Day 2 at an Art Retreat


A glorious sunrise is peaking thru the window – and I’m glad to see it. The sky here on the ranch near Santa Fe is a huge blue bowl hung upside down over a landscape that is clearly NOT Montreal.

Dead trees, scrub brush, and even the occasional succulent are visible out my window – nothing man-made in view if you don’t look at the first 10 yards. And right now (almost 7:00 AM) there is a decidedly pinkish hue to the sky.

Good Morning World!

I start the day with Yoga, then head into the ‘common’ room for breakfast. There are lots of options – but this is a farming ranch so there are farm fresh eggs. You can easily imagine that the chickens just finished contributing their part – and I opt for just simple fried eggs with a slice of a Simolina Bread the host made yesterday. Yummy.

We sit around the outdoor stone table and chat. Most of my fellow artists (that gives me goose bumps..) had a former life as Councillors – and the conversation turns to the Myers Briggs Evaluation scale.

Nope – I didn’t know what that was either – Dee had to explain. She also explained that she, Carrie and Char are trained Soul Councillors – and her last job before retiring was as a Professional Career Advisor. Carrie – the highest trained of the group – had been working with Trauma Patients who were considered suicide risks – but gave that up when it started effecting her personally.

Back to Myers Briggs – apparently there are 4 different characteristics that make up the scale. Introvert/Extrovert, Concrete/Intuitive, Thinker/Feeler, and Perceiver/Judger. Dee described each one in detail, and she has promised to let me know where I’m at on these scales – But after her explaining what they mean – I’m going to bet I’m an Extrovert/Concrete/Thinker/Perceiver. But we shall see – and I promise to report back!

Finally Tabatha calls us to order for a review of the Retreat Rules! That’s cool – there are Rules in a Retreat. Sounds a bit like Rules in a Gun Fight for those with an interest in old movies.

And yes – I wrote them down.

  1. Relax, No Stress, Have Fun
  2. There’s a quiet zone. No talking to the folks there until they are ready to re-join the group. We choose a table with 4 chairs away from the common area. I wonder if I’ll opt to use it – or just excuse myself and hide in my room. I’m guessing – hide in my room.
  3. Respect – No Judgement. Don’t let your uninvited Critic rule your feelings – put him/her/they into the passenger seat – and let them know you are driving this car.
  4. You are responsible for your own experience. If you are feeling lonely, overwhelmed, whatever – TELL Someone. Don’t assume that the group is ignoring you, judging you, etc. That’s your inner critic talking.
  5. Honor the best in each other and in yourself.
  6. Honest critique is tough – leave it to Tabatha. Your job is to go – you Rock!
  7. Practice Positive Feedback – Ask “what do you like best about what you’ve done” – and then support their opinion!
  8. Be gentle with your own inner artist
  9. Look out for each other

Whew – those are interesting rules, eh? I love the idea of putting the inner critic in their own seat in the bus. I’m prone to letting my inner critic be a bit too loud. So I’m going to work hard on saying to my inner critic – thanks, but I’ll work this out on my own.

Next we have our first ‘class’ – where we discuss Marks and Lines. Art starts by making a mark. And you can get that process started by making lines – even doodles are art.

Tabatha explains that before we arrived here we were in the Gathering Phase – putting the pieces we’d need together. Now we are beginning the Creation Phase – where the world is full of options – and we start to narrow our focus.

To this end, we as a group decide what our first painting focus will be – and we choose an area around a lovely adobe wall with a very bright blue chair and very bright blue windows to paint from different positions. Set-up is slow. I’ve never used my easel before, and I have to set-out the paint colors I’m going to use. Just thinking about creating a color for Adobe is a challenge. I muddle thru – and suddenly – There’s a break for lunch – then back to work.

Painting – just FYI – is hard work. And I’m slow. I did get the first paint layer done by Lunch time – then went back to work until it gets too dark to see my canvas clearly. We will get more time tomorrow. Xan deems her work done – Dee says her work has only 2 colors – and I’m thinking – oh dear – there’s a lot of detail to that blue chair!

We change for dinner (you don’t paint in something you care about staying clean – even if you are a ‘clean’ painter) – and drive into Santa Fe proper. Tabatha has reserved a table for 8 at The Shed – yummy New Mexico Mexican – and I splurge and have 14 of the best shrimp ever. Oh Yum.

We return to the ranch after a quick stop at grocery store to do our evening activity – a group painting.

There are 9 Canvas board squares – and Tabatha has sketched limbs on the squares. The limbs extend from one square to the next – and our job is to paint our square, keeping the parts of the limbs that leave our square in position to match the limbs in the squares that will border ours. If you’ve ever done a model railroad layout = you’ll immediately get the idea.

We start to work. It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of sharing. The group at the top of the table take a more collaborative approach – but I decide to treat my canvas as a flat rock with limbs. It ends up covered in Butterflies hiding behind the limbs Tabatha drew. The Butterflies are drawn with Metallic paints – Gold, and Silver, and Blue, and Magenta – and yes – even Pink.

