Saturday, May 20, 2017

There's No Place Like Home

After two beautiful weeks on the island of Kauai, the time has come to return home.

Ke'e beach, Kauai

Two weeks was the perfect length of time: enough to really dig in and see everything we wanted, but short enough to leave us still enchanted. 

More importantly for me, it was enough time to decompress and give my brain a chance to stop working, planning, thinking, and creating. I know people who go on art retreats, to take break from regular life to spend some quality time with their creativity. However, as a hard-working artist, I needed a vacation FROM my creativity! 

I used this precious time to slow down and stop working. Fortunately, the tropics make it easy. The humid heat makes your body work hard to cool down, which takes a lot of energy. This makes people feel tired and worn out, forcing us to slow down and rest. I think that’s why everyone seems so laid back on the islands. You just can’t be rushed around.

We did pack the two weeks with tons of fun!

Denise and Jim on horseback

Horseback riding along the coast!

Denise in some spiffy cowgirl boots
No, I didn’t pack my cowgirl boots! These were on loan from the riding stables. I couldn't miss a chance to sport some broken-in vintage boots!

We even took a sky tour in a small plane! 

Getting ready for a ride in a small plane

No helicopter for me, thanks. This plane ride was fantastic! We got spectacular views of our favorite beaches.

The view from the plane


 The island is home to a large population of wild chickens.

The chicken crossing the road
We didn’t ask this rooster why he crossed the road. Who needs an excuse to strut?

And this fellow confused us for a while. Chicken? Goose? Duck? The good ol' internet gave us the answer.

A Moscovy Duck
Moscovy Duck
Along with a lifetime’s worth of memorable activities, there was also plenty of time to do absolutely nothing.

Dreaming on Hideaways Beach

My main objective in Hawaii was to not have an objective. 

But there was one thing I hoped to achieve. My long-time dream, which has become a continuing quest, is to swim with a sea turtle. One of my favorite animals, turtles have always held a special place in my heart. They encourage us to come out of our shells and step out into the wide world. After all, you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t stick your neck out!

Kayaking the Waimea

We took a dreamy kayak trip down the Waimea River, and spotted several freshwater turtles.

Freshwater turtles
River turtles on the Waimea
And looking out from the beach, you can often see the heads of turtles bobbing above the surf. But of all the times I’ve gone snorkeling, I still have not seen one swimming under the water. 

Hideaways Beach form above
Our favorite snorkeling spot, Hideaways Beach.

I guess that’s all the more reason to go back!


Flat-lay of coral and shells
My only creative endeavor over the two weeks, was arranging this little flat-lay of some island treasures I collected.  

I fulfilled my goal of taking real break from my art, and now I feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

I have a few painting projects waiting for me, and I couldn't be more excited to get started!
Now it's time to get back in the studio! 

Denise signature photo


 P.S.  Thanks a million to my guest blogger Lucinda for keeping the blog going while I was away! She did a fantastic job; I even enjoyed reading my own blog! 

I might have to have her fill in again some time…




















2 comments:

  1. Looks dreamy to me. Can't wait to catch up! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you PiaDesign...I would love to catch up too! Are you around this weekend?

      Delete

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I enjoy and appreciate your comments and ideas.