Nature Treks...

This time of year finds me running through nature in a state of visual ecstasy! Its so amazing out there! I love seeing the light in the morning or the evening and all the quick changes in the woods that are happening..and the new green colors are so BRIGHT! I find it is well worth it for me to spend at least two hours running through the local countryside almost everyday! It's good for the body, mind, and soul. I can regenerate as much as I need to, and then get back home to create. This time of year, I can stay out longer and longer, though. I run, take some pics, hike, take some pics, sprint, take some pics...just following wherever my eyes lead me....

Like here...some moss springs up in the color it only can this time of year,...I feast my eyes..

And here, Angus wants to follow me, I am on a ledge that is the entry to an underground railroad tunnel that was built just to let a stream through...it is beautiful and the sound of running water over rock and stone is pure peace!

Here is how I first saw it...
stopped me dead in my tracks...

Walking closer, I immediately found this...an old green glass insulator...I love the color...yes I ran with it the rest of the morning to bring it home...

Look at the sunlight in this pool of water....right where the tunnel stream empties...

Earlier, when Angus beat me to it...

I love crossing logs over creeks...except that
I have to be cautious..I wouldn't care if I fell in, but that would mean the end of my Droid...and I would be destroyed without my Droid!! Its such a great camera and slides right in my back pocket...

Here I made it to the opening... did I crawl through? Nope, not this time. There is about forty yards of a hill and who knows how many tons of earth and over this thing...going all the way up to support the track..like tunnels you drive through in the mountains...except this one is maybe four feet deep, if that...eeek!! Might be some Sleestacks in there, or something!

I just love it here!
So did Angus...
Here is a view of the tracks I followed...
tracks to one side, old growth woods and creek to the other..paradise!!

My entry point...running on tracks is odd, you have to land your feet on each of the ties...which doesn't match my stride...so I take to the ditches and woods...

Here is another adventure, one of many recent trips to the farm...

My middle child Cassie stayed the weekend with my Dad...she fished, and played, and fished ALL day never stopping unless to mess with the horses...
she told my Dad on her second day there,.."Do-da, I have been here so long, I feel like I live here now!" She would if I let her, and I almost wish I could...


Joy in these eyes...
Here is the little pond, where a kid can catch Goggle Eye and Sunfish all day...

And here is Ms. Cass proudly handling her catch...

And here a view from the road driving in..you can now see "The Big Pond' from the road due to some clear cutting on neighbor's land in '07....it was a sad time to have the dam end of the pond's visual landmarks and forest taken away, but I have adjusted and it is now bright and sunny there, more open and vast seeming....

The whole drive was blissful...the light kept swiftly changing from dark like this to sun...this is White Store Rd in Union County, and there is no telling how many times I have driven it. Always the way to find my dad, who in his retirement has been painting daily, and this is just a small sample of his efforts...there are so many, they are drying all over his front and back porch. Mys sister recently photographed more of them and put them on her blog, "The Halloweenstress"
on my blog list at the bottom of the page..




Here are some shots back in my home woods and creek..

One morning I saw the creek glittering in the sun and the bubbling rushing water and the brilliant green moss, crows calling, tree frogs chirping...hard to believe I made it back home!

Just divine!!!
One of my favorite easy to run across logs...Angus looks on...

These unusual plants are popping up alongside patches of daffodils all over the forest where I go play..
I love the old growth hardwoods and the beautiful shapes their trunks form..

This day, I actually wore Angus out...2 hours does the trick for him, too...


Thanks for stopping by and more WIP pics for The Halloween Convention coming soon!!

Finishing Up!!
I am finishing up a round of orders...as I promised myself I would have to this week in order to stary on schedule. Here are two more...four to go!
This is a large, one faced whitish grey with blue eyes...


Here is a medium moon lamp...


I spent the most beautiful morning at the farm and viewing my father's incredible paintings, he is painting everyday and has a beautiful new art show to view each week! I went out there to start painting with him, I LOVE painting and just haven't done enough of it to even claim being a painter. I spent the morning visiting,...running around, and taking pics and also started a small painting, almost finished. Just not enough time to do ALL of what I truly love today it seemed...rush rush rush...I will post pics soon.
Thanks for looking!!

Finished Commission and 5 more to go!
I am in a creative run of finishing commissions..I give myself this week as I have GOT to concentrate on the National Halloween Convention show with SpookyTime Jingles! Did I mention that before THAT I am flying to Jersey to see my favorite Jersey Girl on the planet...Ms. Dani Nelson!!? She and I have big creative plans and she is going to take this little southern gal on her virgin trip ( she's brave, huh?) into the city and we are going to the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA! How excited am I and how much work do I have to do before then?? If I can just keep myself from running through the woods..this time of year its BEAUTIFUL here!!
I had way too much fun in the woods today...

Here are the type of convenient roots that are stairs for climbing up and out of steep creek banks..so interesting to me that they grew that way!

Angus bounds through the woods...we run together and I stop for photography breaks..so much fun that everytime I go, I wonder why I don't stay longer and come more often...

I literally go into a fantasy world...but it's real while I am there...vines and roots, sunlight and trees, rushing water over mossy rocks, and treefrogs that sing..., small bits of green popping up everywhere...early spring is a pure delight.

I did get some things squared away in the studio before my play...
Here is a little gift I made to send to a special buyer....



and here is a piece that is my largest shaker yet...I am so pleased that I have devised a new contraption for these..I built in an insert, a recycled thick plastic tube, to be able to attach and remove the shaker's stick. Also, this will make for much easier shipping, and storage. The pole fits tightly in the bottom, where there is the rest of that tube going inside the shaker where you can't see...

I love the hat on this one, especially the back side..

where the cat is flying through the air after bailing on the witch...

Just love the toothy grin!!

So glad to have this one done!!

A Few Recent Moons and a FUN show!!...
Here are a few new moons, will have this large 15" on ebay this week for ten days.
Here he is seen with a skeleton and crow...

and below with a few other friends, smaller grey is also a double sided...

I had a great time at the Gore-A-Liscious show in Charlotte Friday night put on by my friend Dee! We had the coolest set up there, no doubt. Mr Jason, my favorite artist and friend form y ECU days came with us...he does incredible eerie sculpture and also has steampunk DOWN...here he is holding one of his creations, there is our friend Vanessa, and myself..

My sister Dusti makes the most incredible jewelry out of found parts...rusty keyholes, old furniture hardware, old silver serving buffet pieces.. and cut up porcelain dolls..

here is a view of some of the art together..


a steam punk octopus by Jason is in the front..one of his trademark elongated sculptures on the right...he also had small flying monkey sculptures!




Here is an octopus mirror he made...

And another, bigger octopus mirror...

It was festively circus sideshow...a fun excuse to dress up...Yvonne, a lioness, and Dee as a Raggedy Ann with real zippers under her eyes...

Here is the other side of that large moon...

And another fun one...

Both on eBay this week!
Thanks for looking!