#1 - Rocks

My absolute favorite thing about this stretch of the coast is the rocks. The colors, sizes, shapes...  A beach like this can actually bring on a panic attack from sheer distraction and overwhelm. "Oooo shiny!" For me is also "oooo rocks!" I sit on a boulder and stare at all the colors and I want to start painting with watercolors again. I have a whole bunch of photos from over the years that I have been "saving" that are all unusual shapes and textures that would be a challenge to paint.

Just realized I mean that in both senses of the word... I would love to do paintings OF the rocks and paintings ON the rocks. (Side note: one of my first biz ventures as a kid was a rock painting gig.)

#2 - Piles of rocks

The piles say, "Yes, I am still here. Maybe not next week, but for now, I am here."

I love that last picture, looks like a momma and baby rock pile.
#3 - This old house

Years ago, when it was actually for sale, I found the listing and it said, "3.5 million, needs work."

Really?

Most houses don't have vines climbing OUT the windows.

It's no longer for sale, but I have since learned a few more details... like the dining room can seat 20. And the yearly taxes are more than the down payment was on my current home. Still, I walk past it and say "hi" and it makes my heart beat really fast. I am a sucker for the abandoned and the ancient and I have a super-power that lets me see the potential... in my heart, and in my imagination, this place is an amazing art retreat center with studios and a chef... It has a huge lawn and what about that VIEW?! All it needs is someone with loads of cash and incredible faith in me. ;-)

#4 - The endless expanse of water

... and sky. For someone like me who is so overwhelmed by the everyday, ordinary input that most people don't even notice... there is something incredibly soothing about a blank canvas and open vistas. "Where the sidewalk ends" and all that. I can sit and look and the thoughts kind of stop... for a bit. At the very least, I can't remember what seemed so important and crazy that it drove me here in the first place.
#5 - This old tree

It hangs out over the rocks, pummeled by weather and waves.. and it looks like a creature from a Jim Henson movie. A dragon, maybe?

This is my favorite nook to sit in and I am sitting here now, composing blog posts and watching the sun go down. It's getting really cold and too dark to take photographs. I've got a bit of a hike to get back to my room before it gets really dark and the people have disappeared on the path. It's a little creepy, but magical too. I've been posting my thoughts, and culinary adventures, on my Facebook page since it is more immediate and random. I've spent the past few days sleeping and binging... not really... but I have allowed myself to wallow in the sadness, discouragement, and exhaustion that I have been avoiding for months now. I slept ridiculously late, ate all the foods I have avoided all year, spent too much time on the internet and indulged in self-pity. And I would have gone to see about 10 movies, but the theatre nearby CLOSED! The nerve! (More self-pity, see?) And given enough time (this doesn't work if you only have two or three days!) not only does my skin break out, the headaches slam me, the insomnia attacks, queasiness... all that good stuff... but what happens? Yep. I get bored. I start feeling the urge to clean and organize (inside my head!) I start making lists... clean up the calendar... sort the little scraps of paper... maybe even start the next book!

I'm at the bored and queasy stage.

I am remembering WHY I changed my eating habits.

I rearranged the tiny room and the chamber maid will probably freak out... if I ever take the "Do Not Disturb" sign off my door. ;-)

And I have a PILE of really good ideas... literally falling off the table...

I dragged the outdoor patio table in and cleaned it (yuck!!?) so I could spread out even more...

"I wonder if I could get this done before Christmas?"

"What kind of packaging...?"

"Would someone take this class...?"

"Is it possible to completely invert my nocturnal schedule and habits?""Is there a new Vampire Diaries on Hulu?"

Deep thoughts, eh?

Now, I feel the urge to start purging my head... I apologize in advance! ;-)

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