Saturday

Aren't spring snow storms fun? This pickup was parked down on the street in front of my house It's a dark grey truck. Looks like a ghost truck

I had hoped to finish the colored pencil portrait of Daisy, but it is going so slow, and has hours and hours of work left on it.

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This is the cover I designed for the novel I wrote for the NaNoWriMo. To get the free proof copy, I have to have it all ready and formatted next month.


I've got my hero in prison right now, and am having problems with that part of the book. I know nothing about prison life. Someone suggested I have his girl friend break him out of prison. That would probably make a better story than I have, but I already have the rest of the book written, including the ending. And a prison breakout won't fit.

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When it comes to Art, I'm patiently waiting for my ability to catch up with my ambition

Grandpa put wheels on Kasey's Kitty Kat, so she can drive without snow! She sure loves it!

The last time I tried to upload a video to BlogSpot, it just wouldn't take it. Maybe it was too large, but I didn't think so. This took only about ten minutes. Who can figure?

We had a very small group at Art today - Barb, Les, Lenore and I. I muddled through making coffee, which turned out okay after I remembered to turn it on. Lenore bought us some yummy doughnuts from Ridleys.

Jo Mack stopped by this morning with some of her new acrylics to show us. Beautiful! She has done a series of animals and birds on matboard. What a talented lady!

This is what I got done today. Pretty sorry. I have no idea how I got that large "bloom" on the left side of the paper. Sometimes "blooms" make pleasant surprises. This one is not pleasant.

Maybe a small 5" x 7" portion of this painting is salvageable. At least I completed something, which is more than I've done in the past several months.

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Granddad put wheels on Kasey's snow machine, and Barrie took a great video of her driving it yesterday. I will try to upload it here, but I don't have good luck uploading videos to Blogspot. It's on my Facebook wall, if you're one of my friends.

I have no idea how many colored eggs are in the refrigerator. Looks like a lot!

Monday

Northern Lights

Tracy sent me these pictures of the Northern Lights, taken in Yellow Knife, Canada. What a gorgeous sight!

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I was so optimistic that we were really going to have spring weather, but it is trying to snow again. What? That is spring weather? You're right! What was I thinking?

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A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

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Did you know Iceland had a penis museum? Just read about it on the news. Seems they got their first human speciman. If you are visiting Iceland, you may want to put a visit to this place on your schedule. Or maybe not.

Sunday

No, I didn't just take this. It was taken a few years ago, but I am SO ready for this. I have a feeling we might actually have spring. The lawn is getting green.

Another picture I took on I 70 in Colorado when we were headed to Denver. I was singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

I finished the book "Half Broke Horses". Wonder if the author is working on another book? I sure like her writing.

Now playing on my iPod Chris Isaak, "Now I Wonder".

Got a few new songs from the iTunes store, and synced my iPod this morning. Barrie has discovered how to use my account to buy music too. Sneaky!

Kasey's Granddad found this and of course he bought it. I don't know how well it runs, but Kasey is delighted with it. Seems to have a lot of duct tape on it.

Another funny sign I found on the Internet.

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We've had snow the last two or three mornings. Old Man Winter just hates to let go of us!

Barrie and Kasey have planted some flower seeds in a starter kit in the kitchen window. They are coming up and growing fast.

After both Chase and I took a shot at what the arrow meant through the stomach of the bear fetish, I decided to look it up.


the pathway of the breath, the life-force of the animal spirit, called the "heartline"

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Somehow, I think Chase's and my versions are more colorful.

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Hope to get some more work on the colored pencil drawing of Daisy today, and of course read. The reading part will be tiring. I will have to actually hold the book and turn the pages!
It's a book I got before I got the Kindle..

Old drawing

Earlier, I posted a portrait of this lady in silverpoint. I was looking through some old things on my computer today, and found this. I did this in pencil years ago - don't even know what happened to the orignal. Silverpoint is just too pale and delicate for a portrait like this.

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Art room was pretty full today. Our snowbird Nancy is back, and Dorothy is becoming a regular. There were nine of us there. That pretty well fills up the room. Barb brought her pallette and we thought for sure she was really going to paint. But she ended up out in the big room working on a jigsaw puzzle.

Someone cleaned my bathroom while I was at the senior center today. Wonder who that could have been?? Thanks, dear Barrie.

Tuesday

I had planned on watching an "Online Art Event" on drawing faces this afternoon, but got mixed up on the time, and didn't log on until it was over.

Dumb, dumb.

Barrie got sick of hearing me cough, and bought me some cold medication. Kasey brought the bottle of "NyQuil?" upstairs to me. She handed it to me, and said, in a very clear and serious tone, "Don't take this with Advil." She sounded like a 40 year old pharmacist.
I've had this sketchbook for a while - finally wore the binding out enough to require duct tape. I love looking through it at my old stuff.

