Summer, where have you gone?!?

Hard to believe my last post was in June - but that is what happens when summer rolls in. I didn't even finish talking about our wonderful the trip to Italy, as we headed east to Venice then south along the coast to visit friends in Fano. A lovely country and both of us are anxious to go back and spend more time there exploring different regions.

As soon as I returned home from Europe, I headed off to Victoria on Vancouver Island with 5 of my closest friends. This was our fourth year of gathering for art, food, and great company! This year I drove out with ND, so got to extend the travel time by four extra days - road trip!

ocean fun!

Spent an afternoon at Frenchs Beach and made temporary beach art - my contribution:

Returned back to Calgary for a visit from my cousin down in Portland. She came up for an art class that we took together - here are some of my decorated pages that became a book.


We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the mountains - Lake Louise and Moraine Lake (the only sunny spots in southern Alberta that day!)


the Valley of the Ten Peaks seen on back of the old Canadian twenty dollar bill


Another highlight of her time here was I finally got to take in MARKET COLLECTIVE art sale that happens sporadically in the old Ant Hill retail space in Kensington. It is mainly filled with recent ACAD grads (photography, drawing, textiles) plus musicians and cooks who are discovering how hard the artist life is! I got this lovely little mug there.


And then it was the yearly 4-day weekend spent on Prince's Island Park jamming with ~50 neighbours at the Calgary Folk Festival.

Here are shots of CAT EMPIRE from Australia.


and Alberta's own IAN TYSON.


Then it was time spent at the cabin, with the dog loving her swims in the Bow River...


the prairie vistas driving to and from...




and treasures left behind from a friend who visited when we weren't there...