Christmas Gift

My dear Aunt Joanie, a wonderful artist, sent me this book for Christmas. She and my cousin, Gina, also an artist, have been so encouraging to me in terms of art. I look back fondly on early childhood days when we lived near each other (although Gina, being much younger than I, was still a baby when we moved.) There were days when I could "do art" with Aunt Joanie. I so loved those times. But math and science got in the way and art was moved to the back burner. Now I have some time to rediscover "doing art" and am convinced if I work hard enough this coming year I will be able to draw reasonably well by this time next year. Aunt Joanie, I'm working on an apple for you--my teacher!

Since we were up in Glenwood Springs before Christmas, the tree and all the decorations were left up to our girls. We came home to a beautifully decorated house. Maybe we should do this every year! Have had some time to play in "my room" and since Lizzie needed a gift for a dorm friend, I made her a bracelet in the young lady's favorite colors: blue and green. I really liked the way it turned out!

Resto-Lounge?

On our walk we saw a sign for a restaurant that said "Resto-Lounge." We laughed about what that might mean as we hadn't seen that before. However, within ten minutes we saw another "Resto-Lounge" sign and thought we better get a photo of it. And this in a little town of about 8500 people. Seems these Resto-Lounges are taking over the valley. What exactly is a Resto-lounge?

Glenwood Springs Sights Today

It snowed about 3 inches during the night and this morning but we decided to walk to downtown anyway. Took a picture of the Bail Bonds place near the jail. Seemed like a sad Christmas joke. Then walked over to the Hotel Colorado for some hot chocolate. Tom met another one of his weird friends there. And of course there were plenty of swimmers in the Hot Springs. I always think it's funny to see the swimmers doing laps, and the lifeguards wearing ski parkas! Ahhh.......I love Glenwood Springs!

Enjoying Glenwood Springs

Walked downtown today and met two cute penguins, just before the snow arrived. We watched the snow slowly head this way, covering the mountains. But it doesn't look like it will stay in town. That's OK by me. I like it when it stays in the mountains for the skiers and boarders.

Added FeedBlitz Widget

Just wanted you all to know that I've added a FeedBlitz widget so you can subscribe to my blog. The widget is off to the left. Fill in your email address and you will receive an email whenever I update my blog -- however infrequently it might be.

Our Pre-Christmas Adventure or The Glenwood Springs Limited

Tom and I decided to take the California Zephyr from Denver to Glenwood Springs this time. What a lovely adventure! It took 12 hours from the time we left our home in Boulder to the time we arrived at our Glenwood Springs home (by car, usually 3.5 hours) but it was such a relaxed trip. Certainly beats fighting the traffic on I-70. We had to wait for the train to arrive in Denver so we found a lovely cafe, Common Grounds, had lattes and read the papers. Then, back to the station where we waited --and read--some more. Finally got on board and had quite spacious accomodations and beautiful scenery. Even had a lovely lunch in the dining car. All in all, well worth it! And I made quite a dent in my latest read--Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

Sarah's Bracelet

My little niece, Sarah, was in town for her 11th birthday this year. The first time we'd be able to celebrate with her. Unfortunately, one of our daughters ended up in the emergency room and then had to have surgery so we missed the party. Here is the bracelet I made for Sarah. In her thank you note she said that the bracelet is cool! Glad you like it, sweetie pie. And the red bead is a family "we love you" bead. That's why there's just one.

Dry-brushed tags

Here are all of my previously dyed, inked, marbled, etc. tags now with gesso dry-brushed over them. They remind me of weathered cottages at the beach. I'm learning a lot with the Artist's Circle.

My 50th Post

This post makes 50 for my blog. I'm glad to be keeping it up even if it is sporadic. Found this quiz on another blog and since I love quizzes I took it! Here's what book I am:

You're Siddhartha!

by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in. This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It's time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in ferries.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Tags with dye ink

I took balls of fiberfill and dabbed them onto dye ink pads. Then I both dabbed and smeared them onto the tags. Each tag has three different colors of ink. I think these are my favorites of the whole process. What fun!

My marbled tags

The next step in the tag booklet I'm making with the Artist's Circle group was really fun to do. Spray shaving cream into a pan, drop some ink on top, swirl a bit---and then lay the previously coffee-stained tag on top! I love the way the tags came out. I did each color separately and used Ranger inks.

Acrylic on tags

The next step in the Tag workshop at the Artist's Circle is to add acrylic paint to three of our already coffee-stained tags. Here's how mine came out. They are much brighter than the watercolored ones.

