PAK-ART Alaska

Time

2012-01-31T06:19:00.002-09:00

I am wishing that time passed more quickly... I don't usually think that way, but it's been rough at work lately. I am soooo tired of dealing with co-workers and end-of-year rush and problems in payroll. It would be nice to be retired and free to spend my days the way I want to spend them. But it would also mean I'd be 10 years older. I don't mind that so much I think. As long as I'm able to do the things I want to do. For those of you who are retired, are you doing all the things you want to do? Or are you still tied down with obligations, chores, and things that steal your time?

Winter blues

2012-01-28T21:14:00.004-09:00

I am tired of winter. It's been below zero for at least four weeks now with the exception of one weekend where it got up to 10 above. My car is cold even though the heat is on. My windows stay frosty even after the car has been running awhile. I have to wear a bulky coat which makes me cranky. My hair is full of static electricity because it is so dry when it's so cold. And my skin itches all over. The weather guys say that this January is one of the coldest on record for my area. And it's close to the record for most snow at this time of year. I can see why "they" have changed the words from Global Warming to Climate Change. It's changing alright, it's getting colder! I keep dreaming of moving to a warmer place.

Enough complaining. We did get all our electrical problems fixed with the exception that we need to have a little more work done in the spring when the ground thaws. I've also been working on a few art projects that aren't complete yet.

I received my art book that I made through Blurb. It turned out really well, I like it alot. I'm planning to print up about 10 of them....do any of you want one? They cost $19.95 each....I know it's a little steep but that's what happens when you only print a few at a time. I'll sell them to friends and family for my cost plus shipping of $2.50, that takes care of book rate. I don't plan to make them available through Blurb...this is a one-time offer. (click here to take a look at it if you are interested...it's 10" x 10".) If you want one, send me an email!

Swan Scherrenschnitte (Paper cutting)

2012-01-23T18:02:00.002-09:00

I created this pattern last night after considering several other patterns from books that I have. I decided that I wanted to make my own instead of depending on some other person's creative talent.....although I may still use patterns from others from time to time.

I then cut it out with my new exacto knife kit....love, love, love gift certificates at art stores. It allows me to just go in and buy what I want with no concern over how much it costs.

This is for a young lady at church who just became engaged. She is my secret sister and we are having our "reveal" party this Friday night, so I wanted a special gift to give her made by myself. I still need to frame it...here's where I messed up. I had a white frame I planned to use, but between folding the paper over and then drawing the design, it's bigger than my frame. I really need to measure twice, cut once.

Sunday Sketching

2012-01-22T14:43:00.003-09:00

Today I sketched another visitor. (I do that so no one can tell if it really looks like them or not since they've never seen them before.) She had braided her hair into corn rows and then ponytailed the whole bunch together. She had a ring in her lower lip which just barely showed from my point of view.And this is what happens when you do new construction in Alaska during the winter. After you put the roof on, you've got to shovel the accumulated snow out the windows.

Winter wonderland

2012-01-21T18:21:00.003-09:00

View from the post office near my house. I then took a picture of my car next to a snow pile - most parking lots look like this because they have to pile the snow some where.

I went in to work for a few hours day and stopped to take these pictures. It is clear and COLD, but beautiful. It has been -10 at our house for about 2 weeks. It's supposed to be warmer this weekend.
From my front porch. Here's the city road grader getting rid of some of the snow on our street. And below is the finished look!Our electric problems all got fixed, the repairman was here for 6 hours on Thursday. We still don't have the bill and are a little concerned. But regardless, it had to be done. We got hooked back up to the grid on Friday by noon. Electricity is such a wonderful invention!

Bad night - no electricity

2012-01-19T08:38:00.002-09:00

The electric company took until midnight to make it to our house to check out our partial power outage. Turns out that with all this cold weather, the frost heaves have pushed the piping from below the meter boxes up into the boxes thus creating a very dangerous situation. They shut our power off completely at 12:30am with apologies.

Then we had to call someone out for repairs - we got someone and paid 4 hours at the emergency night rate to set us up so we could run off a generator since it is going to take awhile to do the meter box replacement. That guy finally left at 4:30am. We didn't have a generator so in an effort to share our misery we called my sister at 3:00 am and asked to borrow their generator.

This morning I finally went back to bed and slept for an hour before I had to get up and call the repair shop to schedule our repairs for today. I am grumpy and tired and still don't feel good and getting a headache. You don't quite appreciate how cold -10 is until your heat goes out, then it's a mad rush to keep the house warm so your pipes don't freeze, which would create much bigger problems.

Back to bed now. The serviceman can't come until later today.

Animal Wednesday - Oscar

2012-01-18T15:46:00.003-09:00

I went in to work for only two hours today before deciding I was still really too sick to be at work....again. Yesterday I did 6 hours before giving up. I hate year end - there is so much to do and much of it is my responsibility. If I'm not there we miss deadlines. The worst that can happen is 2011 expenses get captured in 2012....doesn't seem like a big deal, does it? But to the bean counters in city hall, it's a big deal.

I came home, watched a movie - Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrill. I'm not usually a big fan of his - he's usually too raunchy and stupid for me, but in this movie I really like him. In fact, I think it's the ONLY Will Ferrill movie that I do like. Then our electricity went out. It's gone off and on several times. At this moment half the house has power and the other half doesn't. I've got the electric company coming to check it out.
In the meantime (since I couldn't watch TV or a movie) I decided to do some sketching and drew this corgi named Oscar for a friend at work. I need to get another close up look at him to know where his markings are - I've got a few dog books that I used for reference but I want to be sure of where his red and white coat starts and ends. I plan to use watercolor to finish him up.

Do any of you use masking fluid in your watercolors? I've bought a few different types. I thought they'd be useful for saving whites when doing snowy scenes but so far I have more trouble with them and have thrown the bottles away. My most recent purchase was Masquepen by Cruddas Innovations in the UK....it keeps clogging up in the "fine point applicator". Another I have purchased is Liquid Frisket by Grafix in USA. It's all clumpy and yellow. Do you have a recommendation? Something that's worked for you?

Zentangle Monday

2012-01-16T06:17:00.003-09:00

I made this zentangle over the weekend. I haven't done much of anything else; I've been sick with a cold. I have to go to work today to get payroll finished and work on some other year-end stuff.

My nose is dripping. I'm feeling sorry for myself. waaaaahhhhhh!

Early morning visitor

2012-01-10T17:58:00.003-09:00

This morning we had a visitor in the backyard....can you guess who she is?

How about if I lighten the picture a little?

Yes, this cow moose was in our backyard causing my dogs to bark all morning while I was trying to get ready for work. Luckily they had already gone outside to do their business prior to her arrival. I stood on the back porch to take this picture and she just stared at me. My son came by later in the day and said she was laying in our neighbors front yard. I didn't see her at all when I got home. I hope she visits someone else tomorrow....I'm too busy for a morning chat.

Cactus Monday

2012-01-09T06:08:00.002-09:00

I finished my book of Cactus Monday nursery rhymes using www.blurb.com. I have ordered one copy to see how it turned out. Please take a moment to thumb through....you've seen the pics before but there might be one or two you missed.

The cost for me is $19.95 per book (soft cover) plus $7.99 mailing so it turned out a bit more pricey than I wanted. If it turns out well, I'll order a few copies for family and friends. I wasn't intending this as a book to sell, just a way to keep my illustrations and rhymes intact and combined. Before this they were in several different sketch books and pieces of paper floating around my art room.

Sunday sketching

2012-01-08T13:23:00.004-09:00

I sketched Lonnie today - he was more fidgety than I expected for an older man. He kept looking left towards his wife, leaving me with the back of his head, but then he'd turn forwards and I'd capture another quick sketch of nose, forehead or ear. It is good discipline to sketch from life - it forces you to observe quickly. I'm not afraid to erase with my kneaded eraser numerous times. I used a harder pencil today and the shadows and creases are not as soft as I'd like them to be. A pack of drawing pencils always comes with soft, medium and hard leads. I use them all but prefer the medium and softer ones myself.
We had a snowstorm this weekend...approximately 8-10 inches in my area. Sweetie spent a couple hours shoveling the driveway and the garage roof today. The snow piles on each side of the driveway are over my car now.
I was careful driving to church this morning as the visibility was very poor. Lots of blowing snow and icy roads. I made it safely to and from though.

Snow storm

2012-01-05T17:45:00.002-09:00

It is snowing, again. We got about 2-3 inches while I was at work. Had to brush my car off prior to coming home. Visibility was poor on the way home and we are expecting another 3 inches tonight. It's been a SNOWY winter so far!

I have kind of been artistic in the past few days. I'm creating an art book using www.blurb.com. It's a compilation of some of my favorite Cactus Monday illustrations. It is fun - makes me want to make a book about everything - my dogs, my grandkids, snowy mountains, whatever. I think it's going to be addicting for me!

Ptarmigan

2012-01-04T06:00:00.003-09:00

Ptarmigan - the P is silent and it is the Alaska state bird.

I saw one in my front yard yesterday morning! It is very unusual to see a ptarmigan in the city. We've been in this house for 21 years and I've never seen one here before. I went to get my camera but he had disappeared by the time I returned. I quietly walked up the street in front of my house, searching in all the snow banks for any sign of him, but didn't see him again. They are masters of disguise; he was probably sitting within 10 feet of me. I did capture his little footprints in the snow.
One year ago today I brought this little monster into our home. She's turned into a very sweet dog although she is still a little obnoxious. Happy Anniversary Tazlina! (formerly known as Tazmanian Devil)

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Scherrenschnitte (paper cutting)

2012-01-02T15:38:00.004-09:00

I worked on some art today and it felt so good to get this accomplished. I have had this in my mind for approximately 3 months, back when my payroll clerk left to take another job. She had a poem hung up in her office called "Dirt Roads" by Paul Harvey. When she was cleaning her office she almost threw it away because it was just printed out on several pieces of paper and had become dirty and torn. I rescued it and created this frame to show it off. I plan to give it to her as a late Christmas present.

