Feliz Navidad

The artists in the colony had a pot luck dinner tonight, salad, focaccia, pasta, lots of cookies, some German treats, lentil salad, salmon/potato hor d euvres, really nice evening by the pool, no bugs, perfect weather.

I painted this morning with Patrica and tried a landscape today, will work on it again, not sure if I like the outcome. I think I would rather paint the nature in more close-up views. But I would like to design some paintings with more buildings, combining man-made structures with the natural elements and how they intertwine with each other. I might start another painting today.

Kursten (artist), Jorge, Adela, Roxy (artist), Jonathan, Patricia (artist), Katherine (writer), Shelley (artist/writer), Avery (resident curmudgeon) and Forrest & Simon (dogs). A couple other artists went to the beach for holiday. Colony employees went to home, they want to get as far from this place on holidays. We all discussed, that if you could live like a Tico, it can be very inexpensive to live here all the time, but coming from the states, living expenses are very much the same, the economy is very stable here, but groceries are about the same, gas is very expensive, and always has been, but public transportation is cheap, .50 c to go locally and maybe $10-20 to go cross country, but of course not as convenient, changing buses, time, but worth seeing this beautiful country.

Going Mucho Bananas

There is a surplus of bananas on the property and tangerines, ate 4 t's and want a banana every time I walked by the tree where Carlos hung them, I think there are 5 different spots where there are the biggest bunch of bananas, hundreds, thousands, no not thousands....they are so good, and the tangerines are wonderful too, about 4 a day about sums it up. I feel the "banana series" come on again.

Well, Christmas day I am going to paint in the morning and then we have another pot-luck here in studio@3, we finally got the plan together with the artistas to eat together to celebrate. Missing Cal. Worrying about Dad in surgery and wondering how my Aja is doing too. Well just spent two hours online skyping my familia while that had their christmas eve party, it was so cool, I heard all their chattering, I of course got emotional, but it was so comforting to have them online with me all night and I talked to Cal to, this christmas eve is very hard to be here.

Eve of Eve

Sarah, taken at open market, she sells flowers with her Mom.
photograph by Lorraine Bromley

I am in a bit of a slump, I think I need some spirit, so I am going to watch "The Polar Express", and listen to some caroles. mmm that ought to do it. I talked to my Dad, for tomorrow is his pacemaker implant. He has nine lives.

Colony here is having pot luck for tomorrow night xmas eve. And I will make of course, guess what? yes...focaccia and chicken. I have been puttering today, can't get focused on one thing. Trying and experimenting with collage and doing research on pacemakers and kidney stones. Weird day for me. Got to call Aja too. I also talked to Cal a couple times today, he need some rest.

Frank had some wonderful photographs printed up for a show he is having at some hotel in January, the photos are beautiful of Guatemalan children in their traditional dress, colorful, sweet, and capturing the innocence of their personalities, their feet crossed on top of each other and the playfulness of shyness.

Had my Spanish lesson today with Bernarda, she says I have progressed, but I feel like I struggling more than last year, been reading my vocabulary and understand better than I can speak this language. Bernarda took me to town on her way home so I could get some groceries and I started walking back and Franks wife picked me up, saved me from walking up that bitch of a hill. yahoooo, a ride!

Patricia didn't feel well tonight, I checked on her, she is ok.
70 degrees tonight. Those little buggers of ants are still torturing me, the Clorox helps for a limited time, smells like a hospital until I get the eucalyptus incense burning.

Oh! El Arbole de Navidad

Heliconia & Sunshine

Heliconia 4 x 9 watercolor by Lorraine Bromley

This flower looks upside down, but it isn't, the flowers hang down, I started a larger horizontal piece of these flowers as well today. Very exotic, huh?

Yesterday went back down to Saturday open market to stroll with K, so many different kinds of fruits I have never seen before, we both had a coconut drink from the "Pipa" man. I went with Carlos to art depot to see what they have for supplies and did get a couple things, but they do not have the supplies I like to use, the watercolors I need will have to come from the states and then we went on a mission to find some lights for my christmas tree... to no avail. Went to 3 places, and could not find one. In the evening Katherine, Patricia and I went to Bonanza Restaurant last night, watched the sunset and really enjoyed our night out, had a steak and mashed potatoes, (my comfort food), I am still eating chicken at my studio (3 weeks now), I made too much chicken soup.

I am having a hard time staying at computer to finish up my graphic projects, the weather has been so wonderful to paint outside.