The Three Graces

Canova's marble statue of the daughters of Zeus is named "The Three Graces." The three are said to preside over gatherings for the delight of the gods and are said to represent Joy, Beauty, and Elegance. http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/12649-popup.html

We have four Graces in our family and three were together this year for Thanksgiving. I'll let you decide which one represents joy, which one beauty, and which one elegance.

Watercolored Tags

Step two in the Tag Booklet workshop with Artist's Circle: Watercolor three tags. Here's my attempt. I almost like them.

Tag Art Project

I have recently joined the "Artist's Circle" and will be learning some art techniques. Here is step one of the tag project. I have stained these packing tags with coffee. Next step, add watercolors. Will post those when they're finished.

Free rice and improve your vocabulary

http://www.freerice.com/

A friend passed along this website. You can play a vocabulary game and for every word you get correct, 10 grains of rice will be passed on to someone who needs it.

From the website: FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice―you are earning it 10 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency.

I'm always skeptical about these kinds of things BUT this looks legit. And even if it isn't you'll improve your vocabulary! How bad could that be?

Bighorn Secrets

Some of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep we saw up close and personal in Glenwood Springs. Beautiful animals.

What Number Are You?

You Are 5: The Investigator

You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it. At Your Best: You are sharp, inventive, and creative. You have the skills to lead the world. At Your Worst: You are reclusive, weird, and a bit paranoid. Your Fixation: Greed Your Primary Fear: Being useless or incompetent Your Primary Desire: Being competent and needed Other Number 5's: Bill Gates, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Bjork, and Stephen Hawking.

What Number Are You?

I don't dance, but..........

moar funny pictures

Hanging Lake

Hiked up to Hanging Lake today with Tom, Arianna, and Mallory. Weather was perfect: 70 in GWS, no clouds, just a deep blue Colorado sky. Took us 70 minutes to get to the lake where we were greeted by two very friendly Stellar Jays and an American Dipper. Played around the waterfalls, watched the trout, just enjoyed an unbelievable almost-November day!

Took us about an hour to hike down to the car. On the way back to GWS we parked at the Hot Springs and walked back east on the bike trail next to I-70 to get up-close and personal with a herd of Bighorn Sheep. Awesome!

Otters in Love

Once again, animals showing each other more care than some humans do!

Colorado in September

"To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

True Love

Found this photo on the internet. Have you ever seen more LOVE? And folks, these are animals! Why is it that animals take better care of each other than we do as humans?

What Does My Birthdate Mean?

Your Birthdate: January 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet. You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily. Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail. You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details. Your strength: Your supreme genius Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity Your power color: Gold Your power symbol: Star Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Youngest off to College

Youngest daughter left yesterday for her freshman year of college. Luckily there was still room for her in the SUV. When I left for college, everything I took fit into a small trunk. Times have changed.

Back in the Day

It's true! Back in the day, like when the dinosaurs were alive, and there were no clothes dryers, one would have to hang clothes on a clothesline to dry. Wow. What a concept!

Because our dryer died the other day and because the new one can't be delivered for another week, I went out and bought some clothesline and clothespins and got to work. Being that we live in an area that gets so much sunshine I thought this would be a piece of cake. As soon as I got up this morning I washed a load and hung it out, and then washed another load. Dear husband pointed out that it looked like it would rain. I hadn't noticed. I thought it was just too early for the sun to be out! And it NEVER rains in the morning. So, the clothes are hanging and we're waiting for the rain.

A Gentleman?

The following account was in our local paper, The Post-Independent, this morning. It seems I hear the word "gentleman" used inappropriately quite frequently nowadays. Am I wrong in thinking that this man is NOT a gentleman?
*********
A suspected drunk driver was arrested Monday afternoon after going on what police called a "banzai run" the wrong way up the Grand Avenue wing street off Seventh Street.

Michael Dufresne, 25, of Aspen was arrested on suspicion of driving under restraint, harassment, felony menacing, criminal mischief, false imprisonment, aggravated motor vehicle theft, reckless driving, DUI, hit-and-run and second- degree assault.

"Monday afternoon at about three, a gentleman decided that he would try making a banzai run up the wing street," Glenwood Springs Police Chief Terry Wilson said. Wilson said Dufresne was traveling the wrong way up the one-lane, one-way wing street next to the Grand Avenue bridge.Dufresne allegedly crashed a white Mercedes Benz SUV into one car under the bridge, severely damaging it and pushing it into two other cars that suffered lesser damage.