I used paper cutting because I think it evokes a place in time when things were simpler, just like Dirt Roads. It's a rather long poem so I did it in several parts.I filled in some leaf/tree forms on the sides to help cover where two pieces of paper meet.
I cut this frame down from a 20"x30" poster frame. The edges are plastic so can be cut with a sharp blade. I picked a size of 12" x 30" because my black paper comes in 12" x 12" sheets. In hindsight I should have done 11" x 30" because paper is 11" wide. I ended up having to piece white paper on all the edges. Hopefully it's not too noticeable!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T15:56:00.004-09:00

Today is the first day of 2012 and I'm snug as a bug inside my home. It is below zero today. I skipped church this morning due to an achy body. I slept terrible last night because of the fireworks in my neighborhood...I'm not complaining about fireworks, it doesn't really bother me at all that people are out at midnight having fun. What is a pain is our dog Roxy who is petrified of them. We let her sleep in bed with us because she was panting and shaking and needed to be near her humans. Taz was fine - she seemed curious about the noise and sat at the back door looking out. She wasn't frightened at all. Because Roxy was between us, shivering and panting, I slept on my side and must have had a twist in my back because at 1:30 am when I rolled over my back was killing me. Roxy jumped down and slept on the floor the remainder of the night, but the damage was done.
We have had one of the snowiest winters on record so far this year. This is our driveway - Sweetie piles the snow up on each side each time he shovels. It's getting so high that when I back out in my car I can't tell if any cars are coming. I may have to start backing into the driveway so I can see better.
This is the back yard. We had some problems with a leaky garage roof, so Sweetie is shoveling it off each time it snows a bunch. That's why there are big piles of snow in the backyard too. I don't know what possessed anyone to put a flat-roof garage in Anchorage, AK. We get lots of rain in the summer and lots of snow in the winter, so it makes for a very inefficient roofing system.

I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions because I'm tired of always breaking them. What I have done is make some general suggestions for myself:

Eat less and eat healthier, get more exercise, write thank you notes to businesses letting them know when an employee has helped me above and beyond (good customer service seems rare and I'd like to make sure the employee who provides it gets recognized), and do something art related every day even if it is just a quick sketch. I want to take better care of myself and quit being so over-committed that I feel stressed all the time. I need more lazy days with nothing to do. I have so many ideas and plans for my art, but rarely get them done because I'm too tired to do it.

butter dish

2011-12-29T05:59:00.004-09:00

This is a gift I made for Christmas giving. It's a butter dish for my daughter-in-law's sister. She is just like a DIL to me although she's not married to a son of mine. I'll still keep her. She has the same dish set that I got for Christmas last year. I know the set didn't come with butter dishes and other pieces so I decided to make one for her. There is a ceramic shop in one of the malls where you can pick a piece of greenware, paint it and then they fire it in the kiln. I've done a few pieces there and really have enjoyed it.

Here's my little custard dish alongside the butter dish. I was trying to match this pattern and color.Here's her completed dish. I think it turned out nicely and she seemed to love it. (Don't pay any attention to the 1970's burnt orange counter tops)
It's been a busy time at work for me. Year end is always hard since I oversee payroll and accounts payable. There is a lot to get finalized, closed out and put away. I come home each day just feeling exhausted. I haven't been around much, but will try to get around to all my friends in a week or so. Although EOY is right around the corner, next Ill be dealing with the 13th month, the last chance to finish up all the 2011 financials.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday

2011-12-25T19:28:00.004-09:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family - I have had a most wonderful Christmas with lots of family surrounding me. We had the whole gang over Christmas Eve for snacks and opening of presents for those who would not see each other on Christmas Day. Then today we had church in the morning and Christmas dinner with the Price clan (our daughter-in-laws family.) I'm stuffed and ready for a long winter's nap.

On this day 26 years ago I was in the hospital giving birth to my daughter Katie. She was the best Christmas present ever. She wasn't due till January 7 or so; I remember feeling terrible on Christmas Eve with a tummy ache and just not hungry, but we had the usual family get together and then went to bed. I woke up Christmas morning with cramps (at least that's what I thought they were - it was my first pregnancy) -my husband and I talked about maybe getting checked out at the hospital...just to make sure everything was ok. But I didn't want to go without a shower, so we both took showers, got dressed and then went to the hospital. Because I wasn't acting like I was in labor they didn't rush. By the time they got me to a room and someone checked me out, I was close to giving birth. The doctor was called and within 4 hours of arriving at the hospital, I had a new baby. We didn't even call the family until after she was born. We were due at my parent's house around noon for the big family dinner, but called at noon and told them we couldn't come because I was in the hospital with a brand new baby. They all came and visited us that afternoon. Now she's all grown up and lives in Virginia with her husband and three sweet children.Happy Birthday Katie! I love you and miss you!

Snowy retreat

2011-12-19T05:50:00.002-09:00

My sister Kris and her friend TJ on one of the many trails we took.
Getting above treeline. We are headed to a place we call "the big rock". This is up in the Petersville hills.
Lunch on the trail. I had just gotten stuck and my sweetie had to help get me unstuck so we took a break for lunch.
The snow is about 5 feet deep. When sweetie steps off the machine he sinks in deep.
The boys playing ahead of me in the powder....see that big hill in the distance? That's up where we went to get to the big rock.
Looking back down the trail. It was gray and overcast, but looking behind we caught this bit of sunshine and clear skies over the mountains in the distance.
This is my first little cabin. We don't use it anymore except for when we have a bunch of guests. I love how it looks and sometimes really miss the coziness of it.

Sunday sketching

2011-12-18T14:29:00.003-09:00

We got back into town yesterday afternoon. I had a wonderful time with my sister and her boyfriend (it sounds odd to say "boyfriend" when he's in his 40's) but I don't have a better word....manfriend sounds a little weird.

Anywhoo, I digress. We had a great time hanging around the cabin, playing cards and snow machining. It was overcast and snowed quite a bit. I'll post pics tomorrow.

Today I sketched Amelia. She was a great model; she sat still and intently listened to the sermon. I like it when they don't fidget around much.

Family and cabin

2011-12-15T05:50:00.003-09:00

My sister and her boyfriend came to town last Saturday from WI - we've been spending lots of time together and I haven't been on the computer much. Today we are going to cabin to spend three days. The boyfriend would like to move up here and get some land so we want to show him what's out in our neck of the woods. We've got 4 1/2 feet of snow at the cabin so it should be good riding.

Marianne - thank you! I will be looking forward to your package. To all the rest - sorry I haven't been visiting, but I'll get back around when I return and my sister goes home.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-13T17:25:00.003-09:00

(at my work)

We've had a weird couple of weeks; high warm winds (Chinook), freezing temps, snow and rain. Usually we do not get that warm this time of year but we've gotten high winds and above freezing temps a couple of times in the last few weeks which has contributed to yucky roads, falling trees, and even power outages.(Bike trail behind where I work)

But yesterday it snowed and snowed some more and the whole area is beautiful. It's dark when I get up and go to work and it's dark well before I go home, so I caught these pics on my lunch break.(old meat cache no longer used for caching meat - just for tourists to look at)

Sunday Sketching and SNOW

2011-12-11T15:24:00.004-09:00

It is snowing, snowing, snowing - the weather people have predicted we'll get about 6 more inches.

I sketched two people in church today. The first is Marilyn, she is new to our church and seems very nice. I visited with her briefly after service. She wasn't sleeping....just occassionally closing her eyes - maybe she had a headache.

The next is Evelyn. She's one of the young college-age kids.

Seriously

2011-12-09T06:13:00.006-09:00

Is it really December? Do I really have only two more weekends before Christmas? I'm getting end-of-year freaking out at work...there is too much to do and too little time to do it in. But I'm taking three days off next week because my sister will be in town. That won't help my workload but it will certainly help my stress level. She flies in tomorrow evening. Although I saw her just last fall, it seems like forever.

I guess I better move from my fantasy world into reality and get with it. December came way too quickly this year.

Zentangles are fun for me. Sometimes I get driven to fill a full page with various shapes and doodles, other times it turns out free form and I keep seeing areas that need just a little more until it's balanced and complete. Do you see a fancy shoe...with a big gaudy buckle and feathers and pearls?

At the movies....

2011-11-30T05:30:00.000-09:00

Lights! Camera! Action!

Sweetie was throwing popcorn to the dogs and I was trying to get pictures. Taz is pretty good with lots of action. Roxy catches the popcorn too but no theatrics. Just a big gulp.

Playing with their bone.

It's my bone!

Whose tail?

Happy Animal Wednesday from Roxy and Taz!

Sunday sketching

2011-11-27T16:50:00.003-09:00

I did not sketch in church today because my son was preaching and I wanted to give him my full attention. This was his first sermon besides the time he preached in Japan with an interpreter. He told me before that in Japan he could gather his thoughts in between each sentence as he waited for the interpreter to translate to Japanese so that was a little easier.

He did well. I was very impressed with his speaking ability. He had humor, seriousness, and preached a great message. I was a little nervous for him, but after the first few minutes I forgot that and just enjoyed listening to him speak. Of course I'm a proud mama.

Aunt Krissy - you were mentioned in the sermon so you'll need to listen to it! Here's the link for anyone else who might be interested. There is a worship and communion service first but he starts preaching at 1:02:10 on the video.

Origami Cranes

2011-11-25T15:15:00.006-09:00

I played with paper today.I had no desire to join a million other people in crowded stores for Black Friday so instead I spent a quiet day at home, making paper cranes as a gift for my secret sister at church.

She is young, enjoys art and her favorite colors are blue and purple so I thought she might like this. I don't think she follows my blog. At least I hope she doesn't - then it won't be a surprise.

