Boys and more boys

I had the car brim full of boys yesterday as we went to the hills for some R & R. Trevor, Nathan, Brenden and Cameron piled in and off we went. Our first stop in Angel's Camp was at Burger King. Then on to the campground where we settled into the screen room and pulled out a bunch of old board games and other diversions. After playing for awhile, we changed and went to the pool. We only had to share with a little boy and his grownups. My big boys hung out at the deep end so their rowdiness (all in good fun) would not scare the little guy. Finally they wore each other out and decided to go to the teen center to play pool and ping pong. Cameron isn't a teen yet, so he and I sat on the deck and played a game on my laptop computer. He sure wanted to sneak into the teen room, but I made them stick to the rules. His time will come. The boys wanted to go to Subway for foot long sandwiches for dinner, so that was our last stop of the day. You should see them inhale those big sandwiches. And several 6 packs of soft drinks. Golly, I forgot about that!

It was so much fun for me to have the boys in tow. They are a lot of fun and it reminded me so much of the fun I had with my three boys when they were kids. Boys have so much energy and power. Maybe some will wear off on me.

In two weeks, Candis and a friend will go back with me for an overnight and girly things. In the meantime, my art friends and I will be there for several days. And hopefully my brother and sister-in-law can join us. I can't let summer slip away without cramming in all the country fun I can fit on the calendar.

Salida and back again

Wed. I had to be in Salida (dont' ask why!). To make the trip into a fun one, Sally picked me up and we drove to Nancy's palace where Rosemary met us. Nancy drove us to Salida with help from my GPS "Faith". After my appt. we went on to Modesto to a fabulous lunch at the Bakery. This was followed by walking around the shopping center and popping in and out of interesting shops. I found some wonderful papers at the art supply shop (well, to tell the truth, Sally found them). And Nancy wanted to go to the health food store for odd things. I spent time there reading labels and enjoying their air conditioning. What else would art girls do on a day out? Big Lots, Michael's and Beverly's. Of course. More art supplies! When we got back to Nancy's she fed us some of her weird soup/stew. Gosh, it may have sounded weird, but it was delicious, filling and nutritious all in one. I'm going to make some too. Then Sally dropped me off at home after our 45 minte ride home. Ride sharing is part of our life styles now.

What a little bead can add to a piece

I took some of the quilties I was working on and added the little beads. That exta touch makes a big difference. Like putting on your earrings.

La Selva Art show

Buddy and I had several wonderful days on the coast. The first couple days were beautiful weather. One day was perfect. Buddy and I went to Rio Del Mar beach and walked along the water's edge. It was sunny and warm, and no wind at all. Buddy had never been to the beach before, so this was new to him. So many different smells, he darn near wore out his little nose.

The day of the art show was cold and foggy - all day long. We all expected it to clear up by 11 or 12, but it never happened. But, it was fun none the less. Lots of people came to the show. Maybe more than the last one, at least it seemed that way to me. I had a very successful show. It was better than I expected. The slide mailers were my biggest sellers.

I saw lots of friends there, and made some new ones too. I also had the fun of fanning the flames of inspiration for a few artists who might now be working on their altered books. Hi to Susan, Cyndi, Anne, Jane, Catherine, Virginia, Melanie, and everyone who stopped by to say hello.

The book on Food Poisoning with quotes from William Shakespeare went over well with the few I chose to show it to. It evoked smiles and laughs and was a fun thing to share.

Now, it's good to be home and start cleaning the studio once again!

Where am I now? Lost in San Jose.

I spent an hour in San Jose, lost! Hopelessly lost. And without my GPS. Jim's car wouldn't start today so he asked me to take his baseball game tickets to a friend. He gave me a map, but it was a closeup, so I was confused. I thought 880 went off of Hwy 101, so I came that way and when I got to the 680, 280 turnoff, I realized he must have wanted me to come up Hwy 17. So I tried to find it from the North, and got cut off from making the right turn by some maniac! I got off at the next exit and tried to find a way to circle back and get on track again. Finally, I just gave up across the street from the new City Hall, and went to a gas station to call them. They had to come find me!

Then they told me how to get back to the freeway, but when I tried it, the signs had me so confused I didn't know which way to go, or to go straight ahead - that took me another 20 minutes to get straight. At one point I accidentally turned into the street the SJ flea market is on and it was locked up tight. I U-turned and got out of there fast. Oh, why, oh why didn't I take Faith (my GPS) with me? I was so frustrated and filled with angst - I dont' ever want to do that again. I used to think of those things as adventures. But this was just a big bother!

Waving my little flag!

I printed a sign for my table at the La Selva Beach Art Show which is this coming Saturday. Here's my sign.

IN LIGHT OF THE PRESENT ECONOMY,
I HAVE REDUCED MY PRICES.
THIS IS NOT A SALE,
IT IS A PROTEST!

