Author Archives: Sandy Lupton

paddling with the manatees

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 Kayak Adventure – Crystal River Florida       ???????????????????????????????

It is getting cold here in Virginia so I jumped at the chance to head to Florida with some friends for a few days during my New Year’s vacation. We drove down to the Gulf Coast to put our kayaks in the warm water and have a little fun before we have to settle in for a long, cold winter.

Crystal Springs was fabulous — our motel backed right up to the river. We enjoyed two glorious 75+ degree days on the water before heading back home. We saw several manatees, met lots of really nice people and photographed plenty of interesting birds. I christened my new boat in the Crystal and Salt Rivers, saw the infamous Three Sisters Springs, tried paddle boarding for the first time, enjoyed the local cuisine and laughed a lot!

Thanks to my men for my new kayak and paddle, and to Troy for use of his truck and for teaching us the proper way to secure our boats to the top of it. Also, thanks to my friends for such an awesome adventure and for use of their words and photos in this post.???????????????????????????????

Trip Journal from Guest Blogger Linda Byrd Masters…

December 27, 2014 at 2:36 pm Loaded and ready!!
December 28, 2014 at 8:47am Making good time!
December 28, 2014 at 1:42 pm About 2 hrs left to go…Sunny and low 70s. Glad to be off I-95 though, traffic started getting heavy with holiday travelers!
December 29, 2014 at 6:46 pm What a GREAT day! Ending it at a Mexican restaurant with Tiderman sibling Terry and hubby Jack who drove an hour to see us. Will post about today just as soon as we get back to hotel room…but long story short, it has been fabulous!
December 29, 2014 at 9:01 pm Day 1 Sunday: We left Sandy’s house about 3 am and hit the road. Sandy drove the VA-NC leg, then I took over across SC, Terri across GA and Paula picked up driving duties from Jacksonville west across FL to our hotel in Crystal River. We arrived around 4 pm and realized our hotel backs up right to open water and a dive shop where the guy hooked us up on where to launch from and restaurant suggestions. Met folks in the hotel area from all over! Ate dinner at a seafood restaurant he suggested on a winding back road overlooking the gulf, then came back to room and crashed! The ride down was smooth, and after we had all taken turns sleeping — full of laughs and good conversation! Thanks to Troy for letting us use his big comfy truck!
December 29, 2014 at 9:23 pm DAY 2 Monday: Launched kayaks about 10:30ish this am at Kings Bay Park and immediately found out that several hundred kayakers, campers, divers, snorkelers, and other manatee enthusiasts know about Crystal River too. Didn’t see our first manatee up close for a while but suddenly one was swimming along beside us! They are such peaceful, majestic animals! Spent several hours kayaking, with a break at a beach to eat lunch and take a dip. Then back to more kayaking and manatee watching. Went into a beautiful little cove called Three Sisters Springs where water was lovely shades of crystal-like blue. Paddled back to the park about 5ish where we were surprised by Terry and Jack waiting for us on shore!  Tomorrow we head back for another day of it, hoping to find more isolated trails with a few less tourists. Good night sisters…we are crashing with big smiles on our faces tonight! Love to u all!
December 30, 2014 at 10:56 pm DAY 3 Tuesday: Slept in a little bit longer this morning but then went souvenir hunting at nearby shops. Mike, the owner of the dive shop behind the hotel and Steve, captain of a sight-seeing boat, turned us on to alternative kayak trails off the beaten path away from tourist-mania…best part being we only had to launch right behind the hotel in the cove. We set out at noon and paddled out to the edge of the Gulf. Along the way a huge manatee spooked and jumped out of the marsh, creating a 3 ft wake that almost swamped Terri! It was scary to watch, but we laughed hysterically when it was over! She was convinced it was a gator, but locals have insisted they are hibernating now. Paddled for about 6 hours and saw plenty of manatee on way back, but just as we returned to the cove we launched from, a local family came out and befriended us. They let us try out a stand-up paddle board. Major fun with that! They suggested a little local hole in the wall place called Castaways for dinner, and we had good food and fun there! Returned to hotel where we loaded up for an early, early departure tomorrow am. What a fabulous trip! And the locals have been so nice. We want to return some day with the rest of our Sistas! Love to everyone…see u soon!
December 31, 2014 at 4:16 pm DAY 4 Wednesday: On road since 5:30 am…almost home.

