Sunsets and Mountains

 Coming home from Vendor Night last night ~ the glowing sunset and the mountains ~ two of my biggest joys of life here in the Roanoke Valley.

Good Morning!

Open Studios Tour Roanoke 2019

 "Spring Meadow" by Mary Bullington

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It was a perfect day to enjoy Open Studios Tour Roanoke.  There were 8 stops with artists and guest artists, but I only made it to 3 studios:

Mary Bullington, Eric Fitzpatrick, and Gina Louthian-Stanley.  Captions under the photos give details of my visits.

 "Sunset Over Snow" by Eric Fitzpatrick

 "Searching for the Ring" by Gina Louthian-Stanley

 Eric Fitzpatrick and moi.  We had an interesting conversation about the pros of having an orderly studio, and I learned some tips from Eric that I will put to good use.

 Eric's lovely studio garden.

 Artist in Eric's garden.

 In Eric's garden.

 Piles of fallen Wisteria petals in Eric's garden.  He said the aroma was luscious a few weeks back when the Wisteria was in bloom.

 Koi in Eric's pond.

 One of Eric's friends.  I think his name is Phillip.

 Another friend.

 In Mary Bullington's front yard.  Many Kwanzan Cherry blossoms on the ground.

 "Paint can" fence guiding visitors to Eric's studio in back of his house.

 More interest on the way to his studio.

 Some of Eric's pastels.

 Resting under the Wisteria arbor in Eric's garden.  The sun was quite warm today.

 Secret walkway leading to Key West.

And this photo was added to my facebook page without my knowledge by my evil and sneaky "friend" Phillip Morgan, who would not allow me to take any photos of him while we were at Eric's.

Artist Trading Card

While away in Ohio, I received my first Artist Trading Card.  Our host this time, Patricia Kaegi Weiss, chose the theme "Playing with the Tarot".

This card, and the extras that came with it, was created by Lorraine Merdjan Kushynski.  Thank you, Lorraine.

It is hard to believe that two months have passed already.  We begin our new theme on May 1st.  I am a bit behind and will be working extra hard to get them all completed by the end of this month.

Small Journals

 I ordered a small handmade journal from Susanne Skene weeks ago.  Life has been busy and I neglected to post about it or let her know that I received it.

Not only did I receive the beautifully wrapped journal, I received a 2nd one as a gift to celebrate our ATC Group's 4th Anniversary, and a sweet handwritten note.

Thank you, Susanne. I am SO happy with both journals.  They are amazing!

I hope your daughter is doing well.  I have kept her in my prayers.

Sleeping Jake

Jake ~ Sleeping soundly in bed with me this morning.  He is happy to be home.  Do you see his little smile?

Major Growth in One Week

 We were only gone a week and I am amazed at how much things grew!  Mr. Magic mowed in between the rain spurts today as the grass was long and thick.  I see a lot of work out there ~ weeding and trimming.  I will get to it this weekend.  Today was full with unpacking, laundry, and prep of items for my consignment booth!

Leaving Wooster

 Yesterday morning, someone was excited to be in the car and get on the road!

 Still about 1 hour away ...  the look ... Are we home yet?

Safely home after 8+ hours!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Phillip !!

Glad you were able to celebrate and have dinner with us. Here's to another year of friendship and good times!

Wednesday

Sleeping Horse.

We had the best day.  We drove to the towns of Berlin, Winesburg, Millersburg, and Wilmot, in search of antique shops.  We had a good lunch at the Amish Door Village Restaurant, visited several shops, and enjoyed the gorgeous views throughout the area.

We leave Wooster in the morning to begin our trek home to Virginia.

 Amish buggy.

 Momma and baby goat.  SO precious!

 These 6 horses were pulling a manure spreader.

Killbuck Swamp.