Slide mailers

I've been busy creating with microscope slide mailers as the base, for the La Selva Beach Art Show. Here are some pics. I did series on birds (of course), Mona Lisa, Friendship. Sorry I had to shoot with camera and not scanner. But you get the idea. These make darling little gifts and keepsakes.

What do you do with a really old beat up quilt?

Cut it up or throw it out. Those were my choices. So, of course, I cut it up. I'm making little quiltie kits with the pieces. Today I started making some samples. They are not finished yet, need a button or two here or there, etc. Or some bits and bobs and beads. But this is how far I got.

Old friends

I was delighted to open one of my email boxes today and found a couple really nice surprises. First a message from Barbara W. A dear, close friend from high school days. We have not been in touch since she got married. We have many shared memories, it will be fun getting to know each other again and find out what her life has been like.

Then, in my spam folder in the same mail box, I spotted something I normally would not open - but I took a chance, and low and behold! It was from two gals who were best friends from Jr. High and High school days. Gladys O and Pat R. You could knock me over with a feather. This is just too good to be true.

With the smoke hanging heavy in the air, the whole world has taken on a different hue and it feels like the end of the earth. I'm not trying to be dramatic, it's just that's how it seems. And then these two chance encounters coming the same day - how strange life is.

I can't wait to hear from them again, and hope maybe we can meet again some day.

Air Quality

How much we take for granted in life. I'm a fresh air kinda gal. Keeping the windows and doors wide open as much as possible. I seldom use the AC unless it's in high 90s or over 100 degrees. it isn't just being thrifty, it's just that I prefer fresh air.

The air quality today is 189 on the index, which is dangerous to breathe. It has even saturated the house now, so the smell of smoke is inside as well as out. The terrible thing is - we are hundreds of miles from the source - the wildfires around the state. How awful it must be for those closer. I am sending prayers for those in the paths of the fires, and the firefighters who are out in these high temperatures trying to stop the devastation.

Do I hear horns blowing?

It must have been coming from a friends house. The Stockton SICL art pals had lunch together today. Four of the members (Gloria, Helen, Jean and John) took at least one prize apiece at the County Fair for their paintings. Congrats, friends. I'm proud of you!

Hot and smoky

The wild fires around the state have made the airy murky, coupled with the heat wave (today was 107, and tomorrow expected to be 110 degrees). Our sky has a strange hue. When the sun comes up in the morning it is red through the haze. And my pink roses look salmon colored. It's best to stay in on days like this.

4th of July in the Sierras

God bless America! We had a wonderful, safe and sane 4th of July. We didn't hear a single fire cracker or see a sparkler. The campground had a zero tolerance policy due to the high fire danger and also the fire companies cover such a large territory and there are so many fires in CA right now - we could not take any chances. I'm so glad everyone cooperated without complaining. We all have vested interests in this property and no one ignored the warnings that were posted along the roads. Way to go campers!

Buddy and I had a great time. Buddy is everyone's friend in the camp. People come rushing out to see and pet him as we take our long walks around the roads. I really miss walking Suzie with him, but he is beginning to make some other dog friends in the country. Particularly a little female that makes his ears perk up and he stands up taller and struts for her. His habits have changed a lot since we lost Suzie - but so have mine. He no longer pulls on the leash. He no longer pees on every twig and pine needle. I figure that was their little game of outdoing each other. He has taken her place on the chair with me. He always was at my knee, now he is on my hip. He always slept on the foot of the bed near my feet, while Suzie always was curled at my side. Now, he sometimes takes her place there. But, if it is warmer, he goes back down to the bottom of the bed.

Buddy got to ride in the Poker Run on Rea's golf cart. She was nice enough to invite us to be her guests and we had a great time laughing and getting confused and lost. Then we went to the barbeque where Buddy discovered there are a bunch of guys who make hamburgers and hot dogs right up the road, in walking distance from our campsite. Now he wants to go there all the time. (little does he know they only do this for holidays and annual meetings). Sally and Mel took Buddy in the annual golf cart parade. Not only was their cart decorated (you know Sally), but she also decorated Buddy. I'll post some pics tomorrow. Anyway, you can see he had a jolly 4th of July, the best one in his whole life.

The Photos: Sally and I are in the car surrounded by our yard sale finds! We barely fit in the car. The bikes are for rent in Murphys. The Frog with Cat and Sal is one celebrating Calaveras County Frog Jump. They are all around the county, each one unique. That's Sally and Mel with Buddy before he got dressed up for the parade. And that's a shot of the parade!

We came home this evening (Monday) having been gone since last Thursday. I could have stayed much longer had it not been for an appointment on Wed. Then, we are turning around and going right back up there for a few more nice days.

I hope you all had a joyous, jolly time too.