Did you know that legend has it that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes your wishes will come true? I only have about 995 to go.

Animal Wednesday

2011-11-23T05:48:00.004-09:00

I received a package in the mail yesterday. I hope the postal service never goes out of business - it's fun to get a package from another country. First there's the stamps from another country that you've never seen before....
Then it was wrapped so prettily in bright paper with a bird stamped design on the card....
and opened to reveal "Bird with Berries" an original work of beautiful art by Caroline Soer, illustrator, artist, and friend to a 3-footed dog. To see more of her art and her life in Malaysia, click here. I'm so happy and proud to own this piece which I won in a give-a-way at her blogsite. I can't wait to get it framed in black or red, either would look beautiful. THANK YOU CAROLINE!

and Happy Animal Wednesday!

Sunday Sketching

2011-11-20T14:30:00.004-09:00

Youthful fashion is alive and well in Anchorage churches. These aren't new fashions though because I remember seeing shoes like this in the 70's.

I forgot to bring my sketchbook so used an old bulletin and pen from my purse.

Afternoon visitor

2011-11-19T21:57:00.003-09:00

I came home from shopping today and met this at my doorstep. I called Sweetie to let him know why I was sitting in the driveway and not coming in. The moose left shortly after nibbling on my rose bush, nibbling on my one and only tree in the front yard and then ambled down the road to nibble on a neighbors lilac bush.

Wild Thing...I think I love you!

2011-11-18T05:56:00.004-09:00

How could this face not make you smile? My daughter labeled these photos "Wild Thing".
This is my middle grandchild....I'm glad my daughter gets to comb out that hair and wash the grubby face. Although I'd love to do it more often than I get to.

I need a smile on this cold November morning - it's MINUS 2 degrees out, Sweetie is still snuggled in bed and I have to go to work.

Watercolor practice

2011-11-17T06:01:00.005-09:00

Besides feeding birds and reading books, I also spent a little time with my watercolors. This is a study in negative painting. I did a few of them but this is my favorite. I rather like monotone.

This is the cabin you can see out my other side window, but only in the winter. In the summer, trees block the view. Another monotone (there is actually some color in this one, but my scanner made it grayscale and I think I like it better that way.)

My sister Alicia and I have had discussions before about the proper spelling of the word "practise" or "practice". See this link - they can both be correct depending on the use in a sentence, whether noun or verb. I did not know that, I thought I just had trouble spelling that word.

Bird Whisperer

2011-11-16T05:52:00.003-09:00

My husband has a lot of patience when it comes to feeding birds out of his hand. He's got a few Gray Jays that will come in as well as some Boreal Chickadees. We also had a magpie and black-capped chickadees but couldn't get them to take food from the hand.
We called this one Feather because he had a feather loose and at an odd angle.
This is me feeding one of the little chickadees. It landed on my head while I was trying to take a picture of it.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Fun at the cabin

2011-11-15T06:01:00.008-09:00

Little cabin in the big woods

We had such a relaxing time at the cabin this past weekend. I read two whole books which I don't get to do very often. I also played with my watercolors. This is the wood stove that replaces the poorly working oil stove. Usually you would have the door shut, but you can leave it open and enjoy the flames too. I'm going to make a tile mat that will go under the stove to protect the wood floor from getting too hot.

Across the lake - my view from the porch.

My sister Kris asked, "can you see the next door cabin from the window?" Why yes, you can!

Sweetie taking the dogs for a little run on the lake.

We got a little snow overnight while we were there. Mine is the Skandic, otherwise know as the "granny" machine.

These are pics of our ride back out to the truck. The lake turns into a highway for snowmachiners.This is the lake.....

Through the woods.....

Through several swamps.... they all look alike so I only took a pic of one.

Down the long hill.....you can see the parking lot in the distance.

Lots of trucks and trailers doing the same thing we are. There can be a hundred trucks in the lot and you still might only see 15 or 20 riders the whole weekend. There is lots of space for riding.

Securing the machines

oooops! Flat tire. I helped (supervised).

This is how the dogs ride....they don't like it much. Roxy will go in the kennel no problem, but she's done it many times before. Taz didn't like it much, it was her first trip going for a ride in the back of the sled. She's capable of running the trail and we'll probably let her do some running next time.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2011-11-10T13:15:00.002-09:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful (for most) but we find it so delightful (we're going to take snowmachines to the cabin) and since we have no (other) place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Yes! We are taking the snowmachines to the cabin for 3 days and we are going to have a ton of fun! There was a hurricane on the west coast of Alaska, but Alaska is so big that it didn't affect us in Southcentral at all. Except it may have contributed to the increased snow all week?

See you on Sunday with lots of pics from the snowy north.

For any burglars out there - our adult kids will be at the house, so don't think you're going to steal from us!

Animal Wednesday

2011-11-09T05:36:00.002-09:00

They take turns "winning".

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Sunday Sketching and more snow

2011-11-06T18:17:00.004-09:00

Today I sketched another visitor. I didn't get to meet her after church so I don't know her name.

We were expecting about 2 inches of snow last night but surprise! We got about 6. Winter is here to stay.
There is about 2 feet at the cabin - we are going to go up next weekend since I've got Friday off for Veteran's Day. Kris - that's plenty of snow for riding at the cabin!!! Can't wait till you get here!

Art Show

2011-11-05T13:05:00.005-08:00

The opening reception for the art show was last night. I thought h'our d'vours might be served but there wasn't any. Apparently some people ruin art by getting food on it, so no more food at art events at this gallery. I guess you can't always expect people to behave properly. A person came with a parrot......our recycling coordinator was appalled and was wondering to me what happens if the bird tries to fly and lands on someone's art or takes a poop? It didn't so maybe the owner knew it couldn't or wouldn't....but it makes other people concerned. There were several small children running around driving toy cars on the walls and pedestals. Besides all that, it was fun! Lots of people came out; I would guess at least a 100 - the gallery was crowded for almost two hours. I had to keep leaving the smaller gallery where the recycled art was located because it was too stuffy, crowded and got hot. The larger front galleries had a little more room so I wandered around looking at the other art on display.

One of my pieces sold first thing - the gallery gets 30%-50% commission (depending on front or back gallery) so I can see why art is priced higher at a gallery than other venues. This lady bought my Weeping Willow - you can see my Fancy Rooster behind her.

Here are some of the other pieces as well as mine.room divider made from old single car garage door and fabric
flowers made from pop bottles
various pieces of broken wood things assembled together - the frame was also put together from more than one old frame.
a mask made from lawn chair slats, detergent bottle and caps
A selection of metal artvarious computer parts and other odds and ends. I didn't take pictures of all of them - there were lots more. My camera battery was running low.

Art Show tomorrow night

2011-11-03T06:22:00.002-08:00

The First Friday Recycle-Revamp-Restore Art Show opens tomorrow night. The opening reception is from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art, 427 D Street. The art is for sale and will be on display for the entire month of November. I've got two pieces in it - I'll post pics tomorrow after the show.

I ended up adding a glass front to the Fancy Rooster made of keys - people were just too tempted to touch it. I had the art displayed at work for a day; one little boy came in and his dad let him touch and feel the keys. I wasn't around at the moment but a wary co-worker suggested to them that they probably shouldn't touch it, so he stopped.

When I took the art to the gallery for hanging I was stupid (in my defense it was windy and cold) and tried to carry them both in at the same time. I couldn't get my car door shut so swung against it with my hip.....and banged the key art against the car. I heard little metallic tinkling sounds and realized I had banged it hard enough to dislodge some keys. Good thing I had added glass to the front or I would have lost the little keys in the snow. I took it back home and had to re-glue it.

Both pieces are now safely at the gallery. I'm told both are already sold but I'll have to wait and see if the buyers actually show up with money in hand. It would be awesome to have them both sell the first night of the show. Then I'll know to charge more next time! I ended up putting a price tag of $250 on the Weeping Willow and $200 on the Fancy Rooster. That is in line with other art at the show....for the most part. I saw some over priced (in my opinion) stuff but it's possible the artist just doesn't want to sell it, so priced it higher than they thought someone would pay.

Lunchtime

2011-11-02T05:51:00.002-08:00

Two ravens taking a little lunch break outside a fast food restaurant. It's been c-c-c-c-cold and windy. I want to hibernate.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Sunday Sketching and SNOW

2011-10-30T15:52:00.003-08:00

Today I was a bit late because I forgot how long it takes to brush all the snow off a car, scrape the windows and then drive excruiatingly slow because the roads were very icy. I slipped through one corner and hit a curb, but that was the worst I did. I saw two fender benders on the way to church and then two more after.

I sketched my bag that carries my art supplies and bible.

This is my front yard.....

and this is the back.

The dogs have been running around like crazy in the new snow. Taz wants to go out, then in, then out, in, out, in, out. She's driving us crazy!

Zentangle

2011-10-27T22:34:00.003-08:00

I worked on this zentangle for about a week doing little bits here and there. I felt obligated to fill the whole page....I don't know why. No one makes me.

Scary dog

2011-10-26T06:03:00.003-08:00

Mom took the most unflattering picture of me this morning. I look like I'm already in my Halloween costume! Where's my ears? Why do I have zombie eyes? Does my chin really look like that?

aaaahhhh, that's a little better. Getting some good petting before she goes off to work.

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Oh Happy Day!

2011-10-25T05:58:00.002-08:00

Today I start training my new payroll clerk. She came in yesterday but I was so busy with closing out payroll that I couldn't spend much time with her. Today I will move ALL the payroll/HR stuff from my desk onto hers and she will start going through it (with my help of course). There is a huge sense of relief in my soul.

I'm looking forward to getting back to normal life. Even though I've only been working a few extra hours a week, it feels like my brain has been taken hostage by all these payroll thoughts leaving no room for anything creative. I'm so anxious to start something new.

