AU REVOIR LUCKY STAR

It just occurred to me that, though I've mentioned the gourmet meals we were served at art camp, I've yet to show you a single picture of food. That is because I didn't remember to take any, until the very last day. How un-becky of me! So, at last, here is Lucky Star's version of a light lunch.

Almost every meal included a huge bowl of fruit salad. This one also offered build-your-own chalupas, with beans, taco meat, grated cheese, queso fresco, lettuce and tomatoes, and a variety of salsas. I opted for a bean chalupa, some of their delicious white cheese queso, and of course, a yummy brownie.

My roomie went for the chicken tortilla soup and one of their stuffed avocados.  I believe that was also the lunch where they served the fabulous mystery beverage. Usually there were pitchers of iced tea and water sitting on every table when we came in, but that day the tea had an unusual red tint to it. One of my table-mates tasted it first, and declared it to be a pomegranate tea, but when I tried it I thought it tasted more like a strawberry lemonade. We were both wrong. Turns out they had actually taken dried hibiscus petals and steeped them in boiling water to brew a tea concentrate, to which they then added lime juice, honey, and more water. Perhaps now you understand why we are all raving about the food! Of course, after 38 years of being a wife and mother, the simple luxury of sitting down to three meals a day that someone else prepared would have been more than enough. And no clean up!

Saturday afternoon was free-time. Some of us had worked up quite a sweat in our morning photography class, so we headed down to the river to take advantage of the paddle boards, canoes and kayaks that were at our disposal all week, at no extra charge.

A few even paddled further down the river to check out the mass of migrating monarchs that were rumored to be there.

Others went off to an outdoor yoga class, to get a massage, or to keep an appointment with one of over 100 horses that are kept there in the camp's beautiful stables. Me? I did what I'd been dying to do ever since I set foot on the property. I grabbed that neon-green sling float out of the back of my car, and just floated. Ahhhh...

That evening after dinner we headed back to the ballroom. This time, however, instead of listening to a speaker, we were there to shop!

Any camper who wished to pay a small table-fee in advance was able to set up a booth at our little "maker faire." Many who had their own etsy shops and what-have-you, had brought lovely things to sell, including my roommate Kelley, from whom I purchased this adorable box of three little handmade journals.

If you have ever tried your hand at making monoprints using a Gelli plate, you'll know that it's somewhat addictive, and you end up with stacks of printed paper that you're not quite sure what to do with. Well, Kelley actually teaches Gelli printing classes, so imagine her stash! Clever girl that she is, she has come up with dozens of crafty ways to use them, such as these little journals of hers.

Now all I have to do is figure out what I want to do with my wee box of them. I'm thinking they might be perfect for the little travel journals I've been thinking about doing. Perhaps I should start with one to commemorate my first stay at Lucky Star? Mais oui!

After we'd made our purchases, it was off to the fire pit for a farewell sing-along with Mandy. Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow. Sunday morning we woke to pouring rain and fall-like temperatures (at last!), had one last breakfast together -- this time with huge, mouth-watering cinnamon rolls -- then loaded up our cars and headed off in every direction, with much hugging, exchanging of phone numbers and email addresses, and vowing to keep in touch. Until next year!