Rise Above the Fog- Mobile Art by Tracey Grumbach

About this image:  Lying on my back on a foggy, rainy morning at the beach in Florida, a seagull flew in to shore. It rode the waves of air streaming in from the Gulf, gliding on the wings of the storm that was rolling in from off shore. Oh, to have wings and fly. To lift our bodies from the gravity of earth and soar above the din, the noise that fills my head every time that I turn on the news or read Facebook or get Twitter alerts. I have to unplug. I can't take the yelling, the disagreeing, the blaming, the self pity, the...everything. I can't take everyone telling me what to think, when to think, and how to think, and when I don't think as they do, they tell me I am a horrible, terrible person and not supportive of meaningful things. It has rubbed me raw and I choose from today on to reduce the noise. Unplug. See the positive, choose love. I choose to lift, if not my body, then my soul, as the seagull does, above the fog, above the storm, and fly toward the light and calmer seas. I must, for my own well being, and so I will.

While doing my daily morning reading and devotion, I came across this advice from the Dalai Lama-

A great deal of suffering comes from having too many thoughts. And, at the same time, the way we think is not sane. We are only concerned by our immediate satisfaction and forget to measure its long-term advantages and disadvantages, either for ourselves or for others. But such an attitude always goes against us in the end. There is no doubt that by changing our way of seeing things we could reduce our current difficulties and avoid creating new ones.

Have a beautiful day, if only in your mind and soul, because the weather sure isn't helping matters.

xo

There is Rapture at the Lonely Shore

There is Rapture at the Lonely Shore
digtial/photo art

I have been working really really hard on completely revamping my website, Nine Acres Designs, LLC. It had to be done. I had not given it an overhaul in a million years...ok, maybe 2 years, but it felt like a million. It no longer reflected who I am as an artist. I've rewritten my bio, changed up the navigation and landing page, added new artwork, and am still working on a function where you will be able to buy prints directly from me. I will let you know when that is up and running. I have created a guestbook there so if you are so inclined, please visit the site, then click on the guestbook and tell me what you think! I would love to hear from you.

There is no place quite like a lonely shore. Being on the water's edge, listening to the sounds of nature, and having no other human in sight is a special healing experience for me. Being a homeschool mom of my two youngest, a mom of two teens, and battling a chronic illness, I need quite the refueling and I am not ashamed to say it. Alone time is incredibly important for my well being and sanity. In this image, I love the "No Trespassing" sign on the pier because to me it symbolizes for all others to stay out during my meditation time. No one is allowed to trespass into my thoughts or time when I am alone.

Of course, that is easier said than done, as all mother's and wives know. But, I have this beautiful image to remind me that I am totally worth a portion of my day all to myself. And so are you.

What situation or place brings you peace and clarity? Where does your soul get reenergized and refueled? Tell me your secrets to keeping your sanity...

Have a wonderful start to the week.

xo

Caution in the Wind

Caution in the Wind

The wind blew off the Gulf in a steady gust, making the caution flag stand stiff and straight toward the shore. The whitecaps were pounding the beach, pushing the salt water roughly into the powdery sand of the number one beach destination in Florida...Siesta Beach. The grey clouds of rain gathered just off shore in the distance, threatening and teasing. And yet people came with hope and anticipation that the day would just get better.

As much as I wanted to get into the healing waters of the sea, I knew I couldn't. I shouldn't risk coming in contact with a jellyfish and going into anaphylactic shock. I've been allergic to them since I was stung as a teen and still carry an epi-pen every time I go to the beach. The wind of off-shore storms will often push the creatures closer to shore and cause an issue for me. Despite all my family telling me they had not seen any, I stayed huddled on the beach while they swam. Days like these I feel alone in a crowd and left sitting out of life as an observer. It's like I'm watching the action inside a snow globe, shaking the snow all around to make it swirl, yet I can't be a part of the world inside. It's a weird and isolating feeling.

