where does the time go..

I have come to the conclusion that no artwork will get done before school starts. Oh it may get worked on, but it will definitely not get done... There is just too much going on: school supply shopping, new fall clothes shopping, getting house back in order after our looong trip, paper work organization and a multitude of other stuff that I can't even think of now that will pop up at the last minute... oh and of course we must get every extra minute of pool time in before all the pools close after Labor Day. My first grader will start school on the forth and the preschooler on the eighth, and then I hope to get really into my studio and get down to work.

Meanwhile here's a look at the Russian countryside just about an hour north of St. Petersburg... The houses you see are called "dacha" (дача), they are where weary city dwellers get away during the summer. There is usually no indoor plumbing or heat except for an old fashioned stove. Life is very rustic, but oh so fun especially for kids. I have very fond memories of summers spent in this place and my kids enjoyed their few days here so much that they cried when it was time to leave...