Friday, August 10, 2007

TEENAGE ANGST/ART AND A BEAUTIFUL ENDING


This could be a very long story but, truthfully I don't have the time and you probably don't have the patience to read it all. This has all has to do with teenagers. My daughter, inparticular.

The adorable little pastel sketch, done by yours truely, was done when she was three. She loved sitting still while mommy sat to draw her picture. Just giving a little background here.

In high school, let's suffice it to say, she didn't like sitting still for mommy anymore. I was constantly worried (yes, I am a "worry wort") there were some reasons to be worried....but mostly not.

One reason was how she ended up decorating her room. She is an artist. Her room became her canvas where she showed me and the world how difficult it was to be a teenager. It was dark. Black everywhere. Sad faces. Happy faces, too. All of the walls were covered with images she cut out painted and altered....yes she was altering objects LONG before many of us were.

The room sat for the last 7 years as a shrine of sorts. No one touched it. It became a dumping ground for "stuff". Well, she is 25 now. Has moved back home to attend graduate school and has decided to redecorate. Before we started to take everything apart however, we both documented each and every inch of that room, in memory of what was. Below are just a smidge of the photos we took. I don't have time this morning to really get in to showing you the whole story.






The image below is a little "shrine" I did in celebration of her growth into womanhood and to remember those days of constant worry. She and I are leaving today for a mother/daughter trip to Rancho La Puerta Spa, south of San Diego., which I miraculously WON at a charity event a few years ago. Yup, a week for two, including airfare. So off we are going together.

How beautiful an ending is that?

Monday, August 6, 2007

HOW TO HAVE FUN AT THE BEACH AND MORE FUN FACTS



The charcoal and graphite drawing above is called "Resting". Along with the photos I usually post, I always like to include at least a drawing....just to let you know that, in fact, I am an artist but, with limited time to actually create anything....so where does the "resting" come in? Well, that's what I am attempting to do now that I'm home from the beach. Odd you say? We did have fun but don't you find that you need a post vacation, vacation?


I find it so interesting the signs that are placed at the walkway to the beach. Are we here to have FUN????? What CAN I do at the beach? I've come up with a few things other than just sitting and reading (love it), swimming (love it), people watchiing (love it X2), walking.



Have your friend bring her adorable one and four year olds and watch them have a blast! Just sitting and playing with my sandy feet was fun. Plus, YOU don't have to get the sand off of anyone but yourself if you don't want to.



Explore. You never know what you'll find. Like the stem from the sandy grapes that you just ate.





Explore some more and if you look closely, you'll see that the baby clams that get caught in the tidal pools are really beautiful. Not just something to take a walk around.




Bring your daughters boyfriends dog, Samantha, aka "Poopiehead" (it's her breath ,that's all). She' the sweetest most lovable creature. Interesting fact, she's half dachshund and half labrador retreiver........YOU figure it out.




LOOK COOL!!!! Especially, if you are headed to the boardwalk at night to go on the rides and be "SEEN".



More interesting facts-

In 1935, the police in Atlantic City, New Jersey, arrested 42 men on the beach. They were cracking down on topess bathing suits worn by men.

At about 200 million years of age, the Atlantic Ocean is the yougest of the world's oceans.

Have a great day!!!!