Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Sea Stars!  I think I like the romance of 'sea stars' rather than calling these fascinating creatures 'Starfish'.  They are not fish.  They do not have gills, scales or fins. They have tube feet to help them move.  They can have more than 5 arms and can regenrate arms.  They resemble the shape of a star and may appear smooth or with spines on their top side and are soft on the bottom.  I've been looking through some of my photos and found several of starfish.  I'm once again surprised and inspired by the diversity in nature.  The range of size, shape, color and texture intrique me and give me food for thought to use in my jewelry creations.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the variety also. Find out more at this site: http://marinelife.about.com/od/invertebrates/tp/seastarfacts.htm  

It is getting cooler in Prescott and ducks are flying in from the Arctic area (too cold with no food there!)    So Peter and I went birding to see how many ducks and what kinds were arriving.   Today we saw Mallards, Shovelers, Canvasbacks, Ring - Necked Ducks, Lesser Scaups, American Wigeons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and one Green - winged Teal.   Then I spotted the eye candy!   Three Wood Ducks swimming in a man-made waterfall area at the entrance to a housing development – a place one would not expect to find them since they like secluded areas like wooded swamps.   The one male and two females caused us to stop the car, get our binoculars and just stand there looking!   The colors on the females were blended so that the blues slid into the greens and browns and then the blue green on their heads caught the sunlight.   It was such a rich color that I just wanted to touch. There was a delicate white pattern around their eyes and an elegant shape to their heads. The male coloring is

Visitng another culture broadens and enriches my view of the world as I try to understand how we are all connected.   I am fascinated by how we are the same and yet so different.   I take lots of pictures of the details, patterns and textures when I travel and bring them home to sort through and absorb.   I let my imagination go to see what I can create that reminds me of my experiences. I am sharing some of my photos and impressions with you.                                                                                               At the base of this kopje, there are petroglyphs - ancient paintings from the Masai people.   Animals, maps, and other information left to assist or tell a story to the next passerby.   This rock formation is tall and wide.  The drawings on the rock are about 5 ft. high. This is a great example of being inspired by nature!  The beautiful crowned crane was the basis for this airplane's tail.        The columns of wood are carved by artists to t