Monthly Archives: February 2012

Once in a while, our thoughts drift and fade back into the recessed hiding places where our memories are safely stored. At times we recall them – the memories of our loves, our youth, our life experiences. There are often special places that captivate and hold a sacred meaning for us. In recalling these places, our memories evoke reverent feelings, and, if only for a moment, we are there once again. Prior to relocating to Friday Harbor, I resided in Port Madison on Bainbridge Island. While my waterfront cottage there was idyllic, I yearned for a special little place to call my own in the San Juan Islands. A getaway – a haven, a retreat, a refuge. It was an urge that bordered on primal. As fate would have it, I finally found my special place in late September of 2001 when the world was reeling from the events of … Continue reading →

On a blustery, cold and drizzly February day, nothing sounds quite as seductive as “would you care for a cup of tea?” Indeed, in some countries, tea is the universal gesture of welcome! Take the cup into your hands – it will nestle there quite comfortably, its heat radiating through the china and rising in curls like mist from a lake. Savor the moment, wait just a minute before taking that first sip. Make note of the texture and fragrance, the first taste of the tea before it even touches your lips. Allow the brew to cool a bit, to find the deep, mellow warmth where its richest flavor lies. It will taste full and sweet upon your lips then, and refreshingly astringent as it passes across your tongue. Move the tea about in your mouth a bit and, after you swallow it, what will linger in your senses is … Continue reading →

The world seems to brace itself for February; the burnished silver skies seem to nearly sigh with stoic beauty, this quiet time. But, February is, without a doubt, Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day is the mystery and magic of an unsigned valentine, it is romance in shades of red and pink, chubby cherubs and cupids, hearts and flowers, lace and – chocolate! It is no wonder that chocolate speaks the language of love. There is perhaps no other food that evokes such universal passion. Chocolate originated in the Amazon basin where it was first cultivated by the ancient Toltec, Aztec, and Mayan peoples of Central America. Legend has it that the gods looked down on the people of Central America as they struggled for survival and resolved that Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent god of light, should assume human form to descend into their midst on a beam of morning starlight. … Continue reading →

I had the good fortune to grow up in a beach environment surrounded by savvy female mentors.  These women taught my sisters and me to comb the beach for treasures – agates, jasper, arrowheads, heart rocks, driftwood, shells, and beach glass.  Indeed, to this day, my sisters and I walk the beach with our heads down.  We can’t help ourselves.  We are collectors. My home is filled with mementos from my beach walks.  I have five large apothecary jars filled with agates on my kitchen windowsill.  Arrowheads grace my desk.  Heart rocks are scattered throughout my house and on my porch.  I have driftwood in my garden.  I have shells from my travels as well as from local beaches. And, I have beach glass. The beach glass is my favorite.  I have resurrected a process my sisters and I did as kids at the beach.  I make beach glass mosaics … Continue reading →