My Southern show

There are moments in your life when everything seems so warm and rich.

This past weekend was one
of those times.

Showing my own work is unavoidably stressful and it's always a surprise when we invite people to a display of my work, and they actually show up! I must say I truly have a wonderful group of friends and family. Many are cut-off from buying any more pieces - they could already open their own Grindley Gallery!

It was the first time we'd done a Toronto show since moving to St. Thomas, and most of the time we were too busy hugging and catching-up to even notice the red sale dots appearing here and there. It was so fitting that Southern Accent hosted my show since the restaurant was my second home for so many years. Neil has his own special memories from his time there and, for both of us, one of down-sides of our moving away was not being able to see Frances as often as we used to.

I loved seeing all my friends and meeting a few new ones, and it was particularly touching when our late friend Charlie's aunt Mabel walked in. Mabel is very special to us and Southern was always Charlie's favourite restaurant so the combination was particularly touching. Thanks so much to Nancy for making that happen.

Big hugs and thanks to Frances for doing all the stuff she does and being so greathearted. I wish our schedule had been a bit more generous; dining at Southern Accent is still one of our favourite parts of life (I love the piquant shrimp, Neil loves the Cajun Martini's and Bourbon Sours).
And as always, thanks to Dana for being our chauffeur and indulging us in our big city must-dos (Mountain Equipment Co-Op, SOMA Chocolates, Whole Foods). Next time we do this, we're thinking of combining it with a Cajun brunch so people could have something nice to look at and something great to eat. Yum - can't wait.