Mermaid Rock

This island of rock and mussel shells, seaweed and limpets is a place I go. It rests just off of South Beach; a black sand beach in Resurrection Bay. This rock in all of her changing moods has been a source of inspiration and contemplation since 2002 when I had a notion to celebrate our strength and abilities to regenerate like Starfish do. On an especially cold and blustery day in February, I went to that beach and sat in front of that rock with a litany of details that were the stuff of life's upheavals.

In that natural space of quiet contemplation the idea of regeneration and a Starfish's unique ability to "grow back" struck me as an important quality. That inspiration gave birth to the design that has grown into a symbol that many Alaskans have adopted as their own. That same symbolic design now travels across the United States and beyond quietly expanding its shared strength. This is the spot I've dubbed Mermaid rock; it changes with the tides the weather, and the season.

It is one of the special spots in Alaska that I've befriended; it's associations hold weight and the frequency of our visits have, in St. Exupery's word "tamed" us. In the busyness of my life as a business lady with an ever expanding number of stores and staff and a new company to manage and grow, these quiet spaces and places are proving vital in staying connected to my source of energy and inspiration...