Well, hello everyone! Is anyone out there????? It’s been a bit since my last post. It’s been quite a bit - almost two years. Crazy how time flies. In the past two years, a lot of water has gone under the bridge.
After losing Daddy in November 2021 and Mom in 2022, time seemed a little more precious. The people I hadn’t seen in a while seemed that way, also. So, in December 2022, I headed on “My Grand Birthday Adventure” to spend time with family and to see old and meet new friends. I first headed to Fredericksburg, Virginia, then on to Williamsburg, Virginia, and then finally to Danville, my hometown. It was a wonderful adventure and just what I needed - reconnecting with people I care about.
In 2023, the travel bug took hold. I went overseas for the first time and also to other places in the USA. Since I travel by myself, I usually look for watercolor and/or knitting workshops where I’ll be with other like-minded people.
January 2023, I traveled to Taylor, Rachael, Landen, and Raleigh’s in South Carolina. Then, I headed to St. Augustine, Florida to see my friend, Sally, with a stop to meet a Facebook/Instagram artist friend, Pam Brickell. It had been WAY too long since I last saw Sally - I think the last time was in 2007. It was awesome to catch up with her in person and see the St. Augustine sites.
May 2023, I visited Bruges, Belgium with French Escapades for a watercolor workshop with Leslie Fehling. It was absolutely wonderful! The architecture was gorgeous, so many swans and storks, cappuccinos, Belgian waffles, delicious food, awesome chocolate, such nice people, and so many things to see. Leslie is very talented. I don’t think I’ve ever had an instructor who was more sharing with her materials. She sent us so much information prior to the workshop which I printed out and made into a booklet. Such a great resource.
July 2023, I met Taylor, Rachael, Landen, Raleigh, and Brian in Emerald Isle for our annual beach vacation. Taylor wasn’t able to be with us the whole time due to his new job. We had such a great time and it was so good to spend this time with them.
October 2023, I headed to Bar Harbor, Maine for a watercolor workshop through Madeline Island of the Arts with Shari Blaukopf. Shari is hands-down one of my favorite watercolor artists. She offers many classes online and is such a great instructor. I love her style and look forward to being in a class of hers again in 2025. My hotel room was right on the water and I think I could have easily stayed there forever. Cruise ships would dock there daily and were so fun to watch. During my stay, I took every opportunity to dine on lobster - rolls, bisque, or whole lobsters. Yum!!!
November - December 2023, my friend, Karen, and I headed off for a Rhine River Christmas Market Cruise through Craft Cruises and AmaWaterways. We started with a pre-package in Zurich and Lucerne, Switzerland which was wonderful - especially Lucerne. Then, we traveled to Basel, Switzerland where I got to meet a Facebook friend, Ursula Senn. We embarked from Basel and headed to Amsterdam with lots of stops on the way. The Christmas Markets along the way were a lot of fun although very crowded. I was a little disappointed in that there seemed to be many more manufactured / mass produced things for sale than handmade. There were tons of meats and cheeses which we really didn’t have the means to keep so didn’t purchase. Gengenbach and Rüdesheim, Germany were two of my favorite places we visited. The cruise through the Rhine River Gorge was spectacular as we passed 30+ castles - some inhabited, some turned into hotels, some ruins. We disembarked in Amsterdam, Netherlands and I tested positive for COVID. I suspect I got it at the very crowded Cologne Christmas Market. Thanks for having had all my vaccines, I luckily had a very mild case - sore throat and headache for a day then a cough for about a week. Karen and I spent two nights in Amsterdam at the Die Port Van Cleve and checked out two yarn shops there - Stephen & Penelope and DeAfstap. We also went to Zaandam to visit a place that demonstrated cheese making and traditional clog making. Very interesting.
Traveling continued in 2024. First our annual Emerald Isle beach trip with Taylor, Rachael, Brian, and this time, all four grandchildren were able to come. It was house full of fun and memory making.
August 2024, found me heading to Galway, Ireland for a watercolor workshop with Róisín Curé. I found Róisín’s Zoom classes during COVID and have enjoyed many with her over the past few years. I jumped at the opportunity to fly across the pond to join her for class. I flew into Shannon and took a bus to Galway. Our group was small - only five of us - which was a perfect number to share a table in a pub or a bench on the bridge for sketching. Róisín was a delight as were the other gals in our group. Hit a snafu coming home - my flight was canceled and I had to stay two more nights in Ireland. Poor me! United Airlines was wonderful and put me up in a hotel with all meals included in Shannon. The hotel put me in the bridal suite! I felt like a queen! I made the most of my extra time and got to tour Bunratty Castle and Folk Village. I rode the bus there and spent hours walking around and seeing everything.
A week after returning from Ireland, I had left arm surgery - Ulnar Shortening and Debridement. All these years, I’ve had a left ulna that was too long - longer than my radius which it isn’t supposed to be. Being longer caused wear and tear with pain in my wrist. The fix - a “Wafer Procedure” where they take a slice out of the ulna to shorten it and then put it back together with a plate and six screws. Thank goodness it wasn’t my right arm! I’m still in a brace and taking Occupational Therapy weekly through the end of October. (Not sure I’m supposed to be doing all this typing. I’m calling it therapy!) I’m just beginning to be able to knit again - a little bit each day. I’ve passed the time largely by reading, listening to audiobooks, and painting.
I can hardly believe it is October. The time flies like crazy! I’m going to once again pledge to try to post more frequently.
Until next time, thanks for reading!