A Winner Or Two!

It's always fun to win something, and the winner of my last blog contest was.......

very methodically chosen-though this is the wrong photo of the 'all' folded entries, you get the picture.

 Anyway, the winner is........ a prize to follow soon, Debbie.

 And another winner was ME! You know you're a winner when birds of a feather flock together and you're one of the birds! A few of us writer friends met up of a winter writing retreat. This is the house that Val found for us, online. There were several places to choose from but this was the right one and we didn't know it was so perfect until we walked inside.

 A beautiful victorian with three levels-Tami Wight and Val Giogas were up there in the peak. My room was the on on the second floor with the three bowed windows. Denise Orakales was next to my room and Cynthia Lord was down the hall on the same level. We hung around and wrote where ever we felt like it. Sometimes I tucked up on my bed....

Other times I curled on a chair in this living room where Tami is working on more of                   Cooper and Packrat

Her first Cooper and Packrat mystery is due out this summer published by Islandport Press right here in Maine. We are all so excited for you, my friend.

 Denise chose to work on her art this week-end. I'm sorry I didn't get photos of her rhinoceros done with acrylics and Black Bear done with water colors.  I peeked in on her once and wondered why the rhinoceros was bright orange and purple. The next time I saw       Mr Rhino he was the most beautiful gray kind of guy. You are so talented, my dear.







Of course we brought lots of food and Valarie Giogas was chef for our first night's dinner-yummy skillet lasagna. There was salad, garlic bread and...

A toast to the New Year and many more writing successes. 

 There were a few walks to Perkins Cove. I walked alone yesterday because I wanted to read out loud and not disturb the others. We stayed over on the side you can see-I came across the draw bridge and had to stop to take a few photos-winter ones almost identical to the summer ones I took when my son took us to Ogunquit last summer-mush less activity!

 Once on Marginal Way, a walking trail overlooking the ocean, I found this bench. It was cold so I pulled out my gloves to sit on then  continued reading a few chapters I'm working on. Lots of people walked the path behind me. I wonder what they thought of that wacky lady talking to herself.

This morning, Cindy and I and Val took the same walk. I took lots of photos that I'm going to post on facebook. I love to write. I love the ocean, I love the snow, I love the sand, I love my friends and my family and I could go on and on and on.... I am a winner!!!!!

Welcome 2013!!!

    A new year means new doors will open with new adventures around each corner. I won't bore you with my usual resolutions and goals. I still have many. Some are the same as last year and the year before, others are new.
    I simply want to thank you for being here for me and wish you a happy, healthy, loving, dreams come true, kind of year. I hope you can reach beyond the stars, the moon, sun, and clouds, to fulfill those dreams. I've always been a dreamer. Sometimes I make up my own dreams. Sometimes they almost come true. Sometimes the almost is frustrating, isn't it? But I thank you dear friends who tell me, you're so close or almost there. I hope you're right.
    Author friends have posted lists of things you may or may not know about them so I thought I'd share a few things I enjoy.

  I love surprises. I love the sky. It's full of surprises. Every day, minute, second I look up, there's I see something new. Always something different going on. We all view things differently. This was the New Year's day dawn from my back deck.  I saw beautiful but subtle colors, a quiet calmness. I know that my neighbors that make their living on the sea saw things differently, the pink sky that sailors dread.

The next night, my husband said, Look at the moon. It's so bright, you don't even have to go outside to take a picture." That's because I always freeze him when I go in and out to snap the full moons. So, to please him, I grabbed the camera and took this not quite full, cold white moon.

What do you think? A bit lopsided, huh! This oddball cracked me up. With these, you've got to know that I usually have a camera attached to my hip! 

Another thing I can't seem to get along without is my computer. I'm glad I have it. I need to write, research critique and have my work critiqued and  to keep in touch with all of you. I play Words with Friends-that's my only game.  Oh, and I'm totally fascinated with Mr Google. I turn to him many times a day-research! (and recipes, patterns, people, animals, habitats....)

This year, I've won a few prizes (books, art sketches) from entering my name on writer's posts. I don't have a book of my own- yet, but I really want to share something. Let's just call it a surprise. 

Comment on this post and I'll throw your name in a pot or on the floor and randomly choose a winner. You don't have to be a writer to enter.

Today is another new day in the new year. Love life~ It's too cold to make lemonade out of the lemons-it may be a good day to make tea out of leaves!!!!