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“Photoshop, it turned out, had more features than Arturo immediately needed, but he quickly sensed it promised a wealth of creative opportunities he might like.“

“What remained was a shaving cream goatee and mustache he thought interesting, but had never allowed to remain….

“Slowly, the left side of his face re-appeared from beneath the cream and beard.”

“Arturo’s face, he felt, resembled a mesh of stone, chiseled both sharp and softly, at least until he shaved….”

“…after he transferred the new images to their old laptop, they arrowed-down their day in pictures in silence.”

“Arturo felt he was on the verge of a new visual frontier. The short Vermont summer stretched itself full for both Arturo and Rosetta. Morning light began before five. And evenings glowed past nine.“

“Arturo chose a small digital camera from several available from students graduating and leaving the area….”

“Gently, he rubbed at a few spots he knew were extra tough, noticing a tender lone hair nearby….”

“Face held still, eyes wide open, Arturo examined his features and almost grizzly, mostly grey beard in the ancient mirror that Anna’s dad said was original to the old fisherman’s hut.”

“Only the colorful cows on canvases, t-shirts, and life size embellished sculptures reminded him of Texas, but not of his own art….”

“‘It’s a new visual language for me,’ he told Rosetta at a local artists’ show….”

“Arturo keenly felt an absence in his new work.”

“In early June, when most but not all chance of needing heat was past, and with the children having all long grown and gone to live on their own, Arturo and Rosetta moved to her home state of Vermont. He still painted, but….”

“Like the transitions of breezes and sounds on the wind in the approaching evening outside, Arturo was morphing from being “an” artist, to….”

“Returning to their converted fishing hut from his walk along the beach, Arturo knew to wait for the usual adjustments.“

“Unaware when he fell asleep, Arturo woke to Rosetta’s calls, “He’s out, he’s out!” Disorientated with sleep and grief, Arturo thought she meant outside their apartment.“

“‘He was an adventurer,’ said the Vet. Arturo and Rosetta only able to nod….”

“Rosetta and Arturo returned home talking excitedly to find Fluffer waiting at the door, panting….”

“We could try…” Rosetta half whispered softly, surprising Arturo away from his thoughts.

“The first momentary shift in the sea breeze confirmed the approach of night, still unseen, but already felt. Sudden changes, Arturo reminded himself….”

“One of the nicer things Arturo and Rosetta had learned from years of living in Galveston was the enjoyment of living near nature.“

“Senior classes, in general, were too non-stop, with little variety, and little information about how each routine benefited them. The idea seemed to be to….”

“Trying various fitness classes meant an effort, together, to find a common ground again….”

“The first days, when Arturo and Rosetta were once again together, meals especially, were exceptionally quiet….”

“And in the middle of the top left third, in a sky as dense as the sea, rose a waxing moon, glow askew….”

“Immediately on rising, his evening show in his mind’s peripheral vision, Arturo gathered a favored brush….”

“The next day she returned alone. Not sitting, she handed him several brochures….”

“Rosetta continued coming by to see Arturo in his tiny place, sometimes bringing Fluffer. At first, Rosetta would only stay standing….”

“They had let him join them, in their journey of the spirit….”

“He glanced over to his stubborn blue piece, the painting sitting contentedly at peace inside the secret of its own message, and thought back….”

“…with his paints, in his heart, on his canvases, he searched for the thread of a light….”

“When the holiday earnings that had supplemented the weak winter and early spring shows and sales were gone….”

“Arturo continued looking for a ridge or valley line within the surface where a feature could begin to emanate….”

“…in the history of western financial markets, the cycles endlessly repeat themselves….”

“Texture and color appealed and somewhat satisfied Arturo, yet he knew it was not enough….”

“…muscles aching, Arturo slowly loaded the screens and boxes of unsold paintings and prints back into his car. The route to the Gulfview side road to Galveston, crested over a small but high causeway, the early spring evening fog filtering the star light….”

“Shows and sales after Christmas were slow….“

“Anna’s dad paused and looked cleanly at Arturo. ‘You are, you say, a poor American.’ Arturo nodded, forcing a smile. ‘But you are here, in my land.’”

“The early morning drive each morning from Galveston to the small regional mall over the Causeway to the mainland, was….”

“One month of selling during the Christmas season in a mall would prove their true compatibility, he felt….”

“In July he began cutting mats and foam board for the prints, planning and finishing small works easier to sell, and securing a December booth at a nearby regional mall.“

“One more Christmas season rolled past them, as the spent the holidays visiting their children or having them back home for festive meals and teasing each other about their varied plans.“