It's a little over a week after vacation, and I've managed to get the kids back to school and have nailed down some semblance of normalcy. Which is good. After a long and tiring summer of swim lessons, multiple trips across the continent to see Grandma/Grandpa/Grannie, daily kid wrangling and fight monitoring, I am (very nearly) sane again. Or at least as close as I can be to sane (obviously).
Which means I can get back to Pebbles and making music. Which is what keeps me sane in the first place.
And, I've been thinking, "Gee! I really need to post something lovely on the blog..." but haven't done much in the way of Pebbles since I came home, blah blah blah, when BOOM! the lovely Alicia over at Posie Gets Cozy posts another set of lovely photographs. One of which features one of my Pebbles.
Miss Alicia takes the most gorgeous still-life pictures of her world and home. If you haven't visited, I suggest you do, and hurry. Because your eyes will thank you.
Alicia had ordered one of the original "Japan" Tsunami Relief Pebbles that I offered last year, and it has found it's way into her pictures ever since. Every time I see that little Pebble in one of her achingly beautiful photos my heart does a little happy dance. People have occasionally commented--- "What IS that?", etc, and she very recently linked to this blog and my etsy shop so that people could see where they came from.
And just like that.... my etsy shop, which hadn't made a sale in over a month, had a bunch of new orders.
And so, today, I welcome some new friends and want publicly thank Alicia for helping new faces to find me. She's a good soul, she is. Once upon a time, hobos had a set of symbols/code they would chalk or paint on a fence or building to note what sort of help another might find (or not). When I think of Alicia, "Kindhearted Woman" comes to mind. Because I'm pretty sure she is. And if this were pre-1940's America, there would be a sweet 'lil kitty drawn in chalk on her back door. Go see her.
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The other thing that made me smile from ear to ear was the picture you see today.
Look familiar?
It's Pebble Number 021 from my last post -- made in for the Do Art Daily Show in February, and left very recently on the the beach in the Sunset Beach neighborhood of Treasure Island, Florida. Sterling picked it up and signed the guestbook before I even got the photos posted.
Yesterday, I received an unexpected email from Sterling with the above Pebble Portrait attached.
REALLY? How awesome is THAT??? I never imagined one of them would sit for a portrait....
Hi,
It's us again (the people who found no. 21). We love love love your pebble and everyone who comes to visit is intrigued and 'curious' about it. So we just wanted to send you a little thank you... a pebble portrait.
(You are free to put the picture on your blog or wherever if you so desire.)
THANKS A MILLION (again)!
-Sterling
There is so much good in the world. Keep your eyes open.