Forest and Fin

Nothing about moving is easy, especially if you are down-sizing to fit into a small space (like a 37′ sailboat). We made it this far though, which is a feat in itself. Whew! For the next few weekends Brian and I will be leisurely organizing and reorganizing, unpacking, and trying to find convenient homes for all of this stuff. It will be fun to come up with creative solutions on where to store things and where to build a small bookshelf and a few small cabinets, among other things like cup holders. Over the next few weeks, I will try to keep you updated on our creative solutions for boat living.

So far, I am enjoying this much more than I even thought I would. The boat is cozy when the space heater is on, and the rocking motion is soothing. It is a long walk to the parking lot and the showers, but the walk is beautiful over the water and marsh. It is a great way to relieve stress after work, esp since I have such a great view of the sunset. At night the herons and other large sea birds perch on the dock, ropes, and boats. A night stroll down the dock is accompanied by the whooshing sound of their wings as they flap away from approaching footsteps. And there are always dolphins. Ah, life is sweet.

As relaxing as all this sounds, I’ve had a less-than-relaxing past couple of weeks. With that said, it’s also been exciting. Two of my paintings were hung in a benefit art show called reBlume this past Thursday. All proceeds from the show went to the Lowcountry Environmental Education Program (LEEP).  The show included live painting, screen printing, DJs, and local artwork. It was the second art show I’ve exhibited work in, so it was exciting for me to hear some positive feedback on my work (from people other than close friends and family). In addition, I’ve decided to look into renting studio space, so that I can have a space to work on my artwork and begin preparing an artist portfolio for applying to graduate school. Hopefully, I will stay motivated.