Let's Sail Away

Those becalmed sailors have just been stuck in my head...

So here's some sailing images from Etsy artists.

















This is "Sailboats at Sunset" from alkdesigns, a hand printed lino cut.












KFGallery created
"Adrift", an original oil.









This is an original watercolor by Stellae04.

















This is a 3D stained
glass piece by MountainNavy, "Sailboat Duo".














And this is "Little Sailboats",
by andreabrand, a sea glass sculpture.


I hope these artists inspired you let your imagination sail away!

Becalmed

Mackinac is the finish line for two races: Chicago to Mackinac and Port Huron to Mackinac. There's always much hustle and bustle after the finish line, flags fluttering, sails being hauled in and stowed away and excited sailors... But they have to finish first and last night was dead calm, so still you can see reflections of the sails. There weren't any waves of water to be seen, but the waves of frustration could certainly be felt, with the finish line in view and no way to reach it!

During the night, the wind came up and everyone eventually made it in, accompanied by the traditional cannon blast as they crossed the finish line. They all find their place at the dock and the party begins!

A Water Spirit?

I love to walk in the evening; one of my frequent routes is up to Point Lookout/Ft. Holmes, down to Arch Rock and back home - about 4 miles total. While at Arch Rock, I always look out over the lake, but I never before noticed this lady, formed in the shallow shoal rocks.

Who would have ever have expected to see a Great Lakes mermaid? Or do I just have an overactive imagination?

A Trip to the Past - Charleton Park Living History

We spent the past weekend at Charleton Park near Hastings, Michigan participating in the Civil War living history event. It's a lovely recreated village that allows plenty of opportunities to play and a bit of reunion with many old friends.

Nearly all Civil War events include a "Fashion Show" for the spectators, to provide some education on exactly why we wear these funny clothes anyways; this was my first experience as the commentator. I didn't have a great deal of notice (10 minutes - yikes!!) but it went fairly well and I'll be better prepared for next year.

We also were a stop on the lantern tour, which occurs after dark, with the spectators experiencing brief glimpses of war time. This year there was a field hospital, an execution, a tavern, etc. At our stop, "Sister" and I scurried about packing essentials, hiding the valuables, preparing to quickly become refugees, as our head of household drunken held forth regarding the "damn Yankees" and how ridiculous we were to attempt to safe anything, including ourselves.

The highlight of the weekend was definitely the barn dance Saturday evening, not only because I love period dance but because it was the "professional debut" for some friends who have been working hard on their impressions as musicians - they were fabulous!

Playing Tourist - Part Three (Greatly Delayed)

I've been very tardy in posting my final installment of playing tourist in the Eastern UP for a day, but part three is worth the wait: The Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

Seney was established in 1935 and encompasses over 95,000 acres in an area locally known as the Great Manistique Swampland provides habitat for wildlife including ducks, bald eagles, osprey, common loons, trumpeter swans, river otters, beavers, black bears, moose and gray wolves.

There is a visitor's center with great interactive displays, hiking/biking trails and a 7 mile "Marshland Wildlife" drive with numerous observation decks.

During our visit (which was very rushed as we were running out of time) we saw numerous wildflowers, swans, loons, sandhill cranes and an eagle - pretty good considering the less than optimal conditions during our visit.

The following images are just a tiny glimpse of the beauty we experienced; it's well worth your time and effort to make a visit yourself.

Amongst the Rose Petals

It must be great fun to absolutely wallow in your food!

The bees appeared to be appreciating the roses even more than we mere humans - we only enjoy the sight and scent, while they take a more long term approach in collecting the abundant pollen.

Turtle Dreams

According to the oral stories and traditions of the Great Lakes Woodland Indians, the turtle is a powerful symbol. One legend details how the turtle's back provided a base for the first land that was formed in the midst of the great waters. Mackinac Island takes its name from a word in the Ottawa language meaning "Great Turtle".

Living on Mackinac , turtles are a definite influence on my work and appear frequently. I recently finished a new necklace and accompanying bracelet, "Turtle Dreams 2".

It features a handmade porcelain turtle pendant and some really interesting laminate beads that resemble a turtle shell in shape. I wanted to work looser and more free form on this piece, the turtles resting in the water weeds.

This is the first "Turtle Dreams", a much more structured design featuring a pendant formed from Red Rose Tea Wade figurine.

This is my all time favorite piece, it came out exactly as I envisioned, "Shell Game" or "Shelly" (my special pieces always seem to have nicknames!), a functional, heavily bead embroidered bag in the shape of a turtle.

This is "Jewel of the North", definitely the largest beaded piece I've ever done at 4 foot by 6 foot and covered with thirteen different scenes or icons of the Island. Jewel was part of "Turtles Around Town", which was a fund raiser for the Mackinac Island Community Foundation.

I've plans for more turtles, all just a bit different, all needing to find their own little niche,