Looks like I'm almost there...buying my first house. Moving to an island, which means learning to live by the ferry. Ah, the peace and quiet and focus for painting. I so look forward to creating my sanctuary for all the magic I'm going to cook up.

I've heard it said there are more manic depressive diagnoses in Seattle than any other city in the U.S. Maybe it's brought out by the change in light with sunny long spring/summer days contrasted with dark, wet, cold, short days in the fall/winter/spring. Could a lack of vitamin D bring on depression? Hmmmmmm. Light affects the pineal gland, known as the master gland of the body, affecting all other hormonal functions. It is also the area of the "third eye." In any case, we just celebrated the summer solstice yesterday. It was a humdinger of a day, filled with emotional intensity, light, friends, love, and bonfires on the beach. I find it's easy this time of year to get swept up into the yang energy of light, the expansiveness of life, the "mania" of summer. This can be a great thing, as long as I remember to keep it all balanced with sleep, good food, and taking care of the little things. I am looking forward to diving into some new paintings this weekend...to take advantage of the inspiring heat of summer.