So Close!

Bon Bons...yum!

I am SO close to finishing up this Italian coastline scene...in fact, I am technically done with it, and it's going through it's first round of editing.  I call this finished painting my "first draft" since it's not ready to frame but it's pretty much done.  What needs editing you ask?  Well, I don't like the shape that the sea makes, so I need to change the curvature of it.  After that, I think I might be done barring no other editing!  I hope to post it on Monday!

In other news, I had the fun opportunity to check out an Amish Farmer's Market in Maryland today.  It was faaaantastic.  Everything was fresh, from the bread to the pastries to the fresh baked donuts. YUM.  Also, I love the Amish.  Even when I was little, my mom said I used to get a huge smile on my face when I'd see them, and today was no different.  I don't know what it is!  Maybe it's the pureness of their lifestyle and faith, or their work ethic, or calm demeanor, but they're just amazing to me.  I started rattling off questions to my mom and mother in law that I was curious about, but didn't have the heart to ask since I didn't want to appear nosy. 

So of course I ended up googling later, and while there are different sects of Amish, I learned quite a bit about the sect that runs this market.  First, as with most all Amish, no photos allowed, as it's believed a photo is a graven image, and is considered vain. So therefore the photo you see above is simply of bon bons, an inside joke between my husband and I about what I must eat all day. Ha!  Second, the women dress according to their age...the younger you are, the brighter the colors.  I was wondering about that this today, as I saw a wide variety of shades, most really beautiful!  They also apparently leave at 4 a.m. to get to the Farmer's Market by 6 a.m. to begin work for the day.  Wow!  As a natural night owl, I'm not sure I'd make it as an Amish person!!!!

Have a great weekend!  See you Monday!