A Walk on PI's Refurbished Beach

It was a beautiful day for a walk on the newly refurbished

Pawleys Island Beach

And they've protected the dunes with fencing

 and  widened the South end to extend the  beach 

Pawleys Island Beach Walk: 2 '20

We took a walk on the North end of Pawleys Island today.

It was really beautiful, but also really  cold 

 So  cold that there wasn't anyone but  us and the birds on the beach.

Still it was nice to get out of the house for awhile.

Day 4 Road Trip: East Jersey Olde Towne

Bruce and his sister, Pam.

Today was another perfect summer day for being out for doors. After a lite breakfast, Pam suggested we do some site seeing. Pam did all the driving for the next couple of days which reduced the stress of trying to navigate an unfamiliar area. After reviewing at the options, we settled on visiting East Jersey Old Town Villiage which is a living history museum of what life in Middlesex county was like in the 18th Century. It proved to be a perfect choice. The buildings were air-conditioned and most offered elevators so there were no worries about bruce getting overheated or falling on the shallow eighteenth-century stairs. and there was something for everyone on the grounds. docents dressed in costume explained how clothing was mad, stones were cut, and what it was like to be a blacksmith in the middle of summer. there were scientific, paleontologic, and agricultural exhibits. As well as fully restored buildings representing all aspects of Colonial life. CC's favorite was the Colonial herb and kitchen gardens (although Pam and I did have to move on quickly before Bruce got the urge to weed them).

'Yes, Bruce, it is a weed.' and 'No, you cannot pull it.'

Upon returning to Pam's house after dinner Bruce and Pam continued talking about family history, while I made a new Best Friend.

CC and her new BFF "Sophie'.

Fourth on the Beach 7 '18

We decided to start the holiday with a early morning walk on the Beach

While the others were snatching up every  possible street space to watch the Pawleys Island 4th of July Parade 

we had the beach to ourselves.

Add caption

We  celebrated by adding a couple of new decorations to the shell tree,

and enjoying the magnificent skies

( Until that sky caught up with us and gave us a  good shower.  LOL!) 

Low tide at Pawleys Island 7 ' 18

I love how the beach looks totally different  after each tidal change.

It's like getting to have a mini vacation in some totally new place each day.

Gallery Hopping in Asheville: 9'16

No trip to the Up Country would be complete without a visit to Asheville to check out some of the finest art and crafts in the nation. 

We started out visit at the Folk Art Center at Milepost on the Blue Ridge Parkway Asheville, NC. We were fortunate enough to get see the Fine Art- Craft exhibit ,"Fellowship". The exhibit showcases works of collaboration by over fifty members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Housed in the upstairs main gallery, it features over thirty multi-media pieces crafted and fused through multiple hands.

Going to the Flute Circle on exhibit in the Fellowship Exhibit

Fine Arts and Crafts are not just limited to the Upstairs Gallery, the entire Folk Art Center is dedicated to the creative spirit of the residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The art craft -works displayed include metal, fiber, ceramic, paint, ink, glass, stone, and more.

Folk art fence, made of wormy chestnut, carved by Helen Bullard Krechniak 

Next on our list of must see was the Surface Gallery located at 14 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 

The art at Surface is always current; and always exciting. The featured artists for this month are Melissa Engler and Graeme Priddle whose collaborative exhibit is called "Birds of a Feather". The exhibit references not only the subject, but the artists' deep love of birds. Their sculptures are made from various types of wood that have been carved, turned, burned, painted, stained, or a combination of these methods. Some pieces are made individually, while others are made collaboratively , but all reflect their deep love of birds.

Wooden Sculpture by Melissa Engler and Graeme Priddle 

Bruce and I absolutely love this gallery. It is where we always go to purchase an art souvenir for our trip. This time there were so many fine artists to choose from that we had to come back twice just to decide what we wanted the most. We eventually settled on a pair of ceramic tea cups to add to our handmade tea cup collection. 

Teacups by Akira Sataki 

The staff at Surface, including their friendly dogs, are sure to make you feel welcome, and are more than willing to help you and answer any questions you may have. This is not the gallery to miss if you are shopping around Biltmore Village.

The Surface Gallery pups are always happy to welcome visitors. 

Our next stop was at The Blue Spiral One Gallery which is focused on presenting compelling works by artists and object makers of the Southern United States.

Blue Spiral One Gallery is located at 38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 

The unassuming exterior hides a three story treasure trove of some of the best fine art and craft in the South.

This gallery is always at the top of our list of must see places whenever we are in Asheville. We can spend hours looking at all of art. There is so much high quality work that it is hard to know where to begin, but if we had to pick our favorites it would be.

The porcelain sculptures of Vicki Grant. Ms. Grant's highly textured, multimedia organic forms have consistently been our favorite pieces. There is something very compelling and viscerally about her work that always claims our attention.

The other artist who caught our eye in the Blue Spiral One Gallery was Plein air painter, Peggy Root.

Peggy has spent the last 35 years painting the landscape of the Eastern United States. Root paints her large scale oil paintings on location. often over period of several days, catching the natural light in 2 hour sessions — before it changes too much from her initial impression. I particularly enjoy the way she often plays with splashes of light and color that reveal planes of varying distance in her landscapes.

March Evening in Sunlight by Peggy Root 

Our final stop was at the Haen Gallery is located at 52 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

(It is right down the street from the Spiral One Gallery, making it a no-brainer to to visit when in the area.

The Haen Gallery is an open, bright, well spaced and comfortable gallery. They have offered compelling works of art since I first went when they were just opening. 

Lynn Buggess' art is absolutely fantastic and is some of the best work that they have featured. It has changed somewhat since we first saw his paintings here. Many of his early works were very large scale landscapes with a medium to wide point of view. ( see above) Most of what was on display this visit were (relatively) smaller scale (e.g. 3'x3') with a single object focus. Both views retain his signature style using heavy impasto.

We also enjoy Larry Gray's work of vast ethereal landscapes of mountains and clouds.

Prairie Shadows by Larry Gray

Morning Walk on PI Beach : 8 '16

The last couple of days have been perfect weather for beach going. Better yet, we get there and its just us and the birds alone with all that sand and water.