Colorful Flower Kaleidoscopes and Beautiful Lubec, Maine

The heat of summer has descended.  This is not my favorite time of year as I enjoy Spring and Fall much more, but there are beautiful colorful blooms in my garden now.  Especially hydrangeas, daylillies, hostas, astilbe, and fireweed.  An amazing range of color in these kaleidoscopes!  I also caught some beautiful evening light on some of the Lubec Landmark buildings the other evening so I will do kaleidoscopes of some buildings which sit in the tidal waters as well for this posting.

Now for the buildings!

Changes

My theme lately is changes.  The flowers blooming change weekly within the framework that our lives are always changing.  Our 16 year old dog is beginning to age, with reduced vision, hearing and some loss of mobility, but she stays cheerful and willing to try to do anything we suggest.  We do not plan to replace her, nor could we if we wished, so we are trying to spend significant time with her this summer.

We have 2 historic houses up for sale, one in Lubec Lubec Home for Sale and one on Campobello Island Campobello Island home for sale, and hope to be moving into my parent's barn by the end of the summer. (Both have sold) If all goes well, we will have seasonal studios in the barn and no retail studios next year so we can just work on our projects.  As Michael moves toward retirement without a pension or any serious savings, we will be downsizing our lives to the bare bones and he will be reducing his teaching schedule after the next 2 years.  The first step is the move to the barn which belongs to my parents, then we may at some point go to living in a vehicle like a small rv which would still allow us to do some travelling which is a major interest of mine and something I hope to do in the future!

Tomorrow, July 16, 2016 and next Saturday July 23, 2016 we will be participating in a studio tour in Lubec, Maine.  Come see us:  http://www.artsipelago.net/studio-tour/

Mint and Barn

Monkshood and Lawn

Fringed Pink Poppies and More Traditional Red Poppies

Seaglass in the Garden

Yellow Yarrow in Full Bloom

More flowers on Campobello Island--lupine, poppies, lilacs, ranunculus and so on

We are preparing our house for sale http://campobellohome.com/ so have been getting the gardens tidied up.  Met with a realtor yesterday so that process is beginning... SOLD!

Amazing Poppies

The garden path sphere

Lilacs still blooming...  

The weather has been cool until now and so the spring bloom has gone on and on...

Lupines appear to be exploding!

The old Homestead at 822 Route 774 Campobello Island, NB

One of my seaglass windows

Columbine in Purple

En route to home via Art Barn in Indiana

Michael has a 3 day workshop at the http://www.artbarnin.com/ where he has taught every year for many years.  The founder of the Art Center recently passed away so we are missing her cheerful presence.  When we were in Santa Fe I took lots of photos so it is time for some new kaleidoscopes.  However, before I do the Santa Fe pictures, I am doing a few of the flowers and architecture I saw in Indiana and Illinois.

Bleeding Hearts

Bark and Fungus

More Bleeding Heart Flowers

Colorful leaves or Green, Green Green

My sister's Purple Front Door

White Trillium

Many Violets

Copper Sculpture

Grate and Flowers

Hostas and Yellow Tulip

Picket Fence and Purple Flowers

The New Puppy Thea(my sister's)

Time Again to Migrate to Campobello Island, NB CANADA!

People seem to be fascinated by our migratory way of life.  We live on the Bay of Fundy 6 months of the year on Campoobello Island, NB near Lubec, Maine and 6 months in the desert/riparian Verde Valley Cornville, Arizona area near the Red Rocks of Sedona.  Michael paints and teaches in both places and without moving with the seasons to teach we would not make a living as artists so it is both necessary and enjoyable which is an uncommon combination.  This week we are packing up to begin the migration East and North.  We both hate hot weather so it is not coming too soon this year as we have had amazingly warm temperatures since early January.  In fact, we barely used the heat in our home all winter.  Of course it helps that we like it 58 degrees inside!  The thing I find hardest to leave is the landscape and my gardens.  So I took a few picturew this week to remind me that this is one of the best Springs of my gardening life.  We had jonny jump ups blooming all winter, only a little frost damage on my agaves, and my giant alium bulbs and my iris's are blooming or getting ready to bloom.  Also cholla cactuses and other cactuses are getting ready to bloom as well.  We have had wildflowers nearly all winter...  We stayed one week longer and with the early Spring and the extra days I am seeing lots more vegetation blooming than usual.  Enjoy the images below:

subtle agave

barrel  cactus replicated

jonny jump ups and cactus combo

orchid in my kitchen

daisy fleabane and my fence

green in Arizona or soon to be blooming irises

a red rose, the roses have been prolific this year

Giant alium and bee, I do my part to have flowers for the bees

Teddy Bear Cholla