a girl's weekend

This has been a whirlwind weekend. My husband went to PA for a family reunion. While he was away, my mom seized the opportunity to drive down from the Eastern Shore of VA and we made a long girl's weekend of it. We calculated that the last time we had such a weekend together was 1994.

The weekend was packed with activity. Saturday we hit Charlottesville for art supply shopping, shopping-shopping, and best of all, a semi-leisurely exploration of Whole Foods Charlottesville. oh boy. There were so many sample kiosks, we were in heaven. My mother, a retired high school Food Occupations teacher and a most excellent cook, loved every minute of it. I was more interested in whether Whole Foods had the new Basil-scented Meyers products yet. Unfortunately they didn't have any but I found some other goodies. Dog treats, organic peanut butter, scrumptuous organic apples, animal-testing-free make up... I came away with a weaker wallet for certain. The ride was lovely, the weather was beautiful.

Sunday we took a long drive to Jamestown, where we proceeded to drive the entire length of the Colonial Parkway, a lovely expanse of road bordering the James River for part of the trip and the York River on the rest. We took Lucy for a short swim in the York River but there were too many people enjoying the beaches and fine weather to really let her go too far.

Yesterday we saw the new Indiana Jones flick, ate chicken enchildas and lots of tasty salsa chips for dinner and then in the evening my mom taught me how to crochet. I've been a knitter for years but crochet feels WEIRD to me. I definitely need practice.

All too soon the time was up and my mother headed home this morning to my dad and their little dog Maggie. I had a lovely, lovely time.

Last week I worked up some new pieces for Etsy. Some of them use up a combination of the Humblebeads tutorial shell cane and also some metallic bits and pieces. I purposely pressed the shape of the pendant to crack open for a lovely hint of mystery. (hmmm... was it on purpose? Or is it meant to be that way?) I've got an upcoming gig with an artsy shop on Chincoteague Island, and some of this series of pendants will be made up into necklaces. If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to check out Lott's Arts 'n Things later in June for a look.