It's about love.

Growing  up near the warm sandy beaches of sunny California guaranteed my great love for the outdoors. The  Pacific ocean near Newport Beach and Balboa was home to me!

Most every day was a beautiful sunny day and the sun meant warmth, protection, happiness -- a carefree life of nature & love! 

My  father was the editor & publisher of the La Canada Valley Sun, an award winning weekly newspaper. I published the "Happy Sun"  -- to me "the sun represented  happiness."

Today, I live in a small artistic bungalow in Falls Church, Virginia that has seven skylights with  glass doors everywhere.  If I could live in an all glass house heated by the sun, I would!

My home is called "Sun spirit" - it's painted yellow with a red roof. My astrological sign, Sagittarius represents the sun. 

The earth revolves around the sun and so do I.  

Long live the sun!

Jan shared a photo of her beautiful and  vibrant home, also named "Sun Spirit." We can see why she loves it!

My admiration for horses reached its zenith in my 20s when I took English riding lessons. Admittedly, while always liking horses, I found myself anxious and fearful when it came to jumping. However, the rare, for me, experience of going over a jump in perfect harmony and oneness with the horse is a thrill and sense of empowerment that has stayed with me. It is a powerful connection and full body communication with a creature so tied in its history with the earth. Native Americans understand it well. Their heritage would have us ride the horse as we ride this journey to better understand Mother Earth.

My section is patterned after a painting by Martha Widmann entitled “And So Upon Him She Flew, and She Wasn’t Afraid.” Widmann moved to the Three Rivers area for inspiration and to foster her connection to nature. Like Widmann, my appreciation for horses, their spirit and their ability to navigate over the centuries the unpredictable nature of our planet is cause for inspiration, renewal, restoration, energy, joy and happiness. The relationship is beautiful, divine and sacred. It is to be respected and cherished. There is much to discover along the way.

Let's Ride!

I have been fortunate to live in Virginia for many years. I have so enjoyed the beautiful countryside, the rolling hills, and the mountains. But most of all I really love the gorgeous hydrangeas in the back and side yards of my house.

I look forward to spring when all the flowers start to burst into bloom. Of course, I especially love  watching the blooms emerge on the hydrangeas. The limelight green blooms seem so joyful and the oak leaf ones are so colorful. I am always amazed at the shades of pinks, lavendar, and blues, and the blooms that grow so large and seem to boast, "Look at me!"

And I love picking a few of those blooms to put  them in vases in the house. They make such a statement. Of course I always ask permission before cutting the blooms!

I thank God for my hydrangeas all the time. What a gift He has given us to enjoy while we are on earth.

I painted these hydrangeas growing in our yard. Of course, this painting pales in comparison to the beauty of the natural plants, but it does remind me of the enormous love I have for them!

Years ago, my husband and I were fortunate to live in Maine for a time. While we were there, we visited the Lighthouse at Pemaquid Point several times. I’ve never forgotten the impact it had on me. So much so that I’ve included it in a story I’m writing. The following is an excerpt which describes my memories.

The vista that stretched before me was stunning with breathtaking natural beauty. The blue-green ocean broke into white foam on the rocks below, swirling around in a frothy dance before returning back to the deep. In the near distance, a pod of dolphins leisurely swam by. As several seals sunned themselves on a rocky out crop, gulls, ever on the lookout for a meal, flew overhead. In the far distance, I watched an ocean-going vessel, appearing small and toy-like,

lazily glide by.

Taken together, the crashing waves, the calls of the birds, the faint barks of the seals should have created a jarring cacophony of sounds disrupting the Zen of the panorama, but, instead, was soothing.

Having been enrolled in a beginning art class when I received a diagnosis of

severe osteoporosis, I chose to use my imagination to create an image to open

myself to the healing power of nature. 

Standing on Grandmother Earth, pulling

in the energy of the colors of the rainbow, allowing them to penetrate my bones

connects me to her healing power. 

Reaching to Grandfather Sky, to connect the spiritual energy of the masculine from above brings balance to my body and

soul.