Close Call for the Nieces

Pelican Bay, Naples, Florida

About 16 years ago, my Mom and Dad decided to move to Florida.

Jack had just been born and we were all in a bit of shock that they were choosing to "leave" as we were just starting a family.

For most years since then, we have left behind the Maryland winter and visited their home in Naples.  My Mom and Dad lived there for ten years before my Mom passed away;  I am so glad that they moved when they did.  As I head toward an empty nest myself, I've gained a new appreciation and understanding of a decision I couldn't grasp 16 years ago.  Funny how life works like that.

Our annual trips to Pelican Bay have nurtured our souls, renewed our spirits and given us family moments and memories that are priceless.

Me and Dad

Dad lives in an area of Naples called Pelican Bay where bike and walking paths provide access to recreation and shopping areas as you wind your way within and through a tropical wonderland.  You can't help but get out and go walking.

Unlike much of the overdeveloped coastline,  Pelican Bay was developed with the environment and conservation in mind.

Jim loves picking the limes that grow in the backyard to use in his drink at happy hour...

Notice the professional fruit picker made by my Dad...a coat hanger taped to the end of a broom handle.

A walk around the lake behind his house led us to this huge tree which was loaded with berries.  It was at least five stories tall.  As we got closer, the tree seemed like it was moving, alive with a flock of over 200 cedar waxwings migrating through.  

Ficus Citrifolia or Short Leaf Fig/Wild Banyan tree

It was a magical moment.  Jim and I just stood there looking up into the huge canopy as discarded berries rained all around us.

Another tree I like to visit is this guy...

It looks beautiful from far away but as you get closer, its secret is revealed...

The trunk is completely covered in thorns!  I've never seen a tree like it.  There's no climbing it that's for sure.  Does anyone know it's name?  How about the berry tree?

As we head west toward the beach and the gulf of Mexico, there is a 2.3-mile biking/walking path through "The Berm", a mangrove environment housing red, white and black mangroves and hundreds of different species of birds, animals and aquatic life.

One of our favorites is the anhinga...

Using its webbed feet, the anhinga swims in the water, diving underwater to seek out the fish which are its prime source of food.  When done swimming, they spread their wings and tail feathers and dry out in the sun, sometimes in some very funny places.

Because Pelican Bay was developed with conservation and the environment in mind, the dense mangrove forest was preserved and boardwalks were built to provide a pathway to the beach...



Mangroves protect shorelines from damaging storm and hurricane winds, waves and floods.  Mangroves also help to prevent erosion by stablilizing sediments with their tangled root systems...



They maintain water quality by filtering water pollutants and serve as a nursery for many different animals and fish.

Like these baby egrets nesting in a tangle of mangroves...

And this baby alligator...

It's an absolutely magical place, like having your own National Geographic special just by walking out the door.  

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

After we make it through the mangrove forest, we're rewarded by this view of the Gulf...

And the pelicans which inspired the area's name...

Jim hits the beach and starts searching for treasures, trailing the sandpipers who zip out ahead of him...

Jim goes shelling every day that we are there, a ritual that inspired my piece, Found on the Beach.

We've found that the beach changes every day and we're much more likely to see something new by going frequently.  

When I asked him how the treasure hunting was going, he said "The shells are always there, some days they just hide better than others."   So wise that man of mine.

I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted this beauty...

Bending over to pick it up, I was startled by the guy who had taken up house there...

Yellow-lined Hermit Crab

The beach there never ceases to delight me.

All of this is prelude to THE story of the week and the highlight of our trip to Pelican Bay this year. A tale I'll share next post.

It's good to be home and posting again.  Waving to you all!

The Cityscape of Chicago

Jack is a junior in high school this year so it will be time for him to apply to colleges next Fall.  Last week, we started our first round of college tours by heading to Chicago for Spring Break.

The temperatures were still fairly chilly but the crisp air, the blue skies and white clouds made the miles of driving seem effortless.

We covered four schools (U of Chicago, Northwestern, U of Wisconsin, U of Michigan) in three states but kept our home base as Chicago.

Wow.  What a city!  Having never been before, I was grateful for some travel tips from blogging friend Carol (thank you!) and we made the most of our short time there.

Each time I adventure afield,  I tend to take whatever thoughts, ideas or projects that are top-of-mind with me.  This time, I brought my palette of grays and my focus on reflections and mirrors...all of which led me to look at Chicago through those lenses.

First of all, there's this captivating sculpture in Grant Park called Cloud Gate which is commonly referred to as 'The Bean'...



The artist was inspired by liquid mercury when creating it and I can see why.  No matter which way you looked into this sculpture, you were rewarded with an everchanging, panoramic view...

Which delighted and enthralled no matter where you stood...



This pic is taken from underneath the Bean looking up...you can see Jack's red hat and me standing next to him in the center circle...Jim's is bottom center outside the inner circle.

