Unexpected Surprise

Don't you just love it when for no reason at all you receive a gift out of the blue?

Earlier today, the postal carrier knocked on my front door and when I went to answer it, I found a mailing tube with my name on it. I hadn't ordered anything, so I didn't know what could be in it, but it has been my experience that good things come in tubes. The IRS has never sent me a notice in a tube and I've never received a past due notice in that form of packing, either.

Next I saw that it was from my good friend, Fran. Over the years Fran has been a friend, teacher, mentor and sister plein air painter. Just recently she visited my studio and we had lunch together. I remembered one of the many topics of our terrific conversation that day and the fact that she's doing a major "clean-out" of her house and I began to suspect just what might be in the tube.

The first thing I saw on the papers that I slipped out of the tube was a note from Fran:

"Hey Kris! Have fun with these. Hugs, Fran (P.S. make me something)

And I was delighted to unroll the papers and discover old maps and charts. 

Now for you landlubbers, a chart is a nautical map. They are never, never called maps. Ever. Just like, on a boat, ropes are never, never called ropes, they're called lines... but I digress.

And to make them even better, there are even some handwritten notes on the maps! That's just too good to be true!

 

I am beyond delighted to have received these and can't wait to incorporate them in my artwork. And, of course, I'll make something for Fran!

This red arrow marks where we used to keep our boat when we had the 32' Silverton and Fran and I have painted here together. The red arrow is not really on the map. I just added that with Photoshop.