Audrey Bechler's Paintings: Christmas letter 2017

Christmas 2017

I spent this Sunday December 10, decorating. All my Christmas treasures that were on display throughout the house in Maine are now in my SMALL studio apartment. 400 sq ft. Chris took me Friday morning to the storage place and I got all my boxes of decorations. He put up the 7 foot tree as soon as we got back to Ya Po Ah and then left for the farm. Friday noon was the Christmas dinner in the Ya PO AH dinning room. Everyone dresses up, the tables are decorated and it is a grand occasion. The children's ballet came in the afternoon and performed a 45 minute version of the Nutcracker. There ages were 10 t0 16 and these kids have been dancing since they were 5 years old. Tuesday Ya PO AH had a buss trip to hear the youth orchestra of about sixty students at the South Eugene High School.These young students play like professionals. The boys wore black suits, the girls white blouses and black skirts. The conductor wore tails. the program : first movement from Symphony#5 Tchaikovsky, selections from West Side Story, finale from Symphony #3, Mahler and finale from Symphony #2 Sibelius. I was AMAZED. The auditorium was mostly full, several hundred I would guess. These are the advantages of living is a city with a population of about a hundred fifty thousand. There is so much going on especial this time of year and a lot of the entertainment is free. I feel I am living in the best part of town, near the parks, the river and some older beautiful homes in this neighborhood.

I painted 35 paintings this year, mostly watercolors, some at Chris’s farm where I painted outside and the rest Eugene scenes painted from photos I take on my daily walks. eight were acrylic abstracts of my sacred geometry series. Many images are posted on my blog spot. audreybechler.blogspot.com The blog spot is a running history of my life in Eugene.

Douglas has been working on my house that he and Christina bought. Through the years he worked on the inside and he and Chris also did the roof of the house and some shingling. This year Doug all by himself put a foundation under the house and has completely fixed the outside including the barn. Inside he turned the attic space into two beautiful rooms. I believe he has posted many photos of the construction on his face book page. Christina worked on a couple of farms all summer as well as helping Doug. Chris never has time off working on his farm Rebel Spirit Cannabis. About once a week Chris would pick me up on his way to the farm and I would spend the day there and when he left work he would drop me off at Ya Po Ah, on his way home.

Part of the summer I spent in Waldoboro with Doug and Christine. I painted, swam, saw most of my friends and went to art shows. Chris came to Maine for a week and we had a good time together, no work all play, Chris and I left on the same day but had different flights We wanted to be in Eugene for the full eclipse of the sun. Doug flew out the end of August to Eugene to help Chris construct another barn. Fires had been burning in different states all summer. When Doug was here the smoke was blown into this valley and it was like thick fog, I wore a mask if I went outside. Yes the planet was moving and shaking, floods, wind storms earth quakes and fire.

Back at Ya Po AH I enjoyed the summer days, riding my bicycle along the river and floating in the water at the spot that people, ducks, and dogs come to enjoy the river. Lots of people also drift down the river in the current and I watched them pass by on their colorful tubes and rafts. By the end of September I was the only one in the water with the ducks and geese. Every Saturday I shopped for fresh food at the outdoor farmer’s market and a few times I watched the people and listened to the music in the craft section. I love that so many people of all ages are out enjoying themselves, at the parks, or sitting in outside cafes. Ya Po Ah organizes one or two bus trips a month to interesting places outside Eugene and I enjoy those trips, to the coast, inland lakes and waterfalls, interesting towns and festivals. Chris invited me to his house for some wonderful meals. He is such a great cook I appreciate those meals.

Diane, Chris’s wife teaches school and manages the business end of the cannabis farm and she and Chris are overwhelmed with the work. Would we do the things we do if we knew the the future? Thankfully Diane has vacation from school in the summer and a little reprieve. I am amazed at what they have accomplished. Go to Rebel Spirit Cannabis - Home | Facebook

Many people at Ya Po Ah have a garden plot and the combination of flowers and vegetables is a beautify sight. It is a place to meet other gardeners or just sit and meditate. My garden produced pole beans, lettuce, kale, tomatoes, and basil. MY refrigerator is full of pesto and frozen blackberries I picked on Christopher’s farm. Kale usually lasts all winter but this year the deer ate it. We also have a neighborhood female turkey that had 7 babies. Five made it to adulthood and an another one joined them. One has an injured leg.

Last winter there was a lot of rain, and snow in the mountains. The rain continued into the spring, longer then it usually does. Once it stops raining the sun is out and there is no rain until November. Gardens must be watered, lawns and fields turn brown. When the rains come in the fall, lawns and fields turn green and stay green all winter. Spring is the most beautify time of year because there are so many kinds of flowering plants and trees and there are flowers all summer long. The everblooming roses were producing flowers until the frosts killed them. Fall was spatular, great color and lasts longer then fall in the East. We have had below freezing nights for about 10 days now and temperature in the forties during the day. So far there have been more sunny days they usual.