6 inches of snow at the cabin, but none here in town yet. Soon we will be snowmachining - I can't wait. That's the part about winter that I do love, getting to go to our cozy cabin more often; away from computers, faxes, phones and all the little things that make my life too busy.

Sunday Sketching

2011-10-23T16:25:00.004-08:00

Today we had a mission's conference which included a couple of guest speakers, a potluck after church and an auction to raise money for some missions we support. I donated a watercolor pet portrait to the auction and it sold for $120. Now the winning bidder will supply me with a couple photographs of her pet (Springer Spaniel) and I'll paint a picture for her. I was a little afraid no one would bid on it, but to my relief they did.
While the speakers were talking I sketched Laura. I redid her profile about 10-15 times and then put the sketch away. After awhile I pulled it out again and redid the profile about 5 more times. It looks somewhat like her, but not a perfect portrayal. When I brought it home though my husband knew right off who it was so it must look more like her than I thought. Sometimes it's really hard for me to capture the one thing that makes them who they are...but figuring out what that particular thing is is the hard part.

Sweet grandbaby

2011-10-21T05:45:00.002-08:00

Aiden is looking at his sister Hailey and smiling at her when she smiles at him. I'm ready to see him again! They are planning to come up in January - at least I hope that's still the plan.

haikus - although the cadence may be off it's what I'm feeling this morning. We had snowflakes yesterday - didn't stick, but it's coming soon.

migraine
sharp, mean, hurts
makes me cranky

Imitrex
soothing help
makes me sleepy

work
don't want to go
force myself

The light at the end of the tunnel

2011-10-18T17:38:00.005-08:00

I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I mentioned that to a co-worker and he reminded me that it could just be the train coming to run me over....ha ha ha.

I hired a payroll clerk - she starts on Monday. The A/P clerk just returned and I've turned all her stuff back over to her. I can see some relief soon. It's been a long, hard month but I knew I would survive. The bonus is I got some overtime; there's no time like overtime and no day like payday!

I went to a park for lunch today. I sat in my car with the heat on (it's only 40 degrees) and watched this guy flying his kite. It was beautiful to see.I did a quick sketch at church last Sunday - just the backside of someone's head.Still no word on the Recycle-Revamp-Restore Art competition. The coordinator has promised to place all the art into a color online folder for people to view, but it hasn't been done yet. I want you all to see what some of the others did too so I'll link it when she gets it posted.

Boring

2011-10-11T06:12:00.003-08:00

I'm so boring. Nothing is going on in my life except work. Yesterday I wanted to sketch or paint or do something but I just felt too tired so I watched TV after eating dinner. How's that for interesting?

Snow on the mountains

2011-10-06T05:57:00.002-08:00

We've got lots of snow on the mountains, but so far, none in the yard although it was predicted for Thursday and Friday this week. We'll see; maybe we'll have some by the time I get off work.

Work has been busy but I'm getting through it. Yesterday a few people were missing and I was amazed at how much I got done just because I wasn't constantly being interrupted. Hope today is the same.

The Recycled Art competition is still not complete. All the pieces are being judged by "professionals" or at least some people in the recycling community. I haven't heard yet where I stand. The opening is not until Nov 1, so it's still three weeks off.

Too busy for blogger

2011-10-03T05:11:00.002-08:00

Life has just gotten too busy for blogging. Another one of my staff had to head out of state due to her father's failing health, so I'm covering her job also. I've got interviews today and tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to start someone within the next two weeks - although then I'll be spending a lot of time in training.

Migraine over the weekend so didn't get much done. Just sat on the couch all day, both days. It felt good not to be doing something. Headache is gone and I'm ready to start the week; I got up early so I can get a jump-start on work.

I'll check in from time to time, but may be away for a week or so. It's been cold here, we're expecting snow any day. There is lots of snow on the mountains and some in the higher elevations around town.

I have applicants!

2011-09-29T05:53:00.002-08:00

I received my certified applicants list yesterday at work. This means I can set up interviews and find myself a new payroll clerk. I hope to start interviews on Monday and finish on Tuesday. I've got 6 applicants and from the resumes at least four look experieced and two look exceptional. I think I will have to make some tough decisions, but I'd rather have too many good applicants than not enough. Only one of them knows the job will end in 4-5 months, but I will let the rest know when I schedule the interviews so if they aren't interested they can back out.

In answer to the Alaskan readers of my blog, the Recycled Art opening is Friday, November 1 at the International Gallery of Contemporary Arts in the 4th Avenue Marketplace. I already have buyers for both pieces....and they don't even know what price I've put on them. A co-worker wants the Rooster and my sister wants the Willow. I am struggling with how to price them, I looked at several of the other art submissions and they range from $100 up to $1,500. Pricing my art is always the hardest part for me. Do any of you have a formula you use to price your art? time? expenses? gut feeling? The gallery also takes 20% commission of anything sold.

Recycled Art

2011-09-28T05:51:00.003-08:00

I finished my second piece for the Recycled Art competition at 10:00pm last night. Today is the deadline - nothing like cutting it close to get the creative juices flowing. This ended up taking way more time than I thought it would - cutting and gluing all those little tiny pieces is super time consuming!

I'm calling it Weeping Willow. It's made from little bits of paper cut from National Geographic Magazines that had been thrown away where I work. The "weeping" leaves are made from sad parts of a couple different books so the tree is weeping words. I don't know if they'll show up in the photo, but they show up when you get close to the picture. The frame is from Salvation Army and painted with paint from the Household Hazardous Waste Reuse facility.
You've already seen this; it's my second entry into the competition. This one is called Fancy Rooster and is made from used keys and frame/base is a cupboard door that has been painted with recycled paint from the HHW facility also (which is at my place of work). It's handy to work for a garbage company when you're making recycled art!

Zentangle bookmarks

2011-09-25T09:14:00.004-08:00

I bought a small laminator and I already LOVE it! I took some of my zentangle designs, printed them out, cropped, laminated and voila! Bookmarks! I'm going to be doing some craft bazaars this fall and thought this might be a little something extra on my table. I will leave some blank, but on some I will put scripture verses and other quotes on the back. I'll crop the wording and make it prettier when I get a system going, these are just my prototypes to test the laminator.

work, work, work

2011-09-24T07:09:00.003-08:00

All work and no play makes Patty a very dull girl. Back to work this morning; got to get the payroll done so all my co-workers can get paid next week. I spent three evenings packing up meat. I'm tired.

I have dreams of finishing my recycled art today. Hoping the work only takes half a day and then I'm going to have lunch with a sister and then back home to cut, glue, paste, design, create and have a good time.

Sweetie is back at the cabin to work on the stovepipe for the woodstove that just replaced the old oil stove that never worked properly.

In answer to a few questions from last post. No, I've never carved moose antlers although there are many Alaskan artists who do. They are often carved into flying eagle shapes because the tines kind of look like wing/tail feathers. Besides killing a moose to get the antlers (and meat) you can pick up shed antlers if you find them and carve those. I feel like I have enough hobbies/crafts to keep me busy forever so am not planning to pick up carving anytime soon. Tim plans to hang ours on the cabin....that's a very traditional thing to do with them.

Moose meat tastes closer to venison (deer) than anything, but I think venison is better. It's probably all in how you cook it...moose ALWAYS seems tough to me unless I've slow-cooked it forever or I'm eating tenderloins or backstraps. We eat wild game because my husband loves to hunt and get his own meat rather than buy from the store. Plus it's a lot cheaper - we have a freezer full of moose, salmon and halibut (we already ate the spruce hens) so I won't need to buy any for a long time.

Disclaimer: It's not really cheaper; husbands can spend a lot of money on guns, ammo, binoculars, scopes, knives, gas, trucks, trailers, 4-wheelers, boats, boots, clothing, and all the other hunting accessories that are "must-haves" for any trip. It's only cheaper because it doesn't come out of my grocery budget, although it does come out of the general fund.

Moose

2011-09-21T06:38:00.004-08:00

Sweetie is back from his moose-hunting excursion. He heard the moose out in the woods and through a series of calls was able to lure him in closer to the cabin. The moose came through the brush on the opposite side of the lake but he had to wait a few moments to make sure it was legal by counting the brow tines. Once he knew it was legal, he took the shot and dropped it. I think Tim would agree this was one of his easiest hunts ever. Usually he walks for miles and then has to haul it all back to the campsite. This is a medium sized moose so should be tender and delicious.Tim spent yesterday cutting up the bagged meat (rib and neck meat, tenderloin, backstrap, and heart) and then grinding all the loose meat into hamburger. When I got home from work we started the wrapping process which I didn't finish until 9:00 pm. I estimate about 75 packages packed last evening. And that's just the beginning. He still needs to bone out all four quarters and cut into steaks and roasts. We are hoping for another 30 pounds or so of scrap meat that I can take to a sausage company and have made into weiners, teriyaki sticks and sausage.
A woodpecker was hanging out at the cabin and pecking on the moose antlers.
Tim noticed this near-perfect round rock sticking out of our neighbors dirt pile. He dug it out and carried it to our cabin - he's calling it a Grizzly Egg.
Just the day after he shot the first bull, he called in another one that came up right into the yard. It wasn't legal plus he already had one so this one got a reprieve until next year.

Sunday Sketching

2011-09-18T19:05:00.006-08:00

I sketched Gavin's dad today but I'm too lazy to go get my church directory so I can be reminded of his name. I know his name, I just can't think of it right this second. Don't you just hate that?!
I finished my fancy rooster last night. I stayed up till midnight getting it all glued into place. I appreciate everyone's suggestions and ideas. I especially loved Chris' comment "Glue it down already!" I realized I was doing the equivalent of over-painting...so I tore it up, put it back together similar to the very first design I did and glued it down. I'm very pleased with it even though it's head looks a little more peacock than rooster, that's why he's a "fancy" rooster. btw, this piece of art is 100% recycled - the keys are left over from our dept re-keying several years ago, the paint is from the muni Haz Waste center, and the board it's mounted on is a cupboard front from the ReStore, a store that sells used construction and contractor type items.

