Ten Days with Kelly Jo

Oh, I had the most wonderful time while my friend Kelly was visiting! She's one of those people who are terrific to have as a guest--goes with the flow, likes my kids, likes me (!)--and she's smart and funny to boot!

We didn't do anything very exciting, just hung out around home and played in the studio and talked and talked and talked. I apologized a few times because things aren't very exciting around here, but eventually she convinced me that she wasn't necessarily here for excitement.

We went into the VERY COLD pool with the kids (cold because the night-time temps have dropped into the low 50's) and swam around until we were blue.

One morning we went to visit the little cemetery around the corner from our house. The original families who settled this area buried their family members there, so the oldest graves are from 1888 or so. We took lots of pictures that day--of the rocks, the lichen covering them, the worn old gravestones, and the funny curlicue metal fence that surrounded the family plots. I'm sure some of those pictures will find their way into my digital art...

Poor Kelly got chased a lot by Phoenix, my little bottle fed boy goat. As Jenny said earlier this spring, "He's got one tentacle left!" so he's feeling very manly and trying to do what manly goats do--only he's trying to do it with anything that moves. .. Kelly was very patient with him.

We did make some art, and I spent time painting while Kelly sat curled up on the sofa in the studio, reading magazines and books about art-making.

Really, just a perfect visit. I hope she had as much fun as the kids and I did.