Mix in
· A view of Lake Oconee
· Generous amounts of splendid silence
· 229 pages of a good novel
· 2 hours of reading
· 1 short visit from a late afternoon spring rain
· 4 Dogs napping: Bruno, Cody, Maddie and Morgan
The dogs are signaling that soon it will be time for dinner. Morgan herds me towards her
bowl, Maddie looks at me with “the look” and Cody and Bruno follow the lead of
the girls. If the girls get their
dinner, they know they get theirs at the same time. They are all in this together.
Today has been cloudy, grey and wonderfully quiet. I worked at my PC on a big creative project
for three hours, up until noon and then I had to take a break. The allergy
medication finally settling in and my sneezing under control.
With a book in hand, I joined Maddie and Morgan on the
couch. And it’s been wonderful, reading,
napping, listening to Maddie’s deep breaths and Morgan’s tiny groans when she
decides to shift from side to side.
I’m 229 pages into Georgia, A Novel of Georgia O’Keefe
by Dawn Tripp.
Even though the book is a novel, the writer based the story
on the life of Georgia O’Keefe, especially her relationship with Alfred
Stieglitz. The book is wonderful, so much about art, the process, inspiration, colors, passion, creativity and genius. All of this juxtaposed with their lives, their day to day lives, the ups, the downs, family, illness, vacations, news of the current events. It's a wonderful afternoon read.
The lake has
been very still today, the rain just now causing what appears to be a light
trembling on the surface, or at least that's what I see from the window’s
edge.
The novel is made up of short chapters, the tone is
practical, real. As I reader I feel as
though I’ve accepted an invitation to spend time with Georgia and Alfred and
the cast of artists, family and friends in the book.
Much of the story is set in New York, after
1917 when Georgia first visited Alfred after he exhibited some of her art in a
gallery known as 291. When they first
met, Georgia was 29 or 30 and Alfred was 23 years older, so 53.
229 pages into the novel, they’ve just
married and Georgia has gone to spend time in Taos, New Mexico, for the first
time. I have about 80 more pages to
go.
Maddie and Morgan have been wonderful reading companions for the
past two hours, both napping, Maddie sound asleep, Morgan not so much. Morgan at one point had her head resting over
my shoulder, she was reading right along with me.
I’m sure Georgia O’Keeffe never imagined that one of her
paintings, Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1, painted in 1932, would sell for $44 Million dollars in 2014.
The painting was purchased by Alice B. Walton,
of the Walmart Walton’s. The painting is the most expensive
work of art ever painted by a woman.
Way to go GEORGIA ! ! !