I did a load of laundry today, cleaned my bathroom, and did a little writing. That's more than I usually get done! I'm almost finished with "The Glass Castle". The next book is not on my Kindle, so I will have to hold it, and actually turn the pages.

snow again

I don't have any pictures to post today, so I'll put up one of the colored pencil drawing I have started of Daisy, my "granddog" from Colorado. I hope I've got her expression.

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Nothing happening here. Except intermittent snow and rain. And that's getting pretty boring.

I'm about halfway through the book "The Glass Castle", recommended to me by Charm. What a great book. The author really develops her characters. I may finish it tonight.

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This joke is for Rollie:

Two Mexican detectives were investigating the murder of Juan Gonzalez. "How was he killed?" asked one detective. "With a golf gun," the other detective replied. "A golf gun?! What is a golf gun?" "I don't know. But it sure made a hole in Juan."

This joke is NOT for Rollie:

This guy has been sitting in a bar all night, staring at a blonde wearing the tightest pants he's ever seen. Finally his curiosity gets the best of him, so he walks over and asks, "How do you get into those pants?" The young woman looks him over and replies, "Well, you could start by buying me a drink."

Sunday

A silverpoint drawing of a woman. Silverpoint is not good for this type of portrait. It needs darker darks and more contrast, and just can't get it with silverpoint. Charcoal would be good.

In the "horse corner" of my basement, I found this noseband. I haven't been able to find it for a long time. I (THINK) Tracy's Grandad made this for me from horsehair.

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Am hardly able to keep up with the ball game and have quit scoring. Just can't concentrate - feel like a nap.

Whenever I hear the pitchers get to choose which uniform they wear, I chuckle. I get a vision of them in the locker room:

Hammel: So what uniform you guys want to wear today?

Helton: The black ones.

Fowler: Naw, man! Those make my butt look fat!

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What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?

A Stick

Saturday

The Easter Egg Hunt in Big Piney took precedence over the shopping trip to Smiths in Jackson. Hey, we have our priorites straight!

I hope the bunny stamp is washable. I have it on my face too!

An egg full of tiny monkeys.

Bunny stamps all over my drawing table.

And bunny stamps on the face.

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My attempt at keeping score on the Rockies/Cubs game last night was a disaster. It took me a while to realize every damned player on both teams was wearing the number 42 on their shirt, but no names. Turns out it was Jackie Robinson Day. His number 42 has been retired.

Nice gesture for a great man, but sure confusing for me!

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Where do you find a dog with no legs?

Right where you left him.

Friday

It was on this day in 1912 that the RMS Titanic sank on it's first voyage across the Atlantic.

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This is from Lenore.

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I am going to work hard on the silverpoint drawing of an Indian woman today. Time to get it finished and on to something new - either a seashell or a deer skull.

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Barrie thinks we should go to Jackson tomorrow. Do the Smith Grocery and maybe KMart. Sounds good to me!

Wednesday

Now playing on XM radio, Luke Bryon, "We Rode in Trucks."

In his other life, Conley is a taxidermist. Today, he brought this Wood Duck to art group to show us. What a pretty duck!

Vicky brought cookies and carrot cake today, and Les brought muffins.

I didn't even take my paints to the art room today. I worked on a silverpoint drawing of an Indian woman. A true diva - in her fancy dance dress and her cowboy boots.

Tracy has this cradleboard hanging on her living room wall. Here is a picture of her in it when she was a baby. She really did like to be in there. Newborns feel safe and secure in a cradleboard.

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Tuesday

This picture makes me laugh.

Another truism from Maxine.

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When I was a kid, my Mom used to score all the baseball games we attended - and there were lots of them. Once in a while, if I was bored, I would ask her about how she did it. I was thinking about this while I watched baseball on TV last week. So I got on the computer and found a scorecard to download, and refreshed myself a little bit on the symbols - was ready to score the game last night between the Rockies and Mets.

Don't try to decipher this game. You will notice several little diamonds with nothing but a question mark. And I was at a loss how to keep track of the pitchers. Both teams used 4 or 5, and put in pinch hitters.

I regard this as a brain exercise.

Monday

Done, finished, through . . . .This is a silverpoint drawing on toned paper. I've been working on it for weeks.

A humorous picture I found on the Internet.

I love Maxine jokes, and a friend recently sent me a bunch. Judi will appreciate this one, as we both know a person who always types in uppercase. So she always SHOUTS!

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Bill and Alice are back home from points south. Said it was cold and windy at Riverton. He already misses traveling. He said they had 1500 e-mails, and I told him how to delete them in batches instead of one at a time.

I watched the movie Casablanca last night. (Wonder how many times I've seen it?" It's amazing how many glasses of booze were poured, and how many cigarettes were smoked. The actors were lighting one cigaratte off another. I still like the way Bogart says "Here's lookin' at ya', kid."

