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beach trash, driftwood projects, leonard cohen, making things from beach trash, suzanne, What is Playamart?, WordPress Daily Prompt Opening Lines
“It came from Playamart…”Would any of you like to guess the purpose of this piece of driftwood from the nearby beach?
“Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river…” (Leonard Cohen)
Jama Ecuador (Manabi Province)
When one of the Ecuador Expat tours visited Casa Loca, someone asked me, “Do you know Leonard Cohen’s song, Suzanne?”
“I do!” I smiled, though I didn’t say that it was often on my painting playlist…
She added, “I just met Suzanne.”
I smiled, reflected on some of the lines and peered at myself through her eyes. She was probably correct!
Although I have many images of the newest ‘driftwood’ projects, I left the USB stick with those images at the house. While using faster internet in town, I am pairing a few new ones with older ones from the archives.
Quite handy for a kitchen towel!
Here are some older photos and a few lines from the song to illustrate her point:
…Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river…
Low tide – before the mangroves were removed…
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her…
And you know that she’s half crazy
But that’s why you want to be there
HAPPY AND PAINTING! (2012 Mola Series Exhibition)
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China… (May I substitute flowers from the yard?)
Zeebra Surprises
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer…
..Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
(Can you hear us, Lisa? It’s raining!)
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers…
Do you see anything useful here?
It came from Playamart!
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror…
“It came from Playamart!” Acrylic (and one lure) on driftwood scrap.
(*Back to reality) …The kitchen faucet needed repair, though I suspected that removing the hardware might create larger problems, and getting replacement parts involved an all-day road trip. It seemed easier to run a direct line up the corner-side of the house, along the thatched ramada and into the kitchen sink in authentic farmhouse style. Using various sizes of bamboo, I was able to conceal the line with a decorative solution! The towel rack added a touch of whimsy.
Creative ways to hide a waterline!
I look forward to showing you more unique treasures found between the garbage and the flowers!
Photo taken at dark-thirty yesterday; details coming as soon as possible!
This post works well with the WordPress Daily Prompt: OPENING LINES. Check out other creative uses of the opening lines to songs.
See you again soon, I hope!
“Suzanne”
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Thanks, “Suzanne!” As always, enjoyed the words and photos. Would love to get your way one day.
that would be so great, and i would greet you with paper and pencils and say, ‘let’s get started on your drawing lesson!’
Oh so very Suzanne. Completely perfect.
thanks amiga.. i realized that i opened your post but it’snot on the screen anymore.. time for a search and find….
the internet keeps dropping offline….
z
The internet keeps us on our toes!
I just love driftwood! What a brilliant towel holder. 🙂
thank you! oh, the power of a hand saw, sand paper, paint, a hammer and a few nails!
z
Me thinks John will need to write a new song titled La Zeebra 🙂 Great shots, I love “shopping at Playamart. Hugs amiga
that made me snicker, and i am so sorry that it takes so long to acknowledge your comments!
i realized that i missed some of your posts and i think i caught up… ironically, the faster interent here at the hostal was ‘dropping’ offline about every twenty seconds last night, so i finally gave up and went to sleep!
time to go home now,but i made progress!
z
Your creativity amazes me – true inspiration. Love your ideas!
thank you amiga.. part of ‘my gift’ is the unhibited freedom i have of living off the grid where the nearby natural resources are the closest hardware store.. the closest ‘real’ hardware store is about five hours away by bus… one learns to make the most of what’s at hand.
thank you! i’m loving your latest timeout series, but i love all of your amazing work.
Thank you Z for your beautiful comment! I’ve been distracted a bit and in serious need of getting back to my art.
you have a good reason to be distracted… that takes the wind out of anyone’s sails… z
Thanks Z, I haven’t painted since last week and am feeling it. I think I’m going to make some spaghetti sauce today and spend time with the outdoors – perhaps that will help me clear my mind. Hope you are doing well ~
Is that your bed??? It is fantastic! You are the driftwood queen.
yes.. i didn’t have a photo of the completed project, as i am using the faster internet while in town…. the bed always prompts a bit of disbelief.. many ask, ‘who made the bed?’ and i smirk…
the funny thing is when someone says that they need to buy a bed, i offer to make one, and they politely decline….
