On my last day in Brookings, Oregon, Kimberly invited me to sketch a driftwood workshop she was assisting with at Ambiance by the Sea (.530 Hemlock St., Brookings, Oregon). The shop has an eclectic mix of locally hand crafted Nautical home decor, gifts & souvenirs.
Card tables were set up in a parking area next to the shop to assemble the sculptural mobiles. There was driftwood, beads, wire and string to create the assemblages. On had a piece of driftwood with a large hole in the center of it and a single gem hung in that opening. Silver wire encircles the opening following the grooves in the wood.
The instructor was missing some drill bits and a friend offered to go to the hardware store to pick some up. He came back empty handed because the bits at the store only had hexagonal bases. That is exactly what was needed, so ha had to go back a second time.
Kimberly’s creation had a horizontal beam of driftwood with multiple strands of beads hanging down. It was fascinating how completely different every creation was.
From here I had a two hour drive back to the airport. Te road wound up through the mountains, past some magnificent redwoods. Road construction slowed down the drive several times. The views were magnificent. I wish I had given myself more time to stop and do some sketches along the drive, but I needed to get back east so I could drive up for my step sister’s funeral.
Juanita had did very unexpectedly. She had visited my sister only last month and seemed in the best of health. She had been at a friends house and went for a swim in the pool. Afterwards she went upstairs to her room to change for dinner. When she didn’t come down the hostess finally went upstairs and found Juanita on the floor. She could not be revived. She had a heart attack. Live each day to the fullest. I am now in Le Havre, France and about to head out to sketch a WWII memorial. I hear seagulls outside my window. I need to explore.