Sunrise in Arizona

My good friends, Anja and David recently retired and moved from Los Angeles, CA to Marana, Arizona. Today was the first morning of my Christmas visit with them. I woke up early in the morning, in time to witness the sunrise. It was spectacular. The slideshow of the whole dramatic event is here on Flickr. Today we visited the Tucson Museum of Art and artisan shops across the street. Tomorrow we journey to Tubac to visit the Tubac Center of the Arts. Anja and I have explored roads, towns and cities together for over thirty five years, from New York to LA, Denver to Sausalito, and many in between. It's always an artful, thought-provoking adventure of discovery the result of years and years of friendship, love, support, and acceptance.

The Sun is Back - I'm so Happy

How did I ever live in Oregon where the rainy/cloudy season lasted three months? (No offense to all the lovely people who live in the Pacific Northwest.) This past week in Florida we had only FOUR days with cloudy, overcast skies and I was sure I was under the influence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - wait a minute ... SAD is depression in the WINTER! It's August! Oh oh. Must have been something else.

The rain I didn't mind so much. Thunderstorms are energizing. However, the incessant gray was a challenge for me this week. But, hooray! Today I was again in Florida bliss, loving the colors of the grass and flowers outside, and loving the light shining through my window on my art while I worked.

It's Friday night and I'm getting up early for the Farmer's Market tomorrow. Have a great weekend, everybody.

All Nature's wildness - a quote by John Muir

Thunderstorms in Florida seem louder than anywhere else I’ve lived. It’s like the sky is closer here – twenty feet up instead of twenty miles. I have no idea if that’s real or an illusion of sound. I’ll probably get used to all the racket the longer I live here. For now, I’m enjoying it and marveling, once again, at the power of Mother Nature.

I haven't experienced a Florida hurricane yet. I hear we have a few days warning for that, unlike an earthquake.

I've been in a major earthquake (Northridge, Jan. 17, 1994). A frightening experience, to say the least. The sound of glass breaking all around me, and the gushing water from the toilet that had been dislodged from the pipes - all the furniture on the floor, doors blocked. Oh my.

My house was not nearly as damaged as my daughter's. She was closer to the epicenter. Days and months of aftershocks continued that experience. Earthquakes (the little tremors that made the lights shake) had been kind of "fun" up until then. After that day, I gained a new respect for power of nature and forevermore, I take preparedness seriously.

One summer day in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a waterspout (mini-tornado) hit our beach blanket at Lake Calhoun and lifted my daughter and her friend up and deposited them down on the sand again about 30 feet away. That was the most direct hit I've had at the hands of Mother Nature. I watched it form across the lake and travel on the surface of the water on a path that looked like it was aiming right for us. It picked up a sailboat on the shore before touching down on our blanket. Sand was drilled into my scalp. The entire beach population fled like wild banshees running for our lives.

Ah, memories. John Muir's quote (above) captures Nature's majesty for me. Having lived in the SF Bay area for over eight years, I walked in the redwood forests of Muir Woods many times. It is a cathedral of a place where I always felt a communion with this man's spirit. John Muir founded The Sierra Club and was responsible for preserving large nature areas and western forests. He petitioned Congress for the National Parks Bill (which passed in 1899), establishing both Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Read more about John Muir here (including a visit with Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1871). I remain eternally grateful for his gift of preservation of our earthly wilderness lands as well as his expression of beauty, passion, and love in his writing.

-Raphaella Vaisseau