Back From My Travels

I'm late for my Monday post, but that's because I've been in North Carolina for over a week! I finally got back yesterday, and I cannot express to you how wonderful it was to sleep in my own bed! Not that the bed in the hotel was bad, but there's nothing quite like your own spot, is there?

This plant was outside our hotel. Every morning it had a big new bloom, and every evening it had withered and fallen off. Isn't that amazing? My friends on Facebook think it may be a Mexican Petunia. I can't imagine how long it can go through blooms like that, but it never ran out the entire week we were there!

We hit a huge wall on the house-hunting because of a stupid (I have other descriptive words, but they're less ladylike) "due diligence" fee. You can look up what it is if you're curious, but what it amounts to for us is that we cannot put a house under contract with a contingency to sell our house as is normal in most places. Not without paying a lot of money, anyway (think a couple thousand a month,) given the area we're shopping in. It's just insane and totally unreasonable. I have no idea how people who are local and don't have all the benefits we do for relocating sell their house there without ending up homeless in a hotel for a few weeks while trying to find a new property and close on it.

And this is extremely frustrating as we DID find a house we would have put an offer on. It had a studio space (probably meant for an upstairs game room) with a big storage closet, AND an additional drywalled but unfinished space attached to it. I practically drooled at the idea of what I could do with it. The rest of the house was fantastic too. BUT STUDIO, PEOPLE! STUDIO SPACE!!!

This was all after realizing my dream of having a house in the woods on a couple of acres evaporated when we found out that the schools listed were NOT the actual schools on the properties we thought would fit the bill (whether error or lying by the listing agent - not ours-, we're not sure.) It has been really hard for me to let that go.

I...almost feel threatened at the idea of living in a neighborhood. I know that sounds absolutely silly. I used to love to go out and meet people and be a part of things. Somewhere over the years that has changed. People are scarier, the world is louder, and I like my little slice of privacy and nature. It makes me feel safe. A neighborhood doesn't. But if I have to do this, that house was lovely (more than we wanted to spend, but lovely.) Yet, the best we can do is hope to sell our house quickly enough to offer on that one before it sells.

*sigh*

I did meet a cicada up close and personal after it scared the daylights out of my husband (wish I had been filming then!)

Post by Kyra Wilson.

After house hunting, I did manage to find a few art galleries and spaces. It was Sunday by the time I was able to do so, and everything was closed... but I got to see some through the window (probably looking like a creepy patron while pressed against the glass.) I even found places with artist in residency and that sort of thing that maybe I'll get involved with when I'm there.

I was also able to visit Jerry's Artarama there, but I was kind of disappointed. It was smaller than I had hoped with less selection and higher prices than online. So for me, I suppose I'll still be ordering most everything online and only hit the stores when I desperately need just one little thing. We've all been there, smacking our heads when we just needed that tiny little thing. At least I'll have somewhere to go now and hopefully get it!

Jerry's did have the GIANT canvases though:

That's a 60x72 inch canvas right there, folks! I WANT!!!

Might be worth it to buy just one ($92 each), instead of a box of three online ($249.) Yes, yes it will be worth it. Oh, the things I want to paint! They'll be epic, and detailed, and might take a horribly long time. But oh, I can imagine so many wonderful things. A whole adventure on one canvas!

Beyond all that there were restaurants galore (I ate way more than I should have.) Malls. Stores. LOTS of stores. Potential, if I can just figure it all out!

On a totally unrelated non-art topic, I just had to share that I'm so ready for Autumn! On this trip, there were Starbucks. I went into a couple looking for Pumpkin Lattes and left disappointed. I know, it's still August... but I was hoping nonetheless! While I was unable to appease my pumpkin-craving tastebuds, I returned home to find my order from Bath & Body Works. This means that while my tastebuds may be sad, my nose was not! They have my most favorite candle back in stock!

I don't even like waffles, much less pumpkin pecan waffles, but this just smells divine. I think I'm lucky that I'm not someone who really likes cinnamon rolls or sticky buns (although I make fabulous ones, they're just not my thing. I make an award winning apple pie too, and I don't like it either.) If it smelled like triple fudge brownies or ice cream (does ice cream smell like anything, really?) I would be in trouble. I'd probably be ready to crawl into the pantry and not come out again. Being that I don't actually like pumpkin pecan waffles, this just smells SO good, like something I'd LOVE to eat, but in actually I never would. It's a calorie-free dessert for my nose. It also makes me think of warm hearths, crisp autumn air and falling leaves. These are a few of my favorite things...!