Moving on from collage to mixed media painting. I have a stash of unfinished pieces that need some resolution. Love working in layers, but boy if you get interrupted it can sit there for a while in a pretty unattractive place. Sometimes I just lose the thread altogether and reinvent. I can see traces of the collage series here in using the big bold shapes on top to frame the rest of the action. This was fun and faster than I expected, more to come!
The series of 10 collages based on views through various windows that have been meaningful to me is finished – pretty fast for me considering I began it during a class in June and there has been a lot of away time since then. On the left, what I see everyday from my window high up in a Chicago lakefront studio. On the right, seems appropirate to close the series out with a sunset scene, again from the beachfront window along Route 30A in the Florida Panhandle.
The series continues. This “window” collage is from the Montreal Botanical Gardens, a really magical place, and is my interpretation of a view from inside a little pagoda-type structure in the Japanese Garden, I think. I highly recommend spending a half-day or more here – it’s vista after vista of differently themed gardens, and our visit in early July was particularly well timed this year – beautiful weather and beautiful blooms.
It seems like for most of my life I went about my business and my body did most of what I wanted it to without bothering me too much. It’s possible that what I experience when I’m meditating has nothing to do with meditation and everything to do with just getting older.
Here’s what I’m talking about. Almost without fail, my body talks to me as I’m sitting there. I’m not just talking about a foot that falls asleep because my legs have been crossed too long. I’m talking about aches that show up that I didn’t even know were there. I’m talking about feeling like when I take in one of those deep breaths, it goes in deeper on one side of my body than another. I mean noticing that there are places tensed that don’t at all need to be tensed.
Truth is, this is one of the things that carries over into everyday life in a way that can be very good and can be very obsessive. The good part is it gives me important information sometimes – lets me know that I’m putting myself under stress for no good reason. The bad news is, it is impossible to know exactly what is normal. I don’t know what you might find, but for me I’m constantly getting evidence that the left side of my body and the right side are not the same – they don’t inhale the same, they don’t exhale the same, they don’t have the same range of motion. Apparently that violates some expectation I have that even is better – another challenge in my quest for non-judgement and releasing expectations.
It’s hard to believe a year ago I didn’t own a car, hadn’t owned one for five years, and now we have over 20,000 miles on our little Accord. July was another cross-country month, starting with a quick lunch with the family in suburban Detroit, then across the Port Huron bridge for a ride through Ontario and Quebec. Our ultimate destination was Bar Harbor, Maine, but we took a winding route. Just outside London, Ontario, our first night’s stop, we took a break at a little butterfly sanctuary – mostly little kids and us – just perfect.
I already wrote a bit about Montreal, and leaving there took us in to Vermont (I know, there was a more direct route to Maine, but long story, we were going to Boston first). Anyway, Vermont scenery was spectacular even without the leaves changing color. Downtown Burlington was full of people and music and charm – I can only imagine how much move lively (crowded?) it would be if school were in session.
After a catch-up visit with our grown-up niece in Boston, we overnighted in Portsmouth, NH – another charming downtown with people and music – Irish this time, my favorite.
After a combination of scenic routes and interstate travel, and a great grilled cheese and chowder lunch harborside in Portland, we landed in Bar Harbor. Supposed to be there for two days in the last availble room at the Bar Harbor Inn, but plans changed and we would up staying four. Great seafood, but my favorite meal was Italian – La Vita Bella. Of course we went to Acadia. I know I’m not a big hiker. I don’t really completely understand when a walk turns in to a hike. But I’m pretty sure that climbing over boulders for a half hour, even if they aren’t vertical, crosses the line, so I felt pretty accomplished.
Amazing how in every town you can find that place with the great row of outdoor restaurant options – Italian again in Albany.
Next stop was a bucket list one for the boyfriend/husband – the National Comedy Center in Jamestown New York. Driving across the state was beautiful, and the stop was perfectly timed. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it – both the subject matter and they way they have designed the museum are impressive and engaging. And, with my economic development hat on, you have to be impressed at how they have worked with the legacy of being Lucille Ball’s hometown to hustle up some economic activity.
I love road trips, but I love Chicago summers too; I think it’s time to be a homebody in August.