Making ATCs at the Beach!?

I can't believe I forgot to take pictures at the beach!  I was too busy making artist trading cards (who does that!?) that I just plain forgot I could write a post about my country's wonderful beaches.  Grrr!  

Oh well, I will just post a picture I took a few years ago.  Here is one of my 84 year old father going sailing in his Sunfish sailboat.  Yes, 84 years old!  Isn't that a blessing?

The Philippines is an archipelago.  Lots of great beaches!  Here are some pictures I took of Boracay beach when we went a few years ago.  This beach is famous for its powder-fine white sand.  See, I am trying to tempt you to go on vacation in the Philippines!

Filipinos do love going to the beach.  But it is funny, while many people of other nationalities like to sunbathe and get a tan, many Filipinos don't like to stay under the sun.  They don't want to get darker.  Many of them want to have fair skin.  One of the most popular beauty products in the Philippines?  Skin whitening products!  So many different kinds!  Do you find that funny?  We once met a young Irish girl who was so amused with the skin whitening billboards she saw along our main highway.  She took pictures, saying she just had to show them to her friends back home!  Are you fair and would rather be tanned?   Or are you like the Filipinos who are brown and would rather be fair?  As I get older, I try to be less concerned about the externals and be happy with what I have.  I used to want straight hair instead of my curly hair.  But then I realized I should be thankful I have hair. Ok, I'm rambling.  This is not what this post is about.

When I was younger, I used to stay under the sun whenever we were at the beach.  But then, most premature aging is caused by sun exposure so, by the time I got older, I was usually in the shade (after all, although I want to be less concerned about wrinkles, I don't want to bring them on!).  Uh oh, I am really rambling...

One weekend, my sister (visit her blog HeARTworks) brought boxes and boxes of art materials to the beach.  Well, the beach house, actually.  We happily spent the day making art.  Because we were away from home and the office, there was nothing to disturb us from playing with all those lovely paper scraps, paints, stamps, colored pencils, etc. etc. etc.  Well from that time on, a trip to the beach isn't complete without some art materials (we have learned to pack less now).  My father, who loves the beach and is out sailing most of the time while we're there, can't believe we would rather play indoors most of the time. 

I usually go to the shore early in the morning.  Looking at the expanse of blue sea and bright sky, feeling the breeze, watching the waves makes me marvel at God's magnificent creation.   And yet His creations are just dim reflections of His glory. 

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made..." Romans 1:20

 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Psalm 19: 1 

After my early morning visit to the beach, I am off to the craft table for some non stop art!  Here are some of the cards I made at the beach...

Hope you like them!