The Curious Case of Cumberland Island

March 7, 2016 | Coleen Patrick

Last week the hub and I drove to Georgia and took a ferry from St. Mary’s to Cumberland Island National Seashore.

We were greeted by a boulevard of trees.

Welcome!

The island is mysterious and kind of dreamy with it’s gnarled oak trees and Spanish moss, mansion ruins, unspoiled beaches—and wild horses.

We stopped to take a few photos, others disappeared into the maritime forest in groups and pairs.

Except an older woman, setting off solo, down the boulevard of trees.

Something about this woman had me looking over my shoulder for the rest of her party. But I didn’t see anyone else. She lagged behind them, taking it all in, I supposed.

We hiked the island. Trails led to ruins, wildlife.

The forest opened to marsh lands. Marsh turned to dunes, and then the unspoiled beach.

The ocean.

And there was the woman. Sitting on the beach. Alone. She had a book, or a journal. This time I noticed she looked to be about my mom’s age.

And again I was curious that she was by herself.

I wondered about her. And for a moment I considered myself in her shoes.

Because there are two familiar thoughts that I peck around at lately: freedom and need.

Pileated Woodpecker on Cumberland Island

Right now I feel like I’m in the thick of the “empty nest” transition.

There’s a lot of freedom in my life right now. Great, yes, but also unnerving to go from so much mothering responsibility to so little.

And I’ll admit my first instinct was just to jump right in and fill those spaces.

But I’ve started to realize the freedom has more to do with figuring out my identity now and where I want to fit…

and that takes time

and exploration

but then there’s these wide open spaces of needing to be needed.

And yeah, I want to fill those too.

But well, time, and exploration.

At the end of the day, after an exhausting, but exhilarating hike, I saw the woman again. At the ferry dock.

She was barefoot.

She got up and I overheard her ask someone about the bathrooms. When they didn’t know I pointed her in the direction. She then proceeded to carefully pick her way over the gravel and sticks.

It took her awhile and I wondered why she didn’t put her shoes on.

And I wasn’t the only curious one. Someone said something about her feet and the rocks, but I couldn’t hear the woman’s response. Only this from the other curious hiker:

“Well, sounds like there’s a story there!”

Curiouser and curiouser.

And here, my practical, yet need-to-make-you-smile-over-something-silly side, compels me to add that I also suddenly wondered how she got to the ferry dock without shoes. You only have to hike for 5 minutes to realize that the almost 200 wild horses on the island consider every footpath and sandy trail as not only their home but their bathroom.

Rocks and sticks aren’t the only landmines. Cumberland Island is very natural.

Anyway…

We got on the ferry and I only saw a glimpse of her after that: she

boarded the ferry barefoot, no shoes in hand.

I don’t know why I was so curious about this woman. I thought of my earlier emotions. Those conflicting feelings of freedom and need that came to mind when I considered a moment in her shoes.

Now her missing shoes.

And I came up with different stories. The first was imagining my heavy thoughts weighing her shoes down until she could no longer carry them.

Because I like to look for answers. And make things connect.

Or find meaning.

But some days I just like to take a hike and see wild horses in their element, and get a laugh out of hearing my husband yell, “Poop!” over his shoulder to warn me of another landmine as we walk.

Besides, maybe those shoes were in her bag

and she just wanted to be barefoot.

Do you make up stories about strangers? What do you think happened to her shoes?

HAPPY MONDAY!

Finding the Big and Tiny on the Avenue of the Giants

July 13, 2015 | Coleen Patrick

Since we got home from our Pacific Northwest vacation last month, I’ve basically been busy in a “middle place”.

There’s been some ~~pulling books out of the brain~~ writing.

Saw this artwork – Allocation of Memory by Malia Landis – in a Eureka, California bookstore.

But there’s been more working at the library and house stuff. Did I mention we’ve started the process to downsize from the big house we’ve lived in for 20 years to a smaller one? #emptynestchanges

Yup, another winding, somewhat foggy journey.

But like the road above, the journey has got some cool stuff to discover.

Avenue of the Giants, California

Ever since we visited the Redwoods, the idea of big vs. small has been on my mind.

