Painting No. 10

We hosted a dinner party last night for one of the local Gallery owners, his mother and a friend. I was thrilled to receive accolades on my paintings and suggestions on how to exhibit them in the future. Galleries in Puerto Vallarta require artists to have tax approval from the government in order to exhibit. These will be exhibited in Canada.

Steel and stone

Painting No. 9

Entry to The Big Blue

Lined up in the driveway...sprayed with protective coating...

...ready for exhibition and sale.

Four more to come!

Painting No. 8

Today we decided to extend our visit until March 16th...escaping the snowy north!

Maybe I will finish 16 paintings after all!

Kalimera!

Painting No. 7

Where is the key?

Emergency room visit

Saturday was an exciting day. John was busy with his weekend chore of sweeping leaves when he turned to talk to the cat while climbing up some stairs...and fell...no broken bones but many scrapes, gouges and the promise of bruising in the days ahead. He simply cannot multi-task!

We whisked him off to the hospital where he was cleaned up, x-rayed, stitched and bandaged.

What a difference it is in a PV emergency room...no waiting...immediately seen by a Doctor...and everything handled very professionally. Now he is in the care of Nurse Ratchet who decides his every movement!

Painting No. 6

Peeling back

the layers of time

Mardi Gras dinner & parade

We journeyed into town on a crowded bus last night...no one offering seats to the elderly this time! Our No Trump Zone group met for dinner at an Italian restaurant that has the best pasta in town...all hand made by the owners!...delicious! It was fun to share glasses of wine and learn more about our friends...very enjoyable.

Part of our group...the other four wouldn't fit!

Mexicans love our shirts!

Papa John...part of the parade?

And then it was finally time for the Mardi Gras parade...which took forever to reach us

...and....boringly.... forever to pass by...with very little of interest. 

Noticing that John was weary, I suggested that we walk along with the parade participants 

toward the bus. There were at least 70 people waiting for the bus...50 of them were ahead of us 

and we debated whether to wait for the next bus...but...opted to board and stand in the crush! 

The driver squeezed every last person into the confined aisle. A woman and her daughter 

gave us their seats...over the rear wheel well!! It was a torturous, bumpy ride 

over 23 sets of speed bumps in an airless...not odorless tinny old bus!

Painting No. 5

Locking out the sea and sky!

Painting No. 4

The hand

announces

your arrival.

Is anyone there?

Tonight's sunset

The promise of a sunny day tomorrow...finally!

Friday morning coffee with NTZ

Our "No Trump Zone" gatherings continue to increase in number on Friday mornings!

This morning we could not squeeze everyone around the tables

so several were forced to sit behind us...18 in total!

Painting No. 3

A tiny heart 

carved in corrugations

holds the key

Painting No. 2

The treasure inside must be worthy

of the intricate unraveling

required to gain entry

Painting No. 1

Good news...cold symptoms are disappearing...painting no. 7 is finished...at least for now...and no. 8 is underway! Following requests to see the paintings, I will feature them over the next few weeks.

Painting No.1

During the painting process I have become more interested in the man made methods of closure and the meaning of "portals". Each one holds a unique energy that either defies entry or encourages the viewer to ponder what is behind the door...what is on the other side.

February 1, 2018

OMG...it is February already! I am battling my way through another head cold...or is it the first one that refused to leave my body without a final attack on my nasal passages. Painting on No. 7 has stalled. Energy levels have dropped. The weather has taken a cloudy turn which boosts humidity and lowers my energy even further. I didn't mean for this to be a major "whine"...but...painting No. 8 is waiting for brush strokes so I really need to feel better soon.

Our host has accomplished great culinary successes in my absence from the kitchen. Last night we had bbq'd lamb chops, dolmades, Greek salad and potatoes. The night before was roast chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and peas. Fortunately I have been able to enjoy the flavours of his creations.

On the bright side, we have booked our next trip to Greece for September-November 2018. There were finally enough points/miles accumulated to cover most of the cost for two return airfares. The surprise additional cost was seat selection with British Airways! OUCH! The cost of each seat is determined by the desirability of its location in the plane! Beware!

Every morning I spend 30-50 minutes on Duolingo with Greek lessons. Still not sure whether I am learning Greek or being conditioned by the program for appropriate responses. Anyone who has learned another language will understand what I mean. I have no one to speak the language with...no one to engage in a conversation with...and I have a senior's brain!!