The challenge prompts came easily, much like the journey from working life in Virginia to retired life in Texas …

Today I played with map grids and my our newest toy …

Coloring in places I traveled to or through during my 35 years in Virginia. It was stunning to realize how much I didn’t see or do …

But that chapter of our lives is done and in the books …

Then it was on to Acey’s Day 4 Collage Challenge to “plant a tree.”

I started with a little 4×6 inch landscape created last June during a workshop with Nan Henke, my first serious encounter with watercolor …

and I pulled out yet another book cover (I have three cartons-full from my the years working at the Texas State university library, so they are my go-to resources for now) …

I tore away “faith” and “religion” (yes, that had a real life resonance), leaving “instinct evolved endures.”

Having very much liked the look and feel of Grace’s collage bits, I tore the watercolor into tiny leaf-like crumbs …

then started puzzling through the pieces and glue-sticking them down, until they were mostly gone (now wishing I had taken pictures as I went along, but I was too in the groove to think of that) …

It feels done, although I confess to wondering if I should fill in the “instinct” letters or just leave well-enough alone …

Any thoughts on that?