New series

This summer I have been working on a new series of paintings. 

The title for the series is still a mystery.

More in the next post.

Porter's in Langley

Cozy Bean, my favorite Cafe/Bakery was closed last week so I visited my second choice which is located in Murrayville. Porter's Bistro, Coffee and Tea House was built in 1888 and operated as a General Store. As an official Heritage building it still features original fixtures, floors and cabinetry. In 1997 it became Porter's Coffee and Tea House. The onsite bakery produces delicious baked goods every day as well as many other meal options. This place has everything!

Live music performances are featured every Thursday evening. The back corner, where the stage is set up, is lined with black & white photos of all the musicians who have performed here. Guitars and banjos hang from the walls along with an exhibition of local artists' paintings. The original Post Office door leads to a tiny office. 

There are glass art pieces, mugs, dishcloths, lotions, scarves, teapots for sale. Fans spin from the ceiling. No AC in this old building. A wide variety of coffees and teas keep customers happy. Tables and chairs are from another era, some are decorated with tablecloths. Old glass paned doors provide privacy.

Most of the customers are from the local community. The young servers know them by name and greet everyone with a smile. I meet with a group of friends here every Saturday morning. We discuss politics, movies, music and life events. Sometimes I like to visit alone mid-week to sit and soak in the history, appreciate the artwork, do some writing or drawing. It is definitely a place that inspires.

Leaving the island and, possibly, my last visit to Greece

All good things must come to an end.. At 6:00am on departure day I drove my friend's car to the other end of the island, gave the keys to another friend and boarded the Blue Star ferry for the voyage back to Athens. Sadness filled me as I realized that this would probably be my last visit to this rocky island in the Aegean Sea. An island that has pulled me back with its magic for 25 years.

Of course the ferry schedule did not allow me to leave on the day that coincided with my Athens hotel reservation, so, I spent another night in Piraeus. The next day I met Kalliroi again for more Athens explorations.

Kalliroi has been a special friend for 24 years. She suggested that we share a meal

in the Athens market, a huge place under an aging glass roof.

The servers describe each choice of dish that is made fresh every day.

We thought that this was a produce market but the doors slid open

to reveal the lobby of the Athens Center Square Hotel.

On our walk we discovered the Underground Taverna 

where we have shared meals in the past.

It has become a Tourist destination now and lost some of its charm.

On my final evening in Athens I met with Niovi and Anna for a glass of wine and reminiscing of adventures on Amorgos. Anna used to live on the island but has moved back to Athens. Niovi travelled from Leonidio just to spend some time with me. It was another special evening.

Ups and downs

 My visit didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. The weather was very cold for the first 9-10 days and I had not packed warm clothing. Fortunately the AC in my room helped to warm the air in the morning and the eiderdown on my bed provided cozy sleeps.

The constant daily climbing of pathways and uneven surfaces in Chora took its toll on my new hip. The aggravation and pain forced me to limit my excursions to daily breakfast at Jazzmin and nightly visits to Fotodotis for dinner. 

Then a friend offered me her car while she was away in Athens.

That gave me freedom to travel to other spots on the island for visits with friends 

and to enjoy swims as the weather finally warmed up.

Fotula's lovely taverna in Langada.

81st birthday and friends

 Last year I had hoped to share my 80th birthday with friends on Amorgos. A scheduled hip replacement surgery cancelled those plans. So, in 2025 I celebrated my 81st birthday and 25 years of visits to Amorgos.

It was wonderful to share time and laughter with friends from Greece, Turkey, Italy and Germany. 

Special 1/2 serving of Greek salad with a mizithra funny face!

Drawings and paintings of Amorgos

 This trip marked 25 years since our first visit to Amorgos. 

I decided to look through my drawing books from 2000.

This was the second time that I have exhibited paintings at Jazzmin Cafe.

The concept for the paintings originated from my drawings.

Before leaving the island I gifted them to friends, 

happy to think of them displayed in my friends' homes.

Spring Travels

 I was reminded this morning that my blog has been neglected for a few months. Life seems to speed past at a faster pace as I age...days, weeks, months pass before I think about the blog.

At the end of April I returned to my other home on the island of Amorgos. My son had used his airmiles for the flight and his hotel points for my two night stay in Athens at a spectacular hotel. What a gift!

Well located, the hotel was much classier than my usual little place and very comfortable. I decided that I could get accustomed to luxury! There was even a complimentary bottle of wine along with chocolates every night on my pillow.

Hotel Bar with recycled trees

Athens explorations

Unfortunately high winds interfered with my departure from Athens as my ferry booking was cancelled 

so I booked a room in the port of Piraeus at a small hotel for one night, hoping that the ferries would sail the next day. This gave me an opportunity to explore a bit of Piraeus which was wonderful. 

I would not hesitate to stay there again. 

The Blue Star ferry finally set sail on a blustery day. Unable to book a cabin, I had opted for First Class because there would be an option to either lay down on the long bench seats or sit in comfortable seating. The first three hours were awful as the ship plowed through wind and high waves. One traveller was constantly sick. Fortunately I am not prone to sea sickness. The seas finally calmed a bit and we sailed on to island after island. Apparently the ferry schedule was still on its winter tour which included many stops. At 4:00am I arrived at Amorgos after 10 1/2 hours onboard.

A taxi was waiting for me and the driver was kind enough to carry my two bags up to my room. After a short nap I made the familiar trek up the path to Jazzmin. A beautiful sign greeted me and welcoming arms wrapped me in a warm hug.

It was wonderful to be back!

After an island breakfast of local eggs, homemade jam and freshly baked bread I returned to my room to unpack and settle in. That was when I discovered that Maria, my landlady, had left two containers of homemade rice pudding. They were still warm...my favorite!

Night view from my terrace

Fotodotis, my favorite eatery

Sharing creativity

At the end of last year I began meeting with a young woman named Gaby to share creative projects. 

We work independently at home and join up at her mother's local Cafe on the weekends.

The first week was a flower experiment in watercolor.

The second week was doodling in pen and ink.

For the third week we filled in the blank space on each other's drawings

and colored in sections with colored pencils.

The fourth week we used different media to create

 an intuitive piece on a large 18"x24" canvas.

The fifth week was a piece that was inspired by a song.

We will repeat this experiment for next week with

a recording the inspirational songs playing 

while we view each other's creations.

2025

Wow! The start of another year!

There have been many additions and subtractions throughout 80 years of my life. The additions have brought joy. The subtractions have brought grief and sorrow. No doubt there will be more of both in the years ahead. 

Instead of focusing on the past, I am going to focus on smiling at everyone I pass on the street, saying thank you to my servers, lending a helping hand to a neighbour, encouraging youthful enthusiasm and, most of all, telling my family and friends that I love them.

Wishing everyone a calm, peaceful New Year.