23 Jan 2014 - Writing in the Gardens

My beautiful and talented daughter (in-law) Kate Tremills. She inspires me.

Oh, what a marvelous day it was!
I have taken a yearly membership at the Naples Botanical Gardens and envision many visits to take photos during the next 10 weeks. While I have not been inside to see what's glooming and growing yet, I'm sure that the various gardens described in the brochure and website will give me ample opportunities to make some great photographs.
One of the added advantages to joining the NBG is the opportunity to join a number of special interest groups or be part of a learning experience, ie, gardening, photography, wildlife lectures, etc. Today I went to the first 'Lifestyle Learning' event I've signed up for and it may well turn out to be something very special. Four women showed up plus the 'teacher' and it did not take long before we realized that we were quite a cohesive group. Although we only had a brief time to describe ourselves, I think we found each other quite interesting and from the laughter, very entertaining as well. Everyone except me, was a teacher in a previous life but I think that was more coincidence that a reason to love writing. The first exercise showed we are quite diverse in our approach to writing and the thought process involved...which is the way it should be...and at the end of the session we were quite determined to form our own little writer's group. If the NGB won't/can't accommodate us, we will find an alternative way to meet after next week.
I thought about my darling Kate and how she has been describing the frustrations and joys of finding and cultivating one's creativity in her blog. I tried to tell the others how special Kate is, both as a writer and a daughter (in-law) but I know I didn't come close to conveying her commitment to her craft or her huge talent. She and I have had some recent e-mail discussion on the subject and I just find it an amazing coincidence that my passion for writing has been renewed at the same time.
I know that having a group of people who 'speak writer-speak' has something to do with it as well as being away from home and having the time to absorb the beauty that is all around me in Naples. This year was not my most active year and I could probably come up with a myriad of reasons why I think I took a creative holiday. In the end, it...whatever 'it' is...just wasn't there and although I reached for it sometimes, it was always just beyond my grasp. I hope our little writer's group is able to continue.
Wayne had gone to the gym while I was away and when I got home we decided we'd have a quick lunch and take a drive to Marco Island. I know we'd visited there before but couldn't remember much about it. A few minutes after getting on the island brought it all back....beautiful, expensive, virtually no beach accessibility at all, and has nothing to entice me back. Scott and Brenda will be spending a few days at one of the resorts there when they come next week. They will be one of the lucky ones who have access to a private beach with all the trimmings. There are some beautiful condos along the shoreline (which you cannot see from the road) and some very grand mansions and houses along the canals with equally grand boats moored in front.
It's still cool here, by Floridian standards, but if the sun is out tomorrow, we are heading for the beach. We bought a very sophisticated beach shelter/umbrella structure, something like the ones we had on South Padre Island but much larger and better constructed. We'll pack up early tomorrow and may have to wear our jackets for the first hour or so until the sun warms up. The temperatures are supposed to go into the 70's for the weekend but back down to the 60's the following week. Sunshine plus 65 degrees equals paradise for me!
We Skyped with Bob and Carol last night. Wayne and I both laughed so hard as when they appeared on the screen, they were both wearing lumberjack lined hats and scarves to emphasize the polar vortex happening at home. One of the hardest parts of being away from family for so long is that you want to share the joy of not wearing coats and boots and having the sun shine every day...but can't.
Until next time, stay warm and healthy and know that we are wishing you could all be here with us. xx