"Feminine Beach Fashion"

Okay....so I'm dwelling on days

gone by, and the world of "feminine

....thirties style beach fashion."

Most likely, I'll be posting these

ladies periodiodically, until

I have satisfied my overly

enthusiastic urge to paint them.

This could go on all summer long,

for in my mind's eye,

the wardrobe in this style,

is plentiful.

-

You know....

I just have to agree with something

Laura Ingalls Wilder once said......

"It is the sweet, simple things of life

which are the real ones after all."

Making the time count and making it happy

....Dee Dee

Wildflowers On Honeymoon Island

As long as I'm spending lots of time on Honeymoon

Island...why not paint what I'm seeing.

-

When riding out to the island, often times

we see folks riding bicycles.

-

We see young bikers all lined up, riding fast and furious.

They're wearing interesting designer riding attire,

from head to toe.

How they get into those

tight body suits, is a mystery to me.

More suited to me, are the

style and speed of the "Tricycle"

seen here.

I love that it has a nice basket,

just right for holding freshly

picked wild flowers...

-
I titled this little painting

"Wildflowers On Honeymoon Island"

-

I just never know what might be revealed on my paper

when I bring out the

"watercolors and pencils."

I hope your having a creative and inspiring day...

I am....

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Hibiscus....greeting the morning sun.

Well....isn't this a pretty thing?

Making it's home in a clay pot,

out beside the pool,

this yellow Hibiscus

was the first thing to greet

me this morning.

It's interesting, the nature

of the Hibiscus.

The bloom you see,

will stay open all day long

and close completely shut

as night falls.

Sadly, it will eventually fall to the

ground, wither and die.

The Hibiscus

produces new blooms each

day and the cycle continues.

If you like....click on photos and

see these enlarged.

Good blessings for the day....

Dee Dee

glamour missing on the beaches.....

When I'm at the beach,

I become somewhat of a

people watcher.

Did I see her at the beach?

Not really.....

Oh, I looked for her...

-

What ever happened to

glamour on the beaches?

I looked for it alright.

I wanted to see some

high fashion....

Oh how I longed to see

cotton fabric tents lining the beaches.

You know...the stripped ones.

I wanted to see

proper ladies making their grand

entrances onto the sand.

Oh.....

I've seen these types before

..well, I've

not seen them in person.

I've seen them in old

movies. Remember "Some

Like It Hot?" The beach scene

with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis?

......they were wearing beach glamour.

So, if I don't see what I'm looking

for these days....

I can always draw and paint it.

Having fun with my pencils and paints....

Dee Dee

Wash Day....

Okay....so today is a big time

nostalgic day. Beginning on the porch,

having breakfast with the Mister....

coffee together....talking over

what we wish to acomplish this

morning...

and so, it began.....

changing linens on the beds...

hanging out the wash....

Could it get any better than

talking with my neighbor across

the fence about babies....only this

time....we were talking about

grandbabies.

Life as simple as this is

really nice....

Dee Dee

.....washed up from the ocean floor

It was low tide when we arrived on the

beach this afternoon.

Perfect!

I had my camera along for the occasion,

and my plan was to take

photos of interesting

things that had washed up from the ocean floor.

We had one heck of a storm a couple

of days ago, and when that happens,

lots of folks come out to look for treasures.

I consider every little thing

somewhat fascinating and a bit of

a curiosity.

In these photos, there is a conglomeration

of seaweed, rocks and shells.

The green seaweed is in shallow water,

and was waving back and forth as the

waves came in and out.

Taking a closer look, I found tiny fossils and

bits of coral.

I took lots of photos that I'll use in my

post this week.

The day was absolutely beautiful...

My header shows a little of the

new landscaping on Honeymoon Island...

New palm trees and sea grapes have been

planted.... We're thankful that it still

has that natural feel...as though man

is nowhere in the picture.....everything

is carefully thought out by the

park managers, to allow for

a safe haven for the wildlife.

