Outside, finally, I can see more green than snowy white.
Too late! We're in the final week of packing to travel south to Las Cruces, New Mexico. When I looked last, the temperatures there were in the mid 50s F. Sunny. Way warmer than here. The Organ Mountains and the Tortugas roughly a ten-mile drive away from Las Cruces.
My laptop is up-to-date with writing, quilting projects winnowed down and ready, a new journal awaits, and my latest project, watercolor painting, is packed in a travel bin. What I love about writing, and/or drawing/painting is simply the act itself slows life down and leads to introspection. I'm not sure how to describe the simple pleasure of mastering a line -- whether words or a stem of flowers. This learning how to watercolor is too new to share any pictures, but I did wake up this morning already 'seeing' a painting. For now, like any new skill, I'm practicing, a nice balance as I draft scenes on that next art crime mystery.
And about the writing, I did hit a block by writing a series of scenes that simply didn't fit my characters. I came close to putting this latest story away. A friend told me, "Write what you love." Somehow that encouragement led me back into this story set in Cairo, Egypt, with renewed energy. You can anticipate an update later this month.
We'll drive slowly down, visiting friends along the way south, hoping to avoid any major glitches. For at least a week, I won't have to cook! Did you know there's less caffeine in a soda than in a cup of coffee? This time, we'll be gone about 2.5 months, a pretty long time to be away from home, to shake loose the ordinary and explore what is new. Las Cruces offers a welcome mix of Hispanic culture, history, and those mountains, many national parks to explore, including White Sands. The last time we visited this amazing park, 2011, we were stunned by the stretch of yes, white sands, as far as the eye could see. Yet, shrubs somehow survive in this desert.
May 2023 be good to you -- with unexpected opportunities to do more of what you love!
I hope you have a fun and safe trip. That's great that you returned to something you love to write and have been more inspired.
ReplyDeleteYour trip sounds inviting and exciting. I am glad you are doing what you love. I did not know you were an artist as well. You continue to inspire me. I look forward to your posts.
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