A Country Drive

We were in NH yesterday for an antique fair that was over before we got there (rain) but I really didn't care. We drove around, hiked a bit, swatted mosquitos and had a relaxing time. Here are some images that I just had to share.

Someday I'm gonna get me one of these to drive around town with. Just love the antique cars.

We were driving down this road, and stopped to look at the view - and I took a million pictures it was so classic and gorgeous. Camera might have been on the wrong setting, but it was also warm, and hazy from the rain. But gorgeous, just beautiful.









A funny little shop in the middle of town - quite old.

A historic house, I have no idea why it was historic - there was no explanation. But I just love these wide fat classic NE houses, their proportions just make me feel good. This should go into the list of "strange signs that I have seen". This was an ad for a flea market in an old house. I thought this sign was very spooky.
A rock surface. Perhaps a geologist would disagree with me, but I love the thought of these scratches being caused by "The Glacier". I've always been fascinated by the thought of something moving across the world leaving these marked rocks behind.
My garden phlox - a lovely welcome home.
And many of these flying today.


Lovely day. More to come as we have the day off today. Beach day!!!

Six Word Saturday

Friends' Art - a joy to receive

I hope a hyphen doesn't count as a word. I'm been receiving such wonderful ATC's and artwork and want to show it all - or at least most.

A new Corkboard in my studio - I hope you can double click to see the wonderful things I have received. Not everything is on the board yet, but I have two more boards on the side. Always room for more artwork. Not everything is posted yet but will be.

A Cactus-Zentangle from Lynn. Isn't it great? I love the contrast of the green and blue, up lines and cross lines. This works so well.

A watch-duck from Cris. Look at the way he is sitting there, just watching and waiting to see if something happens (what DO ducks wait for?)

A cubism ATC from Soulbrush with three inchies. Firstly the colors in the cubism work so well together, and the inchies - are just adorable. But, I keep saying to myself - NO inchies for you. NOT another thing. No!! (but they are cute)

I got this fish on newspaper a few weeks ago from Laurel and framed it. Itsn't it wonderful?



Now some of my work in process - be interested in your opinions.

Started a new fish watercolor. This is just the basis - they need alot more texture and some context. With a hint from Lolo and DH, the fish in the back is slightly lighter....

This piece I had in B and W for a long time, and have recently started to color it. Again, more texture needed - colored pencils, pastels. We'll see how it works out.

This is a little segment from the picture above - I love those little fish.


When I started into this art journey I bought a whole bunch of those pre-made items from the Michaels store, mainly because I thought they were cute and I thought I'd never be able to draw them. Well, I haven't used them in years and finally gave 95% away the other day. But I kept a few and am using them as props for fun. Here, Miss Em is beginning to learn to play the cello - but she has forgotten her yellow shoes!

Have a happy Saturday!

Post script - just got these beauties from Teri - the frog ATC and two wonderful Moo cards...talented lady that Teri...

Postcard Friday - Maude Adams

This is a postcard that I have of Maude Adams - who I had to look up. No date on the postcard, no address - must have just been a souvenier. The rest of the text is from Wikipedia.

Maude Adams (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953) was an American stage actress, who achieved her greatest success as Peter Pan.^[1][2]Adams' personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful^[3][4][5] and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more than one million dollars during her peak.^[6]She was often referred to simply as "Maudie" by her fans.

Most of what is known of her ancestry traces through her maternal grandmother, Julia Ann (Banker) Adams. The Banker family came from Plattsburgh, a small town in upstate New York. Maude's great grandfather Platt Banker converted to Mormonism, and it is said that the family migrated to Missouri with the Joseph Smith party. Whether this is true or not, the family did migrate to Missouri, where Julia married Barnabus Adams (a slightly distant cousin of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams). The family migrated to Utah, settling in Salt Lake City where Maude's mother Asaneth Ann "Annie" Adams was born.