Hours later (time definitely flies when you are doing art), we regroup by putting our squares into their correct positions in the larger piece. The result is rather cool. 8 unique paintings that interlock! My inner critic suggests that maybe we should have all had more direction – but I tell it to shut up!

It’s definitely bedtime – so we clear up the mess we’ve caused – told ya that painting is NOT a clean sport, wish each other good-night and head off to bed.

Tomorrow we go to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. I’m excited.

Signing off

The Soup Lady

Day 1 at an Artist Retreat


I’m at a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico with a group of 7 other women on an art retreat.

For me – That is one truly wierd sentence. For starters – I can’t remember ever being with a group of only women before in my life. I’ve been just 2 or 3 with just women – when my sisters and I travel together without our sig others – and when I travel with the Intrepid Traveler – but 8 women. Just Women. First time.

Point 2 – It’s a ‘Art Retreat’. I knew I wanted to do a yoga retreat, and I’ve definitely done Bridge regionals and nationals – which I suppose are rather ‘retreat like’ in that you focus on one activity – but Art. Really? Nothing but Art? I mean – I love doing Art – but just Art… maybe that’s why I’m blogging – a retreat from an Art Retreat.

Am I over thinking this?

Yesterday was my travel day. I woke at 3:00 AM in a hotel near the Toronto Airport having eaten a lovely dinner the night before with my husband. We said our good-byes before bed – knowing that I had to be at the airport so very early it wasn’t a good plan to wake him up.

So – I’m up, I didn’t do my Yoga – hard to do that without disturbing my husband, and got dressed in the dark. I had mostly prepared the night before – so it went quickly – and I’m pretty sure I didn’t forget anything.

The trip to the airport in the shuttle was painless – but surprisingly crowded. Lots of airline crew starting their days – and a few other travellers. My fellow voyagers are clearly Japanese heading home. Neatly dressed, with their suitcases carefully over-wrapped in flashy cover-ups to make them easy to spot on the carrousels. Organized travellers. In comparison I feel like a flake – a very senior hippy heading out to see the world.

My ‘Safari bag’ suitcase is a hold-over from our first trip to Africa. Soft sided, but with wheels, it’s easy to over fill, and has no structure. So I’ve put in all my paints and art supplies – including the 10 canvases I’m hoping will be filled with art on my way back home. Right now they are white and unprepared – Full of potential – but very empty.

The airports were airports – large, packed with people with very specific destinations – and busy. The trip itself, while long, was uneventful. Not Adventure travel, unless you count arriving at my connecting flight just as they called my group # to board! I think that’s just great timing. I will admit I wondered if my big suitcase packed with the art supplies would make the connection – just 50 minutes, and Dallas is a huge airport – but yup – it was safely riding around in Baggage Claim in Albuquerque.

Getting the rental car was super easy. There are clear signs to ‘Rental Cars’ near Baggage Claim – and they have just one bus that takes all folks picking up Rental Cars to an off the airport Rental Car Building. Go right for one group of agencies, go left for the other. Hard to get lost – easy to find your agency!

Got my car – a small SUV – that to my eyes looks like a huge truck. And drives like one too! The agent proudly explained that it was a 2024 model – one of the newest they had on the lot. Hmmm.

I’ll grant you it was huge – although when Char (76) and Carol (58) and I put all out luggage in – we had to use the 4th seat for extra storage. I think the issue is all the art supplies. We all were told to come prepare to paint not shop – and it’s hard to judge what you’ll need. Just picking the colors is a challenge – what works in Montreal might not be appealing to paint with in Santa Fe. The light is different, the air is different – and I think the colors will be very different. We shall see.

We meet up with Carrie (1/4 Cherokee and 79) and Dee (my age, 4’11” and super nice) – and agree to follow them as we head out to the Turquoise Road – a scenic bypass between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Painless trip – broken up by stopping for lunch at a decrepit looking old Coal Mining town that has been turned into a terribly cutesy Western themed Art community.

We all agree that the wide-open spaces around us are both lovely, and conducive to folks doing big sculpture. We pass several ‘art studios’ that feature old car frames that have been repurposed into ‘art’. Some painted, some left to continue rusting. There’s even an Origami Garden with the largest Metal Origami structures I’ve ever seen. They tower over the landscape looking like huge folding paper Birds and Horses. Unfortunately – it’s closed, and we can only peak in from the entrance.

We chat over lunch – I learn that Carol is Gluten Free – and suffers badly if she even eats the tiniest bit of Gluten, and Dee has a dairy free diet that it turns out to include all Cheese made with goat, sheep or cow milk. Well – I knew that – but the folks at the ranch did not – and they had carefully added cheese to both the salad and the ‘Gratin’ dish at dinner time. I know – dealing with ‘food issues’ isn’t fun – but hey, at least we are all getting better at saying ‘No’ – rather then eating and suffering, or not eating and just pushing the food around the plate to make it look like we ate.

