 |
| Kayaking along the archipalego of southwest Sweden |
In early August Dave and I headed to Sweden for a week-long holiday of sea kayaking and wild camping with some of our greatest friends. It was an amazing trip. We leisurely meandered along the many islands of various sizes and geoligical character, stopping here and there to sun ourselves on rocks and beaches. It was beautiful. The highlight was getting engaged on the first night of the trip; Dave and I were sitting on top of the island we'd set up camp and looking out at the beautiful sea water, with the steeple of the church in Lyseskil proudly standing in the distance, when Dave asked if I'd marry him. With tears in my eyes and a grin from ear to ear I said, "of course!" We got lucky in so many ways: spending time with friends, great weather. Our luck was challenged on the way home. When we arrived to London's Stansted Airport, I ended up getting detained for six hours and questioned by the immigration officials. Turns out that volunteering without a visa is a breach of immigration law. Oopsie! I seriously had no idea. It was so scary and harrowing. Because the officials didn't trust that I wouldn't engage in working if allowed to enter England, I was sent back to Sweden. Thank god for the kindness of strangers. It ended up being a lovely second vacation, but of course the seriousness of the situation kept me pretty grounded and fairly somber. Luckily, Dave was able to make a trip to see me and to bring me fresh clothes. And after that I flew back to the States. And I've been here every since.
 |
| Current works from my sketchbook |
As you might imagine, I've been a bit sidetracked. Dave and I really hate being apart and have decided to get married sooner than later and we'll be having our wedding on the beach in less than 10 days. In the meantime, we've been working with a lawyer to complete my visa application for settlement in the UK. And it's looking pretty positive, but we won't hear the results for six weeks or more...it ain't easy, as they say. And while I've tried to be somewhat active with keeping my sketchbook updated, it's very slow. I can't seem to focus for very long. I guess that's what happens when faced with such adversity. But never one to be kept down, I had an epiphany this morning that I need to be more active. I might not have a studio to work in, but I've got a sketchbook, a pencil and some gouache paints and that's enough, my friend, to at least get some ideas down. So, I'll be working on some new stuff and will do my best to post regular updates. And in that spirit, I'm posting some of my sketches. Feels good to get back to work.
