Extending the Glow

 Three of my sketches that I did while recently enjoying a sketching holiday to St Pete Beach, FL.  Eight women, who love to sketch, met together to sketch, eat and have fun.  Our instructor, Laure Ferlita, teaches on line watercolor journaling classes and she put this trip together for us. We have all been friends on FB for several years and this was an opportunity to meet face to face. Sketching was fun; food and drink delicious and no words to describe the bonding and friendships that happened.

It  was a great opportunity to get out of cold, snowy Michigan for a few days and travel to the warmth of the sand, surf  and sun. I've fantasied about taking a painting trip for years and finally I got to do just that and at the beach...my favorite place to be.

We stayed at the Trade Winds Resort and it was absolutely perfect. Lots and lots to do. My room overlooked the ocean to the west. Sunset every evening. We sketched at John's Pass Village, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and the Sunken Gardens and of course the beach.  Ate great food and had lively conversations.

If you are interested in sketching with watercolor you really should check out Laure's classes- Imaginary Trips and join us in the fun.

Bear was just as happy to get out of Michigan as I was. Didn't find a t shirt for him however but Laure did include a 'bear' size beach ball that kept him entertained.

Ciao everyone. Have a good day.
Please leave a comment below if you would like. I'd love to hear from you.

Ice Palaces and Cold

Our weather has been brutally cold the last few days.  Wind chills in the negative single digits with howling winds. 40 mph! We have had over a foot of snow with lots of drifting.  This Polar Vortex (as the weather people call it) is moving all across the US and deep into the southern parts of the country.

While out snowshoeing I came across this cottage near the lake. Something about it reminded me of the ice palace at Varykino in the movie Dr Zhivago. (1965) Although if you check out the link, the ice palace has much more ice than this little cottage.  I discovered that the creation of the ice palace was done in frozen beeswax and chipped marble and was filmed in Spain.

I don't mind winter in Michigan if we have snow. Not quite as much as we had last winter, however. Snow on the ground seems to brighten up the day quite a bit even if the sun isn't shining.  The grey, dreary days really do get me down...rainy days and Monday's as the say.