The Ranch is a 10 acre field with a large low adobe building forming the main ranch house, and a heavily renovated ‘barn’ acting as the home of the hosts. We have the entire run of the place – all rooms are huge – all the furniture is huge and well worn – and there are tons of ‘spaces’ where folks can gather or be alone. I like it.

My room is a small suite. Huge bedroom with lots of storage spots but not much furniture and a mini-kitchen/desk area. Bathroom too. I have windows on 2 sides – one with a lovely view of the sunrise – that I admired greatly while writing this post, and one leading to a ‘private’ porch with a hammock I shall never use.

After getting our gear into our rooms – I help move the suitcases of several of the other guests – who thought that at 76 I’d be the strongest… (Thank you Mona) – then we gather for a quick chat and orientation.

We play a name game – which clearly didn’t help me because I’ve forgotten names already – but I’m going to write them down over breakfast so I get them right in the blog.

We spend time introducing our selves, and describing where we are ‘art’ wise. Outside of Tabatha (58) – our leader – Cat (68) and Xan (54 and the youngest) are the only ones actually making a living from doing ‘art’. Char explains that she is a newbie – but learning constantly, Xan is a friend of Tabatha – and has been doing art for a long time – although I don’t think she makes a living painting – it’s creating jewelry that she sells on line that provides some income.

Some of the women are married – although for all of us – while our husbands support our desire to do ‘art’ – they didn’t come on the retreat. Most of the women are single and unattached. Two never had kids, One has only one daughter who at 24 is still living at home and has health issues.

After dinner there is more chatting until I excuse myself. I’m way past my expiry date… I need to wind down, straighten my room and go to bed.

Signing off to do Yoga – eat Breakfast – record names – and start painting…

The Soup Lady

Shaw Festival 2025 – 2 Don’t Miss Plays


“Snow in Midsummer” and “The Orphan of Chao” are two short but quite stunning offerings at the Shaw in Niagara on the Lake this summer.

And we have Season Tickets! So of course we went to see both – and good news – saw them both in 2 days – not quite back to back, but close enough to both compare and contrast them.

All 6 of the Actors in The Orphan of Chao also appear in Snow in Midsummer (12 Cast in total) – not a surprise perhaps for a repertoire theatre company like Shaw – and even less of a surprise given that both plays are taken from Chinese Stories that date back hundreds (thousands?) of years. So while not all of the surprisingly excellent cast is clearly Asian – there is a decidedly Asian bent! Logical I suppose – and it must have made casting easier to have two plays for these actors to perform!

But cast excellence aside – it’s the stories and the dramatic nature of the setting and staging that made these plays so stunning. Thank you Directors!

Both stories are tales of revenge and redemption. Both Plays feature minimal staging to maximum effect, and both Plays have women cast members playing the strongest roles.

“The Orphan of Chao” tells the story of the rise, fall and rise again of a family in China during the Jin Dynasty – c.145 – 86 BCE. Given that history has a way of repeating itself – the play relates the not so unique story of a corrupt High Official at court who decides his safest strategy is just to get rid of his major opponent – and since this is China – that means killing off every person related in to him. 300 people get murdered quickly – leaving only one infant – saved from death by the suicide of his mother, a guard who knows too much, and the extreme sacrifice of a doctor of his only child. It’s not easy to hide an infant, let alone raise the infant, under the watchful eyes of a malevolent man with a great deal of power.

The staging was truly remarkable. There is a high movable fence that serves as the entrance to a palace, the entrance to a hovel, the barrier against attack, and the background. The players use paper hats, paper costumes, and some effective props including a medicine chest that the Doctor uses to hide the infant to convey the impression of soldiers, court officials, scared parents, Evil Dictators, and young challengers.

I was never lost in the story – every set change was done with clear explanations as to where we were now, and what was happening. There wasn’t actually much text – most of the story gets told by people dramatically interpreting what is happening. My clear favorite – the mother of the Orphan giving birth! A second favorite – the Doctor trying to escape with the infant – and doing a very bad job of it.

I was left with an emotional high – perhaps there is hope for the future, that the ‘good’ guys can actually end up ahead.

“Snow in MidSummer” was a modern re-writing of another old Chinese Story. In the program notes it explains that you can’t risk re-telling these stories in today’s China – so the author is based in the US – along with all her family. Unlike “The Orphan of Chao”, the author takes great liberties with the story – revising the love interest, making it more of a murder mystery than the simple retelling of a convoluted, but clear good vs bad story.

And the changes make the story much more ‘acceptable’ to our modern ideas. It isn’t clear who is right and who is wrong, who is good and who is bad in “Snow in MidSummer” – although the sprit crying out for redemption/revenge has a solid plan.

