Daddy's Christmas Angel

Monday, March 14, 2016

Too Long Isn't Long Enough

"Sunset on Singer Island" ©Mary Montague Sikes
The palm trees glistened as the bright orange sun touched the edge of the horizon, then slid like lightening out of sight. Two weeks vanished in a moment while the vision of major league baseball players grew ever more familiar. The time was too long to be away, yet it wasn't nearly long enough.

"Why don't you move down here?" someone askled.

"I couldn't do that," I replied. I didn't explain that it is spring training baseball that calls me to Florida. The drills and practice games last only for four or five weeks. Once we went down for the last few games instead of the first and discovered that by then the players were weary of practice and ready to fly north for the "real" baseball season. The early games are more exciting because everyone is happy to be in the warmer climate and anxious to play ball. All the teams are even then and have great hope for the season.
"Before the Game, Cardinals Dugout" ©MMSikes

In addition to taking more than a hundred baseball photos with my Nikon camera, I also took numerous pictures of the Atlantic Ocean as the waves crashed along the beach of Singer Island. When the winds came, the ocean grew ever more beautiful and the waves more dangerous. In late afternoon, the beach sights captured me, and I dreamed of the colors I would use to paint those visions abstractly in gentle hues like those that filled my canvases long ago.

Such a contrast--the beaches of Singer Island and the playing fields of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. They both made my stay too long, yet not long enough. I didn't want to leave, but I could hardly wait to return home to my studio in Virginia where I will fill my canvases with colors I had forgotten long ago.

5 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You probably have enough images for a hundred paintings.
You would miss the seasons living in Florida.

Birgit said...

I see a little red in the sunset and a lot of red in the shirts. I can't wait to see your new painting.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I bet you got some great shots. And enjoyed some great weather.

Boisterous Bee said...

Hi,

We welcome you to the A to Z Challenge 2016. Thank you for signing up and participating in the world's biggest group of bloggers. We're so excited to have you with us on board.

We hope you're all geared up for the challenge.

All the best :)

Love,
Geets, a member of A-Z co-host AJ Lauer's wHooligan team.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Monti - you can enjoy all the moments to the fullest possible ... whereas if you were there all the time - it'd be different and probably wouldn't be so exciting. You have lots of creative ideas to draw on here ... cheers Hilary