good along with the bad.

#3: Judy

Early this year, Judy rented her studio on Rembrandt and got to work on it. She painted the faux brick on the outside, hung the wisteria, and did all the other cute stuff you see. Then she tackled the inside accomplishing everything in a short time. She is a nurse and still works about three days a week, putting me to shame on many counts. Judy paints with gusto! What adjective suits her best? Something in the Es like ebullient, exuberant, enthusiastic or maybe all three. Her colorful canvases match her expressive personality.

Second in the Series: Maria

Down the "street" from me in the ArtWorks is Maria, a painter. She grew up in Puerto Rico, moved to New York City, modeled for about seven years, married, graduated from Parsons School of Design, and is the mother of two grown daughters. She paints in oils and acrylics and her specialty just may be botanicals. In fact she always has fresh flowers in her studio. Here she is working while wearing good clothes. I am impressed! But being Saturday, today was Open Studios so she ditched the artists apron while she painted a smaller piece for the visitors. Not pictured, but I love the exterior of her Spanish flavored studio, the stuccoed walls, the ornamental iron work in the windows. Good job, Maria.

Great Egret

As I passed by the dam at Greenfield Lake, I saw a guy with a big camera taking a pic of a graceful heron. Since I have seen many photographers at that same place, I decided to pull into the nearest parking place, walk down to it, and see what I have been missing. The lone photographer was deep in his work, and I said nothing. I just stood a distance, pulled out my pocket camera that I keep on silent, and snapped a few. I am sure his pics were much better as he could zoom in for better clarity. Egrets and herons are popular subjects for art around here, and no wonder, they are exquisite birds. The dam must be a good place for them to catch a quick bite!

First of a series: Jim

In February I was fortunate enough to be able to get a small studio in an old building that is being transformed into an art community called The ArtWorks. The big, one story, rambling red brick structure housed a shirt factory back in the nineteen-forties and fifties. It was empty when Jim and Betsy bought it close to twenty years ago, and they have used it for several businesses, the current one being art! I have enjoyed every moment spent there whether hanging out with my new friends, talking and sharing art, listening to beach music on the massive boombox, partying on Fourth Friday, or sitting quietly at my table piddling. So I am going to tell you more about it and the people there.

Most of the credit goes to Jim, the creative "genius" behind the concept, and he keeps coming up with great ideas.  He also is constantly busy. "Whether constructing walls, fixing pipes, promoting or encouraging, we all agree he is the hardest working guy we know. And when he talks about his goals, values, observations and priorities, we can see that he is one of the wisest. Jim is always there when we need him. What he enjoys doing in art is illustration and cartooning, but that is mostly for relaxation.

Another cool thing is we found out we went to the same high school, though he went only his senior year and is younger than me.

I hurriedly took this poor photo this evening. See the zebra on the shirt? That is an example of his support for us. One of the artists (will tell about her in another post) draws great pictures of African animals, and she has had T shirts made with them on the front. Jim said he bought ten!

A BW pic from yesterday

It is a female anhinga

After a few hours of tending to "chores" at home, I felt the need to be in nature. I love the outdoors, and what better place to go than Greenfield Lake, only about five minutes up the road. There is always something to see there. Today I was looking over the lake, watching the turtles poke their noses through the green water, admiring the moss swaying from the cypresses, when I saw a slender brown bird swoop down on then quickly dive under the water. It stayed forever it seemed, then many yards away, I spotted its long neck rising up and a gleaming silver fish was in its beak. He lifted his head and swallowed the fish, and even from my distance, I could see it sliding down. Then just as quickly, it disappeared back under the murky lake. It reminded me of the Loch Ness monster!
I asked the two guys I saw there if they knew what it was. One shook his head no. The other said it was a stork. I have no idea, but I am going to find out. Note: also called a snakebird because that is what it looks like! It is new to me.

Shrimp Scampi

Last summer when I was still in ecstasy over being in Wilmington, I would stop by the shrimp truck more than necessary and buy a pound or two. Buying fresh shrimp right out of the back of a truck seemed like so much of a treat that I didn't even mind popping off their slimy heads, a job I had chosen not do previously, ever in my life. I fixed them many ways, boiled, fried, in salads, etc so much that I tired of them. But that didn't stop me from buying more so I could just pull them out of the freezer during those cold, out of season months.

Since I am now at the coast, I wanted to have a seafood specialty to serve the flocks of visitors I expected, and I decided on shrimp scampi, a relatively easy but richly flavored main dish. (It involves more prep time but a brief actual cooking time.) After many attempts - and adding way more butter and garlic than I could imagine - I can now say I make a mean shrimp scampi.

But I have learned that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for it. "Oh no," a friend replied when I asked if she liked it. Only a bland traditional cuisine for them. Another claimed an allergy to all things seafood. My plan has been foiled by the shrimp haters!
So this evening I made shrimp scampi for just the two people who live here. The way the sauce glistened on the linguini was beautiful sight, and it tasted great, too.

I hope to use up all my last year's frozen shrimp before the truck pulls off for good in November.

The Bellamy

The Bellamy Mansion is a big beautiful old home in Wilmington that I have wanted to visit for a long time, and finally I got my chance via an art thing. It is sponsoring an exhibit for "emerging" artists in the fall, and for twenty dollars a person can enter. That also allows the artist to go anytime she wants  prior to the opening to take pictures and see what she wants to paint. What a good deal, I thought. It is hard to decide on some simple arty thing to do, but I have now committed to it.

Art and me

Though both could be challenging, difficult and frustrating, I always totally loved my most important role, that of being a mother. Then when my boys started getting older, I became a nurse and loved that, too. Now as both careers are behind me and I am on the brink of turning seventy, I really need to have something I can sink my teeth into, something I love to do. Perhaps it is art in one of its many forms, but I have not yet built up the needed passion for it.

At church recently I met an artist who has had a long and successful career in illustrating and portrait painting and at age seventy-six still has plenty of commissioned work to do. I decided to give him a call to ask if he could give me some art lessons emphasizing drawing and painting people. That is what I was first interested in doing. 

Today I met him at his studio to make plans for the lessons, or as I look at it, to help with the  encouragement I need. It was an interesting time. Most notably to me was his poor state of health, but he kept saying as much as to himself as to me, "I'm fine." I didn't think so. But on the positive side, I did see the wonderful portraits he is working on, and saw how he pulled a cute drawing out of what looked at first like a few messy scribbles. 

This weekend I saw the movie "Renoir" that focused on the last few years of the famed artist's life, and how he struggled to paint while his health declined. If I had not seen that, I think I would not have had as much appreciation for Chuck today. 

For my first lesson a week from now, he suggested that we go to the Riverfront with our art pads and sharpened pencils and draw people hanging out there. I hope it works out.

Another one from yesterday

All the way from Texas

It's been fun to have Jessica and family around. Today we went to Wrightsville Beach, and was it crowded! The ocean was rough and the waves were big. But that just made for more fun for all the boys, dad included, especially since they have never been to a beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

The sun also sets

The setting sun made the sky amazingly beautiful this evening at Wrightsville Beach.

Good job, Son.

With his own hands, Trip built this boat out of cypress. It proved to be fit when he took it in the water on Saturday. I am proud of him. 

The Arboretum

Just about every day I try to have a new Wilmington experience. Today I visited the arboretum for the first time, and why I waited so long, I don't know. It is a real treasure, a big beautiful garden.

CB Last Night

The top pix are from the beloved doughnut shop. Locals and visitors alike line up during the busy season to savor the melt-in-your-mouth sweetness hot from the fryer. The bottom two are just people enjoying the fair like atmosphere.