Again – the minimum set – a partially ruined brick wall becomes a bar, a court room, a torture chamber, and an execution ground. Waving flags and minimal props generate mood, and move the story along. The steps leading up thru the audience are the stairways to heaven, at least the Buddhist version of it, and rapid changes of small bits of clothing (including gas masks and full animal head puppetry) allow the audience to quickly understand who is who.

I particularly was intrigued by the wordless funeral held for one of the main characters – showing how things thrown into the fire become a part of the spirt world – an orange, some money, a flower – all go from the hands of the funeral party thru the burning fire into the hands of the spirts. Stunningly beautiful and completely wordless.

Without spoiling the play for those who have yet to see it – again we have a tale where the name of the game is Redemption/Revenge, Forgiveness, Moving Forward, and having hope for the future – of a person, of a town, of a tree.

I loved both. I would gleefully see both again.

Signing off to go see My Fair Lady for the 2nd time… Shaw does it all!

The Soup Lady

Ice Cream in Turin – aka La Romana


I Love Ice Cream – and I’m particularly fond of Pistachio Ice Cream/Gelato. And I adore the Ice Creams of Italy.

During my quick visit to Turin (July 2024) – I definitely intended to eat Ice Cream in as many places as possible.

But things got difficult. I was in Turin to do a Regency Weekend that included tours of several of the historical Palaces/Museums that related to Napoleon’s visits to the city, a dance practice, a Ball, and a night at a Turkish Bath. Squeezing in time to try Ice Cream was a challenge.

In the end – I only got to eat Ice Cream at La Romana. It was described as the best ice cream in Turin by the Receptionist at our hotel – and that was enough to make sure I found time to get some.

So – morning of the day we were to fly home turned out to be the only chance to get Ice Cream – and after breakfast we stored our luggage in the hotel and walked the 5 minutes to Piazza San Carlo.

La Romana is – for an ice cream shop – a magnificent store front. High ceilings, a long counter on one side, multiple tables in and around the displays of Ice Cream Confectionary, and a generally ‘yummy’ buzz of people enjoying the simple, but oh so good, offerings.

Ordering was simple – but required an explanation that clearly is given multiple times a day. First you pick a size and pay – only then do you get to taste and then select your flavours. This is the reverse of how it generally works in North America – because the hope is that upon tasting, you’ll order more. But – hey – when in Turin, do as the Turinians do!

So both my husband and I lined up to select a Medium sized Cup. Paid our 4 Euro’s each – and then lined up to select flavours. The team behind the counter cheerfully provided tastes – and in hindsight I should have done some tasting – but instead I just opted for the 3 flavours I thought sounded right.

Pistachio for sure, Sabayon, and a third that featured whole Hazelnuts and a name I can’t quite remember.

My husband also had several different flavours – but the Sorbet called Stratelli con More – Raspberry and Blackberry with Dark Chocolate pieces was not just his favorite – he went back for seconds.

Just how good was this Ice Cream? How about the best I ever had?

I actually started wondering if I could open a franchise in NOTL…

And I’m planning another trip to Turin. I definitely want more of that Ice Cream.

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Tags – a Lesson Learned about Banktivity


For years my husband has counted on Banktivity to monitor our spending money and accounts. Finally I convinced him to let me work with it too.

What followed, after the – it won’t sync, you’ll mess it up – among a long list of reasons I should steer clear, was a day of lessons.

The first thing we had to check was syncing – if I made a change, could he see it quickly on his computer – and visa-versa. Answer – absolutely YES. And when it’s fast, it’s very very fast since you are effectively reading and writing to the cloud. But it’s not always fast – and sometimes the things that are slow (like the list of categories showing up) are frustrating. But it does Sync – both immediately upon a change, and again when you close the session.

Once I got a bit of experience under my belt – I quickly starting asking questions about reports and categories and tags. My husband had never used tags – and I decided to experiment. I’m here to report that the Tags in Banktivity are super powerful.

I’m using Banktivity on an ipad – so some of the following won’t work quite as described if you are working on a computer or a phone. Just FYI.

Tags are pre-setup using the Manage Tags option found in Configuration on the Summary Page. It worth spending time thinking about HOW you’ll use the Tags you create before setting them up. And knowing HOW you’ll use the Tags requires understanding how Tags differ from other ways of looking at your transactions.

So – Step 1 – How do Tags differ from other ways of looking at your transactions?

A) Tags run across currency, across bank accounts, across methods of payment (different credit cards). So say you want to quickly know how much a particular trip will cost you in total. Using a Tag and carefully assigning it to every transaction that impacts that trip will work perfectly, no matter what method of payment you use. And it easy to check the totals – and individual impacted transactions. On the Summary screen is a heading entitled Tags. Just click on that to ‘see more’ and you’ll see totals for the current month for all the Tags you’ve created. Click on a specific Tag to show all the associated transactions. Cool.

B) Multiple Tags can be assigned to one Transaction. So you can have #Dining as a Tag, and #Trip to India as a different Tag – and assign BOTH Tags to a transaction with the Payee of a Restaurant in India. Then when you look at the Summary across Tags – you’ll see that single transaction amount included in both Tag Totals.

