Archives for June 2011

 

Well, I just got back from my 5oth high school class reunion in Ohio. How wonderful it was to renew old friendships, make new ones and see what everyone has been up to for all these years! Since I’ve been in Maine for almost 44 years, I’ve lost touch with most of my high school classmates. None of my family lives in Ohio any longer and there hasn’t been a compelling reason to return. This was a refreshing walk down memory late, a bit poignant as many class mates have died and there were about a dozen or so who couldn’t be located.

I visited with a woman who was a very good friend of my parents. In fact, her daughter babysat for me. She took me to my old church where we saw the tables that my dad built well over 50 years ago – probably more like 60 years. The few people whom I saw who remembered my parents mentioned those tables and how they’re still being used. What a nice legacy.

Besides seeing high school classmates, I also met up with two college friends in Kent, Ohio. We went to Kent State University and I hadn’t been back there since graduation in 1965……..I’m really dating myself! It’s truly amazing how much the college campus has changed. I had a difficult time locating my old dorm. One young man in a bookstore, when I told him I graduated in 1965, said that would be two of him in the time frame since then! Too funny!

I’ve been a bit behind the times and haven’t used the audio book technology up to now. For this car trip I took along and “read” The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. Two very different books, but they certainly kept my mind engaged while driving. My book club will be discussing The Help next week – should be a good discussion. I really liked the book and it made me think a lot.

Now it’s time to get ready for the first shows of the season which start this Saturday in Bethel, ME.

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”- – Anais Nin

In Maine, many people have camps. Now there are camps and then there are CAMPS! Most of the time, when I think of a camp, I envision a rustic building, not finished inside, with rudimentary plumbing and lots of rough wood. Mostly there’s beautiful scenery which is a given in Maine.

So last week a friend and I ventured off to another friend’s camp in the Belgrade Lakes area about an hour and half north of where I live for a mini-retreat to do some needlework projects. This camp was completely redone this past year and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

So here’s my friend Jean in her camp. You can get a glimpse of the lake out the windows. It’s all finished inside with whitewashed pine, has comfy furniture and wonderful sleeping areas. What a fabulous retreat!

 

 

 

 

And here’s my friend Bert sewing in front of the window. Again you can catch a glimpse of the lake beyond the stairs. What an inspirational place to design and sew!

We had a wonderful time, shared some delicious meals (thanks, Bert for the crab cakes) and played Mexican Train, a form of dominoes. What a fun game – so much so that we had to get our own sets the minute we got home!

A mini-retreat like that is just the ticket to get re-inspired and revitalized.

Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds and work that nourish you. Sark