IronDaughter!

My daughter, Jennie Unger Eddy, just finished her first Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She swan 2.4 miles, then biked 112 miles and then ran a full marathon, 26.2 miles. On purpose! She is amazing and I am humbled by her achievement. What can you say to a young woman who spent every available moment for the last year training for this event. What can you say to someone with that much focus, dedication and sheer will? Saying I am proud and I am amazed and thrilled and elated and over-joyed just doesn't cut it. Words fail but my heart is very, very full.

I love you, Jen.

Wow.

Photos courtesy of Jen's blog.

In Print

Dawn DeVries Sokol's new book, 1000 Artist Journal Pages, arrived here yesterday and guess what? I'm page 186! (It's available on Amazon.com and that's where I got the image above.) I have never been in a book before so this is very heady stuff for me. Excited? Nah---but I did make the teller at the bank look at it and I had it with me at the dentist's office.....

It's OVER!

The Edmonds Arts Festival is over for 2008. It was a good festival and it appears we made money, which is, after all, the whole point. We had lots of people, lots of people buying, eating, listening to music, dancing, drinking coffee, drinking beer, blue shirted wonderful volunteer people, people doing art projects with their kids, smiling people, crabby people, old, young and in-between people. We had lots and lots of art. Juried art in the galleries, lots of art vendors of all descriptions on the field and the plaza, student art (amazing student art!) and music and dance. It was a SUCCESS.

Now we are all tired. Very, very tired. Many of us are in need of the services pictured above. I suspect sleep will help.

Sigh.

I'm going to bed.

Edmonds Arts Festival

The Edmonds Arts Festival is in full swing! If you are in the neighborhood, I can not encourage you enough to come on down and have fun. The above photo was taken last night about 8:30 and we still had lots of people eating, shopping, dancing at the main stage to an incredible salsa band, having a glass of wine up on the Plaza at the Wine Bar and Bistro and enjoying our three galleries of juried art. I think the photography gallery is especially good this year---after all, two of my photos are included! The festival hours are from 10 AM to 8 PM today, Saturday, and from 10 AM to 6 PM tomorrow.

There is a children's area with many make-n-take projects for the little ones. The children have their own stage with entertainment throughout the day (hours are from 10 to 8 today and 10 to 6 tomorrow for the Kids Corner). And don't miss the Student Art which is located on the lower level of the Frances Anderson Center. The finest artwork from many local schools is on display and the sheer mass of talent these young artists show is overwhelming. Student art is my favorite area of the whole festival.

If you do come, stop by room 208 (the Volunteer Center) in the Frances Anderson Center and say hi to me. That's where I spend my time.*

*The above ad brought to you by the co-director of Volunteers....moi!

Lilac Time

This is a giant Tiger Swallowtail and they are huge--maybe 2 inches across.

I spent last weekend at Grant Creek, enjoying the late spring flowers, if not the weather. One day was stunningly beautiful, the rest of the time? Gray, rainy, icky. It's been an awful spring here. We've had mostly gray days, way too much rain, chilly temperatures and if it weren't for the flowers, it would seen there was no spring. The older I get the more I crave the sun. I guess I must list this paragraph under "feckless whining" and just move on. So, without further sniveling on my part, enjoy some of the beauty my camera caught last weekend!

My wisteria has taken off. It has climbed to the top of a thirty foot cedar and is blooming away like mad from the very top of the tree. My jaw about hit the ground when I looked out the kitchen window and saw this mass of wisteria floating way overhead!

I discovered this past weekend just how many lilacs I have planted at Grant Creek over the years that I had forgotten all about. For some reason, this is the year they all decided to bloom and I was amazed at the different colors of lilacs that greeted me. In front and in back, many different shrubs. Both of the miniature form "Miss Kim" were in full bloom, too, and the delicious scent of those lilacs wafted into my open bedroom window all night. Now, if only the one and only yellow lilac I have would bloom! I guess I have something to look forward to next year.

Besides all the lilacs and the wisteria, there are many other beautiful plants blooming....rhoddys, lupine, bachelor's buttons, chives and even the lowly weed buttercup is making a spectacular show of its sunny yellow flowers. It is beautiful there.