I've been away from blogging for sometime, so hello there once again. There were changes, so I needed some time away to process and deal with things. I am; however, glad to be back, and I am sending along a heartfelt welcome to all of you!
Wonderful, lately, to enjoy a few cooler days with a lovely breeze; so nice after the extreme heat of most of July. Summer breezes, to me, are a refreshing gift. I also love to hear the breeze rustle through the rushes and to watch the wind ruffle the water.
The world looks lovely and green thanks to all the rain sent down from the heavens in July.
If you are in the U.S. or Europe, you may have experienced or are experiencing smoke from Canadian wildfires. So many are burning--approximately 880.
In N.S. some of my family members had to evacuate, but fortunately they were able to go back to their intact homes. Not so for many others. And a month or so after the fires they were hit with flooding from unusual torrential rains. (Tumultuous weather and fires have been reported world wide this year.)
At the end of June 27.1 million acres or 11 million hectares have burned nation wide. So sad for people, and, of course, all the wildlife.
Our forests are vast and it's nearly impossible to curtail these fires. Some are very remote, so they pick and choose which ones to fight. Of course, they suggest some areas need to burn, but 50,000 lightening strikes in British Columbia in seven days has added to the burden. Fortunately the world has stepped up; firefighters have been arriving from as far away as South Africa. Bless all those who risk everything to help out!
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A little reading...
The Covenant of Water--a heavy tome for sure with a total of 714 pages. If you haven't already, you can watch a six part Oprah interview with the author.
James Gurney author of the book Color and Light knows a thing or two. You can check out a preview of his book here.
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Pastel on Claybord
Unison Soft Pastels
This piece of Claybord was specifically made for watercolour. It has a very smooth surface, so I coated it with two coats Golden's pastel ground. I usually use Pastelmat, but I do like this rougher, textured surface.
This year marks many years of blogging for me. I will go into specific details next time.
Until then...
Cultivate your Dreams
Thanks to all for hosting.
21 comments:
Nice to "see" you again, Dixie. Beautiful images in your post.
I'm glad to hear that your family made it safely through the fires. It's amazing to me that our air was so adversely impacted all the way down in North Carolina. We've had good air quality recently, so I hope that means that the fires have been extinguished.
Thank you for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/07/rural-hood-ornament.html
I really feel for you. Those massive fires are so devastating to expereince. Take care - it really gets you down, even if not directly in the path of harm. Hopefully you have access to people taking food and supplies to the exacutated (and fire fighters). The deimation of animals is terrible. Take care. #WednesdayAroundtheWorld
Hi Sue,
Oh thank you. It's good to be back.
I guess it just depends on which way the wind is blowing. There are still many fires burning all over the country.
Happy to hear your air has cleared there though; I hope it stays that way for you.
Have a lovely week...
Hi Lydia,
thank you for your kind words.
There was a lot of help given in my home town. People offered everything: food, clothes, places to stay. They even set up a restaurant near where the firefighters were, plus other rest stations. Just a wonderful response. I am sure the goodwill is flourishing in other parts of the country too.
Where can I see the Oprah interview with the author of 'The Covenant of Water'. Love your photos and paintings, Dixie, as you know very well. It is lovely to have slightly cooler days. Love, Joannie
Hi Joannie,
Nice to see you here! :)
The interviews with the author (I think there are 6 parts) are on you tube.
I will send a link.
Thank you, Joanne
Wellcome back, Dixie! I'm glad you are OK. The fire subject is so critical and sad.
It's difficult to imagine the suffering from the 'hot' area...
Nice photos. And lovely painting!
Hugs and a fine and inspired August! ❤️😘
...Purple Loosestrife can look pretty, but it's a horrible, invasive weed. That is cutleaf coneflower. Thanks for stopping by my blog, enjoy your week.
I'm glad you are blogging again, Dixie, and thanks for stopping by. I've been on a poppy-drawing/painting binge of late and I like yours very much. So green and lovely where you are. I'm glad you haven't been badly affected by the fires directly, and sorry you've had people who have been in the trouble zones. It's wonderful how people help each other in such times. But even when you are safe, it is stressful and so distressing. I hope all are doing well now -- and that it stays that way. We've had a lot of smoke come down to Michigan from them. We know any place could be next. I look forward to your next post.
It's great to have you blogging again, Dixie.
Love your photos and paintings as always.
I'm so glad you are safe from the fires.
Hugs and blessings
People are amazing; they pull together, rebuild and carry on.
Thank you, Suzana.
Enjoy the weekend and have a lovely August!
Thank you, Tom. I thought it might be a coneflower but have never heard the name cutleaf coneflower. They seem to talk about cattails being invasive on the sign board at the marsh, but Loosestrife has definitely taken over. I've noticed it along the road ways this year as well.
Lovely to "see" you here Veronica.
Thank you so much.
Enjoy the week...and Happy August to you!
Welcome back! Lovely art. The wildfires are worrisome.
Nice with colors in all the green trees
Oh I love the lush green growth. Isn't it amazing how in winter everything is so bare and by August, it could practically be a jungle? Happy weekend. hugs-Erika
I love your poppies! So pretty! Welcome back! I will pray for healing for whatever you have been dealing with. Have a great week!
Thank you, Christine.
Yes, we get a lot of rain, so the countryside looks very pretty.
Hi Erika,
It's been a good year for lovely green growth. In the woods, the vines have taken over. So beautiful.
Hugs
Thank you for your kindness.
I really do appreciate it.
Best Wishes to you...
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