I have been missing but...

I have not been idle.

Many adventures to share. First, I have been playing with my camera again. Don't you just love running around for 15 minutes taking shots of whatever gets in front of you?

This is the view from my laundry room, which is an old enclosed porch, looking into the kitchen. The open door to the left is where I play and paint and write. To the right, you can see the last of the daylight through the dining room window.

Now I'm going to get weird. This is probably the biggest spider web I have ever seen. It went from post to post, ceiling to bricks on the front veranda. The interesting part is that when I put this up as my desk top, and it gets blown up reallllly big, you can clearly see numbers and letters resembling old fashioned type on the filaments and at the junctions. Remember, I'm the one who had so much fun showing you the hidden pictures in the fish photos?



I was sitting on the patio one evening admiring this little pixie I love so much. She was a gift from my Mom who said it looks like me, all into a book. Suddenly, all I could see was this, right out of the DaVinci Code. I know, I know. My brain is clearly begging for more creative time. Maybe I'll work this into a little story.


We run this old ranch on a bunch of solar panels and managed to keep 3 houses going all last year, in So Calif. where you NEED to run the air conditioning, for a total of $9 and change. That was the electric bill for all of 2007. And most of that was all the taxes and fees. When we are not using all the power we make, it goes back down the grid. Our power company does not pay for the power you supply them or else they would have likely owed us money. I pass this tower when I turn onto the road at the start of the canyon and could not resist this interesting shot.
Still here? OK, I'll keep going. When I was a kid in Ohio, the Goodyear Blimp used to fly over the house quite regularly. Advertising I guess. I was always fascinated by this huge balloon. Well, life is filled with surprises and the husband and I got a chance to take a ride! It was a real thrill. I felt like that little girl the entire time.





We flew around for about an hour. The pilot explained it is just like traveling in a submarine, only you are moving through air, not water. A once-in-a-life time treat.

THEN, we had a lovely evening at the Hollywood Bowl with friends. We usually manage one trip a summer and I look forward to them. The program was Les Miserables and, as usual, I was crying at the end.

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Off to the Science Museum to see Body Works. All I can say about the exhibit is WOW. If you haven't seen it, do. I was a little hesitant because it seemed a bit disrespectful of the dead, but when I saw how well it was done and reminded that these people are bringing an incredible educational opportunity, I relaxed and was completely mesmerized.

No photos of the displays, for all of the obvious reasons, but wanted to share the museum buildings. The use of material, shapes and reflection make just walking up to the door art.

Then it was off to Pleasanton Calif.

for a great weekend with my daughter at the ZNE Convention. Besides really enjoying the visiting time with my girl the 6 hour drive up and back provided, we had a wonderful class with dj pettitt. She is a very generous instructor and I learned a lot from her. Here is my project, or as much of it as I could get to scan. The bird has a tail and there is a bit of detail missing. You have seen this lady before on a journal page and I was pleased to learn to replicate her in a larger piece. Per DJ's suggestion, I am shopping for a piece of upholstery fabric to stitch her onto. I'll do a proper photo when I'm done.


So many photo ops that weekend. There was a convention of antique car buffs sharing this charming little town with us. Here is one of my favorites.


Now for the big news. August 31 marked 40 years of marriage for the husband and I. We met in high school and dated for 4 years before getting married, so we have been together 44 years. Our wonderful children gathered the whole family together at an excellent Mediterranean restaurant where we ate an indescribable feast. They showered us with gifts and love. By now, you all know that Katydiddy is my very creative daughter. You can always count on her to dress up any occasion with a piece of art. She provided all of us with these special Anniversary Wands. She wanted everyone in the restaurant to know it was our celebration. They did, because we had these beautiful wands
and because we made soooooo much noise!

OK, you have been very courteous and paid wonderful attention. I'm working on a few things and will share more a bit later. Have a wonderful Fall, it was always my favorite time of year in Ohio. While not as dramatic in So Cal, things still get interesting in these last months of the year. Peace to all, love to all, life to all.