According to Wilson, a tourist couple came out from the Springs Bar from lunch to find their vehicle damaged by the suspected drunk driver and asked, "This doesn't happen here all the time does it?"
*************
As for the tourist couple's question: "No folks, only when they let the gentlemen loose."

Random Headlines

As I perused the newspapers this morning, I was delighted to find three--yes, THREE----interesting headlines. I know, it's a Jay Leno thing, but I can't help it:

'Out' of the cloth: Perspiring priest caught jogging nude

Fish reported on flooded Nebraska highway

And now my favorite:

Airline asks, 'Is that a monkey in your ponytail?'


All three on one day!

Red Roaring Fork River

When we took our afternoon walk yesterday we noticed a big change in our Roaring Fork River. Usually a beautiful, clear "gold-medal" river, (see photos), it appeared as if someone had dumped paint into it or.... there had been a mudslide upvalley. We weren't the only ones who thought so, as stated in today's Post-Independent:

"The Roaring Fork is just blood red," declared Brian Pettet,

director of the Pitkin County Public Works Department.

Seems there was a mudslide on the Frying Pan River, and the FPR flows into the Roaring Fork at Basalt. The folks living near the slide experienced some inconveniences, but I can't imagine what the fish were thinking.

Internet email scams complete with cheeping

All of a sudden I am being inundated with emails telling me how much money I've won, or that I need to help somebody get their money by letting them put their money into my bank account. If these were all true, in the last couple weeks I would have become a billionaire! Yes, that's a "B." What amazes me is that they don't even TRY to look official! Check out the language, spelling, etc. in the note I received a few minutes ago. Don't they even have "spell check" on their computor? And I'm so sorry that she already paid for the cheeping!

Attn. My Dear,
I sent you message about the money and not yet hear from you, so I went deposit it to the FEDEX SERVICE COMPNEY, Contact them now to know when delivering will take place I have paid for the cheeping, the only money you will send to them is their security fee which is $95.00 do let me know immediately you receive it, and make sure you contact them ASAP for security reason,$1.2, 000,000.USD is the total money, so be very careful about the transit transfer with the company, cause i never let them know the content, it pack in a box and register as an African material that is to avoid interruption on transit.

1. YOUR FULL NAME_____________________________
2. YOUR HOME ADDRESS._________________________
3. OCCUPATION___________________________________
4. A COPY OF YOUR PASS PORT____________________
6. YOUR CORRENT HOME ADDRESS,________________
5. YOUR CURRENT OFFICE OR HOME TELEPHONE._____
Reconfirmation of your address is that, forward it to the FEDEX COMPANY immediately you filed it ok thanks.RegardMrs. Ca Sandra Sharon Counsellors at law

Rifle Air Show

We attended the Rifle Air Show at the Garfield County Airport today. Saw some amazing airplane acrobatics! I was very intrigued by what those pilots' mothers' lives were like. "Patty, I've told you over and over again. Get off the roof." or "Don, where are your bed sheets?" Those pilots are definitely made of something that I don't have. I get nervous on a plane that just flies straight! But they definitely were quite fun to watch.

Flamingos and Yard Poetry

A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.~ Robert Frost~

I have always thought it would be fun to have a flamingo in my yard, or maybe a whole flock of them. Under I-70 in Glenwood Canyon, beneath a section of the east-bound side there is a flock that appears every spring. I always look for them when driving back to Boulder, but it's not exactly a spot to just stop and take a picture. Over the weekend at the Carbondale Mountain Fair some folks were running around the fair, randomly planting these words in various places. So, I've changed my mind about the flamingos. Now I want yard poetry.

Happy Birthday, Colorado

Today is the 131st birthday of Colorado.

Looking through my photos I couldn't decide which one would be most symbolic of our state. And then I came across the following shot, from the John Denver Sanctuary in Aspen-- my favorite Colorado song.

"And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high;
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky.
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply;
Rocky Mountain high Colorado."

Farmer's Market

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.- Thoreau

A walk to our local farmer's market yesterday yielded these beautiful vegies, elk bratwurst, and a wonderful loaf of Payson bread. Good thing since all we have at home is the little tomato plant.

Crocs and Sox

One day last week I gave my friend, Marcia, some grief over wearing her Crocs with Sox. Well, today at the Carbondale Mountain Fair I managed to snap some photos of that peculiar fashion. So, here is my public apology, Marcia. You're not the only one! Of course, Carbondale is known for it's "tie-dye wearing" police force!

(I do admit to a certain fondness for the powder blue crocs with matching sox.)