The Shrine- Shrinemont, Orkney Springs, Virginia

One of the things about where I was in Virginia, is the Shrine at Shrinemont.
It is called the Shrine of Transfiguration
From Wikipedia Transfiguration (religion), a momentary transformation of a man or woman into someone having the aspect of the divine, such as the transformation of Enoch into an angel in the Book of Enoch
Interesting... I know that I felt different there. I talked to others that felt different there.
Nice.
The Shrine is made completely from rock and it has no roof!
Everything is green around it, it is just beautiful.
Walking in to the shrine there is a feeling of awe. Maybe it was just because I was by myself.

This is where everyone will sit.

This is in the aisles.

So is this. It felt like it too!

This surrounds the area, the birds sing, the air is clear, and the smell is wonderful. It is truly holy ground.

I turned and saw this.
The baptismal font is a rock where the Indians had ground corn.

There is a bell in the tower and that is all made of stone.

This is the view from the side.
I had been here to Shrinemont before and I had never taken the time to walk up to the shrine.

It is so beautiful.

Looking up at the taller cross from below it.

Both crosses at the tops of the Shrine.

This is a blessed space and you can feel it here. It is beautiful and of the earth. I am so glad I took the time.

This is a piece of mine that has a feel of this place.

On a wing and a prayer

I am winging my way back to Washington D.C.

I will try to keep up with this blog and I have a couple of planned blogs, but today as this gets posted to you all, I am in the airport, doing my usual freak out before I get on the plane. ;-D Unless of course I am not!!
I do not drink coffee now so it might be better than ever before.
I never want to leave and then when I get in the air and it is quiet and I can read books and look at mags and have time to think a little, I relish the time to myself. I do not get much of that.

I am so grateful to be able to do what I love and create all of the time, but most of the time it is interrupted by "gramma I hugry" and "gramma I have poop" and "I don wanna watch george, I wanna watch gabba gabba". The little statements of personality that are starting to blossom in this young girl!
I fix countless meals because when you spend most of your time jumping up and down you burn up calories, which she does all day long, and which is also a lesson for me in *move your body* gramma.
It is my fault, I want her to eat good food so I make it and then do the dishes too!

I am also grateful to be in this baby's life, to be a part of her memories, and to be there for her. I just need to remind myself of that sometimes, and some days, more than a few times an hour.

I am going to visit a dear friend and then we are off to a retreat in Orkney Springs.
Here is more about the retreat area, it is really very interesting too http://basyevortex.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=1

I am going to spend time in nature, play with art materials, and I am going to laugh and laugh long and hard.
This is a group of dear women with all kinds of talents and skills and it is going to be big fun!

So as I sail over my home and on my way in the big blue sky, it is with regret and yet an excitement of heart that I wave good-bye to all of you and to my dear, dear family.
I will be back to tell you of my tales and stories.
Have a wonderful weekend, my friends, and a greater week ahead.
Please go ahead and comment because I love it when you do. I will try to check in once in a while.
Up, up, and away!!!

Pccmmretreat- arriving

OMG!!!!, did I have a great time. I slept like a log last night. I love my bed.
Shepardstown and campus is a beautiful oasis, colonial, and full of wonderful, genuine people.
And there was on the way in, roads lined with honeysuckle, the smell was delightful and the view breathtaking. Synchronous!
I am so glad I went.
I met my friend Mer in Chicago and we flew in to Dulles. We talked all the way there. It was the shortest flight I have ever been on.
I love Mer, she is a sister-friend of mine. I talk to her every week in email and sometimes on the phone. But being with some one in person is so much better. She encourages me when I don’t know if I can do it, holds my hand when I am scared, and helps me laugh when I need to. She loves me for being me, I don’t have to pretend. I love you Mer, I miss you already.
Please go visit her http://www.mereditharnold.com/ and http://mereditharnold.wordpress.com/
We met up with a fellow retreater Darcy (Hi Darcy!!!) and went to get a car and ended up with an upgrade (we thought, we were wrong) and proceeded to drive to the retreat.

I am driving ;-O. Only screwed up once and missed an exit. It was my impatience to get there, so I thought I would go around some slow trucks, don’t they know I have a retreat to get to? Poor Darcy, she probably wondered what she had gotten herself in to. Cackling, laughing, and crazy driving mhwahhhhhhhhh!!!
Got turned around and headed out to West Virginia, gosh what a beautiful drive. It reminds me of ...green!! LOL!! The honeysuckle (did I mention the honeysuckle?) was thick, thick, thick, and from the ground to probably 20-30 feet in the air, for miles and miles. Makes my scrawny little patch of honeysuckle look sad. We passed all kinds of small places and towns, very colonial. I would have taken pictures but I was driving and it probably would have sent poor Darcy over the edge at that point. It was GORGEOUS!
The staff even held over for dinner so the 3 of us could eat. Isn’t that the sweetest thing?
We went up stairs to put our stuff in the workroom and Polly was waiting.
Heidi Spicer, one of the people that pulled this fantastic event off and a beautiful and talented person, made her.
And she was movable. Needless to say she was always in a different position when I came in or left. Who would have done such a thing?

Please do not worry

I am going to be away from this blog and do not know if I will have access while I am gone. I do not want you to worry, you will be added to the giveaway, if you comment, when I get back.
You will see it as soon as I get back. Do not post a 1000 times ;-O, I have comment approval and I will be deleting all duplicates in the final tally anyway.

Here is a link.

http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2009/05/1st-giveaway-thank-you-thank-you-thank.html

There is also a right hand side link under the title Giveaway page.

I am fine, I am in West Virginia playing and sharing at the Polymer clay and mixed media retreat.


You should be there.
I hope you all have a beautiful and magical week.
Love and hugs,
Marie