Enjoying The Autumn Weather In NW Indiana

Colder nights, but not freezing, damp air and cool breezes.....just a few of the things that cause my senses to welcome a stay in NW Indiana. The weekend has been a bit dreary as far as weather goes. That is fine because living in Nevada has given reason to my own appreciation of clouds. The lack of clouds and rain in Henderson NV is mostly nice but when I find myself searching the blue sky for a hint of white and a dream of rain, well that is what makes this weather such a blessing at the moment.

I told myself I would get out in the rain and get wet, kissed by a million droplets of water falling from the heaven. I did not. Because I am quite busy here in Indiana. I am setting up a network/team of sales reps for our jewelry. Hopefully I will get a chance to feel the rain on my face before returning to Henderson.

I plan to hunt driftwood while I am here. So excited to announce that we made our first sale in our Adrift Art Studio Etsy store and it was a most lovely piece of driftwood. My deep excitement stems from my passion for driftwood but there is much more to it. I have been working in the direction to sell driftwood Online since the early 1990's. This first sale marks success and a beginning for something I have dreamed about for many years.

You can bet I will be on Lake Michigan as soon as possible and I will be enjoying the Autumn weather in NW Indiana



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Driftwood On The Artistic Menu

I have been working in the studio more the past week. So many ideas and never enough time. I love the driftwood and since I have a fresh supply it has me up nights. The nights are cooling off some so I can get outside and work. That is what I like to do.

The sound of crickets chirping, silence...there is no such thing in my mind. I hear the electricity humming and I wood burn. Night time is the right time for the creepy projects I have been inspired to create. Halloween is not far off and I want to make up plenty of fun things to put in the Adrift Art Studio on Etsy.com. I have a few things posted for sale already.

This Halloween I want to offer up a variety of work. My motivational level is high. I am going to be traveling back to Chicago again soon too. That has my artwork on production mood as well. We are going to have several private jewelry parties in Chicago in September. Lots to do and lots to look forward to. Life is good and exciting around Adrift Art Studio. Oh BOY! Counting our blessings always.

 

Creepy bones and drooling lips are what makes Halloween so much fun for the creative minded. It goes great on the driftwood. I plan to grow my driftwood supply upon my return to Chicago next month too. Looking to double what we have posted for sale at the Adrift Art Studio Shop.

Wishing happiness and creative bliss to everyone.

C.S. Alexis doing private jewelry show in Chicago next week

Really looking forward to traveling back to visit friends and family. Most of all am excited to take a new line of jewelry to show at a private gathering. Will be hooking up with good friends, creative types, artists and writers and a mixed mash of remarkable folks to show my latest BPB jewelry line.
This one is dealing with the monster at large also known as The Gulf Oil Spill, BP's botch. The ultimate screw up, saying it politely. I am an avid outdoor type. I love nature, take me fishing, I am happy on the water. I love the wind, the waves, sunshine, flowers and wildlife. I live for it. It is there for me.
How much longer? Will we be able to watch the grandchildren play in the ocean? At the rate things are going it makes me sick. What can I do about it? I really am not 100% sure, but I feel I have to do something.

 

Alternative energy is the long term answer. Sick to death of "big business" and "drill baby drill" trying to hold back the progress of what we should be doing about energy.
A few weeks ago my auto insurance company sent me a complimentary gift because I am a new customer. A nifty little radio, flash light combo thingy. No I don't need it but it is cute. What's so damn cute about it?

 

The same thing that pisses me off. I can set it in the window ledge and the solar collector on it keeps it running. This pisses me off soooooo bbbbaaadd. Why?
Because I know that if technology has gotten this far with gadgets that we could be using these sources for way more than we are.
We need to pay attention here folks.

 

Alternative Energy: Political, Economic, and Social FeasibilitySunforce 39126 246-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Power KitSunforce 44444 12-Volt 400-Watt Wind GeneratorSunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging KitSunforce 39110 123-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Panel with Sharp ModuleSunforce 82250 Solar Motion Light - Pack of 2
So my new line of jewelry is going to be my way of trying to do something about it. Wildlife is being massacred by big business and this tree hugging crazy old lady is about to go nuts. Time to get up and fight for what we know is ultimately RIGHT.

