Inspiration

Ok guys and gals, it is highly unusual for me to make  two blog posts in one day, but here goes :-)
I previously mentioned that this was a good summer for making new friends..

One such friend, Marcia, I knew years ago... Sadly, we completely lost touch.. Recently we reconnected! Marcia and her husband Ricardo have a place called "Little Red Craft Cottage".. Inside this happy place are studios and shops where a small group of artists gather to hang out, make/sell their art / give lessons to others.. I have been taking pottery lessons from Marcia.. She makes and sells her pottery, her husband Ricardo paints colorful breathtaking abstracts. Both are good at sharing their talents, teaching others..Marcia wants to learn from me how to spin, weave, etc..

 I was encouraged to display/ sell my crochet work in one of the stores... I am excited and inspired !!! I have been crocheting at breakneck speed.. I will have a small batch of crochet lotus scarves ready to display/ sell very soon! I already have a crochet granny square blanket on display ..

I am so grateful and excited to have Marcia and Ricardo in my life again,they have become very dear friends!

My first granny square blanket on display/for sale

I will be offering these crochet lotus scarves in several colors for sale.. The yarn used is baby Alpaca. These scarves are very light weight,

and are great fashion accessories to wear in the late fall through early spring :-)

A  leaf I made during pottery class..

Another pottery leaf I made..I also formed some letters and wire wrapped Marcia's pottery beads to them..These charms to be part of a wall hanging I will design and make..

I will share more fun projects here as Marcia and I complete them :-)

Pottery trinket boxes.. The two in the foreground, I created...The two in back are Marcia's creations.

Me making some inside decorations for my bowl :-)

Foreground bowl my creation, background Marcia's :-)

Having the time of my life at my home away from home.. I love to spend time with Marcia and Ricardo, whether crafting or simply visiting :-)

Blessing stones ready for a clear glaze, then to be fired :-)

Blessing stones and beads..The blessing stones can be glued on wood, other pottery, be part of a mosaic piece :-)

One of my finished trinket boxes

Some examples of the woven potholders I offer for sale...I make 5 X 5 inch and 7 x 7 inch sizes :-)

Fabric is recycled 100% cotton

Little Red Craft Cottage   Click on this link for more info on this wonderful happy place for friends, artists and crafters :-)

Summer Walks

Now that I have a computer once again, I can resume blogging!! Happy Dance!!
This summer has been a very pleasant one.. I found new trails to hike.. I visited with my besties over coffee each week.. I  made my share of new friends, human and canine :-)
I found a new normal that is now sacred to me.. I hike 4-5 miles every morning.. This quiet time in nature means a lot to me. Many mornings, (when it isn't too hot and humid to carry my phone), I enjoy photographing the many interesting things I see on my walks...I have been lucky enough to find feathers on my path, especially during the spring/summer months..

I do like my extensive collection of feathers.. I display them in a clear glass trinket box!

 When I first discovered this wooded trail,( Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails) near my home, it was exploding with buttercups.

I like to take my hikes early in the morning, shortly after sunrise..

I found this leaf skeleton during an evening walk (same trail) in June.. Normally very hot and humid.
On this particular evening an unusually cool cool front had blown through.. Low humidity, mid 70's..Was a heavenly walk..

Wildflower season June /July

After our first summer flood

Still very hot on the trails for early September, but fall is slowly creeping in..

Most recent shot taken during my hikes on this trail, this after a short thundershower in October.. Mornings still 80's, afternoons still 90's, but hope for cooler days on the horizon..

Another favorite new happy place found this summer, Exploration Green, in Clear Lake Texas.. If I take an evening walk, I go here :-)

Sometimes I decide to go to the beach instead, then I walk through Morgan's Point to the Port of Houston..

I will treasure these new discoveries!!!!

Spring Wildflower Season

Since the late Fall I have taken to long walks at local parks, usually within 5 miles of my home..Because of the plentiful rain, this wildflower season has produced a riot of beautiful intriguing blossoms..Identifying these wildflowers during my walks has become a new addiction for me :-) I will be continually making new additions to this fun project (not this post, lol)..I may turn this project into a photo book one day :-) 

Found at Battleground State Park in La Porte Texas

Found at Armand Bayou Nature Center in Clear Lake Texas

Found at Morgan's Point Texas 

Found at Morgan's Point Texas

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trail, my new favorite place to walk..

I have already met a few regulars who like to walk these trails the same time of the morning that I do.. Taking a morning walk at one of my favorite places is relaxing and invigorating, adds a bit of magic to my day :-) When I walk these trails, I often detect a faint honeysuckle fragrance in the air..

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails-wooded area (March-Early April)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails ( Red Bluff side)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (grassy area near empty retention pond)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (trail adjacent/parallel to Fairmont Junior High)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (adjacent to the junior high)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (trail adjacent to empty retention pond area )

Found at Juan Seguin Park

Found at Battleground State Park 

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (trail adjacent to the junior high)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trail

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (Red Bluff side )

Found at Glen Meadows Park in La Porte Texas (butterfly garden area)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (Red Bluff side)

Found at Armand Bayou Hike and Bike Trails (Red Bluff Side)

May all of you have a safe and wonderful Mother's Day Weekend!