My days are full. Here at Ya Po Ah I go to tai chi, three times a week, the philosophy group once a week, and Movies every Saturday night. I go out every day for a little exercise, I paint, read, go to the grocery store on my thee wheel bicycle that has a big basket in the back. I go on the field trips and socialize with other occupants here. The days fly by the seasons come and go. I enjoy every day, take pleasure in everything I do and see, especially Christmas time with the music and all the decorations everywhere. I love being a physical mortal human, especially because I don’t have any pains in my body. I experience all the senses, being aware of everything that happens around me, being in the present. Memories merge with the past and combine with the present adding to the tapestry of life.

The longer I live the more I realize I know very little about anything. As a human being I know the least about humans. I think I am in the category of misfits, like in the Christmas story Rudolph the red nose reindeer goes to the island where all the imperfect toys are. The thing is I gravitate to like beings, like attracts alike. A lot of creative people even people of genius don’t function well in society. I have always been a loner, not a recluse, for I need some social interaction, of course I need support and love as all people do. Regardless of how little I know of human behavior I except people for what they are, good bad and ugly. We have all seen love and hate in all its forms. I live life from the positive side, everything will work out as it should in my life. As an artist I would say I haven’t interacted with people in the work place as I work alone with no restriction of time or schedules. Luckily I have a loving family, and we get along without understanding each other, Love is a strong bond.

Love that is true and forever is given by our pets and nature. Maybe it is good they can not talk, yet they express their feelings. When a dog lays his head on your knee or a cat gets in you lap and purrs that is a beautiful loving feeling. When I am in nature it fills me with joy. Nature speaks in the russell of leaves in the rhyme of waves in the sound of water falling over rocks, of birds cries, and insects chirping, all loving healing sounds ,Nature is rarely silent if you are turned in to it. I guess as a loner that is why I like to be outside in nature. It is always giving and excepting.

Most of the people I know are caring compassionate people, All people have gifts, and flaws. We are all tied together, Wouldn’t life be boring if we were all perfect. So hear I am in the last years of my life, still with lessons to learn including human behavior, I live as we all do interacting and reacting to human situations. The mysteries of life continue.

Because of my heart condition my sons wanted me out of the snow and ice. My youngest son lives here in Eugene and his wife through research and a practical mind lead to my move here and resident at Ya Po Ah. It was not what I expected. I am on the 14th floor, north side with views of Skinner’s Butte and trees and the hills to north east, absolutely beautiful. I see birds sailing on the wind currents, amazing cloud formations, and rainbows. Then there are the other residents. I meet them in the elevator, lobby, garden and about. We meet the ones we are meant to meet, fate, providence or whatever you call it. These people add to my joy of living, the Lucy dogs and other dogs and their owners and Rosie the cat that goes out with her owner, I am not good at remembering names but I am glad when some one I recognize says good morning Audrey. It may be Steve or one of the Pats or Beverly or Sandra or Irma or a few others. I know some of their names, most I do not know. The acknowledgement is there. Then there are the ones I know a little better from the activities I go to, like the philosophy group, writers group reading group once in a while, the Tai Chi and the gardeners. On the group trips to different places I learn a little about the other people that like the bus excursions. Basically I didn’t have to go anywhere to meet people and make friends. My social needs are met from the people in this one tall building. It all worked out, close to downtown, and nature, It couldn’t be better. Maybe I don’t have to understand human nature because the people I know have given of themselves, their knowledge, their kindness their caring. I am blessed that I have never encountered abuse, neglect or harmful experiences. I admire people that overcome those adversities., that gain confidence and self-worth. They are stronger and can stand in the storm, bend with the wind. We are what we are from our experiences,. We are each on different paths crisscrossing, entwined, dependent on each other. Still, I want to understand people because I am a part of the human family.

There is an advantage of being elderly and living in an apartment complex . This being the holiday season , the season of good will, many groups from different associations, which include churches and such come and perform here at Ya Po Ah. I already mentioned the children’s Nut Cracker ballet, December 14 the Greater Eugene Sacred Choir, the 15th Urban Blues, the 19th Christmas lights tour, the 22nd the Eugene Gleemen.

The holiday season is one continuous time from the day after Thanksgiving through the 12 days of Christmas which is the 4th of January. All the different traditions merge together in a time of loving, giving , forgiving, sharing, renewing. It is the time of year when darkness gives way to light. It is a time of year when humans express their subconscious true nature, for it is my belief we are immortal spiritual beings, beings of light, come to earth to experience the physical. It is a time of magic and miracles, of faith and the belief that Santa will come, that the Christ child was born, that the wicks of menorah burned for 8 days when there was only oil for one day. It is the belief that what seems impossible is possible.

It has been an amazing year, chaotic, unpredictable, with much hidden, suppressed information coming to the surface into the light.The world seems to be breaking apart, the old ways are not working and the good old days can not come back Those few that promote fear to keep there power are losing. Truth and integrity is what the people want. There have been demonstrations and marches, starting with the opposition protest at the inauguration of Trump and the overwhelming turnout for the women’s march. People were out there, and continue to be heard, standing for everyone’s rights, including all races, faiths, genders, our rights, for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The earth will renew itself and we the family of man will work together to bring a better world and peace on the planet. It is possible and it is happening now for the majority of humans are loving and compassionate. I thank all people, friend and family for bring joy into my life.

Peace and good health be with you. MERRY CHRISTMAS

Some photos of this years activities