Especially because lately there’s been so much living in the in between space. There’s the daily work that has to happen–and even the stuff that perhaps doesn’t (the part where I become one with my TV).

A crab at Shelter Cove beach in California (Sometimes I’m crabby and like to hide too).

The middle, at least for me, is not really the place where I do creative stuff. But sometimes I really like when I have work that makes me feel mindless. Where I can take a break from thinking, I suppose.

Drive thru tree. Do not try this at home.

But then there’s that big and small thing. I love when I discover and enjoy those really small things. Maybe it’s a great cup of coffee. A new book. Or maybe, you happen upon a quirky realtor at an open house, who drives a mini Cooper (complete with British flags covering the side mirrors) and tells you a funny story (in an accent of course) and just makes you laugh.

Or you find a TINY snail on a leaf in the middle of all those giant Redwoods.

Then there’s the big. For me the Big Picture is made up of the dreams and hopes and awesomeness (read: whatever is your personal fairy dust) that honestly make me feel like ME.

When I first walked through the forest of gigantic trees, I thought, It’s nice to be tiny. I could breathe (and it wasn’t just the woodsy freshness). In that moment, I wasn’t in charge. And honestly, I felt relief.

I can just be.

But then lately, as I step away from the middle place and participate in my BIG: write, doodle, find the story in a photo.

Create.

I feel relief too. And I need to make the time for my big stuff–as well as note all the good in the tiny joys

Another Redwoods snail

–because then, not only can I just be,

I can just be me. 🙂

Note: The Avenue of the Giants has a picnic spot and Los Bagels in Eureka, California is a great spot to grab a gluten-free lunch before driving down.

They have giant gluten-free cookies too!

What tiny joys make you smile? Have you experienced the Redwoods?

Happy Monday!

Creative Seeds: The Stuff That Makes Me Curious

September 22, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

This is my office. The clean side.

Thank you to my friend Karen McFarland for tagging me in her post about Inspiring Spaces!

So, I write in my office. My office has books, pictures, quotes, and so many writing utensils you might believe I’m preparing for some kind of apocalypse. Well, the kind of apocalypse where one is not SO preoccupied with survival that they may like to sit and write, or doodle, for a bit. (Perhaps, a creative apocalypse?)

Oh and there’s some ladybug stuff in my office. Because ladybugs inspire me too.

But then there’s the creative inspiration outside of the office.

The stuff that makes me curious.

A tree grows in Vermont.

And maybe plants a creative seed.

Centuries old Tulip Poplar log on Saunders-Monticello Trail in Charlottesville, VA

I love the kind of curiosity that leads to the funny

That’s dear hub checking out the poop on the Sawmill Run portion of the Appalachian Trail

I told him it was poop (aka wild animal scat) but he didn’t believe me. 🙂

But I understand wanting to take a closer look at nature.

An Appalachian Trail bee

A praying mantis on my porch

Oh and I got a curious kick out of the kids at the park who were fascinated by my hub The Fisherman

They had A LOT of questions about fishing.

Oh and there was some brain sprouting at my son’s school.

It was Family Weekend and I attended a geology class and while I’m sure that the subject is fascinating I couldn’t get over how note taking has changed in twenty years.

There were more electronics than paper and pen. Trees will be happy, but how will people survive the creative apocalypse?

Family. I find a lot of inspiration with my family.

And sometimes in a little Fro Yo. Why not?

What’s inspiring your work this week?

Happy Monday!

Historic Weekends, an Empty Nest (and Overripe Bananas)

August 29, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Last weekend was historic.

We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary (w/ silly selfies, because that’s how we roll)…

on the very same day that we took our youngest child to college.

*sigh*

But seriously, we couldn’t be more proud.

He’s studying at Thomas Jefferson’s alma mater.

(Although, apparently, it’s cooler to mention alumnus, Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show)

This part wasn’t easy though.

We knew it wouldn’t be, having done the goodbye thing with our daughter only 364 days before.

*sigh*

This pic sums up the strange mix of emptiness and freedom

I think we all felt (not that anyone is a horse in this scenario).

But the whole leaving my youngest at college didn’t really hit me until the middle of the weekend,

at 3am to be exact,

I sat up in bed, in the middle of a the dark hotel room

startled from a dream where I was in a room with doors

running around trying to lock them.