 

 

weaving 101

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Weaving on the Copper Loom
with Kat Allison
Newport News, Virginia

Terri, Julie and I headed up to Newport News in the rain for a new adventure. Kat Allison, fiber artist, educator and adjective lover,  invited us up (or did we invite ourselves??) for a fabulous day of weaving on the copper loom.

The day started with show-and-tell of Kat’s lovely studio and artwork. Then we jumped in and started warping our looms. When Kat asked us what size loom we wanted, we all said BIG ONES so that’s what we got! Terri and I got scarf-sized looms and Julie wanted one the size of a small rug. Each was lovingly made of shiny copper by Kat herself. Her looms are special– when you take off the weaving, the warp threads magically disappear, making your piece almost finished as soon as you remove it from your loom. Experts say it can’t be done, but it works, and it is fabulous.

Of course, weaving is not for folks craving immediate satisfaction. You have to put in the time, but it is worth it. On one of Kat’s looms, you can mix in fibers, beads, strips of hand dyed fabrics, paper, clay, wire and more– truly a mixed media adventure. I am starting with making a scarf of fibers, beads and fabric strips. It looks awesome so far, and feels yummy. I can’t wait to wear the finished product. When we get past the holidays it is the first project I will finish!

I hope the New Year finds you happy and healthy. I also hope you will find new artistic adventures in 2015!

 

 

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Whiskey the studio dog

What I loved: Playing with Kat is always an artful adventure!

What I learned: Weaving takes time and patience, but the results are gorgeous! When weaving a scarf, I found it works better to warp the loom over every other peg. Also, the finished product is much softer and more scarf-like if you use yarns instead of fabrics.

come in close

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Come in Close – SMALL WORKS BY JILL TIDERMAN
AT RAWLS MUSEUM ARTS, COURTLAND, VA

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This was one seriously fun gallery opening!  With all that positive energy I had a hard time settling down and zooming in on Jill’s fabulous little works. I had to step back, take a few moments with each little piece, climb into the frame and absorb the magic. Each little jewel has a story to tell. The show is up until the end of January. I hope you can take the time to go and visit. The gallery is located at 22376 Linden Street in Courtland, Virginia 23837 –
(757) 653-0754.

 

From her artist’s statement…

“I invite you to come in close and view a series of images I have captured through my daily walk. The intentional cropping of these photos and the cradle of more mat than picture forces the viewer to focus on a limited image.  The repeated choice of what to keep and what to leave out creates the unified flow of this body of work. It is my wish that while you are up close and looking intimately at the photography that you might share a close thought, smile, breathe, or even a quick kiss with someone.

With heartfelt gratitude,  jill”

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wired

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Beginning Wire and Metal
November 2014 – Suffolk Art Gallery
Suffolk, Virginia

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You never know what you are going to get when you have a room full of creative women and a pile of sheet metal and wire! In this class at the Suffolk Art Gallery these students rocked the house! Each had a different experience level and a different perspective, and each came up with exciting jewelry that matched their personalities!

We started with wire jump rings, clasps and ear wires, then moved on to the sheet metal: cutting, filing, sanding, shaping, then adding texture and color. A new addition to the class this time was the texture plate machine – usually used for scrapbooking and paper crafts – it adds amazing textures to sheet metal 26 gauge and thinner.

The class flew by and the students went home with lots of great new jewelry. Thanks a bunch guys, for a super fun day! And thanks to the Suffolk Art Gallery for having us!