waves

What a great weekend - it was all about the water. Yesterday I floated for three hours in a friend's pool while we talked - so unbelievably relaxing. Today I breathed salt air and listened to the sound of the surf, and this evening I'm working on this piece with colours from the waves.

rock-combing

I grew up combing beaches, exploring tide pools and rocks hiding washed up treasures. My sisters and I walked miles (we thought) on driftwood without touching the sand, squished our feet at the edge of the water to make quicksand, and flew kites for hours on end.

I’m not even sure where to buy paper and balsam to build a kite anymore!

beach glass

At the beach the other day it occurred to me that I have never lived more than ten miles from an ocean (not always the same one). I had a pet starfish when I was a kid, I’d get mussels and clams from the beach across the street to feed him.

Years later, and further inland, I had a enormous one-eyed frog as a pet (named Argus, of course), who would act peevish when I tricked him into eating a mouse instead of his preferred goldfish. He was actually a mouse-eating species of frog but apparently felt more comfortable as a pescatarian.