PBPFish

The water is a place to fish a place to relax a place to gather driftwood from the shore, C.S. Alexis loves the water, refreshing, cooling, calming, crashing waves

 

Long days playing in the sand, walking on the beach, catching fish and swimming

 

She likes to take her dogs to the water's edge, chasing sticks and biting waves, running hard and fast, kicking sand and shaking it all over everything

 

The children love to wade and they never mind the warnings about getting their shoes wet, let alone their clothing

 

picking up sea shells and laughing in the sun, wind blown hair the going style

 

they imagine giant monsters living in the deep blue sea, sharks and whales the size
of ships

 

finding bits and pieces of passers from another day, another lifetime spent upon the sands

 

no thoughts of darkness lurking, boiling, burping

 

miles from the beauty basking on the beach

 

storming, thundering thick and black and dark so dark

 

aweful, ugly, oozing, seeping sadness

 

devastation pouring pounding drifting draining out

 

pretty bad pretty bad pretty bad

 

going black, killing everything in it's path

 

PBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPB....Go Fish

Adrift Art Studio Open House Coming Soon

Now it is a big push for C.S. Alexis to get all the finishing touches put on her new art studio. There is still so much to do. C.S. has an attitude about it. She feels that the entire experience is a "God Thing" and it will all come off just perfect. That does not mean she is not a bit anxious about the journey.



Taking it one step at a time is hard for her. She wants to hurry up and get it done. That is her nature. Same reason she had to buy a high speed wood burning tool and likes to paint with acrylics. When it comes to artwork, patience is not really one of her virtuous sides. She likes to work in speed and endurance. Get it down and move on. Oil painting was never her cup of tea. It takes too long for the paint to dry!



Digital photography is wonderful. Snap a photo and have a great quality print in a matter of minutes. Yes C.S. Alexis is all about getting it done fast, but fast is not always best. This is why she likes to work on several different projects at the same time. It is also why she likes to practice gardening. You can not rush Mother Nature when it comes to growing plants. It forces C.S. to be mindful about the right time and right place for things to happen in a positive outcome. She has learned over the years to take life as it comes and try not to get too edgy over things that will not make a difference in 40 years.



So the studio is coming along and it looks to be a good place for getting the speedy work accomplished as well as the time consuming creations. Won't be long until C.S. is pounding out some very creative works in the new Adrift Art Studio.

Receiving Adrift Art Studio Born Again

The work is boring as C.S. sorts through box after box of items she had stored away after the flood. Much of it was jammed away as quickly as possible to get it out of the way. All of the repair work that had to be completed meant removing everything to another location.







The flood water seeping in slowly allowed some time to grab whatever was in sight and carry it to higher ground. Over a matter of hours all that could be snatched up was and in the bustle things were mixed up. The house adjoining ours was in serious danger. Their basement wall caved and that put an immediate halt to our salvaging what we could from our own. The ground in common to our neighbors house was compromised when their wall caved meaning it was just not worth the risk to continue our mission.



Adrift Art Studio shared that common ground with the neighbors house and trying to remove anything from that side of the building could have resulted in serious human injury or even death from drowning as the water continued to push it's way in to all the lower areas.



In the aftermath of the storm our basement was full of water and Mother Nature appeared to have won the battle. Adrift was a sunken ship.

Weeks of shoveling, picking, cleaning and packing turned in to months. Piles of debris and bits of the past were tossed into large dumpsters and hauled away. A few things were saved here and there as the massive amount of destruction slowly turned over it's ground to an empty space.

Power washing and mold treatments took center stage in preparing the structure to seek redemption. Scrub and clean, sweep and mop, removing the destroyed and preparing for a rebirth. The roots were still there somewhere, in a box, in the intangible zone, in her nightmares and her dreams.



Many times over the past 17 months it would have been easiest to toss in the towel. Call it a loss and find something else to do. Walking away and not looking back seemed a suspended apple in front of her weary eyes. The challenges often seemed larger than life and the frustrations of personal injury along with a faltering economy added insult to her circumstance. Enter the dragonfly!

Life is an illusion and we can make of it what we will. All we have to do really,is believe. Believe it long enough and it will become a truth. Work toward a belief and it will make the intangible a reality. Do what you have to do to make things happen.We moved fast working to carry all we could up the stairs in hopes of saving it from water damage. Things that stayed in the lowest level were placed up as high as possible off the ground. There was no reason to believe the water would fill the basement to the ceiling. All we could do was what we had done and the rest was up to God and Mother Nature.