Saturday

Can you see the spider on the ceiling? After fussing around with it a long time, I think Kat finally managed to knock it down. Then she lost it. It will probably be climbing up my leg pretty soon. Yes, I know everyone is sick and tired of the snow. But it makes everything look so PRETTY!

I'm not sure where this picture came from - maybe from a musher in Oregon. That puppy looks pretty happy, but the chick looks disgruntled.

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I am reading a book Charm recommended to me - Bird by Bird, Some Instruction on Writing, by Annie Lamott. It's a good book. I also "checked out" another book using Tracy's library card.

Darned Rockies lost yesterday. Maybe Helton will be back in the lineup tonight.

Friday

Now playing on my iPod, Paul Simon, "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard".

Looks like quite a party, doesn't it? This is Paul and Tracy's big island between the dining room and kitchen. Well, it wasn't quite the party it appeared to be. If you look at the picture fulll size, you will see all these cans are connected to each other with fishing line. The purpose? When a cat jumps up on the counter, it will catch the fishing line, and the cans will all fall, like dominoes. Rowdy jumped up there one day, and those cans really make a racket. Both Rowdy and Sammy tore out of there like their tails were on fire. But I have a feeling that if the cans are put away, Rowdy will be right back up there. This is the corner of Paul and Tracy's living room, with the Dave McNally oil painting of Tracy's Grandad, and the cradleboard Daisy St. Clair made for her when she was born. Another treasure Paul received from his aunt. This is one of the seats from the old Yankee Stadium.

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I read a Dean Koontz book yesterday. I have Tracy's library card number from the Summit County Library. They have e-books you can "check out" and read on your computer screen.

Thursay

Finally got caught up with myself, I think. I had such a good time, but was really tired by the time I got home. Charm and I had good roads on the way home, just a little slush up on Rabbit Ears Pass.

Paul's uncle had something to do with Creedence Clearwater, and this gold record was given to him. His aunt gave it to Paul. It's "Green River", I think.

Another picture of Sammy that shows his huge tail.

And this is Rowdy.

And this sweety is Daisy. She is such a neat dog, and she likes to play with Rowdy. Sammy doesn't want to play.

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Had a surprise visit with my (step-daughter-in-law?) Judy LeClair Tuesday night. She stopped by Paul and Tracy's on her way to Denver. She had to leave early because I 70 was going to be closed most of the day. They were removing big slabs of rock that were in danger of coming down. They evacuated part of the town of Georgetown because of the danger.

Go Rockies!!

Paul and Tracy took me to the Rockies game in Denver on Sunday. Whooo Hooo! We had watched the game on Saturday on TV - warm and sunny in Denver. They live 60 miles from Denver. We took rain gear and extra jackets. We left at 10:30 in the morning, and it took us 3 1\2 hours to get there. And the game was cancelled. We still had a fun day. It was an adventure. We were on I 70, when we heard on the radio that the road was closed between Silverthorne and the tunnels. That's where we were, along with a whole bunch of other people. This is what it looks like when the small cars without 4WD or snow tires lose it - three lanes of bumper to bumper traffic. Paul is an excellent driver - picked his way through the stalled and stuck cars, some of them sideways.

We drove by the stadium as we left town so I could take a picture of it.

Paul and Tracy in Denver, waiting for the bus to the Tattered Cover Book Store, where we browsed for a long time.

We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. What a great place, and the food was delicious. Their menu was 26 pages long!

Street and Gonzalas (Rockies players) were having lunch there too. They still had their uniform shirts on with their names on the back.

We left Denver for home about 5:30, and I can't believe what an incredible job the Co Highway Dept did. It was slow driving, but the road had been plowed, and all the stuck cars were gone.

Sunday

Not a bad photo of Sammy, but it doesn't do justice to his huge hairy tail. Pictures of Rowdy and Daisy coming up.;

This is the view from Paul and Tracy's house - living room, dining room, kitchen, and the deck. Beautiful, huh?

Tracy went to get a haircut, then we went to the Borders Bookstore in Dillon, which is going out of business. We got three books, 90% off. They didn't have much left. Even the furnishings are going - bookshelves and all.

Then we went to the Tuesday Morning store, which is new. The only thing we got there was a bottle of Bloody Mary Mix. Just didn't see anything else we wanted.

Saturday

It's a beautiful morning in Silverthorne, CO. Charm and I had a perfect drive here yesterday.

The mountains out Paul and Tracy's windows are so beautiful they take your breath away. I'll take some pictures later. My objective is to take a decent picture of Sammy, their gorgeous black cat. He has beautiful yellow eyes, and masses of long, black hair. It will be a challenge.

Tracy was still on the phone for her job after she got home last night. She figured she made over 50 calls yesterday on one incident, two skirers who were caught in an avalanche. She was on the weather channel here twice, live, yesterday Breakfast is cooking - later.