Love

I absolutely love being here at Silver Bay! (Other than spiders...see previous post.) The weather for the past few days has been gorgeous! It was only 65 degrees today - perfect for rocking on the front porch of the Inn with a book and the daily crossword puzzle.

Our quartet has been working very hard this week, and we have our first concert tomorrow night! I'm looking forward to having Monday off!

Yesterday the violist in our quartet took us sailing on the lake in his sailboat. I didn't realize that sailing was such an intricate process. We sailed for two hours up and down Lake George. Here are a few photos:

So pretty!

This is the big Adirondack Inn where the guests stay...

...and this is the house I'm living in, Sunnyside.

And no, your eyes aren't fooling you. It's not level. In fact, the floor in my room slants very noticeably to the back of the house. I'm not sure whether to be concerned or to find it amusing and charming.

Here's the view from the front porch of Sunnyside:

More pictures to come!

The Adirondacks

First of all, I must apologize for my extreme lack of posting this week.

For the past few days, I have been getting settled in my new home for the next three weeks in Silver Bay, New York. Silver Bay is located on Lake George in the Adirondacks. I'm playing in the string quartet here, and we are having a marvelous time. A long-time and very close friend is playing first violin, and it has been so wonderful to spend time with her. This week we are working on Shostakovich's String Quartet no. 3 and Turina's Prayer of a Bullfighter.

Words cannot describe how beautiful and peaceful it is here. The people here are also some of the nicest I've ever met. Besides rehearsing with the quartet, I have enjoyed kayaking, reading by the lake, playing for Vespers, a watercolor class, and rocking on the front porch of the Inn. Tomorrow, the violist of our quartet has promised to take us sailing on the lake!

I am so inspired by the tranquil beauty of the lake and mountains. I've found it to be a great place for reading the Bible and quiet reflection.

The one bummer so far: I was attacked. By a spider. And my foot is now swollen. And red. Sad. However, after pretty much bathing in cortisone cream it has begun to feel better. And I must apologize to the spiders I had to kill in my room. Sorry, little buggers, you had to go.

Ok, other bummer: my camera's batteries died the moment I got here. No joke. So pictures will be on the way soon! I can't wait to share the incredible beauty of Silver Bay with you all!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Giveaway Winner

The winner of the rosette headband...

...is comment number 12, which was Jamie at The Riplets!

Congrats to Jamie!

Look for new items in my Etsy shop soon.

Mountain Driving

I've been a bit lapse in posting for the past few days because I traveled to see some friends in Brevard, North Carolina. The drive up over the mountain was beautiful, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with dear friends.

Here is the lake at the Brevard Music Center:

I took a leisurely drive back, stopping wherever I liked to take a few pictures. The main point of interest between Brevard and Greenville is Caesar's Head State Park and the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. This is where the Blue Ridge Escarpment ends and South Carolina's Piedmont region begins.

This is the view from Caesar's Head...

...Table Rock and its reservoir are in the distance.

I found this sign amusing:

I'm just curious as to WHY you would want to cross the fence when the next thing you encounter is a 2000 foot drop off...

Raven Cliff Mountain:

The Dismal Forest (what an odd name!) streches out below Caesar's Head:

A little further down the road, I stopped at Bald Rock. Here is the view from the top...

...and on the way home.

Etsy

After much hemming and hawing and trying to figure things out, my Etsy shop (drumroll, please) is finally open!!!

Check it out here.

To celebrate this opening I've decided to have a giveaway...

...of this lovely headband:

Isn't it cute?

To enter:

1. Visit my etsy shop, and leave a comment here.

2. Follow my blog.

3. Follow me on Facebook.

Leave a separate comment for each. The giveaway will end July 24th so that I will have time to randomly pick a winner and get it in the mail before I leave for the Adirondacks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Running and Winning

I've taken up running recently. I was inspired by a few friends who run, and I am training for a marathon in February. February 13th to be exact. (Gulp. Nervous.) It's the 26.2 with Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer held in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information visit this website.

The true inspiration behind the marathon and all of my running is my violin professor at Florida State University, Beth Newdome, who passed away on February 13th, 2010. She had been battling breast cancer for five years. I think the date of the marathon is no coincidence, and I can't think of a better way to honor her and celebrate her extraordinary life.

Here we are in London my freshman year:

Beth was not only my teacher but a trusted advisor and dear friend. She was a model for determination and perseverance and will always be an inspiration in my life. She was a spectacular violinist, a lover of art and books, and a wonderful friend to so many.

So, Beth, I'm doing this all for you! It's just a fringe benefit that I'm getting in shape at the same time.

I went to buy running shoes at Fleet Feet. Here are my Adidas Supernova Glides...

...too bad I don't feel like I'm gliding in them most of the time - more like trudging. I'm slowly getting better, though. My first race was the Candlelight Run 5K. Here I am pre-race:

My second race was the Red, White, and Blue Shoes 5K at Furman University. Here I am (gross and sweaty) post-race:

The first and last parts of our course at Furman were down the mall - isn't it pretty?

My third race, another 5K, was this past Saturday at the South Carolina Peach Festival.

 

They had peaches at the finish line, of course...

...and - the fun news - I took third place in my age category!

I've got quite a fun collection of bibs now:

Hopefully that collection will keep growing.

Look for posts in the near future about my ETSY SHOP and a GIVEAWAY!

Found Time

A canceled violin lesson yesterday and a free afternoon today equals time to finish a few projects. I finally finished a necklace I've been working on for awhile. Here it is:

I got the instructions from my friend, Amanda, at Mandy's Yellow Corner. You can find her original tutorial here. I wore it to a baby shower this morning and got a lot of compliments and maybe a few potential buyers!

I also had a few tatted medallions that didn't turn out the same size as the others so I turned them into hair clips...

...they look perfect with a messy side bun!

I made some new medallions in a few bright colors. I think this yellow medallion would look cute on a peachy orange fabric...

...or a grey fabric.

What do you think?

Finding Time

Well, I still didn't get much done today in the way of crafting...sigh. I always seem to get sidetracked by other things - today was a visit to the eye doctor. I discovered there that I can't even see the gigantic E at the top of the eye chart. It's all a big blur. Hmmm...

I did have time, though, to make a few fabric flowers:

I also had time to pick up some new colors of fabric...

...some pretty straight pins (the colors make me happy!)...

 ...a sketch pad for my upcoming trip to New York...

...and some new thread for tatting.

Aren't all the colors pretty?

Afternoon Tea

I didn't do much in the way of crafting today...I had a violin lesson this morning with one of my former teachers. She was my middle school orchestra teacher and the one responsible for me beginning the violin! I always LOVE having lessons with her! We got to have lunch after the lesson and catch up. Here we are at my friend's wedding last fall:

I also went to a ballet class tonight. I took ballet for 13 years when I was younger but finally decided to focus on violin in the 11th grade. So it's been 8 years since I've danced! I've missed ballet so much, and I decided it would be very fun to start again. Since I'm back in the Greenville area, I'm taking classes at the Greenville Ballet, where I formerly danced. It's been every bit as exciting as I thought it would be! I'll have to scrounge up some photos for later.

I did have time to squeeze in afternoon tea with my mom at Strossners, a local bakery, and it was delicious! During my freshman year at Florida State University, I spent a semester in London...

...and I really miss the customs and traditions, especially afternoon tea. So I met my mom at Strossners, which has an adorable tea room, where we sipped Earl Grey tea (my favorite!)...

...and snacked on tiny chicken salad sandwiches, scones, and an array of delectable pastries.

All in all, a great day!

Cheerio!