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July — The opening photo from my July 2022 newsletter is a vivid sunset shot of the same Sanibel beach pictured here. But what a difference a year makes. Since the 2022 photo was taken we lost my Dad and the island was hit with a devastating category 5 hurricane. So on my first walk out to the beach this June it was somehow surprising to look out at the water and see a view that really hadn’t changed. It’s the same beautiful beach — shifting only in light and color with the tides, wind and sun, as always. Turn around and take in the shoreline and it’s a different story. The buildings range from not noticeably damaged to obviously uninhabitable, or are just simply gone. Most of the taller trees are down, there are still piles of detritus tangled in the long grasses, and there’s the continuous hum of construction as people scramble to make things right again. But after the initial clean up, the beach got right back to just doing its thing— the water washing in, washing out. The rhythm of it is so lulling, you forget how brutal the water can be. There are endless lessons about continuity in the tide. July has been a quiet month, sandwiched between an eventful June and the upcoming busyness of August, when I have multiple trips planned and a college freshman to help launch. It’s been great for getting work done — although somehow never as much as I imagined I’d get done. The Muse and the Magpie is stocked for summer. I switched out the spring-themed merchandise for a beach cottage vibe and another favorite motif — vintage farmhouse. The farmhouse colors — heavy on red, cream and black, will easily segue into my favorite season, fall. In addition to making items for and rearranging the booth, I’ve made some art journals and spent time working on a collection of mixed media paintings. I’m calling this collection Noisy with Stories (after a line in the novel All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage) and I’m just doing “studies” at this point. I’ve learned that some ideas need a lot of time and space (and paint and canvas) to grow before they’re ready to develop into finished work. I should be back in your inbox in September with (fingers crossed) a preview of a fall collection for the Muse and the Magpie. I hope you’re having a great summer! Rebecca
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