Thursday, March 29, 2012

Retreat Farewells & Fabulous Mexican Artist's Arrival

A bittersweet morning as the final remaining "retreat" family diverges in different directions. Up with the glorious sunshine, we breakfast on the porch and chatter as we begin packing cars. Cookie identifies one more bird for us, a Black-throtted Sparrow, and gives me a feather she has in her collections from the very same species. See how magical things happen here in retreat heaven?


I'm the first to leave with the aim at arriving home by 6pm to Jacksonville, Oregon, an eight hour drive. I wave painful g'byes and look for beautiful things to freeze in my mind. I love seeing the full moon following me home above the pines . . . and drive and drive.

To make an eight hour drive short, let's just say I arrive as the long shadows are beginning to spread across the hillside vineyards of Jacksonville. This arrival home is very special, not only because I get to see my honey and puppy, whom I'm been missing for over a week, but this very afternoon, someone else special arrived in Jacksonville. When we were in Mexico last winter, we met the most genuine, talented and warm Mexican artist for whom we'd arranged a visit. Efren Gonzalez will be visiting my Ashland Art Center to test out our local artist's atmosphere. And the very next day we fulfill his first request to see the Art Center and it's ceramic lab - where he'll be teaching his ceramic mural workshop next week.


The first evening we have a charming and yummy dinner (thanks my loving home chef, Roland) on the deck of our home to welcome Efren to our home.

Isn't life just too full of delicious happenings?

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