It feels so good to be back in Kansas!! The trip was great, but of course, when you live here, there is no place like home!
Twinkle was worn out by the end of the trip, so many new toes to nibble and new yards to explore.
I’ll miss having my morning coffee on Sissy’s porch. She has such unique features in her garden. The morning sun sparkled through the crystals she draped over this candle holder hanging by the deck.
This white flower at the corner of the deck would open up wide every morning, then close throughout the middle of the day. It would reopen in the evenings while we were outside sipping our wine. Does anyone know what kind of flower it might be??? She says it just came up, she didn’t plant it, but that if it is a weed, she doesn’t care.
Last time I visited her, I brought one of my "Magic Mirrors". It is an old frame (whitewashed) that held a curved glass. I had a mirror cut and placed under the glass for a magical effect.
Reflected is one of her many angel collections on top of an antique wardrobe. You can also see a fairy watercolor I did for her a few years ago.
Here is a close up of the watercolor. I guess it would be more accurate to call it a mixed media piece, I used a shimmering, white metallic acrylic paint to make the fairies glow and there is glitter sprinkled over the page too.
My sister also had a copy of a watercolor I did of the barn my grandparents owned.
I am always flattered when I go to visit and see my work hanging on the walls of relatives. It is nice to know they have enjoyed the gifts. (unless they only hang them while I am visiting, and take them down as soon as I leave??)
This monochromatic watercolor is hanging in my brother-in-law’s home up in the North Carolina hills. It is a painting I did of the home his dad grew up in.
And at my sister-in-law’s home on the river in Tennessee, she had this yellow iris hanging in her kitchen. Both of these were done so many years ago, I had completely forgotten them.
My sister-in-law, Sandy has a fantastic home too! She lives out in the middle of nowhere, in a home nestled into a valley. It is built on the river and has a wrap around porch where we spent much of our time.
I could have sat and watched the river from her porch all week. But we did take time to eat loads of fresh veggies right from their garden, go into town to antique, visit a local winery and do some mega wine tasting, visit a Mennonite farmer’s market, and then race around on their 4 wheeler through the woods.
Sparkle enjoyed the view off the deck too, but didn’t care for the 4 wheeler.
The town that Sandy lived in was full of cute shops, but I just didn’t have much luck in shopping that day. Some days are good for shopping, others are made for just going "feeling" (as my mother used to call it when she went shopping but didn’t buy anything.)
Sandy has a doll collection that her son has always hated, he says that they ‘freak him out’. She was kind enough to start to pack them up before he arrived for the weekend from Charlotte where he is starting a new job.
I told her she couldn’t pack them up, he’s a grown man and if he was scared of dolls, then that was just a good excuse for us to mess with him. I arranged all the dolls on top of the cabinet and had them staring down at his bed in the guest room. That wasn’t quite enough, so I gave them some knives. One doll was hidden under the pillows of the bed, and another stared up from underneath the bed on the floor. He was properly freaked, I think. And Sandy and I giggled like little girls. 
The entire trip was fun. In N. Carolina we hiked in the Grandfather Mountain area. Notice how far back I am with my camera taking this shot? That is as close as I ever get to the edge of anything up that high! I hate heights. I was comfortable back on the trail looking out through the trees at the view, but wouldn’t venture out any closer.
My brother-in-law has a house he built himself up on a mountainside. It was a house full of happy kids, animals, and laughter. Our time there was rustic and beautiful and full of life.
I can’t imagine a better trip. It was like a sampling of 3 different styles of B&Bs. First, Sandy’s river side ranch in the valley with its grand porches. Then, Mark’s cabin up on the mountain with its rustic charm. After that was Sissy’s magical cottage full of glitter and flowers. But best of all, was that these weren’t really B&Bs, but family homes full of our loved ones. It was a special treat to be able to go and stay with all of them. 
But as wonderful as it all was, we had to cut the trip short a day to get home and see Sugarwings. We missed her too much.
There is just no place like home. Especially when you have a tiny little fairy girl waiting there for you!
And of course, in every book I make, someone always ends up being a fairy. This is Emily, she is a tiny, dainty little 15 year old who has a natural fairy quality about her. She makes a lovely sprite.