C) Tags can be ‘renamed’ in the Configuration Routine on the fly, and all transactions that use that Tag will be updated. You can’t delete Tags already in use – but you can rename them and search for them.

Step 2 – What Tags should you create?

A) Think Small – Do you want to know what you’ve spent on Dining this month/year? Make #Dining a Tag. Do you want to know what you’ve spent on a particular activity – like a trip to Paris, or a Weekend with Friends? Make #Paris a Tag, or make #Weekend with Friends July 2024 a Tag. Tags can be rather long – and it doesn’t matter because you just tap to assign them to a Transaction.

B) Think Big – Do you want to be able to see the total you’ve earned over several different activities – say renting 2 condos, or selling Coasters and selling Painting, or buying Clothes and buying Furniture for a specific home? Since Tags accumulate the money spent or earned across all the other types of transaction divisions – just create them and assign them – Use the Tag option on the Summary page to see how the totals compare. Just remember that you can assign multiple Tags to one transaction – and the money spent/earned will be accounted for again and again.

Step 3 – How easy is it to add/remove Tags?

A) Very Easy is the quick answer

B) To add a Tag – go to a transaction, even one that has been verified – Edit the transaction, pick a Line and click on the Message/Tag blank. Click on a Tag to add it to the line. Click on a Tag already associated with a line to remove it. Close the Transaction – Job done.

Step 4 – Can you use Tags in your history?

A) I haven’t really explored reports yet to see how Tags are handled – and since it’s thru Reports that you can do historical analysis – the quick answer here is – I’m not sure. Perhaps you can comment if you have more information.

I hope this quick and easy description sounds worth trying – I love being able to quickly see how much a particular activity (biking) is costing me – or to evaluate how much a trip has cost so far (Paris July 2024).

Signing off the add some more Tags… The Soup Lady.

Dr. Google and Leg Cramps


So – I just crossed the Pond – aka the Atlantic Ocean – and I’m in Paris for a quick overnight before flying on to Turin for a weekend Regency Party! The problem – I’m having Leg Cramps

And they hurt. Really really hurt.

I did everything right (I thought). I got up relatively often during the flight, I drank a LOT of water and I drank no alcohol, and I moved around. But after I got off the Plane in Paris – my legs let me know that they were not happy campers.

The pain was specific and it hurt! So of course I used Dr. Google

Possible cures for leg pain after flying include:

Rub the spot (did that)

Heat the area (no heating pad)

Drink water (Did that – didn’t help)

Keep feet raised above your head – now that sounds reasonable and do able. So when the leg cramps woke me that night – I grabbed pillows and piled them on the bed, under the covers and then rested my feet on them.

Surprise, Surprise – It worked! Yeah team.

Off to explore Turin – with no leg cramps – The Soup Lady signing off.

Kefalonia vs St. Croix – Which Island reigns Supreme?


I’m currently on Kefalonia – one of the larger Greek Islands – smaller than Crete, bigger than Rhodes – and having a blast.

We have German friends, their daughter is having Greek Destination Wedding – and we’re here to celebrate! There are just 20 of us total – a small intimate gathering – and a wonderful opportunity to discover an island I’d never even heard of until the wedding invite arrived!

Kefalonia – I looked it up – is 304 sq miles, with a population density of 55 people per sq mile and a total population (2023) of about 35,000.

In comparison – St. Croix is just 81 sq miles with a population density of 604 people per sq mile and a total population (2023) of about 50,000.

So for practical purposes – Kefalonia should feel a lot less crowded. But that’s not the case. The towns – and I’ve really only explored Argostoli – are small in footprint, but very crowded. Cars everywhere, lots of restaurants, lots of cafes, lots of stores, lots of hotels – the feeling is ‘mobbed’ – and not in a good way. I was just trying to back out of a parking spot – and no one would let me pull out. In fact, I was 1/2 way out and a taxi actually swerved around me to avoid having to stop.

And this is not yet high season. I can’t imagine what it must be like here when the tourists are here in significant numbers.

On St. Croix folk are amazingly polite. They will pause to let you turn right (on St. Croix, we drive on the left – so it’s the right turn that’s a challenge), and if you don’t immediately move when a light turns green – you might get a gentle beep, although most folks will just patiently wait until you notice the light has changed. Not so here in Kefalonia. You Pause – They lean on the horn! On St. Croix – a honk is a hello to a friend, a beep is a reminder to check the light, and waves are common.

Folks on St. Croix smile at you – even if just walking past. Here on Kefalonia – it’s a head down – I’m on a mission walk. That is a very different feeling let me tell you. But I can understand why the women tend to have that ‘I’m ignoring you, please ignore me’ attitude. I like to walk head up and smiling – and I have lost track of the number of men here in Kefalonia who have called out to me. “Looking Good”, “Nice”, “Hey Babe”. For a 75 year old Grand-mother – It’s kinda flattering – but not the general warmth of greetings on St. Croix where folks call out Morning, Morning to everyone that passes by! Here it’s clearly a form of marketing – not just a way to say hello.