I started my next recyled art project. I'm planning a paper collage of a Weeping Willow tree; I've never done this before. It's very time consuming with lots of little bits of paper to glue. But I'm having fun. There's a twist on the "weeping" part, but it's too hard to explain. When I finish it I'll post it and then it will be obvious. (old piece of cardboard, colors cut from various magazines, and will be framed in a frame I picked up for a couple bucks from Salvation Army and that will be painted with paint from the muni Haz Waste site)

Good news

2011-09-16T22:44:00.004-08:00

It's the end of the week and I've been busy with my recycled art when not at work. I tried the Key Rooster on white and decided it wasn't quite right, so I went back to the haz waste center and picked up the only small dark can of paint they had. It's Buckeye Brown and turned out rather nicely. I still haven't glued the keys down permanently, but I'm getting closer. My goal is to have this done by Sunday evening but I keep moving his feet around and rearranging the tail feathers. Then I adjust the comb and try a different shaped key for the waddle. There are a lot of subtle changes that can be made with the variety of keys I have. (too much tail?)
While on our trip to Tok two weeks ago, we drove through the "town" of Tazlina and decided to rename our dog. Tazmanian Devil is just too hard and long to say when you want to sweet talk to her or when you're mad, so now she is Tazlina, still Taz for short. She likes it. She wags her tail when I say it. Of course, she wags her tail when I say in a sweet voice, "my! what a stupid little dog you are", so it may just be the way I'm talking to her.

My husband was able to get the truck looked at Tuesday morning and was assured it would be okay to take it up to the cabin. So he left. Then the next day, when he returned to the truck he found it was leaking some fluid from somewhere on the driveshaft, line, wheel hub, (I can't quite remember what he told me) anyways, he was really bummed about that and thinking about just driving back to town and getting it into the shop (maybe a different shop?) to get fixed. I told him to call me before he left so I wouldn't have to worry about him breaking down on the highway.

He called me a while later that afternoon all breathless and excited because he had just shot a bull moose from the cabin porch! He couldn't get a signal to call me, so he had climbed 20 feet into a birch tree to make the call. I laughed so hard picturing him up in a tree making that cell phone call. It took him several hours to butcher it and get it hung back at the cabin.

He's decided to stay a few more days but then will return to town so we can get all the meat cut up and packaged. That's where I come in. I'm the chief hamburger grinder, sausage maker and meat packer. We haven't had a moose in several years so I'm actually looking forward to it.

I have another recycled art project I want to start tomorrow. I've got it all figured out in my mind. Just have to create it. It's going to require a lot of cutting paper into small pieces....and glue. I'll let you guess on that for a day or so.

Whiny Wednesday

2011-09-14T06:18:00.003-08:00

I'm whiny. Monday was a very difficult day with closing out the bi-weekly payroll. I may have slipped out the word S**T once when a page full of data I had just entered disappeared after I hit delete instead of tab. Just trying to go too fast. My boss happened to be walking by and covered his ears and told me he could feel them burning. He's hilarious.

Then my husband decided to go to cabin for 1.5 week trip two days early which was last night. I usually do all the food shopping and packing up for him, but couldn't because I got home so late Monday evening. Fortunately my wonderful DIL was willing to go shopping for me during the day - she came by work and I gave her money and a list and it was all done when I got home. Son and DIL are going with him and they were all out in the driveway, ready to leave at 8:00pm when the "check engine" light came on in the truck.

So after all the frantic packing the trip was postponed. Sweetie is taking the truck in this morning to an auto center and may be leaving this morning if it's an easy fix and can get done quickly. Just the day before we had the front wheel bearings redone so were surprised this happened the day after it came home from the shop.

I really want to get back to working on my recycled art, but just feel like I haven't had any time to myself lately. The deadline is Sept 28 and it's not even close to being done. I tried the key design on white but didn't like it at all. So now I'm trying something else. It would probably go a lot quicker if I didn't change the direction each time I work on it.

Got to go. Shower is calling me. Happy Animal Wednesday even though I'm calling it Whiny!

The end of work as I know it

2011-09-09T06:04:00.002-08:00

Today is my payroll clerk's final day at our job. I have worked 11 years with her and she is the most dependable, accurate, conscientious payroll clerk in the world. She accepted another job in another department, PROMPTED by the Finance Dept announcement that they are planning to cut her position which happened while I was on vacation.

They have since rescinded their dire prediction of cutting this position, but then stated "they intend to review it at a later date" which sounds suspiciously like "we are still cutting the job, but we need you to help us transfer over to the new electronic time-keeping system first".

I've been given permission to find a replacement but have been told that there is the possibility the position will still be cut. I asked if they could guarantee a year? "No." Can you guarantee the position will be in place for 6 months? "I wouldn't count on it." So how do I hire somebody KNOWING that the position will be cut? I have decided I will be honest and make sure all applicants know it is not a permanent position but it still leaves me feeling bad about the situation and wondering who will even be interested in learning a new job only to lose it?

The alternative is I can just take on double duty for the next 6 months to a year or whenever. Monday starts a new phase in my life at work. I'm feeling a wee bit pessimistic.

Animal Wednesday

2011-09-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

After receiving a bunch of used keys from a key shop, I've redone the chicken with more keys. I was able to layer them to look more like feathers, add a wing and fix up the feet a little. I love that I was able to find two "drumstick" shaped keys for the drumsticks. I found a cabinet face at the ReStore (a store that sells used construction supplies) and got free white paint at the Household Hazardous Waste Reuse facility. I don't think I'll be mounting it on black. My latest plan is to mount it on white and paint a gold stripe around the frame. I thought white would look more chickeny (white picket fences, white farmhouses, white siding) I think it will look good, but who knows. This will be a Saturday project because I'm tied up too much during the weekdays.

I'm thinking about putting chicken wire behind it too. Maybe too much? I can picture it in my mind but sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. Maybe I will paint it black and then still do the gold stripe. Now I'm rethinking my plan. I hate it when that happens! I probably need to lay it out again on solid white background to decide which I like better. Arrrrgh.

Weekend in Tok

2011-09-06T05:41:00.004-08:00

Matanuska Glacier

Fresh snow on the higher mountains

Tok is up near the Canadian border and 6.5 hours of driving northeast from Anchorage. It was a beautiful drive; fall has already come to Tok. The trees were yellow and orange, the tundra was beautiful reds and purple - I took a few pics from the moving vehicle but they just never capture the true majestic size of the mountains or the colors.
We went to Tok to visit my sister and her son who live there. She is building a frame cabin and does not have running water or indoor plumbing yet although she is working on those as soon as the money is available. Till then, she hauls water and uses an outhouse. She does have electricity so she has lights and a woodstove so she has heat.
Sweetie and I slept in our tent. I had a cot and pads under my sleeping bag so slept quite comfortably. It got cold though; we had a little propane heater that was turned on right before bed and early in the morning to take the nip out of the air before getting dressed. It was down to mid-thirties I'd guess.She has a pitbull named Whisper who was a little dog aggressive and was protecting her own territory. We never had any real fights but these two did the stiff-legged walk with hackles raised a few times. You would think Roxy would just back off since she's a lot smaller, but no, she had to be a butt-head. Whisper got along fine with Taz.

It was caribou hunting season, moose season opens on the 8th. My sister and her friend Jeff had been hunting the day we got there and came home with a caribou. Jeff took it to his place to butcher - we went over later to visit. The dogs were very interested in checking out the hide and other parts and pieces. They live almost entirely on wild game that they shoot, so they were both glad to have at least one caribou in the freezer and are hopeful of getting a moose soon. I didn't see any caribou but apparently they cross the road all the time since these signs were posted in several places.Leaving Tok

Zentangle inspired butterfly

2011-08-31T05:55:00.004-08:00

A zentangle-inspired butterfly for Animal Wednesday. HAW!

I went by a key shop and asked about old keys and was given a bag of keys to add to my collection. I believe I now have enough keys to do the rooster design AND overlap the keys so they look like feathers. I hope. I've been really busy and haven't had more time to work on it; I believe that will be what I do on Monday, Labor Day, since I don't have to work that day. We have planned a trip for this weekend up to Tok, AK (near the Canada border). I haven't been up that way in about 28 years. I'm really looking forward to it. Sweetie has to work Monday so we are headed back Sunday afternoon.

Sunday Sketching

2011-08-28T17:04:00.003-08:00

Today I sketched John H. He sat very still and was at a good angle to draw. Something is wrong with his nose/mustache area, but otherwise I think it looks quite a bit like him. I actually think his nose is a bit bigger.

When I get home and notice what isn't right it makes me want to go back and erase and fix, but then I don't have my subject in front of me so I don't know what to do to fix it. I need to be more observant earlier.

Keys - what to do with them?

2011-08-26T22:35:00.003-08:00

I have collected a large amount of old keys from when we re-keyed our entire department several years ago. Since I was in charge of the keys at the time, I threw all the old keys in a box and have held on to them, meaning to create something wonderful out of them someday. Someday is here!

Anchorage is hosting a re-vAmp, Re-do, re-sTore (ART) event for America Recycles Day on November 15, 2011. The challenge is to create art using 90% recycled or reclaimed product. I am planning on entering the competition and have a couple of ideas.

My first idea was a PorKEYpine or bird sculpture, but the more I work with these keys I realize I don't have enough, nor do I know enough about working with metal. So then I moved on to interesting designs, which works well with keys, but somehow they all seemed rather boring; circles, flowers, and snowflakes. Not really "wow" art in my opinion. This is from my latest playtime. I kind of like this rooster made of keys. I'm thinking if I clean them all really well and put a shine on them, it might look nice on a solid black background.

Have you got any other ideas? The art must be offered for sale, must use 90% reclaimed material, must be portable, and will be entered into a juried art show and displayed around Anchorage.

