Last month, I participated in 4 shows in as many weeks. It was a busy October. There were shows in Fairhope, Pensacola, Destin and Pensacola. I ended the fall shows with The Great Gulf Coast Art Fest in my hometown. How welcome I was by old friends and new.
There were many art enthusiasts who, on seeing my work for the first time, appreciated it on many levels, particularly my unique depiction of our Gulf Coast.
On a national level this art festival is rated very well and draws hundreds of thousands of people from several states.
I am so very grateful for the sales I made and extremely fulfilled by the many compliments I received and the people whose hearts I so clearly touched. Thank you to all who came by my booth and shared in my vision.
I took off for Port St. Joe to recharge last weekend. A 3 hour drive east of Pensacola, it is an easy getaway destination. I have been there several times before. The last three times I have rented a small cottage at the base of St. Joe Bay. Tucked away in the Pines, Oaks and Palmettos, there is little in the way of modern comforts.
But there is a screened in porch, a fabulous view and the prettiest sunsets. There is the sound of the Gulf and the stillness of the Bay. There are pelicans and seagulls, osprey and egrets, seashells, horseshoe crabs and the smell of salt in the air. There are no sounds of man. Quiet. Mother nature. The sea. And me.
There is Cape San Blas nearby which affords the naturalist a walk of incredible beauty. Miles and miles of Cape and there is nothing to see but beach, bay, pines, scrub oaks and palmettos, wild deer, sea life and seashells. Dunes of sugar white welcomed me as I crossed the Cape to the Gulf Side. There the view changes and the sound of the waves fill my ears, the wind cools my skin, and seashells fill my pockets. I am at one with my surroundings.
There is the Lighthouse and the beach of fallen trees. There is the charming town of Apalachicola, with it’s slow pace, southern comforts, fisherman, boats, porches and oysters. There is Mexico Beach, St. Vincent Island and St. George. No coffee shops or movie theaters. No fancy restaurants, few clothing stores and only a handful of low-key bars.
There is however, a Piggly Wiggly with bacon sold in 10 pound packages, fried pork rinds, pork neck bones, a fishing rod display and collard greens by the cart full. There are racks of dollar toys I remember seeing as a girl. I bought a Port St. Joe Piggly Wiggly coffee mug to bring home as a souvenir, along with my large bag of shells, my 5 prize specimens and the nicest piece of driftwood I have collected to date!
One day I will return.