.....have you ever noticed that walking

on the beach takes no effort at all?

How far did we walk? .....a long way...

Feeling a little tired this evening

.....but a good tired.

Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

"Can we eat them?"

What we have here is

a Muscadine grapevine, from

at our local Lowe's garden

shop.

-

"You see this little vine Lily....hopefully

it will produce grapes and they will

be sweet and juicy and maybe we

can make grape jelly!"

"Can we eat them?"

"Yes indeed," I replied.

I suppose a lot of what I plant

in my garden is new and mysterious

to my grandchildren.

Nearly everthing is new in their eyes

and my how I love to see their curiosity and

answer their questions.

I'm just hoping for one or two grapes this

first year....but who knows, things seem

to grow and produce much faster here

in this tropical climate. We could,

after all, hope for at least one jar

of sweet Muscadine jelly.

Enjoying it all.....

Dee Dee

Nothing More Precious

Bend down to touch the smallest flower.

Watch the busy ant tugging at his load.

See the flash of jewels on the insect's back.

This tiny world your two hands could span,

like the oceans and mountains and far off stars

God planned.

-

Words taken from "My Little Book About God"

Illustrations by Eloise Wilkins

-

There is nothing more precious than

watching a child making discoveries....

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Potted Dahlia in the Courtyard

Our neighbors were

an older couple, with a passion for

flower gardening.

I'll be forever grateful to them, for

their kindness to me, the summer when

I was thirteen years old.

They taught me the names of all

the flowers in their beautiful garden,

and how to care for them.

In turn,

I helped them with weed control.

The Dahlia that grew in abundance there,

was one of my favorites.

This week, I found Dahlias,

for the first time since moving to

Florida, in a local nursery.

-

"Why, look at you sittin' all

pretty on that table.....well now,

I think I'll bring you home with me,

and place you in a fine clay pot."

-

I didn't actually talk to the Dahlia,

I was just thinking that in my mind.

Hmmm.... supposing it's an old

fashioned woman kind of thing to do.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

LOVE

We sometimes fear to bring our troubles to God,

because they must seem so small to Him

who sitteth on the circle of the earth.

But if they are large enough to vex and

endanger our welfare, they are large enough to

touch His heart of love. ~Torrey

Mole

The mole had been working very hard all

morning, spring cleaning his little home.

Spring was moving in the air above and in

the earth below....

He suddenly flung down his brush on the

floor....said 'Bother!'

'Hang spring cleaning!'

....he found himself rolling in the warm

grass of a great meadow.

....happy birds fell on his dulled hearing.....

Jumping off all his four legs at once,

.....in the joy of living and the delight of

spring....

A delightful little story from

Wind In The Willows....

Ah that we all could be as happy as Mole today...

Dee Dee

Potting Day

Sweet Periwinkle and Pink Salvia

.....I just fell in love with this little grouping

of Periwinkle's and Salvia.

They have my favorite colors and with the

background colors of yellows and greens Schefflera,

the garden just couldn't look more lovelier.

Whew!.... This much gardening

has tired me out, but I

just had to share with you, a little peak at all my efforts.

I couldn't wait to show you

what I've been up to

on "Potting Day".....

It's not really "Potting Day" on the

calendar, but I like the sound of "Potting Day."

There....I used it four times in the post,

counting the title.

I have some new things I've

never tried planting before in the garden,

will be sharing later in the week.

I hope your having a good day....

making mine as happy as can be.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

click on photos.......very pretty when enlarged

Mockingbird's Seeking Nector.....

The Florida Mockingbird has been

a frequent visitor to our garden

for a number of years.

The attraction is not the wild

bird seed I put out but something

much more enticing to this

Florida state bird.

I've seen them often perching on

the large blue and white

flowers produced by the

white Bird of Paradise.

A sticky substance is visable

on the flowers and I've often

thought this might be like

a nector to the birds.

