Tis the Season for Art

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is visit the Main Street District of historic Grapevine, Texas. It’s like stepping into Christmas past where cell phones fall silent and sprawled fingers are pressed against store windows instead of keypads. Pajama-clad little ones wait in anticipation for a memorable evening on the North Pole Express.

This year my husband and I were surprised by how many new things there were for art lovers. We viewed paintings and sculptures in an art gallery and met local artist-blacksmith Will Frary who was entertaining a group of corndog-eating kiddos. With a smile on his face he hammered out petals for a floral design he was working on—hand forged gifts for family and friends.

Even with the wheezing chimney and the clanging of metal on metal, there was something calming about his shop. Maybe it was his patience with wide-eyed guests or how he welcomed a community in to study a different art form. Either way, I left happy because this artist took something he loved and shared it with others.

Rounding out the day, my husband and I stopped in at Vetro Glass Blowing Studio and Art Gallery to make a hand-blown art glass ornament. It was unique, fun and something to include in our future Christmas traditions. I’ve shared a video below with highlights from our ornament-making experience. I hope you enjoy some holiday fun with your loved ones this season.

The Other Side of Rain

I’m not one of those people who likes getting caught in the rain, which is why my floorboard is lined with a colorful selection of umbrellas. So, maybe one for each passenger plus a backup is a bit extreme, but they have saved the day on more than one occasion. Okay, they weren’t involved in some big rescue mission, but they sure came in handy when my husband and I were stuck in the bleachers at an outdoor graduation ceremony with his family several years back.

Nevermind the fact that my husband had to run two blocks to retrieve the umbrellas, or that seconds after he left the sky unzipped and dumped several inches of water on the crowd. With the outpour of screams that followed, you would have thought the world was ending. But alas, it was only the cry of those whose over-teased-Texas-tresses had fallen to there deaths.

As my niece and I huddled under our ceremony program, hoping the student’s names wouldn’t run straight off the paper and on to our clothes, I wondered what was taking so long. Why didn’t I bring those blasted umbrellas with us?

By the time my husband returned, the crowds were sliding out of the stands, sloshing their way to their cars. Since we were already soaked, we waited (under our umbrellas of course) as the traffic cleared. Then, just as quick as the rain came, it left. And the darkness slipped away, revealing a rainbow.

Sometimes life comes at us like a storm. Maybe you see a few warning clouds, or maybe it comes out of nowhere. Either way, it can be hard to weather it out especially if it’s a downpour. In times like these I try and remind myself of one thing — the rain won’t last forever. And my hope is that on the other side of this struggle, obstacle, mountain…there will be something good.

Wildflower Season

Bluebonnet fair, in your Sunday best,
Lily-white hat and indigo vest,
Onlookers flock from far away towns,
Marveling at your blossomy gown.

My husband and I caught the last of this spring’s bluebonnets down in Ennis, Texas over the weekend. Though the heat had turned many of them to seed, there were several fields covered from top to bottom with what remained of the fading blue beauties.

We were told the best time of year to see them in their full brilliance is late March to early April, but even at a week and a half out of season there were still large patches of pink primrose intermingled with red blanket flowers and Texas paintbrushes.

If you enjoy scenic drives through rolling hills, springtime in north and central Texas, the latter often referred to as hill country, will not disappoint.

The Elm and The Scissor-tail

Oh, warbling one with dainty wings and graceful scissor-tail,

Come rest among my leafy den away from April’s gale.

And if by chance you like it here I hope you’ll feel inclined,

To make your home within my bows veiled by the timberline.

Four scissor-tailed flycatchers chased each other around my elm tree this morning. They were easy to spot with their soft melon colored bellies and uniquely split tails. Hearing their beautiful songs to each other was a gentle reminder of how quickly seasons change. The stillness of winter is gone, and the liveliness of spring has arrived.

There’s something hopeful about the perpetual cycle of life—the setbacks we experience that we eventually overcome, the generations before us that handed us a baton to pass to those who will come after us, the victories we celebrate along the way as we press forward and move ahead. In the grand scheme of things, I feel very small. Thankfully none of us are without purpose.

Enjoying the Snow

Being snowbound for four days is not my idea of fun, but it’s been great for working on my novel. We had ice for three days, making it difficult to walk from the house to the mailbox, and now there is a blanket of snow layered on top of it, but I couldn’t resist venturing out to snap a few photos. Was it worth the frozen fingertips and falling on my rear in front of all the early risers shoveling their driveways this morning? Yes.

Our elm tree leaves have curled up around the edges, forming miniature cups, perfect for catching cotton-sized snowballs in their centers. A bowl full of snow is resting in my chiminea’s chimney, and I can’t wait to add a little sugared milk and vanilla to it to make snow ice cream.

A cup of cocoa while working on ways to improve my manuscript with my critique group via phone conference this afternoon, and a warm fire this evening will be the perfect end to a wonderful winter day.

A Sudsy Day Adventure by Christine R. Boone, illustrated by Ryan Boone

As if Christmas shopping for our blended and extended family wasn’t challenging enough, (not to mention waiting until November to start our list) my husband and I added a little chaos into the mix, forgoing store-bought gifts for something made from the heart.

We spent the next month and a half developing A Sudsy Day Adventure, Ryan working tirelessly on illustrations for copy I was still editing and tweaking. A few days before Christmas we were holding bound copies of our first picture book. It was a wonderful feeling to have worked on a project together and to have completed it in such a short amount of time.

Here’s a peek at the cover art and an interior illustration from A Sudsy Day Adventure by Christine R. Boone, illustrated by Ryan Boone. The book is available in soft and hardcover editions, preview softcover here.

From the promotional copy:

A child's imagination turns bath time into a sea faring adventure.

Thankfulness

This year I’ve had a lot to be thankful for, a loving family, caring friends, mentors and especially my encouraging husband who is an amazing person and my best friend. He’s an inspiring leader who has helped me achieve my goals. He has read every version of everything I’ve written and proofed countless rewrites without complaint. Together we’ve worked on home projects without spilling the paint and creative projects without spilling opinions.

So, on my eight-year anniversary, which falls two days before Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my husband and the gift he is to me. Happy anniversary.