A Break in the Weather

The commission piece I was working on is now finished, picked up, and on its way to its new home in Jacksonville. 

This one I had professionally scanned before putting under glass to make sure I have a good image for making cards.  Almost time for turtle season again.  Now to get to work on my Koi painting.  Will post progress photos as it develops.

Sometimes work in the gallery leads into one day after another and I forget the time of year except having the seasons of heat on, doors open, doors and windows open, and then air conditioning time.  I came to the realization that it was coming upon on Valentine's day this week when a male customer came in with a request for "hearts, -anything with hearts".  My mind went blank as I searched each cobwebby corner of it thinking hearts, hearts, do I have hearts?  I looked around in vain.  My brain just works that way sometimes.  After he left my slow brain said, of course you have hearts.  I knew I had a pair of Sandy Washburn's copper earrings with tiny hearts and I had some pretty blue pendants in glass.  But I also had lots of heart beads in my boxes.  Inspiration is sometimes borne out of need.  I spent a couple of days turning everything heart shaped into wearable art.  I now have glass blown heart pendants, and small yellow glass heart pendant, and lots of porcelin hearts turned into all colors of earrings.  So now my brain is ready to say "Yes, we do have hearts".

Earlier in the week I took a friend with me as I checked on "ye ol' turtle nest" and did a bit of beach exploring with my photographer friend, Lea.  Some of the birds we were having trouble identifing but that is the way with gulls.  Their colors change so much with the seasons and age that since I am not a birder I don't worry about it that much.  The really big ones stand out because of their size and I am thinking that the smaller ones might be young laughing gulls whose black head has not fully changed in color.

I kept trying to catch a good shot of the big guys in flight as they kept leap frogging ahead of us as we headed up the beach.  We would almost reach them and they would fly.  This was repeated over and over until we finally got around them.

The tide was going out making it a very good day to watch the formation of the patterns I love so much in the sand as they were happening.

Lea says she calls them beach trees which I think is a pretty appropriate name.

Since we were sure the tide was heading out we decided to explore the jetty a bit more thoroughly.  Some of the rocks held depressions which always hold water when they are not underneath the surface.  Unlike the West Coast ones, ours do not have that much life in them.  Some sea moss was pretty in this one but no sea urchins or starfish like I have seen in California.

A close view of the tiny barnacles are pretty even though too small in reality to be very eye catching.

I thought the combination of ripples formed by the water in conjunction with bird tracks lightly washed over was pretty nice and not the usual.

The base of the jetty holds lots of broken shells, sometimes pretty enough for retriving sometimes just pretty with their surroundings and best left for others to enjoy or the sea to envelope again next tide.

Mostly the shells are broken pieces attesting to the force of the water as it hits the rocks.

Of course I would spot one more white feather, this one had become a part of the flowing tidal formations adding to the overall design.  Mighty nice, momma nature.

A very close up snails eye view of the beautiful pink (non native invasive species) barnacle with its bits and pieces of pink tentacle or root like appendages along with a tiny bit of bright green seaweed which has become part of this whole minature world of a barnacle which traveled on the bottom of some large ship from far, far away to be dropped on our shore.

Oyster shells also evidence the precarious life that finds itself clinging to any surface available to sustain their survival, deter their demise.

Pools form underneath the massive rocks evidencing life forms there.

The dead and living coexist with one living and building on the other.

More broken pieces of former sealife have crashed upon the rocks either as living or empty shells of a former life.

The mosses mixed with brown and green colors looks like the back of some great hairy beast.

Some spots were almost all brown, some mixed...

...and some bright spots of vivid green among the neutral colors that make up the biggest part of the jetty.  I am told that these great walls against the sea were built from rocks taken from New York when the mass transit system was being built in the early 1900's.  It was an engineering feat to get these great pieces of rock and concrete placed so that they withstand the storms that this great ocean can produce.

The remnants of some great ship's rope has become part of the great sea wall.

More pretty sand patterns wait as we cross on to the river's shore line.  With my hands full of the pretty pink shells I have picked up and the sun getting low I say it is time to leave.  Another day is about to be gone.

The shadows from the almost setting sun just catch the top of the tallest dunes as I drive down the road on my way out of the park.

The light on the West side filtering through the trees convince me that just a few minutes more won't matter that much as I stop to take a look over the marsh and Egan's Creek looking toward the lighthouse.  Sunlight on the Spanish Moss is a nice thing this time of day.

