Baranquilla Inspired

I'm back!

I've been making a lot of art in the last couple months and thought I'd blog my art notes and pictures online instead of in my journal which I like to use for more personal stuff. What I should do (I don't like shoulds) is update my website but I'm just not able to make myself work on it, so...here I am.

Since moving to Barranquilla, Colombia last May and receiving our belongings a very long and tedious 6 weeks later, I've set up my play room and have been in it almost daily. I l-o-v-e, love my play room! So does Sophia, my 2 3/4 year old grand-daughter and reason for moving. I've set up areas in the room for her crayons, TaDoodles, markers, sketchbooks, coloring books, etc and her favorite chair at one of the tables. It's pure joy to watch her high-tail it up the stairs and make a bee line right to her things - pick up what she wants and arrange everything at the table. The only thing I have to do is have my camera ready.

After the container arrived, it took me a little over 3 weeks to organize the house. Afer I 'roughed it in", I got the playroom semi-organized. I was ready to go...finally...on July 15th - my mom's birthday - but we were leaving in the wee hours the next day for a trip to Bogota so I cleaned and oiled my machines and did a tiny bit of utilitarian sewing and happily left the room that night knowing I'd be back the next week.

We stayed in Bogota for the weekend with a wonderful couple, Julio and Maria, who have been friends of Pedro (my son-in-law) since he was a young boy. They graciously gave us a comfy bed to sleep in, delicious food, hot showers (houses in Barranquilla aren't equipped with hot water heaters) and took us to see the sights all day Saturday and Sunday. And what sights we saw! Bogota is awesome and if you haven't seen them already and would like to...I have an online photo gallery with some of the favorite pictures I took there which I'll be happy to share with you. Just ask. We (my hubby Jerry and I) went with Hillary (my daughter), Pedro and Sophia just for the weekend and then flew back home alone. Yes...we thought of it as home while in Bogota and were happy to get back. The kids had some business to attend so they stayed most of the week. Maria and Julio are expecting their first child, a son, in September and had just finished decorating the nursery the week before we got there. The wallpaper border was a jungle theme pictured below: