The end of winter maybe?

February 26,2008. UGH...more snow and I am tired of it. I shot it out the back door cuz that was as far as I was gonna go barefoot. Oh yes..it was cold but looked sooo pretty.

Yup...another picture almost identical but without the pool in the shot. I likedd it better and am too lazy to delete the other one...lol

And yes...another shot of me today in the same boring pose. But gosh...I take it with the camera propped on the stove and it is the best light. Deal with it! LOL

February 2008 painting

Here you go...the paintings for February. From left to right, Jan, Olga and mine.
Personally I had a lot of trouble with this painting at first and hated it but in the end I think it turned out ok...just not of of my favorites. I like it better when they have rocks in them.

Here is Gary's and mine

This is the teacher's Steve Wood.

The "Lost" October painting

I have finally gotten around to taking a pic of that October painting. I only have one pic and none of my classmates cuz as you already have read, I forgot my camera that day so I had to take it at home....the pic all alone.

Pardon me for not cropping it but I don't have a graphic program installed on this new computer. Yes...another Mac and I am waiting for a new release of Photoshop Elements for Mac.

Ice festival 2008

Plymouth Mi holds an annual ice festival and has ice carvers from all over the world there to compete. We try to go every year but some years it is too bitter cold to go. This year it was rather warm, 22 degrees. Warm enough to walk around but not too warm as to melt the sculptures. I only took a pic of a few large sculptures and Gary is in the picture to show the scale...really huge. There were not many smaller pieces as the competitions were not yet started and we didn't go back to see them. It was pretty overcast and the pictures are a bit dark but you can get the idea of the ice glistening.

I loved the touch of snow we had the night before. I think it looked awesome.






Here is a close up of the flowers. One of the artists there was talking to a crowd and I got to ask him how they got the colors and what they used. He said they used chisels to gouge the flowers and then a turkey baster filled with Kool-aid to color them. The white tips of the flowers were snow and ice chips. They were amazing.

My brother and I, then and now

For the past few days I have been trying to sort through computer files and am getting ready to burn a few cds in preparation for a new computer. As most know I have a mac and finally convinced my brother a mac was the way to go so he is buying this one from me. It is 5 years old and still running just fine.

I came across some old pictures of the two of us and had to smile. I thought it would be nice to show us them and now.

This first was in 1949. Not sure of the month but as were were both born in September it makes me around 3 and he around 7. (1946 & 1942)

These next two were in June of 2006. We are still cute huh? ROFL

My dream car

This past week a case of cabin fever drove my hubby Gary and I to a local museum. The Henry Ford Museum. Every now and then we do take out a year's membership. It is fun to stroll down memory lane with all the old cars and things they have there.

This Bugatti has always been my favorite. Sorry but these pics were taken a couple years ago but it is still there in the same spot and still a favorite of mine.

While I love the styling of older cars I would prefer they had modern guts...well...engines and transmissions. I don't think I would like driving cars the way they were originally made. But I do dearly love the styling of the older cars.

I find myself liking them more and more each time I go. I do wonder why. But I do know they have style and individuality where todays cars tend to blend all together and even guys who love cars sometimes have a hard time telling them apart.

So now I present you a car with style and pizazz!!!

January paintings

The paintings this month really show how small changes can make the feel of the painting different. Some have a bright day feel and big cove and others feels like an overcast day and small cove. Left to right are Jan's Olga's and mine.

On the left is Gary's and the other is mine.
It still amazes me that everyone's pictures is so different and yet we we all in the ame class with the same teacher doing the same painting.
I still love doing this as I have never been able to paint before this.

More Orchids

Oh ok...this last is not of orchids but it was a pretty shot.

For a few hours it felt like summer and was delightful.

Orchids at Mattaei Conservatory

Some pictures of the orchids they had.

Beating the winter blahs

We got a case of cabin fever and I finally came up with something interesting to go see. About 20 minutes away is Matthaei Conservatory and Gardens. Of course the gardens are not open now but the small conservatory was and it was nice to see live plants and feel the warmth.

This first if Gary in the cactus room. This was really huge and I had to get someone in the shot to show the size of it.



I tried hard to get a good picture of the fish but had lost of glare from the overheard windows. Of course you can see them reflected in the pond but at least I got some fish in shadow.


Here I am with a huge curly ball of green.


I did not get the name of this tree but it was fun to look at.
They had several throught the place.

November -December Paintings

I have been lax in posting I know but these will get you up to date...almost.

I for some reason didn't take my camera on the day we did the October painting. I think because the class was postponed and on an odd day or perhaps my mind was on vacation. I will take a picture and post it eventually.

I guess everyone does know to click on a picture to make it full size, right?

Here once again are Jan, Olga and my pictures for November.

Now for December.
I think these were the most fun of all the pictures we have done. The whole class loved doing them. Once again in order, Jan, me and Olga.

And here is a bonus picture. Guess whose?

Give up?





Gary, my hubby. He decided to join the class to try it and see what he could do.
I think I was more surprised by his painting then he was. I think he did really well. Especially since he has never painted a picture before and does no arts and crafty type painting either. He will continue going as he found it fun and very enjoyable.

Recent pics of us both

Rarely do I get pics of Gary and I together. I took these on the automatic setting. And I will include a couple of just me cuz I liked the way my hair was..lol.

Huge Cauliflower

Here is the huge cauliflower I found while at eastern Market in Detroit. The biggest I have ever seen. My hand would barely cover a third of it.

September painting

Here is my September painting.
From left to right: Jan's, Olga's and mine on the right.
Hard to believe we were in the same class huh?

2 sided scrollcut figure

This is what I love to do, compound cutting on the scroll saw.
Two views from one piece of wood. One view is a sailboat and the other view is a dophin.This piece is from butternut wood.



This is one piece also as you can see by the view on the right.
It is a ballerina in one view and when you turn it, it is a swan.
And yes...it is extremely difficult to do and only someone that has mastered the scroll saw would be able to do it. This one is made from basswood.

Carving - 8 pointed star

This is the current project for my students. Each star is made from a block of wood. A cube of whatever size you wish. the largest one I intend to do some wood burning on. I just haven't decided the pattern yet. The pinkish one is plastic that car modelers used years ago. The one on the right, greyish, is soapstone. The rest are basswood. All are done with a basic carving knife.

September painting quiz

Here is my painting for September. Now for the quiz part.
Which one is mine and which is the teachers?
Which do you prefer?
Tomorrow I will post mine as well as the ones from my friends.

#2 Pet Peeve

Some people don't know when to shut up. You know those type...the ones who go on and on and on. They definitely do not know how to carry on a conversation.

Information is nice as well as long interesting stories. But stories that lead into more stories and information that never ends are boring. These people barely pause or take a breath. I do wonder how some even breathe because they can go on at length and never seem to run out of air. They never seem to let people respond and go on for so long, that if a point was being made or information was asked to be imparted, it was long forgotten what it was in the first place.

I myself have been accused of leaving people hanging. Personally I would rather people ask me to elaborate more on a topic rather than bore them to death. I do not intentionally....well... not often anyway except when I am playing with someone, leave people hanging.

And this often leads into a companion pet peeve...people who do not stay on topic. Their conversation runs all over the place and make you wonder what they were talking about in the first place. Some are what I liken to a Stephen King novel. They take 500 words to say what can be said in oh say, very efficiently, about 75. And yes...I think King is too wordy.

I will admit to a bad habit I have that stems mostly from being in a conversation with these types of people....that of interrupting. Yes..I have let myself do it with others that don't deserve it. I am the impatient sort anyway and when I have something to say, I don't want to have to wait to add my two cents worth. I just bust in with it. Nasty habit which I am working on.

Enough muttering Twinsy?

#1 Pet Peeve

The thing that bugs me the most is when someone tells me how to do something differently than how I am doing it and go on and on about how I am doing it wrong, or could do it easier, better or faster.

At first, well...most times I will politely listen to their suggestions and more likely than not, go on doing it my way.

Hey people, and you know who you are, if you want it done your way..then do it yourself. If you want me to do it...leave me alone and let me do it my own way.

I know that you mean well and just want to make it easier, but if I am happy as a pig in a mud waller doing it my way...what harm is it? HUH HUH?

It is not that I am closed minded or opposed to change, but 9 times out of ten, I have tried other ways and they took too much time for me to learn or I just plain liked the way I was doing it. There is that one time in ten that I will change.

At least have the common courtesy of backing off after making a suggestion. Don't take it personally if I decide to just go my merry way and do it back assward. As long as it gets done and it is my time.....be glad you are not doing it.

Ayup, I am stubborn and I do like to plug along to the beat of my own drummer.
If you don't like it....don't watch! Come back when I am done and praise me all the more for doing it the hard way. LOL

Copper Harbor and Brockway Mountain

I have no idea what I was doing when Gary took this.This was at Copper Harbor somewhere. The rest I know are from Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor.

Again..I have no idea what I was looking at. Maybe trying not to fall off the mountain. There were no good pics of me I liked so I will just post what G took.

Beautiful scenery...a shame I was in the way.....lol

EWWW...windy up here.
I think I need a perm or a cut cuz all of these show the best my hair looked which is not saying much. Way to humid . I don't think my hair every did dry and when I took it out of rollers..it fell flat in half an hour even with hair spray on it.

I have tons more Gary took but I have to resize them. Some are really awesome scenery. He takes raw format and they are HUGE...about 3-4 mg each. I have some that I did take on top of the mountain myself that I thought I might try to paint....after I get a bit better that is. I will post a few later.