A Few Fun Days!

What a wonderful few days it has been!

The day after wrapping on the Kitchen table shoot, Mackenzie and I headed to South Carolina to visit my friend and fellow artist, Laura. We were greeted with amazing hospitality and a bit of adventure!

On Monday evening, we had dinner, made by Laura. She enjoys cooking very much, and she is a great improviser when it comes to combining ingredients. We laughed over our wine, talked about relationships and art, and decided to dance around the house! Mackenzie and I shared some of our favorite dance moves with Laura, who seemed to delight in the learning of them. She then suggested that we go out for a drink at one of her favorite bars. She lent me a dress to wear, as I am never prepared to go out, and off we went. We had a wonderful time talking to the bartender, who was engaging and funny. A first evening well spent.

On Tuesday morning, we decided to hit the beach. Overcast as it was, it was still quite warm, and we relaxed. Neither Laura or I went down to the water, but Mackenzie did, and came across a small sting ray! Laura and I talked at length about our upcoming residency at NCSU, and our plans for the coming semester at Goddard. After the beach, we watched the first of the Alien movies, which had Laura screaming loud, and taking complete control of my left arm. The dogs got into the fun, too. Lucifer and Charlotte climbed on us to cuddle for protection, and I got a lot of tail in my face, by virtue of the fact the I was sitting in the middle of the couch. Laura then had a vocal student visiting, so Mackenzie and I went to the mall to pick out some things to wear to dinner that evening, where we would be celebrating the upcoming marriage of Molly, Laura'a sister, whom we met only briefly the night before. Dinner was delicious! I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I had an amazing, creamy, starchy, potato and cheese soup (I LOVE a good potato soup), and a fried goat cheese salad (I LOVE goat cheese). We all had a wonderful time, I met Laura's mother for the second time, and a friend of Laura and Molly's from high school. A good ladies night! That night back at Laura's place, we try to begin watching the second of the Alien movies, but we all fall asleep on the couch.

Wednesday morning, we rise bright and early to go kayaking!!! Molly arrives around 8am, and Laura has risen extra early to make muffins! We get on the road a little late, but make our 9am appointment only a few minutes after. Richard, or Dicky as he is called, is a friend of Laura's and our guide for our trip. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am uncomfortable with water. However, I agreed to take this kayaking trip to get out of my comfort zone and do something different! And I'm so glad I did! It took me a little longer than Mackenzie, Molly and Laura to get the hang of being in the kayak, and I hung at the back of the group for a little while, getting my bearings. But I was soon on my way! I saw my first dolphins! And I saw a lot of them! Traveling in little groups, they would gracefully surface for air, then disappear out of site. We saw egrets and oyster beds, a few jumping fish and many people out enjoying the warm weather and calm water. We all got A LOT of color on our skin, though we applied and re-applied our sun screen. I guess the kayaking made up for the overcast day at the beach! Back at Laura's, we watch the rest of the 2nd Alien movie. I think that one is my favorite. We then do a little improvisation together, which Laura records called, "Mittens." WE all have socks on our hands, and we play inside a grand piano Laura is babysitting for the next year. It was lovely jamming with both Mackenzie and Laura. And I must say, the improv didn't sound too shabby! By the time we'd finished, it was already after 4pm, and Mackenzie and I needed to head out. We said our goodbye's and hit the road. An uneventful trip home followed.

Early yesterday morning, I dropped Mackenzie off at the airport. She'll be back for my wedding next week! So I take the opportunity of a day off to watch some tennis and deep clean the house. Aaaaaaaahhhh. I love a clean, sparkly house! I felt like I was cleaning out the past month's busyness. In the evening, I went over to Spot Recording Studio, to record my songs for the quilt piece. Robert, Chris (the engineer) and I had a great time, tweaking my songs and recording them in. I feel much better knowing that the songs will sound more professional for our July performances! And I can't wait for another opportunity to get back in the studio! Guess I'll have to write some more songs...

This morning, it is off to teach some yoga! The enjoy a lazy day, grocery shopping and making some preparations for the wedding!

~Cara