Polly Castor
Camping with Susan on Isle au Haut
Isle au Haut is a remote island of Acadia National Park that has 5 campsites that are obtained via lottery on April 1st every year. My friend Susan has done this annually with her family for about twenty years. This time her daughter had a newborn, so I had the privilege of accompanying Susan instead. … Read more
Poem: You Took Me In
You Took Me In a refuge a reverie an agent of regeneration resonating… I always say give of your light but not of your oil but how does one get an oil change? Unexpectedly, it seems from the arms of divine Love through your willing hands stretched out to a stranger Sand beach filled my … Read more
Four Stonington Beach Oil Paintings
Here are the four oil paintings I did in three days on the Stonington Beach. I had a great time doing them. The top two are smaller than the bottom two. The top one was done at dusk, the second was misty late afternoon, and the bottom two were done midday. The last one … Read more
Stonington Beach is Wonderful
This beach will be remembered as one of my favorite places. I painted here three days and it was sheer bliss. You can see my easel in some of these photos. While here, I overheard a kid exclaim to his parents, “I’m telling you now: this place will remain my best vacation memory.” I could … Read more
Sailing with Paul (plus some art)
I was glad for the opportunity to go sailing on a lovely day with my friend Paul, together with his wife and his mother-in-law, whom I had not yet met. (Blog readers have seen Paul’s art here as one of the featured artists on this blog.) He has a 24 foot sail boat, but … Read more
Water Lilies at Ames Pond
This beautiful water lily pond, complete with beaver lodges, is close to the town of Stonington, Maine.
Foggy Morning in Stonington, Maine
Here are photos from my morning walk in Stonington, Maine. This is a working town of lobster fisherman, and I am staying in a beautiful home overlooking the harbor. (My gracious hostess is in the bottom photo: thank you, thank you!) The mental breathing space I feel here is quite indulgent; I am very grateful … Read more
Our Daughter at the College of the Atlantic
Yesterday, I dropped off our younger daughter for the two week “Islands through Time” program at the College of the Atlantic’s Summer Field Institute. For two weeks, she’ll join 14 other kids with five professors in an intensive course that will give her 3.3 hours of college credit. She is considering this school as a … Read more
Fabulous Bakery Donuts
This morning, on the way to take our youngest daughter to her program in Maine, we stopped by to get our favorite bakery donuts. These delicacies from the Colonel’s Bakery on Main Street in Northeast Harbor, Maine, are worth going out of your way for! When we’ve come in the fall there are wonderful pumpkin … Read more
Going to Maine for Two Weeks
Our youngest daughter is off to an exciting opportunity in Maine outside of Acadia National Park, and I’m driving her there today. Two weeks from now I’m scheduled to drive her home. I had no intention to stay in Maine during the interim, and was planning to come home to work. However, it appears God … Read more
New Poem by me: I’ll Never Get Away
I’ll Never Get Away I’m about to go on vacation but I’ll never get away My job surrounds me everywhere I’ll always be a praying person, always be a mother always be a lover of the world. I work and watch and trust and hope So even though I may finally get to see new … Read more
My New Handmade Tile Backsplash
It’s pretty embarrassing, but I’ve spent 21 years in my authentic retro kitchen with an ugly fan over my stove that I haven’t used in decades, and most of those years the fan has been covered with duck tape because it is incredibly drafty in the winter. A year ago, I finally had a wonderful … Read more
Quote: She Let Go
“She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go. She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly … Read more
Photos from my New Walk Route
Recently, I shared photos from my walk around my neighborhood that I’ve done for years. I like that walk for obvious reasons – it’s lovely and a loop right out of my front door, complete with gardens close up. But it makes a more leisurely ramble than exercise, partly due to it’s flatness, but also … Read more