Arrival...

The first of the attendees of the workshop arrived today. Meryl came in during the early afternoon and enjoyed lunch with us. Later, it was time to retrieve Doriot from the airport. I made roasted pork loins with a spicy, cinnamon rub and mashed sweet potatoes for dinner. Doriot and Meryl created a beautiful salad. We raised our glasses high and toasted.

At the end of the meal, Doriot and Meryl brought out some treasures that they wanted to share. Doriot had some fabulous (smuggled) French coconut cookies filled with cream. The taste of the toasted coconut in the wafer-thin cookies was supreme! Meryl retrieved a lock and key from France, some preserves for Doriot, and a blue abalone shell she had collected at Laguna Beach when she was 13 years old. I thought that she was just showing this childhood treasure to me. But in fact, it was a gift! I feel honored to be the recipient of such a thoughtful and powerful present. Shells often times represent artist ability, creative endeavors, luck with new relationships, and a change of consciousness. How fitting for our workshop!