May

A new month again.  April sped by with so many activities.    I'm hoping May will be a quieter month.     The Sacramento Critique group met at Susanne's in downtown Sac.    She  and her husband are planning to sell their huge house, and spend part of the year in Florida, and part in town, but in smaller quarters with no stairs.    Her studio is on the third floor and the big painting space is on the floor above, all accessible by stairs only.   The big attic room has skylights and a window overlooking the street below.   Charming.   It also has a large walled off area so her paintings are stacked there out of sight.  She is getting older, like the rest of us, and her knees are giving her problems so it's easy to see why she needs to simplify her life by living on one level rather than 5 counting the basement.    Here is a picture in her living room and one of Nigel, the cat, who really rules the roost.   

For many years Susanne ran her home as a bed and breakfast.  She hostessed our annual Holiday Tea parties for the mixed media group in Sacramento.     She is a most relaxed and capable hostess.   And she is also a wonderful artist, dividing her time between painting and book making with assemblage elements.

We had a lovely time  exploring all the nooks and crannies of her house - including the basement which I'd never seen before.    The house is being shown so it is freshly painted and looks spectacular.    I wonder how Nigel will adapt to new quarters, when he has always had this  huge house to wander around in.