Wouldn't it be nice...

It may sound cliché, but I've always loved books for the escape they offer. As a kid reading Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time, I'd get sucked into the adventure and narrative. Now as a mom reading picture books, I get lost in the nightly ritual of settling into a comfortable spot, reading the familiar words of a story, finding new things hidden in the pictures (like I did in Helen Crag's gorgeous illustrations for Angelina at the Fair last evening), and calming myself and my children with the rythmic turning of pages.

It's easy to lose one's self while reading, and I've found it's easy to lose one's self while creating an illustration as well. So to celebrate "getting lost" I figured I'd post a picture of some place I'd like to be. As snow swirls outside and a burgeoning calendar bursts with activities for the next few months, I'd love to be exploring (in this case with an adorable little one in wellies and sunscreen of course!) a lush garden in New England somewhere. Actually, it would be even better if I was just visiting these hospitable people. I'm just off the page to the right in an adirondack chair, with sunglasses, lemonade, and if I'm lucky a drawing pad. I can enjoy the giggles of that little one and my own little ones who are also somewhere playing in the distance. See how easy it is to get lost? Where are you getting lost to these days...in books, in creative pursuits, and in life?