warmth and color

My husband and I were so lucky to get away to a warm and colorful place last week.

That's me in front of my new home,

overlooking Waterlemon Cay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

We hiked up to this magical spot, once someone's estate, probably a Dutch slave-owner's,

which confuses my feelings about the place, but there is just no denying the stunning vista.

And yes, I hiked in my bikini and sarong. That's just how one rolls on St. John.

(I've never once worn a bikini other than on St. John.  I won't. Just can't do it.)

We communed with the wildlife.

Or maybe I should say, the wildlife communed with us.

This guy just partied with his girlfriend behind us on the beach for a couple of hours.

And we took in the local artwork of the resident artisans of Maho Bay Camp.

I've decided there is something truly sexy and mesmerizing about glass blowing.

There's something medieval about it.  I dunno, everything about it captures me.

And, of course, I just couldn't keep my fingers still.

I loved hand-stitching onto my sarong bits of hand-made batik from the fabric artist at Maho.

That sarong, and my red bikini, could be the flag to my country-sized love for St. John.

I won't bore you with pictures of the snow we came home to.  Most of you have the same view out your windows right now.

Just know that somewhere, not too far away, it is warm and colorful.

newness

Nothing is ever new, I've realized, except everything.

This is new for me.  I'm designing my first quilt from top to bottom, so to speak.  It's for a dear friend of mine.  I'm enjoying the process very much so far, I must say.

So far...

 And I am diligently plugging away at Liz's Triangle Madness QAL.  

250 HST's and counting...

 And:  I had my first quilting accident.  I was distracted and put a machine needle through my finger.  See that mark on my middle finger there?  the needle went right through the nail, broke off, and I had to have it extracted at the ER.

 That's the broken off needle.  It gives an idea of how much metal was stuck in my finger.

 

I could show you a really graphic shot of my finger right after it all happened, but that really isn't necessary now.  Needless to say, I am grateful for all my digits, and for my overall health.  And for my husband, who insisted on bringing me to the ER even though all I wanted was a shot of whiskey and a pair of pliers.

Happy New Year.  Don't take anything for granted.  Everything is a Gift.  Accept it, and make the best use of it as you can.

Best to You and Yours in this randomly selected set of 365 +/- days....