Z, you are our hero in the seaweed who shows us where to look for treasures. Thank you for sharing this as I was not familiar with this song. It is very lovely. Cohen wrote one of our favorites in Hallelujah and Collins’ voice can make any song hauntingly hers. I have always been fascinated by what you can make out of stuff. Keep on keepin’ on. You are the best, BTG
yes, halleluja is so beautiful… i am glad that you’ve now heard – and appreciated – a new song of his… james taylor and nick cave both have wonderful versions as well.
thank you so much for your tireless support from n.carolina! z
Of course, James Taylor sang of another Suzanne in “Fire and Rain.”
yes, fire and rain would make a perfect future post for you and your music theme…
Love your ingenuity, Suzanne, from trash to treasures…and functional, too. I could use that towel holder. 🙂
you can do this, amiga, and surely you have a nearby supply of driftwood?
i wish i were there to say, ‘let’s go find a towel holder!’
z
I love that song! Now I will have it in my head all day! Clever use of driftwood for a towel! 🙂 Have a wonderful day chica! ^..^
thanks amiga, yes, it is a haunting song, as are many of his songs…
it is so much fun to use the driftwood.. sometimes i will be in a hardware store and will reach for something and then think.. wait.. i can make that from driftwood – and it will be much stronger and will have more personality than this piece of junk!
have a great weekend! z
Think of what could be done if all looked for a solution from something simple found in nature! You have a great weekend too! Hugs – B
I just returned from saying goodbye to friends who have been visiting the area for a few days. one mentioned how great it is to visit a home depot and find things that we cannot get here… sometimes it is something simple, like a plug for a sink/drain!
I love the osabilities that driftwood offers. Nice job!
thanks amiga
seeing your comment makes me realize that i opened your post… yet i did not see it.. that’s what happens when the internet is so reliable.. the notice appears to have been read so i forget to go back and find it and start again…
heading there soon… internet permitting..
z
Yes, that song fits you perfectly. I admire your ability to create beauty out of what most of us would call junk!
thanks richard! with that thought i zip back to a dry-rainforest scene where i hear the distinct sounds of a car engine coming from downstream – where there is no road!
That IS a perfect song for you! Great photos! Thanks, Lisa!
ah.. i suspect that if i visitedyour house, i would see a lot of suzanne peering from many areas!
So Cool!
Did you know that the real Suzanne is living in Venice, California? Whether she’s still in her gypsy caravan, I don’t know, but for some time before that she was homeless. I wrote about her as Cohen’s homeless Muse, and the days they shared in Montreal that gave rise to the song. What amazes me is that it’s still my most popular post, with an amazing number of visits. There’s no question that it’s a song for everyone, and every age.
The reality of Suzanne is as interesting as what we make of her in our minds — just as the realities of your world are interesting on their own, before they get transformed into art!
oh it would be so great to have an update on the real suzanne.. surely she is still finding treasures in the seaweed and sharing those experiences with others.
i thought of you when i was writing the post and knew that you knew that song frontwards and backwards with all of the trivia… i am about to check out of the hostal but i look forward to refreshing my memory via your post.
thanks amiga; i have your ‘rough-hewn cup’ libation opened right now!
z
You are SOOOO creative Lisa aka Suzanne. 🙂
thank you amiga.. as are you and jack! i miss not being able to see all of your posts.. one day i will be able to catch up.
thankfully you two understand and have walked in those shoes!
And you are Suzanne with a twist!!
ha! thank you! you will enjoy seeing the new ‘eye’ that watches out for thieves!
You have plenty of driftwood to do something with 😀
Maybe as frame for one of your paintings?
Greetings from Esmee
hey! thanks, yes, that would be fun.. I will search for some appropriate pieces the next time I visit Playamart!
A joy and an inspiration Susanne that has me wanting more. Up cycling, re-cycling with your wonderful colours and artistic expression leaves one wanting to get the pencils and brushes out of the drawer and to begin my journey along the road of creativity other than just photography.
Thanks again for your wonderful insights. Best regards, James
it’s always great to see you online, and i hope this means that your neurological issues have weaned into submission.
i always look forward to seeing your posts; you have a definite style that lingers long after one views the post… z
I’ve never seen that video of Leonard Cohen and Judy Collins singing “Suzanne” together in 1967, the year when I first heard the song from Judy Collins’s album “In My Life,” which also has the best version ever of that title song by the Beatles. Hard to believe all this was almost half a century ago.
Lovely post, Lisa, and on so many fronts 🙂
Oh my, another of my favorite songs. It brings tears to my eyes even just reading the lyrics, which you illustrate so well with your lady on the harbor ways. BTW, I guessed it was a walking stick. I love your ingeniously simple solutions to problems.
the fact that it brought tears to your eyes triggered my own tearful reaction to your comment… tears of tender affection and not of grief..
walking stick! how fun! when i am standing at the sink, i see a muley-horse with eye spots up and down its neck.. but i will next see it as a walking stick! thanks! z
I shall forever know you as Suzanne from now on. It’s an old favourite 🙂
good morning! from new albany mississippi, birthplace of william faulkner!
thank you for your sweet comments.. i am on my first ‘online’ session that will last more than ten minutes since arriving last friday night.
now i will have the ‘suzanne’ song in my head this morning. my family might look baffled if they heard anyone call me, ‘suzanne,’ but all of you definitely understand! thanks!