of mountains and growth

i am sensing a theme running through my pieces lately. it's just become clear to me.

this piece has elements of both darkness and growth.

henry miller said "all growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience." i just love that. you cannot grow without risk. new levels can't be reached without taking chances.

it is very large and it represents the beauty that can come out of the darkness. if you let it.

the three stones, prehnite, labradorite, and prehnite with epidote, look remarkable together, each one complimenting the next.

i also made the "toward the summit" ring.

this stone, with all of its texture and angles, was screaming at me to become a mountain of some kind. on a hike on saturday, it occurred to me how to do it.

friedrich nietzsche said "life always gets harder toward the summit." and, like i was just saying, i do believe that's true. it's another symbol to just stay with it.

sitting atop a gorgeous laguna agate, i have constructed for you your very own little summit. you can wear it on your finger to remind you that whatever your personal summit may be, you can reach it. just stay the course, especially when it gets hard.

in addition to making these pieces, i had a fantastic weekend.

on friday morning i went for a great bike ride with my friend, shannon.

on friday night i went to see my friend erik's band with some awesome ladies.

(heather and laura)

and saturday we went for a gorgeous hike.

i hope that you all had magnificent weekends too!

P.S. there is one more terrifically exciting thing that i need to tell you. the felice brothers will be playing four shows in california with conor oberst, both opening for him and acting as his backing band. i will be taking a little much-needed solo road trip the first weekend of october to go to three of the these shows! santa barbara, big sur, and san francisco. the san francisco show is a part of a free two-day festival that also includes bonnie prince billy, gillian welch, jenny & johnny, the avett brothers, and so many more awesome bands. i am so delighted! traveling to go see music used to be a huge part of my life and i really miss it. now that the kids are a bit older it seems more realistic to do some small, solo trips. and luckily glenn is very supportive, just as i am supportive of him taking back-packing trips by himself. more about this trip later!