Peak Season In Maine

You might wonder why one would choose to live here all year long, when the winters are so cold and long. The reason might be that in every season, that waterfall is beautiful along,and every other little 'wonder' here is beautiful just painted in a different palette.

Lobster is so much more delicious when it is steamed at home by your

mother. And what could be more fun than driving down the road to a magnificent home on the ocean that just happens to belong to a local 'Lobster' fisherman.

It is little wonder that there are so many artist living in and around Tenants Harbor & Spruce Head Maine.

As a matter of fact , if you like art.....there are Galleries

all over mid-coast Maine.

I am away from home and am visiting my mother, who is an artist living in Spruce Head Maine.

And I would move up to the mid-coast Maine area myself and just paint if I could. There is such a sense of community. And the natural beauty is endless.

I will get back to my design related post when I get home.

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

Inspired By KOI

This is absolutely dreamy.

Koi wallpaper.

Koi fabric.

Gorgeous Koi Pottery.

Koi enameled urns.

This woman does beautiful work, and yes, inspired by Koi.

This is a Koi stencil kit that you can use custom colors with. You could add a bit of metallic to throw in a touch of glamour . And you can order it at the site on the picture. ( double click on pic to enlarge )

Double click on pictures to enlarge or to get info written on pictures .

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

What A ' KOI ' Personality !

Pretty Impressive KOI POND, and I bet the stable of ponies is just beyond the hedges.
Koi, an ornamental fish which enthusiasts liken to a moving work of art, are gaining popularity thanks to changing lifestyles and increasingly sophisticated tastes, experts say.

Koi swimming slowly and gracefully in the water provide self-healing and peaceful feelings to a person, and koi never fight among themselves.
Most everyone involved in this hobby refer to the Nishikigoi as just Koi. So, when you find information relating to Koi in Japan dating back to 200 BC that is when the invading Chinese brought the common black carp to Japan. The statement “Contrary to common belief Koi did not originate in Japan” is true if you are referring to the common carp but not true when referring to Nishikigoi.

There are few additions or improvements you can do to your home that are as elegant and graceful as a beautiful Koi Pond. With color, sound, and movement, Koi Ponds can turn any yard or patio into a lush serene environment.

Koi breeding first became popular in Japan
A grand champion could fetch 10-15 million yen (95,000-143,000 US dollars) at current market prices, or even more. Europe and the United States are the world's biggest buyers of koi in terms of volume, but the most expensive variety is sold in Asia because Asians have a better appreciation of their value.

1884-1989 The Japanese are continually breeding the Koi, for color changes.
( and everyone else who breed them )

This period has seen the most advancements in the Koi hobby with many new varieties being introduced and improvements in the first varieties. This is also the time when Koi were first introduced to the United States and Europe.

Koi first became popular in the United States when introduced to California during the mid 1960s. ( some say the 50's)

From the first importer and a fish farm in Florida, many thousands of Koi from Japan were bred , eventually those Florida Koi were the seed stock for Koi bred in England and many other parts of the western world. But that was then and this is now....this has grown into a wildly prestigious hobby.

These are some of the flowers and plants you can use.

You can live almost anywhere, with any climate and be successful. The cleanliness of the water seems to be the key.

The Koi have personalities that can be very different. They like to fed by hand and make excellent pets , that recognize and respond to you.

Koi can live to be over 100 years old. (It may be 200 years old, I am no expert )
But you can read more at the sites I have included in this post.

( click to enlarge to read descriptions of fishie families or breeds)

“Owning a prized Koi is a status symbol. It's like the English keeping hunting dogs and horses.” ( Tan ) http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKkiJ-88SpzBTxu3-GLGFy5DyEsw

Source sites:

http://www.koiid.com/

http://www.koi-ponds-care.co.uk/koi-pond-info.html
http://www.nkc.org.uk/index.html
http://quamut.com/quamut/koi

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design

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The Meaning of KOI

Humans swim through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear !

Click to enlarge

In the Buddhist Religion, The Koi represents Courage

To this day, I have yet to see anything more unattractive than the older woman who’s path crossed mine one summer afternoon.
It was hot and humid and I was just walking into the grocery store minding my own business, when suddenly a woman walked right next to me as we headed for the shopping carts.
This woman in her late 50’s or early 60’s, she was not unattractive and she was certainly friendly with a nice smile.
She wore nice denim peddle pushers and a pressed, white short sleeve blouse.
Then suddenly, only ten inches away from me, there they were, in my face, I couldn't believe it…..her bare arms !
She had more than several tattoo’s on her arms, and then as she walked in front of me into the store and I glanced at her ankles.
Still, there were more tattoo’s.

I wondered, did she see the same crepe skin, the same faded tattoo’s in the same way I did when she dressed this morning.
In my youth I was wild, ( we all seem to think we were wild ) and I did everything that I had an interest in doing, but I never felt compelled to put something permanent on my body, like ink. And what ever I did, certainly, all these years later, you would never know I was a wild child
by looking at me.

As I watched her when she was walking away, with her body cartoons , the sayings and the once vivid ink on her arms, it felt weird and sad to me. And I began to wonder........

Just then, I heard some guy chuckle and say to his pal;
“Now, I bet she has some wild stories to tell !”.

I wonder if and when she is wearing an evening gown ( she lives in Boca, ofcourse she does ! ),

or her peddle pushers, or her pressed white short sleeved shirt...
if she feels stuck with all that ink ?

In the beginning, when we first went for the grocery carts, and I saw her tattoo’s, it felt like a scene in a movie, and she was ‘the tattooed lady, with a colorful past’ character.

And 'I was the lady who had made mistakes and had regrets,' ( we all do ) . But my character and her body wasn't as colorful or inked up telling my story for me.

And so.....
Humans swim through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear !

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her blog of her Adventures in Design