Momma Nature expressed her potent power this week. The usual springtime high mountain snow melt which swells creeks, streams and rivers was amped by excessive rain destabilizing the snow which unleashed a fury of flooding and mudslides throughout Montana. Raymond took this photo from our place. Normal spring conditions would show the Yellowstone River like a fattened snake winding it way on the edge of town rather than the isle, island and wetland scene shown. My friend Storrs took the following photo as volunteers filled and carted sandbags deep into the Strawberry Full Moon night. Ten thousand tourists were safely evacuated from Yellowstone Park. No lives lost. Counting the blessings while appreciating the beauty of nature and humanity alike - not taking anything for granted.
From desert warmth to mountain spring snow
Of course snow - and rain and thunder and hail and wind and calm and birds singing and little furry critters scampering and brave tender grass reaching for those tantalizing blasts of sunshine.
Moon shadows. Painterly sunsets. Moody sunrises.
Springtime in the Rockies.
Home-sweet-home.
Inspiration outside the studio
Endlessly sculptural. Zen garden soul stirring landscape entwined with Dr Seuss-like whimsical formations. Tantalizing. Grounding. Empowering. Humbling.
Parts of my creative process can be described with the same adjectives
Cliff and Tala
I wonder if Tala feels Cliff’s spirit as strongly as I do? I know she would be ecstatic if he walked across our deck, or if she heard him laugh. Grief from the loss of my dearest closest friend seems even heavier, harder and more persistent these past few months than other times in more recent years. Is that possible? Perhaps some of the deep layers of grief are finding their way through me; released with tears amongst the trees in the woods on the mountain he is such a part of. Thankful for his ever-present spirit. Gratitude for the mountain of memories, the storms we weathered and the endless river of love.
Cliff Denham: Oct 21,1947- May 1, 2016.
Happy Easter!
Bunny tracks in the snow - Easter blessings abound…
Reflections on grief
Softness and light greeted my heart this morning. Grief is a many-layered thing. Sharp as an icicle, soft as the persistent drip drip drip drops…
TED Talk'n
Selected in 2019 for the TED stage, Raymond’s talk was delayed. Twice. (COVID). He worked HARD putting together an eye-opening and moving eight minute talk that I can hardly wait to share (once TED posts it online).
Raymond stretched minds and hearts when he took the stage Saturday. Humility, courage, insight, power, vulnerability and presence; he enraptured the audience. I’m in awe and PROUD!!!
Years ago, I shared the TED stage with one of my sculptures. Someday - I hope to take to the TED stage again as I’ve much room for improvement to more deeply share and connect with words - the creative spirit and the spirit within all things.
Raymond and Yellowstone National Park Birthday Celebration
We celebrated both Raymond’s birthday and Yellowstone National Park’s 150th birthday with an ice climbing adventure in the Park yesterday. Perfect pairing of a magical place and the gracious bright light Raymond beams. Greeted by bison on the road, painterly skies, stellar frozen falls, beauty, wonder, nature and love followed by this moment tucked into comfy covers at a cozy little cabin in Cooke City - a wee little town perched on the edge of the Park. No cell service here. My handsome husband sleeps, my heart leaps. Blessed.
Morning Musings...
Criss-cross frost bejewels the window above the fancy delicate o’l treasure of a writing desk my mother loved. Bunny tracks at the door. Candle lit. Hot frothy morning brew in the fat rabbit mug. Multi-colored pens. Journal. Gratitude.
Full Moon Slow Dance
Home-sweet-home after a stellar 4 day adventure with my love. We hiked to lyrical waterfalls no longer frozen enough to climb, stayed in a historical brothel-turned-boutique-hotel (yes I packed tiny lacy things) Climbed stellar frozen Cataract Falls in the steep mountains near Augusta, attended 3 nights of Circuit Finals Rodeo to support and hang with friends and their families. I didn’t realize how hungry I was for ART until we took in the contemporary art installations at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art which prompted us to pilgrimage to Lincoln to visit Blackfoot Pathways Sculpture in the Wild. Slid into the historical healing pools at Broadwater hot springs for our final interlude. Full moon magic welcomed us home-sweet-home.
Heart - Soul- Mind - Body - Cowboy boots - Ice Axes - Lace - Frozen Falls - Art - Hot springs
New Year's Day Beautitude...
