studio notes

Solvitur Ambulando!

A Latin phrase meaning "It is solved by walking", and a phrase that I believe in. Walking not only gives me peace and solitude to think and solve issues, it also calms me in times of turmoil and forces me to take time to notice the little gifts in life. I thought I would take time today to share some of my favorite places to walk.

#1 -- My number one place to walk is along the seashore. I love beachcombing for shells and stones, listening to the waves and the seagull calls, and smelling the salt air. Everything is right with the world when I am by the ocean. The photo above was taken in Monterey, California.

#2 -- Since I no longer live near an ocean, I make do with the lake by my house. It is also a very serene spot to walk, although the nature that I enjoy here is quite different from the seashore. Here I see deer, herons, egrets, mallard ducks ... and no seashells. This photo was taken at Wehrspann Lake in Nebraska.

#3 -- The number 3 spot on my list of favorite places to walk is in my gardens. Our property is becoming more and more secluded, thanks to all the planting we have done over the years, and I love to spend time out there. Every day I look to see the changes from the day before ... new buds that have opened, new sprouts breaking through the soil, new varieties of birds and butterflies stopping by for a visit. The photo above is a clematis blossom from last year, but this morning I noticed that the clematis are finally sprouting for this season.

This is another garden photo. Every year in the Spring rainy season, we seem to get new varieties of fungi in the gardens. These mushrooms grew last year in with the miniature hollyhocks.

And those are my favorite places to walk and think and dream. Where do you like to walk?