I started out February with a fun day of celebrating my friend Kalisha’s 40th birthday. We indulged in a truly “wild west” activity of horseback riding in the desert at Saguaro Lake Ranch and then had a little “far east” sushi lunch. The weather was perfect and the company was pretty sweet, too!

I got some great news early in the month, learning I had been selected to exhibit in the 21st Artlink Phoenix Juried Exhibition. The show includes 85 inspired works from over 725 that were submitted for consideration. My painting Quarantine Queen is enjoying her stay at FOUND:RE Contemporary (a dream venue for any artist!). The exhibition opened to the public on February 20 and runs through July 11, 2021.

I finally made it to Sky Harbor Airport on March 20 to see my painting Midcentury Magnate on display at the Phoenix Airport Museum. I was pretty excited to see it in such an incredible venue, but even more excited for the reason that brought me to the place – being able to finally welcome a visit from my mother after fourteen months apart.

Mom and I had a wonderful time around the Phoenix area. We visited Bartlett Lake, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, and Boyce Thompson Arboretum; went to FOUND:RE to see the exhibition; and even did a little rock hounding out in Tonopah. I think we both enjoyed every minute of it!

Aaron and I spent most every Saturday and Sunday of February and March out rockhounding in the desert, knowing that the desert will soon heat up to inhospitable levels for several months. We searched for (and found) fire agates, banded agates, Payson “diamonds” (double-terminated quartz crystals), Apache tears, beautiful colors of jasper and chert, and fossils.

I put many of those finds to good use, embarking upon a rock garden installation in the backyard. I am still working to complete the display, but so far I think it’s a fun way to enjoy our treasures and enhance our abode. I also added a little raised bed garden which has provided us with kale, spinach, arugula, and tomatoes.

I created some larger artworks during February and March, and the overarching theme seemed to be portraits - portraits of cacti, canines, and a couple of winged creatures. I enjoyed indulging my penchant for details in many of these pieces. It seems no matter how much I tell myself I will “keep it simple,” it’s just really hard for me to do so. Regardless, I think I stretched my artistic muscles a bit on these pieces and tried some new approaches. Check them out at the bottom of this blog post!

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Transmission 24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021. — *Transmission*
24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021.

Commodity Corridor 24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Commodity Corridor
24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

I've Got My Eye on You 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — I've Got My Eye on You
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Relativity 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Relativity
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Anticipation 12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Anticipation
12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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I left the Medford Airport before sunrise, driving north through foggy mountains. I had a date, and I had promised that I would be there for Memorial Day morning breakfast.

Teressa & Dee at Tyee Wine Cellars' hazelnut grove

It had been nearly two years since I'd seen my sister Dee and her lovely family, who reside in Corvallis, Oregon. Thankfully, as it often is with family, the two years melted away almost immediately. In fact, my sweet 9-year-old niece Sarah was outside when I pulled up, and I got a good preview of her running skills as she rushed to be the first to hug my neck. As I had hoped, she was by no means too big for me to pick her up and swing around.

Sarah and her brother Case, 6, also demonstrated their enthusiasm with a chanting session: "Auntie Tree! Auntie Tree!" They sure do know how to make an old lady feel kind of cool (I still have no idea why I'm such a big deal, but I'm really grateful that I am). Flanked by one of them on each side, we chowed down on a yummy breakfast and got reacquainted.

The afternoon was spent in a field at Tyee Wine Cellars, sipping wine, snacking, hiking through the woods, listening to bands play, and hanging out with Dee and her husband Steven's friends. The kids frolicked through a mossy hazelnut grove and my nephew got a little carried away collecting the little kernels.

The week flew by. The kiddos relished waking me each morning to snuggle a bit, Sarah would make me her special oatmeal for breakfast, they would head off to school, and on a few days, I was able to enjoy lunch with my "twin" sister before school let out. It's fun to relive the part of our childhood where we are incessantly asked if we are twins (we aren't, but we are just a year and a half apart in age). We've spent our entire adult lives thousands of miles apart, so most people in our daily lives haven't seen us together. There were definitely more than a few double-takes.

Friday night was a carnival fundraiser at the children's school, which kind of gave me flashbacks to the fundraising events of my career. I found myself giving advice, watching to see if people were using the correct starting bid and bid increment in the auction, and also tucking away a few cute ideas for possible future reference. The kids had a great time eating cotton candy, playing games, and selecting prizes. They were a bit wild with sugar by the time we got home.

Sarah had a 5K race on Saturday, and Dee accompanied her on the trek around Oregon State University's campus. Case and I saw them off and then had a coffee date while we awaited their return. After the race, Case had asked to surprise me with a date to eat Mexican food, and we filled our bellies. The afternoon was completed with pedicures, a first for Sarah, who enjoyed it tremendously. A perfect way to top off a 5K run!

Sunday was my last full day with the family, and we had a leisurely afternoon. We chowed down on pasta and then the kids practiced riding bicycles. They made lots of progress in such a short time. We capped off the day with some early birthday cake for my 41st celebration. I couldn't believe that Steven found an almost identical cake to what I had described as my favorite from Sweet Stuff Bakery at home (lemon with buttercream icing and lemon curd filling).

I was sad to say farewell on Monday morning, but I had a timeline to keep. I headed east for a change, full of Sarah's special oatmeal, lots of love, and many kisses.

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