One shaft of light shines through the trees brighter then any other so I stop to see how it has happened and to follow its pathway.  Looking though the sunbeam it is almost like looking into a sun cave with the sun itself peering back at me.  I almost expect to see a Hobbit peer back at me as I look through this magical spot.  Nice to have some warmer days to get outside.  Our visitors from the north say that it is balmy not cold but to us Floridians it has been cold. As the week moved on the weather warmed with days when we can open both the gallery doors.  So for a few days at least the cold that has been so dreary for us has moved away. A bit of news from Charles the Monarch of the Magic Kingdom.  My son, David, was working over at Disney a couple of weeks after I left Charles and he called to say that he saw a Monarch Butterfly there.  I told him of course it had to be Charles because all the others were in Mexico, having left around the first of November.  It was about the time when Charles's mother happened by my flower garden on her way (I actually saw her that day) and with one farewell effort laid the egg that became Charles.  It was the only Monarch I had seen in my yard all year.  I had even tried to photograph her but she was too fast and fleeting for me but I had seen her sitting on the very plant on which I found Charles' caterpillar stage.

By the way did I tell you we have hearts?

The Townies

By the end of last week I had been in the gallery for nine days straight, and a welcome outside warm-up allowed for open doors and an increased awareness of the neighborhood goings-on.  A loud raucous commotion came from across the street as the top of the bare tree behind the 29 South restaurant was filled with a flock of Crows.  I really like crows, and I am told, that our Sea Crows are a bit smaller than regular inland crows.

They are also very family oriented and retain their family relationships in their flocking together.  Their feathers glisten like black satin in the sunlight.

On the other corner I had observed the squirrels using the newly constructed picket fence as a major perching point for hanging out.  I walked over to see if that would still be the case as this one squirrel had snagged a nut from the ground and was heading upward.

Sure enough, the pinnacle of a fence picket was her spot to dine on.  This side is a very tall fence hiding the dumpsters next door from their view.  It looks like this lady with her fairly rotund look may be in the "family way".

On the front, shorter side, this youngster was also using the points as its perch.  This one though, was using one of Shelly's preferred stances of sitting on one perch but leaning that tail back against a more firm backing for balance.  It is truly amazing how quickly they can get into a nut or seed with their teeth and toungue culling the edible from the inedible faster then you can say "scat".

Another flock of birds join the fray, this time it is Starlings which have decided to join in with the crows.

Now the tree was even fuller with both species.  The Starlings appear black from a distance...

...but on closer inspection they are more speckled with lots of iridescent greens and other colors mixed together.

The crows spilled over to the trees above the squirrel hangout on the other side of the street.

In a few minutes, after about three passes by a helicopter the whole flock decided our neighborhood was just too noisy and they all left in one swoop.

Soon I was drawn outside again by what sounded like distress cries of a bird.  Distress yes, but it was the Hawk sending out the cries to momma as to what the heck was going on.  He was being bullied by this bad ol' Mockingbird.  One has to wonder if the harrassment was in his own tongue knowing how Mockingbirds can imitate sounds.

The Mockingbird kept flying all around and doing his fussing from first one branch then another.

I can just here him saying "MY tree, MY tree", while the young Hawk is still yelling for Momma.

Finally the "youngster" gave up and left the tree, flying to the Pecan tree behind the gallery.  I do say something has happened to the Oak and Pecan crop this year.  I suspect that they were hit by a late cold spell last winter after blooming because the Pecan and Acorn crop are slim at my house and here.  I picked up bags of them last year from behind the gallery, for Shelly, but not this year.

On Tuesday evening my fishing buddy, Fran, invited me out to play.  She had just returned from New Mexico and needed a water fix, a view of the river, a sip of wine, catching up, enjoying a watery sunset, and friendship.  With no hubby to go home to that night, I happily agreed to accompany her.  On the way to Brett's Waterway Cafe, the perfect place to fulfill those needs, I stopped by to catch a few late afternoon shots of the Pelicans, which hang out waiting on a hand-out from Charlie's Fish Market.  I was not disappointed as both young and old were all catching the low warm light as they preened on the dock.

Suddenly, as if on cue, they all began the hurried march up the boardwalk closing in on the fish market.

That enormous pouch was being readied for the anticipated daily feeding frenzy.

A bit of jockeying for position as the "pecking order" is established.

Old Three Toes, the Great White Egret, is quietly hanging around in the background in anticipation also.

It was a false alarm as the Pelicans settle back down and I pack it in to go sit on my own perch with Fran and enjoy the calm of the evening and the end of a long day.

The warmth of the wooden walls, the wrap around windows, the glistening stemware enhancing the sunset colors were just what the doctor ordered as we are enticed into staying for dinner with them.  I have never gotten anything but great tasting food here so it is a happy way to end the day.  I hope the Pelicans have been as lucky scoring a great dinner over at Charlie's Fish Market.

In the winter time especially, I notice lots of young White Ibis becoming almost like yard chickens as they roam the neighborhood using that long Gonzo-like beak to probe the moist earth for tasty tidbits.  Their brownish spotted color tells me they are youngsters who have yet to get their white coat.