As the rain began to spit and then steadily soak our belongings, I packed up our most precious possessions that would be damaged in the rain and trekked off to the pavilion for cover. I was part of a herd like exodus from the beach. Alone, but in a crowd, I was now too far away to even watch my family in the waves. Normally I never feel sorry for myself because I would never want anyone else to have the medical issues I do, but that day, I just wanted to participate. I just wanted to be normal. I just wanted to do what I wanted without having to gauge the health consequences of my actions. I wanted to live inside the snow globe, not be separated by the glass walls of illness that make me different.

The rain finally subsided and I returned to the beach, this time armed with my phone...if I could not be a part of the action, I could at least record the scene so I could create with it later. And that is just what I did. I was still an observer, but a different sort of observer. I was one with a mission of recording the beauty all around me that I felt I just couldn't quite touch on this day.

Have a beautiful Monday and a blessed week.

xo

Soar

Osprey in flight taken at Barefoot Beach in Florida
Canon 5D MarkIII with L series 100-400mm lens zoomed to 400mm handheld

You know what makes my heart soar more than anything else in the world? When I hear compliments about my kids from others, especially strangers. This happened so much this past weekend that I was on cloud 9 as a mama.

During our local recreational council's Opening Day for baseball,  I had several instances when people came up to me and asked me who my kids were.  Telling them the name of my twins, three separate people told me what a sweet, special girl my daughter was.  One mom told me she had just moved to the area mid-year and her son was placed in my daughter's class. She said my daughter was so welcoming to him as a new student and took him under her wing until he became comfortable with his new school.  It made my heart thump with pride.  Another mom told me that my daughter was "the sweetest thing on earth" and that she loved everyone!  Yes, this is true, my daughter does love everyone!  The last person that day was a grandma who told me she just couldn't get over how happy my youngest daughter was and how much she smiles!  It is sweet to hear such great compliments about your kids, but even sweeter still for people to take the time to give the compliments.

My oldest daughter had a very busy weekend...on Friday night to Saturday afternoon she had overnight 4H training to be a camp counselor for younger children this summer.  This is a volunteer position and she has put a ton of training hours in and has committed to two full weeks of overnight camp to counsel the younger children this summer.  When I went to pick her up on Saturday afternoon, the person in charge of the camp complimented my oldest daughter and said what a pleasure she was to have in the program. Direct from camp, I had to take my darling daughter to her high school because she had a large role in a play the drama department was putting on.  When I bought the tickets to go in, her drama teacher said what a wonderful actress my daughter was and said how she loves having her in class and looks forward to having her next year in Drama 3. In addition to that, on Mother's Day, my oldest daughter's soccer coach invited her to play as a guest player on his elite team because she is such a hard worker and is very "coachable."  So, on Mother's Day, I sat and watched my firecracker go out of her comfort zone and play a game with a group of girls she had never met before.  I was so proud of her.

So, this Mother's Day was a great one, considering all the wonderful compliments I received regarding my children.  Parenting is hard work and it is a nice payoff when you hear how well your kids are received in the community!

Have a wonderful day, y'all!  xo

A Bit of Florida Wildlife

At the beginning of April, I had the chance to visit my aunt and uncle at their home in North Port, Florida. During my trip, we went on a tour of a working cattle ranch, Babock Ranch, in Punta Gorda. I thought I would share a few of the pictures I was able to grab from my seat on the off-road bus! This place was beautiful and we had a great time visiting.  My kids were able to touch an alligator (a baby one without the mouth taped shut as this ranch does not believe in taping mouths shut!) and see about 5 different ecosystems all within this ranch's property.  

White Tailed Deer

Florida Cracker Cattle

Nursing calf

Immature Snowy Egret

A trio of gators

Florida Panther

If you are interested, here is a beautiful 2 minute video of a helicopter tour of the property.  If you are ever in the area, be sure to visit.  I want to go back and take the photography tour next time!  If I was able to get these images on a regular tour, I can't imagine the cools shots on a photography tour!



Have a wonderful day, y'all!

xo