Patti Edmon Artist

The necessities for a fabulous cabin vacation include a scenic view, privacy in a wooded setting, ambiance, and of course, amenities A bit of research in the Asheville area uncovered Carolina Mornings , an agency with properties that offered just the right blend of comfort, quality and value. We'd gotten a very late start - but that's another story (think Chevy Chase Vacation movies) - and the detour on east I40 meant a shorter albeit far more scenic route. So an hour past Knoxville the sun slid behind the Blue Ridge mountains like butta; we'd driven over the French Broad River, code name for my bladder; all of a sudden there was a tiny blink of a town, the only evidence of life was a noisy saloon that lit up the dark rural night. It was packed to the brim with rafters, kayakers, climbers and cheerful waitresses, one of whom pointed the way to the restroom. I must have looked like a mole, blinking and car-weary and the kids were getting antsy but I had to resist the urge to

Do you know Nicole Campanella (Beadwright)? Her birthday is this month, she'll be turning... whocaresty-seven, and she's giving away the most amazing piece. You can click on her name to register and read all about it... but you'll have a thousand-word understanding of just how beautiful it is once you see the photos (she has more views on her site). I haven't known Nicole long (since OWOH) but one of the things I love most about her is her strength. Tenacity. Keep right arting through whatever crisis comes her way. I need to have people, artists, friends like her in my life, to remind me when I haven't finished a two-weeks overdue project because I'm having a flare, or have to spend 14 hours in bed because it hurts too bad to get up, that there is beauty to be found in every situation. It might be the angel faces I can find in the distressed ceiling in my bedroom or a squeeze from my darling husband, a pal, my fourteen-year-old who would sit in my lap if he

A cabin in the woods is an ideal place to spend Holy Week; after the self-examination and contemplation of Lent the transition to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were peaceful, quiet and, well, still introspective. To be honest, I've always wondered about the meaning of ' Maundy' Thursday , so when I arrived home this evening I skipped over phone and email messages, delighted to read an insightful, wise post most excellently written by my pal, Rev. Pete Jones. He enlightened me (and many others I'm sure:) as he said: " Maundy comes from the Latin word meaning, basically, commandment. More specifically, a new commandment given to the Disciples on the night of the last supper: You shall love one another as I have loved you. A new commandment. Love. Agape. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all. That kind of a new commandment." I just love that. My wily, uber-cool teens showed me where they wrote in the morning moisture and then waited to se