The artist really did a phenomenal job of creating a piece of interactive art.

We were mesmerized.



And I had a great time photographing views of Chicago through the curved, reflective surface of this Bean.



There's an openness to Chicago that allows for each building to breathe and tell its story.  Whether viewed as a cohesive city skyline or as individual buildings, the sky gives the town a fresh, open feeling that is unusual for such a large city.  It was marvelous.

And talk about a palette of grays...

Honestly, I have never really felt that modern cities (and I mean "modern" compared to the cities of Europe) are all that beautiful with their chrome, glass and steel.

This visit changed my mind.

We climbed to the top of the Hancock building to get a birds-eye view of the city.  We each went our separate ways...me, taking pictures of the city...

Here's the Navy Pier...



And Jack, sitting in one spot and thinking about whether or not he'd like to live in this city...



About 15 mins later we both realized that we hadn't seen Jim.  We went on a search and Jack found him on the floor with his back against the wall...



Jim is afraid of heights.  See how his fist is gripping my bag?

Jack was encouraging him to "Get up.  It's not so bad."



And Jim, just answered, "Yes, it is.  I'll stay right here, thank you very much."



He did get up eventually and go inside to read Chicago's History on display.  Once absorbed in that, he relaxed and enjoyed the visit.

The next day, my thoughts would return to city structures when we visited the Art Institute of Chicago and I saw this painting by Georgia O'Keefe, The Shelton with Sunspots painted in 1926 .

 Even though the building is in NYC, O'Keefe was playing with the concept that sunspots remove color from buildings...and in this painting, the building appears as if it has a hole in it.

O'Keefe spent only one year at the School of the Art Institute as a student but Chicago did have an influence on her and many of her paintings are on display there.

All of these views of cities and skies and sunlight reminded me of a class I had taken online through the Shining Needle Society *many years ago by Betty Chen Louis.  Betty Chen Louis had designed a Cityscape of NYC on Canvas which she had taught at the ANG National Seminar in 2003 (?)which I have always admired...

Copyright Betty Chen Louis

I had never had a chance to study with her since my Mom was ill when she came to teach at our Guild.

The real brilliance of her design didn't really strike me back then but it does now.  I appreciate how tricky it is to use all of the many shades of gray in translating a reflective, living city scene.

Yesterday, while looking for something else, I found the kit I had started from her online class, Cityscape Hearts in Black and White...

There it was, having been tucked away in a bag for years.

 And all of a sudden I have a renewed interest because now I feel a kinship with Betty.  I too, have stood there in a city and thought about the light, the reflection, the shades of gray...and how I might choose to stitch the scene.  I get it now.

See.  Unfinished projects are important.  And you should never feel guilty about having them.  Sometimes they just need to incubate until the time is right.

At the bottom of the instructions I noticed that another blogging friend, Sue Dulle, had helped Betty with the compilation and format of the written instructions.  I smiled at the serendipity of it...another connection.  I wouldn't "meet" Sue online until a few years later.  (Waving at you Sue.)

And there you have it.  Cities, reflections, grays, steels, light and dark...

All firing off synapses in my brain from one college-hunting trip to Chicago.

* Here's a link to the Shining Needle Society Yahoo Group.  Feel free to request to join the group so you can receive notifications of upcoming classes.  They offer all types of great classes.

End of Summer Glow

Glow night is a ritual that the kids started a few years ago when they discovered that glow lights were within their budget range...

They found them at the dollar store.

Ever since then, they have chosen one dark night every Summer and declared it glow night.

This past holiday weekend, we all gathered at the beach to celebrate the end of Summer. And the first night was dark and overcast...and the dollar store was having an end-of-season sale.  It was the perfect storm.

So we got our glow on...

And once everyone...

Was glowing to their liking...

The parade of glow began...

And we marched the five or so blocks to the beach...

In a quasi-tribal...

glow ritual...

We even had a glow mascot...

And, once we got to the dark and light-less beach, the true magic of glow night began...

The colors...they danced and dipped and bent and flowed...

A play of light and laughter.

It was glow-rious...

And so were the wizards behind the curtain...

There was even a Glowdown at the O-K Corral...

And a glow toss that delighted the late night walkers who shared the beach...

When it was over, we went for ice cream.  

And the kids gave their glow sticks to the other kids in line.  

But it wasn't only kids...there was one fifth-grade history teacher who was very grateful to receive the glow fingernails.  He planned to use them as pointers in his classroom.

And so we ended Summer by passing on the glow torch.

Unfortunately for Jack, he woke early this morning to his first day of school.

Seriously, Mom? Are we still taking first-day-of-school pictures?

Yes, Jack.  Yes, we are.  Now smile like you love it.

Happy Day everyone!

I'm off to sharpen my needles.   Woohoo!!