Sunshine

“ At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us”

~ Albert Sweitzer ~

Friends make life more worthwhile for me..

And I also love sunrises on the beach and long walks in the woods...Especially on a day that is breezy with plenty of sunshine :-)

Liberate your Art Postcard swap 2015

Post cards are slowly making their way to me via snail mail..I live on the upper Texas coast, near Galveston..
Snail mail addressed to me personally is the kind of mail I love, but rarely get..
I usually receive bills and advertisements, lol..
These post cards are so lovely! All are as unique as their senders...
A huge hug and Thank you goes to Kat Sloma ( and her assistants ) for creating and making the Liberate your Art Postcard swap possible and fun..

Pictured are the post cards I have received..The backgrounds in each snapshot are bits and pieces of my life, home / patio..Weather permitting, my doggies ( Simon and Oscar ) and I love to do daily patio time :-))


Several of the backyard / doggie pics in this post ( you will be able to tell the difference ), were edited with Artista Impresso..A cell phone or I-pad editing app for photos..This was one of the apps recommended by Kat in one of her recent blog posts  :-))

From Pennsylvania

From a gardening enthusiast in Nebraska

A person who likes to travel the Pacific Northwest

Some of the e-mails I received:

Hi Lisa,

Your postcard arrived safely in Dover, NH, and brightened our never-ending winter with its serene and beautiful image. Thanks.

I visited your website and very much enjoyed it. You've done some wonderful work. Some pictures of the forests I particularly liked.

I am more of a writer and painter but my wife, Beverly, is on the photography faculty of the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester and through her I've come to appreciate it as an amazing art form.

Best wishes with your work in the future,

Will Conway

Dover, NH

Hi Lisa,

Just a note to thank you for the beautiful postcard sent to me from the art postcard swap.  The scene is lovely.  I love the soft foggy look with the wonderful egret silhouettes and their shadows.  Calm and serene.

Jane Ross (Reston VA)​

This post card is from France

This postcard is from Wisconsin

My gum tree in the winter..These birds visit by the dozens

Simon and Oscar

My backyard Gum trees in the Autumn

Post card from Kat

This beautiful compilation was made by Kat Sloma..Contributing artists each submitted one piece of their work.
My work shows right after the word PEACE :-)

Smelly Landing

This weekend I didn't get out of the house..At all..
I did do things around the house and enjoyed some patio time with my doggies..
I also spent afternoons doing texture art..These are what I came up with.
The pig is cast iron..I shot a pic of him during morning patio time..
I bought this cute pig last summer at an antique store in the Houston Heights... For $ 16.00..I smile every time I look at him :-) I also worked with an old flower pic..Shot at Maa's Nursery in Seabrook Texas..The black bird image is another layered composite of photos I shot at different times..

Armand Bayou Nature Walk

A nature walk has always been good for me..
Lots of interesting plant life and wild life to see at every turn..
Getting fresh air clears my head and lifts my mood..I find that these nature walks are a balm for my soul :-)

Silver Gelatin prints made from digital files

My older son Chris shared this information with me..I will have to check it out :-)

Overcoming :-)

My sister found this awesome video and shared it with us on Facebook..Since I am on Facebook a lot less these days, I wanted to share and keep this on my blog :-) Love this video..Please watch

Darkest Night

Have a blessed Easter!

Bittersweet Journey

Overlook Mountain, Sewanee Tennessee

These past two weeks have been bittersweet..With the arrival of spring the weather has been pretty and mild in Tennessee...For traveling...

It was sweet that my older son, Chris, was able to clear his work schedule for a few days.. He offered to travel with me to Tennessee..I had been accustomed to making my way there alone..

Chris and I enjoyed many conversations during our drive...Some were serious..Others were silly ..Because our departure from Texas was an afternoon one, we split the 800 mile drive..We traveled late into the night.. We spent the wee hours of the morning in slumber.. At a roadside hotel.... We resumed and finished our trip the next day..

The sad part part of our experience was the reason we traveled to TN.. To be with my mom..

Mom was very ill, under hospice care..We knew that she was nearing the end of her journey, her battle with multiple illnesses. Whether Mom had a few days or a few weeks left on this earth we didn't know..Chris and I did know that this would be our last visit with her though..

While Chris drove us up the mountain towards our destination ( the hospital ), I enjoyed the view outside my passenger window..It had been drizzling but the clouds were clearing away..I spotted an exquisitely beautiful rainbow..Chris and I decided to pull over for a few minutes.. We got out of the car to get a closer look at the rainbow..I had the feeling that Mom was communicating with us in her special way...After a quick brunch, we made our way to the hospital..Upon our arrival, we found out that Mom had already passed on....Mom died in my sister's arms..

We think that Mom passed on as Chris and I traveled up the mountain..I am convinced that Mom didn't want Chris to see and hear her take her last breath..She picked her time to go as the dying often do....Mom knew where she wanted us to be..Mom went to heaven while we were looking at the pretty mountains that she loved..

R.I.P  Mom..
You touched everybody with your sweetness and courage..
I love you..
I will see you in heaven when my time on earth is finished..

Near Huntsville Alabama, headed home to Texas

Overlook Mountain, Sewanee Tennessee

" The Velveteen Rabbit "

EXCERPT FROM THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
~ By Margery Williams ~

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" 

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real." 

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. 

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." 

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" 

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

A tribute to friends who make us feel heard! These are the friends who make us feel like we matter..More often than not, they have our backs when we feel like a deer in the headlights :-)

Idyllic Day

I started the day by getting up at the crack of dawn..With this said, I didn't allow myself enough time to get ready, get out of the house, and make it to my favorite spot to see the sunrise..Since I could already see early morning light I realized that I didn't have the time to drive ANYWHERE very far..
I did make it to Sylvan beach in time to see a late sunrise.. So I snapped a few pics..
Then I drove to Mc Hale Park to visit, it was very chilly and windy there..
Onwards to the Kemah Boardwalk to take a little stroll before sitting down to coffee..
Needless to say, my walk was a very very short one because I was freezing..Brrrrr..
Two friends met me for coffee-lunch..By the time we parted ways, it was beautiful outside..
I ended my afternoon at Bay Area Park with another good friend..
This Friday turned out to be an idyllic one because I put aside my worries to go out and find the sunshine !

At Sylvan Beach

At Bay Area Park, my friend and I watched the birdlife and a pretty sunset :-)

Friday Finds

Enjoyable break in the grayness of winter

It is a very chilly and windy afternoon outside..Finally a break in the clouds, fog and rain though..A stroll in the winter sunlight is good for the soul :-))

Path

So true..Whether it be humans or furry friends, they all have lessons to teach us :-)

Friday Finds