Click on the photo for a closer

look at the large blooms.

Have a fun weekend....

Dee Dee

Think On This

EVERY YEAR

of my life

I grow more convinced

that is is wisest and best

to fix our attention on the

beautiful

and the

good

and dwell as little as possible

on the evil and the false.~Cecil

Happy Friday.....Dee Dee

Hydrangea....At Home In An Old Fruit Jar

Sweet family and friends that have

been watching my journey in

learning to draw and paint with

watercolors....

Just know that never have I

had more fun in a learning

experience.

I think the key ingredient in

becoming good at anything...is

persistence.

As you've been witness to,

I bounce from one thing to

another....but there is a reason

for this. On my journey to

one day write a book for

my grandchildren...I want
to do all the illustrations as well.

Ah...but this is a sweet time in my life.

I often refer to my life in chapters...

this is a chapter just chocked full

of new creative ideas.

Good blessings....

Dee Dee

Morning Garden Images

We are still humidity free, here on the

Gulf Coast of Florida

but sadly...not for long.

For now, each morning I am

out in the garden just taking it

all in....

Every little nook and cranny

has something to offer...

The little Knockout Roses

we planted are just plain

lovely to look at, and

in the same area, I have

Crape Myrtle bushes that

will be blooming before I

can turn around good. The

garden is doing it's "magic."

-

It's such a beautiful day...

the beach is calling our names....

I'll take more photos and post

them tomorrow...

Be happy today!

Good Blessings......Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

Inspired

My new Victoria magazine came in the

mail yesterday. Oh my....I am taking

my time and reading each and every word

while focusing much attenion on all the lovely pictures...

The Hydrangea is featured on many

of the pages .....you just have to purchase

this issue.

You can see in my little painting

here, I was inspired to bring out

the watercolors and pencils....now days I'm

enjoying a little something different....in

using Micron pens in various colors.

I had fun with this......

It all developed from my

fondness for things Victorian.

A sweet silver cup of Hydrangea....tea the

choice of a lady's drink.....letter writing...

lovely Austen novels to read and of

course lace hankies a must for all

refined ladies.

All things in my creative mind of that time...

Enjoy your day....Dee Dee

The Dogwood

Ah, that I were back home for spring.

While watching the Master's golf

tournament a week or so ago

on television,

unlike most folks tuned in,

I was more focused on the

Dogwood trees

and Azaleas.

Long ago, I walked

on the grounds of the Augusta National

golf course, and it was

there that I saw perfection

in nature.

I've been thinking

about the Dogwood trees this spring,

longing to see again,

how they line

the streets of our home town....

in a profusion of pink

and white.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

....loving this color

It rained all day yesterday....

didn't see the sun at all

but I loved every minute of it.

Nevermind the raindrops...

I went to a favorite little

place to shop

"The Fresh Market"

I hope you have one in

your town.....

I smile a lot as I go up

and down the aisles.

.....turned my head when I passed

the deserts...so enticing.

The produce ...allowable....

is so

fresh and enticing, that

I feel healthier by just

being in their midst.

The flower shop in this place

was calling my name.

I know that

sometimes they have

sweet

"Lavender Blue Roses"

Good Monday Blessings.....

Dee Dee

Beach Observations...

Pretty much everywhere I go, I'm very

observant of the people around me.

Boy well (southern expression),

the folks at the beach the other day gave me plenty of

"fodder" (available material used to supply a heavy demand),

that I could use for future drawings or paintings.

While walking through the crowds on the beach,

I was snapping all kinds of photos.

It was a beautiful thing, seeing

plain ole americana at it's finest.

The beach was covered with all sorts of patterned unbrellas

and under each one, a different grouping of people.

There were moms and dads with very small children...

......under these umbrellas I saw some pretty amazing sand castles.

Then there was a Tommy Hillfiger umbrella

shading your more sophisticated beach goer.

My favorite, a polka-dotted umbrella

shaded three ladies having some serious conversation.

