And I'm off!

The Green Monster, nearly all packed.

It's been months since I've gone this long without posting, and I've felt discombobulated, as my mother would have said, without it! But between Peter's opening at the Lighthouse Gallery, and my readying for the trip to Arizona, there was not a moment to spare.

Packing for the second trip, I felt a bit more secure than I did while packing for the first. I toned and packed more than 50 canvases, then found a whole stack of brand-new canvases in the garage and brought them, as well. This time, I know what to put in my paint bag, and what spare materials to pack into my red and white canvas box. I have room for my suitcase, and also for an extra bag with some dress-up clothes and some more summery garments (optimist me).

Also, I made a marvelous box of marketing materials - the olive-green shoebox in the very back of Greenie. In it, I have 20 disks of Peter's work, 20 disks of my work - all with really nifty labels that I made, printed and stuck on. In it is a box of his business cards, a box of my business cards, a huge stack of Art for Shelter Animals postcards, a huge stack of my postcards, a bunch of my pet-portrait brochures, a stack of my resumes and exhibition histories, and my Art for Shelter Animals stamp. I'm prepared! Now to find galleries where I can peddle our wares.

It was far easier to pack the van than it was to pack the VW. Truly, it wasn't even like packing. It was just like tossing stuff in. There's still enough room to have a small party in the back!

But still, it takes time. So I didn't leave until Sunday morning - and that was fine. I have to remind myself that I'm not up against a deadline. Leave Sunday, leave Tuesday - it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how slowly I drive, how many detours I take or when I get there. And that, of course, shapes everything.