Unsettling.

(Before you think my dreams are visionary, let me add that there was also a gecko in an envelope in there somewhere.)

The next day, after one more round of parent orientation, we stopped at a park

and rented a jon boat.

Hub fished.

I read.

We drifted for a couple of hours.

Wrapped up in beginnings and endings

we let our emotions untangle a bit.

And then we headed home. Just the two of us.

*sigh*

But home comforted

and reminded us there’s so much more ahead

(and that the bananas on the kitchen counter were going to keep on ripening no matter what)

Which was perfect for baking some banana bread for care packages. 🙂

What’s your favorite thing to put in a care package (or to receive)? Anything historic happening in your neck of the woods?

Happy Friday!

Photo Essay: Something to Make You Smile

August 14, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Sending out a little “Instahappy” from my Instagram account.

Cousins playing bouncy house basketball

Summer raindrops

Donuts!

By the way, my hub’s t-shirt says, I know the muffin man. You know, the one who lives on Drury Lane?

Farmer’s Market tomatoes (for after donut cleansing)

Something cuddly.

Actually, I don’t know what kind of caterpillar this is, so I probably wouldn’t suggest getting too close.

Blue heron waiting patiently for dinner at the James River.

I was surprised at how close she (he?) let me get.

Guess I’ve got street cred now.

Duck snack rush at Byrd Park.

Getting eats in the animal world sure doesn’t look as easy as walking up to the donut truck.

Drawing time.

I’d totally get excited over a colored pencil/Sharpie truck!

Sending love and hugs.

What makes you smile? And is it something that can be sold in a truck?

Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

Summer at a Snail’s Pace

June 20, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Meet my new guru!

We met last weekend at Crabtree Falls in George Washington National Forest.

Just in time, because tomorrow marks the summer solstice here in the Northern hemisphere.

For me, June has always meant it’s time to slow down a bit. Maybe because the majority of my years have been defined by school and summer break. I realized today, that there’s only been a handful of summers that were not sandwiched between school years (either for me or my kids).

Anyway, it’s summer, and I’m back in snail mode.

Snail mode is not really a physical pace (although it can be). Here it’s more of a mind-set.

I’m going to be less concerned with the overwhelming, the never-ending measuring stick, and more in tune with

family

nature

road trips

reading

summer book crush Collage

The Art of Chasing Normal and dozens of great reads are only .99 this weekend! Just click on the image to get to the Summer Book Crush site.

doodling

joy

intuition

Oh and forget perfectionism. I’ve got more important passengers.

So ~~yummy~~ pretty.

And I’m taking a deep breath of gratitude for where I am right now.

What does summer (or the change of seasons) mean to you?

Happy Weekend!

Whittling the World Down to a More Manageable Size

April 21, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Do you know what kind of bug this is???

It looks like a praying mantis, but it’s about the size of a nickel. What do you think?

Bugs and flowers aside, my daughter came home for a visit last week, so I’ve also been happily focusing on family. 🙂

What are you taking a closer look at lately?

Tell me, I’d love to know!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

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Nature Selfies: Ready for My Closeup

March 3, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

**Photos taken at Meadow Farm, the Virginia Aquarium, and my neighborhood. The last photo is NOT in fact an alien, but a dogwood bud encased in Polar Vortex ice (or what I imagine my fingers, toes, and nose to look like lately).

Anything you’re taking a closer look at lately? What are your thoughts on selfies?

Happy Monday!

Let the Light In (or Dance Like a Mystic)

February 4, 2014 | Coleen Patrick

Is it spring yet?

Okay, maybe not. But after historically cold temperatures for the last two weeks here in central Virginia (and six and 1/3 snow days that ~~shut down the city~~ cancelled school), I got a tad excited when I saw the ice melting on the ponds at Byrd Park.

Pond gulls

(probably not their scientific name)

…the stuff I brought home on my shoes.

Or, if there are TONS of birds, feel free to dance like a mystic.

Spring is coming (eventually)!

What inspiring things are happening in your neighborhood? Also, do you think birds’ feet get cold on that ice? ( This last question is from my husband.) We’d love to know what you think. 🙂

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Coleen xo

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