I would walk by them later as they

were packing up to leave the beach.

That's right...two of them are in the painting

seen here...wearing

some pretty stylish nylon chiffon cover-ups.

You might notice,I drew them

still talking.

Anyway...just having fun with some beach observations.

Blessings....Dee Dee

This Is The Day That The Lord Hath Made.....

May the He bless and keep you in His care........

Dee Dee

sea grape continued.....

It never ceases to amaze me...how nature repairs

itself. Until the freeze this past winter, I

assumed the Sea Grape plant stayed green year

round. In the photo, you can see how the

branches were completely bare.

This seldom happens here in Florida, so

this spring we are seeing some beautiful

things going on, never seen before.

Like the natural garland shown here....

so pretty.

Just no doubt in my mind who the gardener is.

Thanking God for it all today.....

Dee Dee

Featuring The Sea Grape

Today we purchased our annual passes for

island fun, all summer long.

-

The signs said "Event"

this way....

The roads are all one-way on Honeymoon

Island State Park, and with a speed limit of 15 miles per hour,

we meandered along, for a while,

looking for the activities celebrating "Earth Day."

-

Completely in awe of nature around us,

springtime on this land, surrounded by the waters of the

Gulf Of Mexico, is breathtakingly beautiful.

-

We expected to see how the

winter temperatures had affected the plants

on the island, knowing they had received freeze damage.

What we found, was nature at it's best

with lovely plants all coming back to life.

The Sea Grape was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

My "Header" today allows for a good view

of the lush vegetation on the island, featuring the Sea Grape.

Used to seeing them in lovely green colors,

I was surprised to see new

growth is actually in various shades of reds yellows and orange.

I took so many photos of the Sea Grape plants,

I will have to post on them again this week.

We'll visit the island often, for we are

......so loving this part of the good earth

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Click on photo to enlarge greatly....

.....a single white daisy

Oh that I could walk in a field of

wild daisies

I would pick as many as my hands

could carry.

Here in my memories I recall

a time

It is there I picked

a single white daisy.

He loves me, he loves me not,

he loves me.

~Dee Dee

Celebrating Coleus

If you've followed my blog for a while,

you've probably been expecting my

spring posting featuring the

"Coleus"

I've told the story of my grandmother's

love for this beautiful plant many times.

Planted lovingly and with great care....

each spring, she placed them in tin cans that

had once held 'Hunt's Finest Peaches.'

Filling them with rich dark soil from her

garden, this was the way and only way...

no store bought potting soil in those days.

I learned, as I watched her water them, and

pinch off the 'suckers' to encourage

fullness in the plant growth.

Grandmother was an amazing gardener...

Each year I look for the Coleus in the

garden shops, with great anticipation.

I found a really pretty one this year, and

already it has stired up all kinds of

sweet memories.

I can almost hear her giving me

directions in caring for my plant....

"Now let it go dry before you water "

she would say.

"I will Grandmother......"

Missing her today.....Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge

Well said Emily............

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away.

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of toll;

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul!

~Emily Dickinson

illustration by Chi Chung

hmmmmm...............

" I wonder

if I've changed in the night?

Let me think.

Was I the same

when I got up this morning?

I almost think I can

remember feeling a little different.

But if I'm not the same,

the next question is

'Who in the world am I?'

Ah, that's the great puzzle!"
~Alice In Wonderland

Sweet Garden Basket of Impatiens.....

......sweet white Impatiens in an old

heart shaped galvanized

wire basket.

A meaningful treasure,

found in an antique store

in Cooperstown New York.

The Impatiens.....

beautiful things to behold,

but not for long. My garden

courtyard area,

has little shade and these

delicate flowers

will struggle in the high temps

soon to come,

as well as the hot Florida sunshine.

I'm keeping a close watch over

them and watering often.

Again we are surprised and

pleased that spring is lingering.

Blessings.....Dee Dee