Zentangle Balloon

2011-08-25T07:09:00.005-08:00

This started out as a zentangle using only stripes and spots but morphed into a hot air balloon. I love when zentangles take on a life of their own.

Messy room sketch

2011-08-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

While I was visiting my family in VA, I slept in the kids room on an air mattress which was quite comfortable. Each morning (or whenever) I woke up, I was usually awake before the rest of the gang except for Katie who fed Aiden around the clock. So as not to disturb the girls who were often sleeping on the couch with my daughter, I would stay in my room for a little while so that the girls would get plenty of sleep. (they couch surf to be close to mommy)

One morning I sketched my mess. I had bags, sandals, dirty clothes, my purse and a suitcase along the wall. I discovered that my little granddaughters were not above sneaking into Grandma's purse to look for some chocolate candy which was hidden there. When Hailey came out with mouth covered in chocolate, I knew where it came from.

Whoops! Did I just sneak in some more pics of my grandchildren?! Not me! Must be blogger acting up again.

Apartment sketching

2011-08-23T05:40:00.003-08:00

While I was sitting at the playground in Norfolk, VA I took some time to sketch the surrounding apartments. I really enjoyed my daughter's apartment complex; they had a nice playground and pool, the lawn and bushes were all trimmed neatly and the whole area just looked well kept....their maintenance stops outside though. My daughter says it's hard to get them to come fix something inside the apartment.

No other kids to play with...it's not fair!

Fish on!

2011-08-21T08:53:00.005-08:00

Sweetie took me fishing at Jim Creek yesterday morning for silver salmon. It was overcast, windy, cold at only 51 degrees and I got water in my boots...but, I managed to still catch a fish!

My silver salmon - it was flopping around making it difficult for me to hold it.
"road" from the highway in to the fishing area
mud-covered trees along the "road"
Knik Glacier
mountain view from where I was fishing
others fishing along the creek - this is where Jim Creek meets the Knik river which drains from the Knik Glacier

Sketch Journal

2011-08-20T07:22:00.003-08:00

While out walking with my granddaughters, I saw interesting things on the ground that we don't have in AK so I picked some up to take back home and draw; long pine needles, a cicada carcass and a large pinecone (we have pinecones but they aren't big like this one). It was 95 degrees out, so it was not an option for me to sit outside....it might be for some of you, but for me, that's torture.

Emily was quite concerned that I was taking a BUG inside. Even if it was just a dead carcass.
Here are the girls collecting pie-cones. Emily never pronounced the "n" in the middle of Pine so it always came out as "pie" cones.

Grands

2011-08-19T05:39:00.005-08:00

I promise not to bore you with too many pictures of my grandchildren....but really, how could there be too many pictures? We're talking grandkids; one can never have too many!

Two weeks old and not a care in the world.

Emily and Hailey holding little brother Aiden. They have big smiles...he looks a little apprehensive.

Handsome boy

Big and little sisters holding hands on the ferry boat.

Crayon eater! This is at Joe's Crab Shack - a very fun place to eat.

I left my heart in VA

2011-08-18T10:19:00.003-08:00

I'm back in Alaska, but left my heart with my three precious grandbabies in VA. My daughter emailed me this morning to say that Emily keeps asking about me (every five minutes) and "needs Gramma" and "It's not fair!" I already miss them so much.
I'm happy to be home in my own bed, petting my dogs and hugging my sweetie but now it's time to go shopping to refill the cupboards and refrigerator. I did a few sketches while I was gone and will post them later.

While I was gone I found out that someone bought our old sailboat Carina and plans to refurbish her and make a "bed & breakfast" type lodging out of her. He promises to keep in touch and let me know how that comes along. I'm excited that someone is finally taking an interest in her and will get her in the water again.

Also while I was gone (just TWO weeks) I found out that my employers have decided we no longer need a payroll clerk - they are cutting that position. This is a key position and one I don't know how we will do without. Of course they didn't even bother to ask our department, they just made the decision randomly. The majority of the work will come to me and I'm not excited by that at all. I used to have three employees but will now be down to one due to the Mayor's cost-saving measures. I'm a bit freaked out and will get the whole story tomorrow when I go back to work.

I'm hoping to get around and see what news you all have too. I've missed my blogland friends while I was gone!

What dogs might say....

2011-08-03T04:30:00.000-08:00

What dogs might say if they actually knew what was going on.

Roxy: What, you're leaving? When were you going to tell me?
Taz: Throw the ball!
Roxy: Who will feed us?
Taz: Throw the ball!
Roxy: Who will let me out to go potty?
Taz: Throw the ball!
Roxy: When are you coming home?
Taz: I'm hungry, can I have a dog biscuit?
Roxy: Have a good trip! See you soon!
Taz: Where's the ball? Did you throw the ball?

Happy Animal Wednesday! I'm on a plane flying over Alaska, Canada, the Northern states, or landing in VA depending on when you read this.

Aiden

2011-08-02T06:03:00.004-08:00

Here are a few more pictures of my new grandson, Aiden. I get to hold this little guy in my arms tomorrow. Sleepy boy

Looking at his mommy and the camera.

Sunday Sketching

2011-07-31T19:49:00.003-08:00

I sketched a visitor again today. I meant to introduce myself as soon as church was over, but she dashed out before I could.

We drove up today to Wasilla after church to have lunch with my husband's youngest brother. He is in AK for a week as the guest speaker at our church's Jr High week of camp. The person who planned his ticket had him come in the day before camp starts and leaving the day camp ends so he doesn't have any extra time to visit with us or see any of AK. Sweetie is going to spend some time with him next Sat and take him to the airport.

It was rainy and cool. I'm almost looking forward to that hot weather on the East Coast. Almost.

Gettin' Ready to go

2011-07-30T17:48:00.002-08:00

Bought easy food for Sweetie to cook because he's kind of helpless in the kitchen. Check!
Stuck the recipes to the stove with magnets so he can figure it out easily. Check!
Bought cute outfits for girls. Check!
Bought several outfits for new baby grandson! Check!
Figure out what clothes to take. Check!

Still need to do:
I need to find a good book for reading on the airplane.
I also want to get a few toys/dolls or something for the girls. A grandma can't arrive and not have gifts in her suitcase. It just ain't fittin'! I will have to go shop some more on Mon or Tues.
Need to get batteries for the camera, I plan on taking tons of pictures.
Do laundry, and then actually fold it. I usually leave it in a pile until it's all wrinkly again.
Get hair trimmed.

Sweetie suspects he will lose weight while I'm gone....if only it were that easy for me. Seriously, he will not eat rather than figure out how to cook something. He would starve to death if some food didn't come in cans.

I feel like I'm running out of time. Only 3 days till I leave for Virginia.

Welcome Aiden Zapata

2011-07-28T05:47:00.007-08:00

My grandson was born yesterday! Please meet Aiden Zapata; he was 5 lbs 10 oz and born by C-section. Both mom and baby are doing well.

He wasn't due until Aug 8 but the preeclampsia made it unsafe for him to wait any longer so the doctors made the decision to bring him into the world a little sooner than expected. My trip to visit them is planned for Aug 3 so I missed his birth, but will still get to spend 2 weeks with my daughter, SIL and THREE grandchildren. He is the little brother to the two girls on my left sidebar.

We just had a 5.4 earthquake centered about 75 miles NW of Anchorage. No damage. Just a little shaker that makes you wonder, is this the big one? No? Good.

Art journal - motorcycle

2011-07-27T05:30:00.002-08:00

I added another page to my art journal. I drew my son's motorcycle while on my lunch break at work. I know I messed up on the angle of the motorcycle seat and back wheel, but for all intents and purposes, it looks like a motorcycle if I do say so myself.

My son, husband and I all work for the same department although I work in Administration and they both work outside handling the daily garbage. My husband operates a loader and pushes garbage into trucks that haul it to the landfill. My son is a general laborer and greases equipment, picks litter, assists with customers, cleans the public wall, etc. It is great to work with family...especially when you need some change for the soda machine. Or lunch money.
Roxy had four Magpies teasing her along the back fence yesterday. They were squacking and hopping back and forth and she was gullible enough to think she might catch one. Happy Animal Wednesay!

Weeds

2011-07-26T05:47:00.003-08:00

Fireweed is one of my favorite plants. It is growing abundantly this year. It was just lining the road and trail heading out to the cabin.

After complaining about our new cabin neighbor who bulldozed all the trees down.....we (this is hard to admit) decided we'd like some of our land cleared too, so we hired him to clear the alders from behind the cabin giving us a better fire break and a clear, flat area to set up a picnic table and space to play. We also had him knock a few of the stumps out from the front....that's not nearly so noticeable. Sweetie planted grass seed and next time we go out it should be green.That little A-frame thing is a shooting target. Sweetie can target practice in his own back yard. You don't know how happy that makes him.

This is the trail coming in. You can see we didn't have him clear too much - still lots of greenery! It is nice to have a lot of the alder gone though. Sweetie could have removed it by hand but it would have taken lots of time to cut all the branches with chainsaw, pull all the roots out and even I (gasp!) would have been put to work hauling branches to the side. Better to bulldoze it I think!

Artist's Journal

2011-07-25T06:11:00.006-08:00

I started an Artist's Journal after seeing what Teri at Painted Daisies and Lynn at Getting My Feet Wet have been doing. I purchased the book Artist's Journal Workshop by Cathy Johnson and really enjoyed it. Since we were at the cabin this weekend, I thought it was a good time to read and draw.
Also, July 23rd was a Sketch Crawl day across the world, but since nothing like that ever goes on in Anchorage, I decided to have my own sketch crawl in the woods at the cabin, all by myself. So I did four pages of sketches and had lots of fun.....except for the mosquitoes and biting gnats.I tried out my new waterbrush for the first time and really liked it...however I was using paper not meant for water so it warped my paper quite a bit while drying. I didn't post the fourth page because I don't like it...but I'm keeping it in my journal to show me how I improve over time. I hope. I still may rip it out.