I find myself reflecting the surroundings. Here on Kefalonia, I’m more ‘in a rush’, less likely to let folks in when they are stopped waiting, more likely to drive quickly, less likely to admire my surroundings. Interesting, eh?

Another big difference relates to Shade. On St. Croix – beaches have trees – mostly Palm trees, but also Mangroves and soft woods – and there’s shade a plenty. Here on the Beaches of Kefalonia – which I will admit have a lot more sand than the beaches of St. Croix – there is no shade. None. If you need shade, you are going to pay for it – Major Beaches here have ‘Beach Chair and Umbrella Stands’. On St. Croix – the norm is for folks to carry their own chairs – and put them under a Palm Tree for shade. On Kefalonia – Shade costs! 30 Euros for two Beach lounge chairs and a permanent wooden umbrella like structure.

Like St. Croix, Kefalonia has only short buildings – I don’t think there’s a law on building height here, but just as in St. Croix, I have yet to see anything that towers over the church steeples. That’s nice.

But Kefalonia is much much much hillier. In town the houses stack up upon each other, with narrow roads with no sidewalks dividing the living spaces. And you are either going up or down – I’ve seen very little level ground! And it’s steep. You aren’t casually strolling here – you are hiking up or down.

Strikingly, the one level section I’ve seen is the Harbor in Argostoli – and it has a concrete boardwalk – at least 30’ wide – that bend and turns following the contours of the shoreline for several Kilometres. And it has NO SHADE. Given the heat and humidity here – it’s a challenge to enjoy a stroll without getting sunstroke.

Beaches in Kefalonia seem to be surrounded by Rock Walls – conveniently pierced with stone staircases that you can use to access the beach. This creates very dramatic scenery. I have spotted some beaches with easier access points – but they are less dramatic. I admit to loving the towering boulders – but some of the staircases do feel very treacherous. I’ve been grasping hand rails – when they exist – with a feeling of relief and gratitude to the builders.

The weather in Kefalonia is quite different from that on the island of St. Croix. Currently we are getting Sand/Dust from the Sahara Desert, so there is a haze in the sky and the air feels heavy. In comparison, St. Croix has a fairly (8 months of the year) constant breeze from the East across the Atlantic Ocean. Lovely, fresh, and a Blue Blue Sky is the norm. Here in Kefalonia, the breeze is far less consistent. And right now – there’s no breeze to speak of at all. So there are a great deal more insects of the flying small variety (yes – Mosquitos – but also no-see-em and flys). I do long for my lazy meals outdoors on my balcony.. Here we can eat outside – no problem – but fly nets are ubiquitous.

And Kefalonia can be cold. It was quite cool here when we arrived, and I know Greece does experience winter. That’s a big difference from the 85 degrees year round in St. Croix.

Shopping – despite the lower population here on Kefalonia – there are a lot more shops – particularly for home goods, clothing, and ‘beach junk’. This is a tourist destination – so you’d expect shops to cater to tourists – and the number of blown up huge floaties I’ve spotted is considerable. On St. Croix – I have never seen a shop selling only huge floaties – although you can find them – and the gas stations have air pumps to blow them up. There is clearly a different mentality at play.

On the other hand – in Argostoli I spotted a yarn shop – on St. Croix there are places to get yarn – but no designated store. That actually sums up the differences in shopping on the two islands. Despite the smaller population, shops on Kefalonia can and do offer huge inventories often extremely focused. On St. Croix – there are shops with lots of inventory – but it’s all hidden. You need to know where to go – window displays are considered a waste of time and resources.

Because neither my husband nor I speak or read Greek, we’re sensitive to the language on signs. In St. Croix of course – it’s all English. Here it’s first Greek, then perhaps English. This makes navigation a bit challenging if you don’t know where you are going. I ended up having to make several loops to get onto the right road this morning because I didn’t have a co-pilot and our rental car doesn’t link up to my cell phone.

Other differences – generally the coffee is better here in Kefalonia, and I’ve had some very yummy cakes and great tasting bread. Both cakes and bread are hard to find on St. Croix – the lack of AC makes laminating dough a challenge, so shortbread pasty the go-to option. But I’ve also had great meals on St. Croix – so I’d rate the food as very similar. With the edge to Kefalonia for fruits… The fruit salads made fresh daily here have been outstanding.

Bottom line – I’m rather live on St. Croix with is slow, slow pace, relaxed locals, friendly smiles, and casual approach to living, then here on Kefalonia with it’s stifling humidity and more ‘driven’ approach to life. But Kefalonia is well worth a visit… so do drop in!

Signing off to go the wedding… The Soup Lady

Watching the Tide Roll In


I’m currently on the island of St. Croix in the USVI – watching as the title suggests – the tide roll in.

I mean – someone has to do it – right?

