i am starting to think that (for me) journaling (online or otherwise) is an act that is done in periods of solitude. i can barely do this lately. i don't want to give it up, but i forget to think about writing or messing with pictures. sure, i am making pictures. downloading. looking at them. buying a pogo printer so i can print them out and put them on some new pieces i've been working on. but i haven't felt like putting them online. i definitely haven't felt like writing. i sort of miss mySelf. but everything is fine. i can't believe i have been here for a month already. i still have no job prospects and i still don't even know where i want to live. i am leaning more toward San Antonio now, because Austin seems far too expensive. maybe i'm not cool enough to live in Austin now. or too old. i dunno.

anyway ... last week i accompanied my sister and little Kathy to The Valley (in Texas language, that means the Rio Grande Valley). her family business is there and she must go down about once a week for a couple of days. this was to be a longer stay and she wanted her girlie and i was supposed to be working, but i didn't do much. i *did* learn all about RV architecture though. very interesting...

and we went to the beach one evening, ate on a pier, walked in the moonlight, spent the night and in the morning i got up early to walk in the sunrise! it was so beautiful, even though the actual rise took place behind some clouds. then we went to the Birding Center and the Sea Turtle Rescue center and a huge tacky shell shop. it was all good.

der stadt friedhof : fredericksburg tx

another long string of pitchers. that seems to be about what i am good for lately. at least creativity isn't *totally* dead. well, i have been making some curious collages, too. it is hard to stay very focused though. so much going on. tomorrow, my sister and niece and i shall head down to the valley to work at the family business for a few days. we might also go to the beach!! i hope to see a sunrise ... and some nice birds. otherwise ... onward. (ps - four applications w/out response so far. eep. and i have a nice black skirt and some straightLady black shoes all ready to go...maybe i'm not supposed to have a Real Job?)

no time for much beyond a string of darkish, not-really-representative-of-life-at-all (because in reality it is bright and hot and washed-out every day) images of some recent random activities. life is busy now, even though i often feel "lazy". besides the continued early morning hikes and manual labor in the barn/gallery, there have also been excursions - to the First Friday Artwalk with the family, including Kathy in her tutu, Mexican food, to Austin for a couple of days with Margaret and a hike on the greenbelt, which is not very green in this drought-ridden land, but we *did* find a relic of a swimming hole. Betsy cut off all her hair and she is so pretty and i miss her. i also miss my solitude and my stuff and my poet, but mostly everything is A-OK. especially since the unemployment debit card finally got here.