Friday, February 4, 2011

THE BIG 6-0 AND THE TRITE PALM TREE

I am about to reach a milestone.  The big one. Sixty. I feel pretty darn good about it. No, "sixty is the youth of old age" or "sixty is the new forty" for me. I am just going to be plain sixty.  No rose colored glasses.
I am going to celebrate the entire year.
Spending some time in Jamaica is a good way to start. Yes, it is.
Getting away from the cold, damp, snowy northeast, is a perfect way to celebrate. 
I laugh at the cold and say goodbye and good riddance. Nothing profound here.
Is there anything better than the blues of the Caribbean Sea?
The lush foliage and ............
....and of course, getting to put on my flip flops.
My and my buds on the most beautiful golf course I've ever played, the White Witch. Not bad being the only girl in a foursome. Yes, an artist and a golfer go together, strangely enough.
Quite a wonderful view from the first tee.
Back at the beach I gather souvenirs in the form of sketches.
I think one of the dilemmas of many artists is to avoid being trite. A palm tree is one if those things that I find amazingly beautiful. It brings me much peace and happiness sitting on the beach looking at the shape, seeing the texture on the trunk, the beautiful greens on the fronds, the sound of the breeze blowing through the branches. What could be better....except that as an artist, it is virtually impossible to create an image of this tree without it being trite.


I have decided that I will do sixty things this year that I have never done. Not just like jumping out of an airplane (which I have done).....it can be something simple, like try eating tripe (yuck) or learn a new yoga move. Perhaps conquering the creation of a not trite palm tree will be on the list.
Ever notice the roots? I think they are beautiful......dreadlock like, eh?

Yes, that is what sixty is about. Warming up the old bones....surrounded by beauty and the ones you love, practicing yoga, playing golf, learning new things every day, drinking a cold Red Stripe, eating some spicy jerk chicken and looking at......
....palm trees.