Lately I’ve been thinking about my parents – who reached a stage in their lives where watching the tide roll in and roll out seemed like a reasonable thing to do. I never thought I’d get there – but I’m guessing that 75 is about right.

It’s not that I’m not busy! I decided to be an artist – and that’s a serious challenge if you’ve ever tried to paint or draw or create something new. I’ve always felt that I was best at moving ideas from one place to another. Of saying – well that idea worked well for learning to play bridge – let’s try it to learn to do something else. That’s not really being creative though you know. That’s just moving ideas around.

Being creative – coming up with something new – that’s a whole lot harder – and I do love a challenge.

So Being an Artist…

I have a very dear friend – Thea – who is what I’d call the ultimate artist. She sees things I can’t see – applies them to places I can only see the barest outlines of – and I’ve always thought she did it effortlessly.

Image my surprise when she admitted to me that it wasn’t effortless. Wow – I never knew that.

On a similar note – my sister has also decided to paint. She’s doing watercolours – to my acrylic efforts – and the results are dramatically different – and quite stunning. To my eye – effortless. But apparently that’s not true either.

I suppose it’s reasonable to recognize that we all see our internal efforts differently from how they appear to the outside world. Unless I hear your grunt and groan – It’s natural to imagine that for you – that was easy to do.

Well – I can tell you that for me – the only thing I find easy to do is smile. Writing my blog, painting pictures, even doing Yoga isn’t easy. It’s hard. I have to mentally say – ok – I’m going to do this. And sometimes it takes several encouraging internal monologues to get me started.

Anyway – right now – I’m watching the tide roll in….

Have a totally wonderful day! Signing off – the Soup Lady

Crazy Month – July 2023


In the planning – the summer of 2023 started out boring!

We had a blank slate – no plans, nothing doing. So we decided it might be a really good idea to spend a month in Niagara on the Lake. That’s a small town near Niagara Falls – known for it’s summer Shaw Festival, and lots of period correct (for us) re-enactments at Fort George.

So It made a lot of sense – we’d get a change to see what it would be like to live in Ontario – and we could check out that part of Ontario. Win-Win. And my sister and my brother-in-law would gleefully join us for a Shaw Festival/Stratford Play-a-ton!

And our friend Sonia could join us. This would be awesome.

Then we thought – gee – maybe it would be great to spend some time on the beach in Wells. And then a friend asked me to join him at the Chicago Bridge National. So I said Yes and Yes.

Then my grand-daughter and aspiring Actress/Singer Sophie decided she would love to go to the 2 week long Stratford Shakespeare Camp. And – Grannie and Grandpa – how about I join you in Maine…

Great stuff Sophie – always take advantage of any time older grand-kids are willing to spend time – and at 16 going on 17 – how many more summers will she want to spend with us? It’s the countdown that all Grannies face.

So our boring summer turned into anything but boring! We’d start in late June on the Beach in Wells with Sophie, then Victor and Sophie would drive to Cape Vincent for a Napoleonic Re-enactment while I hang out in Maine, Then the Sophie Shuffle. Her partners would drive to Cape Vincent and pick up Sophie, and Victor would drive back to Maine.

When our Maine holiday ended – Victor would drop me off in Boston at Logan to fly to Chicago for the Bridge tourney – and drive back to Montreal. Then on the next day, Victor would fly to Chicago – eat dinner with our buddy Todd – then fly home. I’d play bridge for the week, then fly to Toronto to meet Victor on our way to Stratford to pick up Sophie and drive back to Montreal.

Whew – you tired yet? I am just thinking about all this planning. And we haven’t even gotten to Niagara Yet.

Then we layer on a layer – a weekend re-enactment/Theatre experience in Montreal – some time to chat with friends – then the trip back to Ontario and Niagara;

Well – we’ve now done part 1. And it was – well interesting. Very weather dependant.

Maine had a lousy first two weeks. Rainy and Cold until it wasn’t. And we were 3 adults camping out in a hotel room. Great view of the beach- but it was raining so hard you couldn’t do any outdoor activities. Sheesh

So we ate. And ate. Fisherman’s Catch, Wells Lobster Pound (more than once), and even the Steakhouse. Good meals I tell you!

Meanwhile we have our first sunny day in Maine – and Sophie tries to get a tan – and since she missed the first 3 days due to rain – does the 16 year old trick of just spending the day toasting – and somehow not applying sun tan lotion.

Result – burned to a crisp. But completely evenly! It actually looked like she’d painted on a white bikini. A perfect burn everywhere!

I smear her with Aloe, dose her with Motrin (looked it up on Dr. Google – highly recommended) and pack her off to her summer camp in Stratford.

Two lovely days on my own in Maine – mostly spending painting – my newest passion. I’ll have you know that I’m up to painting #4! Take that stinky art teacher when I was 15 who told my mother to stop wasting money giving me painting lessons!

