Oh my goodness, how time warps when the heat and humidity make a stewpot of my brain. I've been lethargically loafing at the home of my dear friend Lynn's mother in Ottawa, Illinois. Together, they have taken on the task of feeding me 3 gourmet meals a day, watering me, wining me, entertaining me, and generally providing haven and home for 4 days while I mopped my brow, filled my stomach, slurped great wine, and enjoyed myself and my haven-makers completely.
Lynn and I made our way to Starved Rock for dinner on Tuesday--a date we've planned for about 6 months. Nearly 200 years ago, a local tribe fled a neighboring nemesis tribe and took refuge on top of the great rock overlooking the Illinois River. The unfortunates were surrounded and held captive on the rock until they starved to death. The river below is the picture of beauty and tranquility, making it a stretch to imagine the torturously slow demise of the entrapped. I sheepishly admit that after making our way to the top of the rock and down again, we enjoyed a wonderfully huge and delicious meal at the Depression-era lodge, and stayed for a few performances of the country-western talent show on the deck. The sunset imbued the surroundings with orange and gold, the cicadas chirped their electric-current song, and the Illinois River seemed to come to a halt in a glassy stillness, mirroring the tall blue-grass and purple wildflowers along its banks. Ahhhh, an evening to embrace.
On Wednesday, Jubilee and I took off for a hike near the rock, wandering along a rugged and narrow footpath, edged on both sides by robustly flourishing poison ivy! I kept Jubie on the path but cringed every time her fur whisked past a 3-leaf configuration. We came upon a magically luminous overhang where a Jubilee-sized creek tinkled and swirled in a beautiful invitation for FETCH. I am certain the overhang area must have been a sacred site at some point in history, and I stood right in the middle of the most luminous point to seat my soul.
I'm happy to say that I completed a commissioned Soul Painting this week and made progress on a watercolor I began earlier, and I completed a "thank you" painting for Lynn's mom, Jane, for her gracious and sweet-hearted acceptance of me as practically a family member during my stay.
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