Momma Nature all blinged out with magical crystal beauty that only happens in sub zero temps. New Year’s morning, Raymond and I uncurled from our cuddle, rolled off the air mattress in the dining room of the lovely Big Sky condo, suited up, tip-toed past sleeping friends, got the sliding glass door unstuck and slid into the hot tub where we soaked up the sunrise.
Thirteen degrees below zero.
I scampered barefoot and made a snow angel in my bikini as a post-it note greeting to the sky (and for the kiddos to discover when they woke from slumber).
Hiking in sub zero temps is other-worldly and LOUD. Cold snow crunch crunch crunch. Partnering up to climb on frozen falls was a sweet little retreat and memorable way to begin the New Year.
Snow Goddess
I want to share this bright-eyed joyful beauty with you. She was created near the studio by a family of friends (with five delightful young boys) who enjoyed Momma Nature’s sledding playground while we were away with family. The snowball goddess has hair and eyes repurposed from the studio wildflower garden created by a group of dear friends as a wedding present to us five years ago. Gifts abound and rebound!!!
Christmas Kisses...
Blowing each one of you warm kisses wrapped in fresh crisp mountain air… MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tree Muse...
She embraced me morning and night. Vibrant vivacious daughter of the Mother. Smooth arms poised like a temple goddess. Her canopy sparkled with stars each night as I smudged with cedar and sage, accompanied by owl song. The tall red Dr Seuss bloom blew kisses while I meditated early mornings at this very spot just outside the door to our bedroom. Gratitude.
Full Blue Moon today.
Did you know there are two different kinds of Blue Moon? Somehow I felt a “Blue Moon-ness” yesterday as Raymond and I drove down the mountain to join friends in a sweatlodge ceremony. I looked it up and discovered the Seasonal Blue moon exists.
Ceremony helps us “remember to remember” as Robin Wall Kimmerer points out in her lovely book “Braiding Sweetgrass.”
Remember to Remember
(I’ve wrapped myself up in those words this weekend)
-image from my newest series-
How do I recharge?
Totally stumped during a recent interview by the question “how do you recharge?” I stumbled for an answer. Perhaps because the things which refuel me are intricately woven into the fabric of my life both inside and outside the studio. Creativity recharges me. So does Momma Nature, Kundalini, laughter, love making, naps, super fine chocolate and even the dark hard places. Exhaustion and exhilaration can actually co-occur.
Gratitude
Easter reflections on connections...
I used to hide bright pink Peeps bunnies all over Cliff’s cabin every Easter - soft little love notes (except the ones that took months to find which weren’t soft but light, airy and hard as nails). Cliff either loved or tolerated the tradition of hardly edible but zany pink bunnies ‘tho I imagine wether he chuckled or pinched the corner of his mouth (Cliffs version of rolling his eyes), he felt at least a snippet of my vast love for him each time he found a bunny. This month I’ve become vigilant about calling a different friend each day. Certainly it’s easier to text; especially since I have an exceptionally low tolerance for talking on the phone (always have - except for a few of my teen talking years when I’d “hide”in a closet to talk on the phone and yes phones had cords then so “hide” is relative) but point is, more-often-than-not I have to muster my gumption to call but wether the call lasts five minutes or an hour, I’m always glad I made the effort. Yesterday at the end of a lovely long conversation with an exceptionally self-sufficient, competent wise woman friend a few decades older than me, Annie confessed that she’d felt “somewhat grumpy and out of sorts.” She had no idea just how much she needed our connection until we had it. She felt eons better. Me too. Texts are kinda like the marshmallow bunnies - sweet and fun but nothing like a voice-to-voice conversation. My phone no longer has a cord. I have the luxury of talking most anytime/anywhere. Zoom and FaceTime add to my ability to spend quality time. Honestly it is an effort each time to rally myself (is that just me?). Frankly it takes more energy and vulnerability to talk than text but the gift given and received is ten-fold.
Tropical Honeymoon
Nearly four years have zipped by since Raymond and I wed. The honeymoon just hadn’t happened despite the fact that it was a wedding gift from Raymond’s sister and her husband. The fact that they gifted us some cash for plane tickets this past Christmas seemed like more-than-a hint; perhaps we should figure a honeymoon into 2020. One dark evening in February while digging my truck out of an impossibly long and deep snowdrift during a full-on blizzard - I decided perhaps it was time to go on a honeymoon; one week in paradise at a resort complete with beach and jungle. Two weeks later Raymond and I enjoyed a purely relaxing magical week together - literally just moments before the whole Covid-19 implications changed all of our worlds. What a blessing….!