Exotic Bird of Paradise

2011-07-21T05:32:00.003-08:00

Exotic Bird of Paradise (or maybe Octopi garden?) When I drew this I had no idea it would kind of look like a bird; it only did after I turned it on it's side. It reminds me of something Alice might have found in Wonderland....after smokin' on the pipe with the caterpillar.

Tazmanian Devil turned Angel?

2011-07-20T06:12:00.004-08:00

Taz is FINALLY settling down and turning into a decent dog. She still gets into stuff so I don't dare leave her alone in the house (several pillows have corners chewed off and have lost some stuffing), she loves to dig holes and Sweetie or I fill them in just as quickly as she digs them....but I do see some hope for her yet. She is very sweet. Yet pushy. She eats hair....what kind of a dog eats dog hair off the floor? Or lint balls?

It's probably too soon to call her an Angel, but she has graduated from Devil to just an imp. Happy Animal Wednesday!

Life get's so busy

2011-07-19T06:03:00.003-08:00

I need a break, a break from my life. It's been so busy lately that I just feel wiped out.

My co-worker will be back tomorrow from being off 2 1/2 weeks for emergency surgery. Then I will be able to catch up on my own job for a week before I leave for Virginia to see my daughter and her family.

VBS is over. It was a long week but a good one. I ended up with a migraine pretty much all weekend again. I think I've been doing too much with not enough rest in between.

Went to see Harry Potter, the final movie. I love that series. I've read the series of books at least 6 times and I'm thinking it's time to go through them again.

My husband got hit by a car while riding his bike home from work last week. A driver turned right without looking right for bikers or pedestrians, a very common hazard for bikers. They are all okay, but I think Sweetie damaged his shoulder/collar bone on left side. He still has sharp pain there a week later.

My daughter is having some complications in pregnancy - hopefully not major. There's a chance she'll have an early C-section. We should find out more tomorrow after some more testing.

Sweetie went on an all-day fishing charter out of Seward this last Saturday and came home with fresh halibut and salmon. I love both. We had salmon for dinner last night and then topped it off with some smoked salmon for dessert.

A friend whose recently retired (the one I drew the ravens in tree picture for) has been diagnosed with cancer....a very small, slow-growing cancer and her expected recovery is good. BUT, I hate to hear the word cancer. It scares me for her. We are having lunch today.
Please pray for her.

I think we are taking that break this weekend by heading up to the cabin. I need it, but feel like it's been too busy at work to take time off. I sometimes wish I could be the one who doesn't care and just let's the ball drop. But I can't; it's not my nature. Hopefully I can get a lot done before Friday so I can take it off and have a 3-day weekend in the woods.

VBS - Final night

2011-07-15T05:51:00.005-08:00

It's been a l-o-n-g week but a good one. The kids we had in class were really wonderful. I got to know a bunch of them a lot better. The next generation coming up is a good group of people, my faith is renewed in mankind! (that's my niece Jadyn in the white)

Our kids in the craft room making journals.
Eager to answer questions!
Playing a water bomb relay - most of them got a little wet. I avoided it!

Jake "the Snake" Jackson tying up the sherriff before robbing the bank.

Petunia Periwinkle just after she's thrown a pie into the face of Caleb Foster, a traveling preacher who just happens to be the identical twin brother of Dr. Marvel who sold her a fake potion that turned her hair green and caused the ruin of her singing and acting career. (This little drama had all the makings of a major daytime soap opera!)Sunnee - the most cheerful little girl you can imagine. I rarely see Sunnee without a big smile on her face, but I think the week was long for her too (her mom is the craft leader). She was crying just before I snapped this picture, but as soon as she saw the camera she forced a smile. By the way, her hair isn't normally this color, it was "crazy hair day" last night.....mine was funky too, but luckily I escaped getting my picture taken!

VBS-Third Night

2011-07-13T05:50:00.004-08:00

Doctorology and Mandy (Kaleb, our Youth Minister and Mandy, our church secretary) Doctorology did a fun experiment which resulted in a small explosion. The kids loved it!

This week is getting long, but it has been so much fun. The kids last night were a lot of fun...we had 14 in our class and a couple of them are kind of rowdy but overall they are really good kids. We have one girl who is allergic to wheat, flour, dairy and sugar so it's hard when it comes time for snacks. What do you all suggest? Something that she can enjoy while the others are eating a cookie? She seems to accept pretty well that she can't have that stuff, but it makes me feel bad.

The skits each night have been hilarious. We have a great group of actors at our church! I had no idea they could get so goofy.Theodore Tweedle, the town sherrif (Andrew, a real policeman), Otis, his trusty Deputy (Gavin) and Sadie, the owner of the Good News Cafe (Alycia)
Otis giving the Sherrif one of "them thar spa treatments".
Petunia Periwinkle (Tiffany), an aspiring actress and singer, is visiting Sadie at the cafe.

Dr. Marvolo (Eric) is trying to sell the audience on his "fix every ailment miracle cure" made from pink albatross wings.

The kids were gullible enough to use their fake dollars to buy up all his ointment - he promised to be back in 1 hour but I think he's gone for good.

Will Otis and Sherrif Tweedle capture Jake the Snake, the scariest bank robber in the West?
Will Petunia Periwinkle get out of Discovery City to go to San Francisco to become a star?
Will Sadie learn to love living in Discovery City?
Will Dr. Marvolo come back with the cure for all ailments?
And will he take Petunia to San Francisco as he promised?

Stay tuned for the next installment.......

ps VBS stands for Vacation Bible School, a popular activity in many churches in the United States. It's usually a week long activity during the summer - we teach children about God using stories, crafts, skits, etc.

VBS-First Night

2011-07-11T05:46:00.002-08:00

VBS was a lot of fun last night. We had 12 first and second graders but I expect we might get a few more tonight. The kids (at least in my group) were well-behaved, the skit was awesome, they had fun making their craft; a satchel to hold their gold, and the snack was gold nuggets, commonly referred to as caramel corn.Travis and Becky did the mission moment about Japan.
Travis and Becky were also in charge of the recreation time so here is my son leading our group of kids to an activity.
The laundry was hung by the pillars with care. Is it a little scary that three of the articles of old time clothing actually belong to my husband? No, not the pink union suit.

VBS Preparation

2011-07-10T16:19:00.004-08:00

Today is the 4th day of migraines but with advil and a generic version of Imitrex I keep going. I've been sleeping pretty well but wake up with headache...after a Pepsi and some meds I'm okay to go. Kind of. I've had to take more meds mid-day on some of the harder ones.

Saturday was spent at church working with some other ladies on the set decorations and changing of our church into a mining town and creating the Discovery Mine. (Discovering Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages is our theme).
Several ladies worked together to make all of this, but Paula spent hours drawing all the old western town buildings. I drew a church (not shown) a mercantile (not shown) and the kitchen scene. The rest were done by Paula although I helped with some of the shading and making signs. The kegs were made by covering 55 gallon drums with paper and colored duct tape.My sister Alicia created the campfire setting. This is where the kids will rotate through for Bible stories told around the campfire.Our church has two main buildings connected by a series of ramps that make it handicap accessible since we don't have an elevator. The series of ramps were turned into the Discovery Mine. Kids enter at one end and there are "gold" rocks and bugs, snakes and lizards to pass before exiting out the other end.
I created the posts and beams for the mine using cardboard sheets that someone else (Deanna and Becky) gave a wood grain to, and then I scored and shaped them. The "rock" walls are from several sheets I painted a few years back to look like boulders. The rocks were a backdrop for another drama the church did one Easter.I'll be heading back to church soon because VBS starts in just an hour. Alicia and I are team teachers for the primary class - I'll be posting more pics this week of all the action. Maybe. We'll see if the kids wear me out first.

bad start

2011-07-07T05:57:00.002-08:00

migraine head hurting
where's my early start today?
work not getting done

Here's my try at Haiku. Took my meds, back to bed, maybe try again in an hour.

Zentangle Blues

2011-07-06T17:32:00.003-08:00

I'm finding I'm spending more time in my zentangle sketch book of late. It relaxes my mind when I'm feeling cranky or stressed. Which I've felt both lately.

Alaska has been beautiful - sunny, blue skies with white fluffy clouds. It's one of those really good summers and I feel like I haven't taken the time to enjoy it. I must start bike riding to and from work so that I'm outdoors in the sun a little each day. Note to self: Get butt out of bed early tomorrow so you can bike ride.

My payroll clerk had an emergency surgery last Saturday which resulted in me having to go to work on Monday, July 4th, and work for 7.5 hours on a beautiful sunny day that I had plans to enjoy. So that bummed me out a little. And then the news that she won't be back to work for 2 weeks which leaves me feeling a little stressed because I have to do both our jobs now until she returns.

Next week is VBS (vacation bible school for those of you non-church people). I will be working at the church this coming Saturday to decorate and turn our building into an old Gold Mining town. Then starting Sunday I'll be teaching an evening class with my sister for 2.5 hours each evening through Thursday.

It will be a busy week, but when it's done, I'm FREE of obligations for awhile!!

Sunday Sketching (last week)

2011-07-02T21:21:00.002-08:00

Last week I was at the cabin during the normal church service, so I sketched what was available. This is our dog, Roxy, sitting in the pew in front of me (I was on the cooler box and she was on the porch). Unfortunately she was one of those fidgety models; she kept flipping her ears to get away from mosquitos, turning her head when she heard bird or squirrel sounds and generally being distracted by Taz who was gnawing on her leg.

Urban Moose

2011-07-01T05:53:00.004-08:00

I saw this trio on the way to work the other day. Had to stop my car, turn around and go back for a few pics. Yes, I was late to work but it was worth it! I'm making up a new day - Happy Animal Friday!