The true extent of Maude Adams' Mormonism remains somewhat of a mystery. It was little spoken of in her lifetime, and Adams was known to take long sabbaticals in Catholic rectories. Upon her death she made a gift of one of her homes to one of these places. Because of this, and because her father was not a Mormon, it can be speculated that Maude was not a devout Mormon and perhaps not even a practicing one

Maude Adams was also a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland, and was the sixth cousin five times removed of President John Adams.

I love to read about the history of these old postcards...and wonder about the lives of the people who were so beautifully photographed.

Have a Happy Postcard Friendship Friday.

did you ever have a night where you simply can't sleep?

hot milk. snacks. good book. boring book.

Nothing. 15 minutes at a stretch at the most.

I'll be good for nothing by time to go to work.

Eyes

I needed glasses as a kid but no one picked up on this - not parents...or teachers. Until I was 10 I walked around in a fog and in my own little world. I never knew that there were leaves on the trees - they were just a big green blob to me. You should have seen me squint when they picked me (last) for the baseball team - I couldn't see the ball until it was about to hit me. Imagine my surprise when I got glasses at about 10 years old....wow to the whole world. ( As I am writing this I suddenly realize why I was such a scared kid...not being able to see what was going on was fairly terrifying - I'm amazed I made it out the door every day.. KJ - move over - you've got another brave kid going out into the world every day)
Back to the eye story...
I wore glasses in varying fashions about 10 years ago. Then I got the magic of lasik in one eye, and used the other one for reading. They call it mono-vision. Free from glasses for the first time - LOVED IT! But then a few years ago I started needing reading glasses...so I have dozens in all colors (from the cheap store). Red ones, green ones, sparkly ones, serious one. But recently it was clear that I needed prescription ones so I went to the eye doctor yesterday and prepared to spend a small fortune on glasses that would let me see far with that reading eye and read with both eyes. I figured that I'd need sunglasses also, so you could be talking BIG bucks for two sets of glasses. I was going to bring an old pair with me so that I could reuse the frames - but knew that a dear friend would crack me over the head if she saw me in my grannie glasses again. So mentally I prepared myself for over $500.00 in glasses.

Imagine my surprise when the optomotrist told me that my long vision had corrected to 20/20 in the "reading" eye; gave me a contact lens for reading; charged me $15.00 and said "see ya - let me know how it works out".

I have to get used to the lens, and some differences in seeing but I'm just amazed. I went to a store and got charged LESS than I thought I would.

Imagine that.

Animal Wednesday and ATC's

A group of us are trading ATC's with the indomitable Teri at the organizational helm. I'm still not 100% sure that I am doing this right but I think I get it. Eventually I will! So here are the first three that I've finished...are you surprised I chose fish as a theme? And let me tell you , it ain't easy finding a fish that starts with "X". But I did it...he's not completed yet but will be.





Happy Animal Wednesday everyone

(I am working on Mr. Linky but feel that I may need a PhD in quantum physics before I can understand how to put that stuff on my blog!. Copy the template??? What the ....!!!)

Teri suggested that we have a site where we could post our ABC's - so I started one and all members of the ABC ATC's can post there. Go and take a look!!!

Six Word Saturday

Art should be give away freely

I do like to give stuff away, I have yet to even try to sell anything - probably based on my own fears that no one would buy anything. But I also feel that since I work at a profession not related to art, and have a good job, why stress out about trying to sell something I do as a hobby. The thought of negotiating pricing, and what something is "worth" - oy....the whole idea gives me the shivers. I live with a professional artist, who has sold his art for years - and he has keen ideas about how you value artwork.
Anyway - this is a philosophy for me...and me only. I support artists who have the courage to follow their heart and make it on their artwork - and I feel they are SO brave to do so.

So what is the point of this diatribe you ask? Well, I wanted a six word Saturday that linked to my give away from a few days ago!

So...with many little pieces of paper; and a hat full of names....and closed eyes....and anticipation...the winner (and champion) of the Miss Em original artwork is...



(clapping, cheering, hoorays)

Send me your address KJ - and our dancing miss em will be in the post as soon as possible (or as soon as I can get my act together to wrap it up, address her, and leave her for DH to mail)

Hope you enjoy her!!!