There were three in this group but not quite close enough together to get a group shot.  I wondered if they were all siblings.  There is always a lot to see within the two blocks between my gallery and the Marina.  Sometimes it will be Egrets or Otters, sometimes Manatees, and sometimes even a Sea Turtle will stick it's head up in the marina's waters not far from my front door.  I am concerned about the Pelicans with the cold weather.  They are vulnerable to getting too cold.  You may not be able to get through to the B.E.A.K.S., (Bird Emergency Aid & Kare Sanctuary), folks as they probably have not been able to take all the calls so I hope that means they have all the volunteers they can handle.  But check anyway, if you might be able to help.  904 251-2473

For now it is a bit chilly again, with temps only in the mid 50's in the daytime today and near freezing tonight.  Still a bit chilly for my taste but with twenties in San Antoinio today I guess it is OK.  At least we are experiencing bright sunshine.

January Doldrums

Before the this last cold spell, -you know, the one which paralized the whole South including Florida, where cold is immediately followed by the inability to function.  Shopping stops, walking outside stops, eating out stops, as we all huddle indoors waiting for the weather to break.  We are familiar with a couple of days of chill followed by warming, not day after day, and nights on end, uninterrupted, with below freezing temperatures.

Before the cold decended like a plague, clouds moved in, with decent temperatures into the weekend.  Wet we can handle, cold not so well.  I hit the beach to do one last "nest" check for the week on Friday before last.  It was difficult to tell where the water stops and the sky begins.  With the water so calm that no waves were crashing over the jetty, it became a convenient perch for our fishing friends, the Pelicans and Anhingas.

The calmness turns the waves into images in glass.  So slick and shiny that the base of the wave reflects the image of the top in that brief few seconds before it crashes upon itself.

I worked hard getting some of my smaller art pieces into frames for showing before Saturday night's Elvis Birthday Art Walk.  With the slow sales of the Fall and disappointing Christmas crowds, I had only experienced two good shopping days which would compare with years gone by.  I have tried to create some more "decorative" type pieces I can sell for a lower price.

I think I could have painted another painting in the time it took to get these framed up with the floating look I was going for.  Both were done on foil, the first on gold and the second on copper.

Progress is being made on the new turtle painting, a piece commissioned by another Turtle Volunteer down in Jacksonville.  Once a turtle person always a turtle person.  It is contagious and addictive, but a good cause.  With this the best year in recent times we like to think we are making a difference.  It has been 26 years since the beach monitoring began in ernest in Florida and it takes about that long for a turtle to reach the age for reproduction.

My goal in the early stages is to get everything covered with paint.  Then I can build on that by adding color, layer by layer in the traditional watercolor style of painting.  The goal is not getting the painting too dark too fast, because it is possible to make things darker but difficult to lighten them.

The colors on the turtles begin to build up giving more and more dimension.

This is the end of Sunday, the 16th's work.  I have been so tired of the cold weather that having the temperatures reach about 60 was almost like having a heat wave.

As soon as I was able to close the gallery I headed for Fort Clinch.  After a cloudy middle of the day I was ready to enjoy being back on the beach with clear skies after a week of huddling inside.  The moon was high overhead even though the sunlight had not quite left the scene.

The low sun was casting long shadows on the beach as the dunes were fast becoming a barrier which would block that wonderful light.

For now though, the flat beach was littered with shells; the tide quickly coming in.  With the loss the illumination of the late afternoon sun only moments away I set out to find some pretty beach compositions to record with my trusty, handy-dandy camera.

For now it was perfect to cast a beautiful light on the shells, bringing out their colors and textures.

They seemed to glow with the late afternoon light that artists have learned to love.

Ahhhh, such lovely pastel colors; what a challenge it would be to capture such color with the texture and patterns of this shell.

One small white feather catches my eye and I see lavendars and pinks, in thinking what it would take to make this into a painting.

I was drawn to one shell cluster after another, being very wary of my back side as I barely avoided wet feet several times with the sneaky tide creeping higher and higher behind me.

The light hits the surf and makes it particularily bright as if the light came from within.

This has to be the most perfect time of the day at the ocean.  It seems others also like that last walk on the beach.  The colors are a study in soft colors being created by reflections from the opposing sky to the West.

With the light already behind the dunes I find my treasure of the day.  I wish the light had not gone so fast because its burnt orange would have been great bathed in that light.

As the sun sinks lower the light creates more change with the pinks and lavenders of the water changing to pale sea green contrasting with the deepening color in the clouds on the eastern horizon.

On the West side, the blaze of the sunset is showing off for the final time.

The factory adds to the overall drama in the background behind the almost naked Seaoats.

One last rush of color as I drive away from the park.  It will get a bit brighter before finally darkening into night but I am tired and I want to try to catch an image of the deer who are usually out this time of day.  For once, when I am prepared, I did not see them.     I headed for home after a long day.  It was nice to actually have people out and about dropping into the gallery today, filling the restaurant behind me to the brim, and actually a sale or two.  Let me see how many days now until rent is due again?