Home again...

After an incredible week away which included my first destination, State College, PA to drop in on my oldest, closest friend Dena, I will try to recap the multitude of highlights. The trip was uneventful, beautiful skies, exciting clouds...the MINUTE I pulled into her driveway the skies opened up, hail bombarded her deck. I LOVE a storm where I can be really close to it but stay in comfort. This might come from a long time ago as a young child when my fisherman father would take us for a drive in the middle of a hurricane, up to the lighthouse to check on his boat and I guess for the titillation~  that is what I love about an extreme storm, the force and the power and how it puts us in our place, another reminder to 'be here now' 'cause that is all that we've got.

Hail on the deck...

 Andrew's angles, lovely.

 Mineral deposits at Fallingwater...

A really anemic looking crocus on the Fallingwater grounds....is it confused? Or some kind of weird fall variety that has to struggle? There was no foliage accompanying the flower so I would think that it was crying for fuel???

Had a lovely but too short visit with Dena then headed west towards Ligonier, stopping to meet up with Andrew and Dawn at Fallingwater~ a must do for all in that the concept and execution broke so many boundaries...picture opportunities were somewhat limited, during the tour no pictures were permitted. (My camera isn't up to par here, focus appears to be an issue, sorry no pics of Andrew and Dawn) I am so glad to have seen it, without the urging of Andrew I still might not have seen it~ Thanks so much for the brainstorm!

We then carried on to Ligonier, home of Will and Andrew and Allegory Gallery which was the hub of activity for the next couple of days. Andrew and Will hosted a lovely weekend of classes and comraderie, their precious group of friends were impressively sweet and smart, thanks so much for the warm welcome, great food at the opening and lovely dinner at the dumpling house!!!

These gatherings where we converge to expand our knowledge base, interact often times with strangers that don't stay that way for long, to share and cooperate and try on new hats is so enriching. If you haven't signed up for a class, please do so~ your local continuing education is a great place to start! I love this time with fellow artists, it is so grounding to share what we know and love~ huge thanks to each and every one of you that 'gambled' your hard earned money and time that we can never get back, to be with me, I try to make it a memorable time infused with the imparting of useful skills to enrich your craft, to connect and share and carry on with a fuller heart and an open mind...are these too lofty a goal? I think not.

This is where my photos stop, too busy to record...

After class on Sunday I set out towards Pittsburgh where I spent a couple of nights with my incredible niece and my sister, these times are far too few, we laugh and catch up and compare life experience, I so love these girls!

Last but not least...onto Mechanicsburg where I spent a memorable night with Jean Van Brederode, her 'Birthday Boy' son, Brody and husband Lee. A nice celebration, time at a wonderful fabric outlet and time exploring her incredibly well outfitted studio brought us to the bewitching hour of midnight and the need for sleep to get up and out by 6 AM to arrive home yesterday 3 ish. Pennsylvania is a large state, I covered a large portion of it, saw places and regions I never saw while growing up (that is assuming that I ever did, grow up, I mean) I am happy to have that extra experience of seeing so much of the state, meeting all of you wonderful people and to being home again!