Victor returns from a very successful parade in Cape Vincent – and we make plans to meet up with friends from STX who have a ‘camp’’ in Maine. They join us for lunch one day (3 hrs over fried fish – what’s wrong with that) and then a full day at their camp.

In between I have art class – and I know it’s just flattery – but one of the other students (all of whom have reams of more experience than I) comments that she can’t believe this is just my 4th painting – it’s stunning.

I admit it – I like it too. I’m going to get it framed. Maybe hang it in STX….?

The camp is lovely – truly lovely. 2 bedrooms, nice kitchen/living space – and a quick walk to the ‘beach’ where they keep their Boston Whaler. They feed us lunch (yum) and take us to see the ‘rustic camp’ they are selling. It is truly rustic. No – seriously – rustic. Outhouse and everything. Cute camp area with lots of other homes – some rustic, some rebuilt – very cool. Then we go back to their ‘camp’ and spend several hours just burning gas and circling their lake and chatting about this that and the other. Kisses – and see you guys in STX – and we head for dinner.

Ok = it has been said that Eiser’s plan dinner while eating lunch – and unfortunately – it’s mostly true. The next meal is very important to us. And this one is going to be at one of our most favorite restaurants – The White Barn.

Yes – it’s a multi-course tasting menu – Yes Victor gets the Wine Pairing – and Yes – it’s delicious! My 3 favorite courses are a Tomato Tartar, a Shortbread sandwich filled with truffles, and a Wagu Beef in a completely yummy sauce. Got to give it to the White Barn – they don’t have a Michelin Star – but that’s Michelin’s problem!

Now we pack and leave Wells Beach. Originally our thought was that Victor would drive me to Logan – but it turns out that there’s a bus that goes from Portsmouth, NH direct to Logan – for $27. So instead of taking Victor miles and miles out of his way – he drops me off at the bus depot and I take a surprisingly nice bus ride into Boston.

Naturally – the plane is delayed. I’m grinding to suspect that an on-time plane doesn’t happen – but eventually I get to Chicago – navigate my way to the Bridge Tournament – and play bridge. Earn Master Points – Yeah me.

Then I fly to Toronto – relatively on time I’ll have you know – get to Stratford, Cheer like crazy for my grand-daughter – and then head back to Montreal.

Whew – That’s some July – right?

Wondering how August turns out? Me too! Stay tuned.

The Souplady signing off.

Still Skiing hard at 75


It’s December 14, 2023 – and I’m in Utah – hanging out with my friends Kit and Mike for 8 weeks (hoping that they are still talking to me… but I digress).

Today was my First Day Skiing in 12 months – and I had a fabulous day sking – loved it! We just did 1/2 a day – but it was so beautiful. Great weather, decent grooming – and I love my skis!

I had two old pairs of skis last year. My Rossignols and a pair of Sun Brights (aka ice skates). The Rossies were dead and done at the end of the year (Feb 2023). I couldn’t use them any more. (Over 10 years old, so yeah – I had killed them.) So I donated them – figured I’d do some tests this year and pick a new pair.

My Sun Brights were put away here in Utah for this winter.

But – when I went to get them – the closet had a new lock – and I didn’t have the key. Mike suggested looking in my unit 2013 – and lo and behold – there was a new locked ‘owners’ closet. Last spring I knew I was on thin ice using the closet I was assigned many years ago – they found a plan that laid out which ‘closets’ matched which units – and I was using two – neither of which were mine.

So We moved most of our stuff into the closet that was ours – but the skis didn’t fit. I chatted with the manager about putting the skis in this tiny closet in the unit – but then we went home.

I’m guessing that while I was home – they moved the skis into the small closet inside the unit.

Anyway – I’ve asked the manager to get a locksmith (I don’t have the key to the new locked closet) and to get the locksmith to install a keypad lock. Then I won’t have to worry about a key.

Meanwhile – no skis.

So I went to the little shop in the Stillwater to rent skis for today. And the guy says – I have some skis for sale. I think they might work for you. And he takes us into a back-room where there are dozens and dozens of pairs of skis of various ages – basically pre-used demo skis.

He tells us that this weekend, all these skis are going back to their other shop – but he thinks this one pair might work for me.

And I promise you – the skis winked at me! They said – you will love us – try us – please! It was like a dog at a pet shop – I promise you. Not another pair in that huge space called my name – just this one pair.

They are purple Santa Anna’s 98. Perfect for Low Expert or Advanced Intermediate, 98 cm wide under foot, tapered from a broad front to the waist, then wide again. And just $400 including the bindings (which alone are like $200). I rented the skis to try today, then did my research. Reviews were great, and the descriptions were perfect for me. Like if I’d been searching and found them!

So we skied today. First day on the slope – usually I stick to easy runs. These skis were so solid, so easy to ski – that I actually skied faster than Mike! He says I skied better today than I did at the end of last season.

Skis and I had a chat. They stayed in the Ski check – and I went to the shop to pay for them – I got a full credit for my rental of course.

I’m very very happy!