Cabin - Part 4

2011-06-29T21:15:00.005-08:00

Who could resist such a cute face?

Here we are heading back out to the truck. The trail from the cabin to the truck is 3 miles long and since it rained most of Saturday, it got a little muddy. This is why the dogs ride in their kennel in the back of the truck. We used to let them sit on the back seat on a blanket, but they'd still get mud everywhere.

I'm having much difficulites with moving pics on blogger and with leaving comments. What's up with that?

Cabin - Part 3

2011-06-28T17:28:00.005-08:00

The highlight of this trip for me was a pair of swans who landed on our lake. I kept my distance at first, not wanting to scare them, but then kept walking closer taking more pictures and they came closer to me too, acting curious about me.HONK!
Taz was afraid of the stairs on our porch and inside the cabin. She kept leaping up and down off the porch the first day but finally got used to them. Here she is leaping down, right next to the stairs.Here are both dogs waiting to go down the stairs. Taz is scared but will follow me, Roxy is just confused because I'm standing at the top and didn't go down. She had already gone down and then came back up to see what was taking so long. By day 2 Taz could go up and down all by herself.Here's my upstairs bedroom. I love going to the cabin and actually sleeping in a real bed! I used to tent camp all the time, and a bed is so much better than the ground!
This is downstairs, one from the door looking in - the stairs starts in the corner. The other is from that corner looking back at the door. You can see my kitchen and 3-burner propane stovetop.Someone asked what time the sun sets in AK right now. I took this picture at 10:15 pm and the sun is still above the horizon. I checked our weather channel, the sun officially sets at 11:41 pm today and will rise at 4:25 am tomorrow. But it's still light since it's just barely over the horizon.
I have a few more pics to show and will do so tomorrow. I hope you are enjoying the trip to the cabin with me!

Cabin - Part 2

2011-06-27T20:43:00.004-08:00

Here is our rustic and wild cabin....
And here is our new neighbors cabin, not nearly as rustic. The smaller one is his shed.

We went and visited our new neighbor Bill and discovered he is a really nice person. He just has a different idea of being in the wilderness than we do. His wife is a city girl and will not come to the cabin with him unless she has indoor plumbing and TV and internet, so he said don't be surprised when he installs a satellite dish.
We tried to teach Taz to swim. She's a little unsure of the water, but loved going for a boat ride.
Tim dumped her out of the boat and she swam to shore, splashing wildly as she swam. I was laughing so hard I almost forgot to take a picture. She wasn't frightened because when she got to shore, she shook herself and immediately jumped back in the boat with the man who threw her over. He dumped her in again and she swam to shore again.
Roxy doesn't like swimming at all, but she was sad when Sweetie left her on shore so she swam out to the boat to be with him.
The dogs really enjoy getting out to the woods. They also enjoy eating grass, wood chunks, and slime from the lake. Both of them upchucked in the cabin in the wee hours of the morning. Why do dogs have to do that?

Cabin pics

2011-06-27T05:50:00.004-08:00

We had a beautiful trip up to the cabin for the weekend. Friday was a glorious sunny day that got up to 72 degrees. It rained off and on most of Saturday, but I didn't care...I was indoors reading a book. We came back Sunday afternoon: tired and muddy, but glad to have been able to go for a few days.Usually we have two four-wheelers but one needs some work, so we didn't take it. We rode double on this one. The dogs rode in back in that kennel. We decided to train Taz to ride in the kennel so she doesn't even expect to get to sit in the backseat.
Sweetie unloading the four-wheeler. Usually there are a lot of trucks here, but I think most people are coming up next weekend, for the 4th of July. It was rather quiet this weekend.

This is the start of the trail. It has been fairly dry this year and the trail was in really good shape. I could have managed it myself without getting stuck. Some years it's terrible and we've gotten stuck several times. This is Taz' first trip out. She did great running along with us.
Roxy took up lead position. She always runs out front. Taz trotted along behind.

Our cabin is three miles in...this where we come off the main trail to the little trail that leads to our cabin. We put the sign up so others will know it's a private trail and not end up in our front yard when they are out sightseeing.Part of the trail goes along the side of the lake.
My view from the porch of my cabin. Isn't it beautiful?!!! I never get tired of sitting on the porch and enjoying the view.
From the edge of our property looking back at the cabin. It's so rustic, surrounded by greenery and wildlife and is our retreat from the city life of Anchorage. In sharp contrast to our new neighbor whose cabin is up.....he's got plans for TWO indoor bathrooms, satellite TV and cooks with a microwave. Hardly our idea of "roughing it" in the woods. I'll show more pics tomorrow.

Cabin

2011-06-24T09:31:00.001-08:00

We are headed to the cabin for the weekend!!! I'll take lots of pics. To those of you who heard about the earthquake in Alaska, it was centered on the west coast of the state, far from where we live. It created a tsunami warning that was later canceled. I never felt a thing!

Round and round they go....

2011-06-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Round and round they go and where it stops...nobody knows!

This is Roxy and Taz playing "keep away" with a blue rubber bone. I was throwing it in the backyard. Taz will bring it back after prancing around but Roxy will just keep running around the yard with it till Taz takes it away. Taz always wins....she's faster.
Happy Animal Wednesday!

Glass pendants

2011-06-21T05:42:00.004-08:00

The ladies made some awesome glass pendants at our retreat this past weekend. There were 16 that completed the project.

This is my homemade drying station. I cut a hole in a piece of cardboard, got the precise height I wanted with books and pieces of wood, tucked my hairdryer into it and set it on low.

I'm particularly proud of these two - both ladies created their own art for the pendant.
I gave them a choice of pretty origami paper, hymns or create their own zentangle. Only two were brave enough to draw their own, several ended up layering the hymns with origami paper and they all turned out quite nice. Several ladies asked if they could put their bales on the side and hang them horizontal instead of vertical....I told them they could but they'd have to make sure the bales were centered or it wouldn't hang level. They all opted to hang them vertical after all.
My sister Alicia did a cooking demonstration to show how to make Creme Brulee. Most people think it's hard to make, but apparently it's pretty easy. I didn't get to watch, I was busy with ladies making pendants. She made two batches and they were delicious!

Sunday Sketching

2011-06-19T19:24:00.003-08:00

Today I sketched a visitor. I just got back from our ladies retreat this morning, had to run home and shower and then hurried to church. Arrived a little late, but not too bad.

Camp Challenge has this beautiful view of Pioneer Peak. This sketch is from the second floor of the lodge at our retreat. I was sketching during one of our "quiet" times. We had beautiful weather and spent a lot of time outdoors. There was a campfire both evenings along with silly stories and s'mores.

Empty Nest (syndrome)

2011-06-17T11:42:00.004-08:00

Just a day after the goose hatched her five goslings, they left the nest, crossed the street and now live in the marshy area next to our work site. I haven't seen them since the day I took pics of the cute cuddly balls of fluff. After she vacated the nest I took another pic of the empty nest - it's got rocks all over in the bottom. It was not the nicest or coziest place to lay her eggs.

Speaking of empty nests, I have an empty nest too. About 6 years ago my son graduated from highschool and moved into an apartment that same night (possibly a little in a hurry to get away from home?) and then within the week my daughter flew to Illinois and began her basic training in the Navy. It was an awful week. I cried a lot and continued to cry off and on for about a year.

I don't know why empty nest is so hard on the moms but it was on me. Even 3 or so years later, something would happen and I would be in tears because I missed my kids so much. It didn't help that one was living in Norfolk, VA (clear across the US from AK) or that my other was in Missouri (and sometimes Japan). Now the son is back in Anchorage for a time (he'll be leaving in February) and the daughter is still in VA....but we have frequent phone calls and she's come home to visit several times bringing her husband and new babies each time she comes. That part has been wonderful! I get to visit her in August when the third grandchild arrives. I'm so looking forward to it, yet dreading VA in August where it gets to be 100 degrees fairly regularly.

It gets easier over time. There are benefits to the kids growing up....I've added a daughter-in-law, son-in-law and two (almost three) grandchildren as well as getting to go visit places I wouldn't have in the past. I have my own art room thanks to Travis moving out, and Sweetie has his own room thanks to Katie moving away. I don't spend nearly as much on food, nor do I have to plan and cook meals like I used to. We don't have to plan around more than two schedules and the two cars are always in the driveway in the right order. At one point we had 6 running and non-running vehicles in our driveway which the kids had to shuffle around to make sure I could back out easily when it was time to go to work.

All in all, it's good kids grow up and leave home and become responsible adults. I've adjusted and look forward to the coming phases of life, such as retirement (someday) and eventually great-grandkids. Life is good!

Ladies retreat

2011-06-16T06:28:00.003-08:00

Our CCA Ladies Retreat starts tomorrow afternoon. I am in charge of providing some kind of craft activity and this is what I decided to do. The ladies will have options to either use pretty colored paper, pages from hymnals or create their own zentangle for the back of the glass pendant. I rather like the way they have turned out. I ended up using Aleenes Clear Gel Tacky Glue which seems to be working pretty well. I used a nail file to clean up the edges from leftover glue (thanks Mim for the great idea!) and I figured out a little contraption to set up my blow dryer so I can dry the glue faster than leaving overnight. I think I can handle 10 ladies at a time and show them this simple, yet elegant idea for making jewelry.

Sunday Sketching

2011-06-12T19:08:00.002-08:00

I had another migraine today and arrived a little late to church. My normal seat was taken! Fancy that! Someone stole my seat at church...who would have thunk it?

I sketched a visitor, please don't judge her on her appearance....that may be my fault. I had a hard time drawing her and I'm afraid it's not very flattering. She really looked much better than I sketched! This is one of the dangers of sketching people; if she found out how poorly I had sketched her she could be very offended. I would hate to hurt someone's feelings due to my lack of drawing abilities. Better to keep it secret!