Only one more oil painting class to go.  I think I finally got my composition right on the little mountain painting I have been working on.  I have been moving mountains.  Quite a feat, huh?

I watched an excellent video on my computer on mixing colors.  I'll need to watch it again to remember everything.

**********************

 Barrie posted this picture on Facebook.  Said she found it on my computer downstairs.  Chuck looks very patient, trying to watch TV with a lap full of dogs and kids.

This is Tracy.  The man holding her is Father Zumac, the priest at the Catholic church in Fort Washakie.  It was taken during Pow Wow.  Tracy was baptised that afternoon, and the man and woman in the picture were her Godparents.  Don't have any idea now what their names were.  Tracy was not a happy camper.

Thursday

While looking for a photo to publish today, I looked through the folder of pictures I took when Barrie, Kasey and I took a road trip to Montana.  We went to the area where Barrie used to live, and I enjoyed seeing all her old hangouts and meeting some of her old friends.

 Look how little Kasey is!  We were having a "tailgate party" in the parking lot of a little store in Lincoln, Montana.  This was three years ago, in the spring of 2009.

The Headwaters of the Missouri River where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers come together.  Taken near Three Forks, Montana.

This poor little guywas stuck in a flower pot at the back door of the owner's apartment at a motel we stayed at one night.  It made me laugh.  Somebody ripped his head off, so no more smelling the flowers for him.

Wish I could remember what town we were in.  It was a memorable night.  Barrie had a bad cough, and our phone rang late at night.  The woman who owned the motel told me the guy in the next room had called her to complain about the coughing.  She apologized, and said if by any chance the guy called our room, I should just hang up and ignore him.  We got a kick out of that.

The next morning we went in a cafe downtown for breakfast and sat next to a group of locals.  A woman was complaining about her mother-in-law.  She told the group her mother-in-law owned the (Rusty Spur maybe?) motel, and she was a real witch. 

I had the urge to turn around and ask the woman if she was the one who ripped the head off the little guy  on the "smell the flowers" sign.  Bet she did.

Wednesday

I got up at 6:00 this morning (still dark) to go to the bathroom, and a mouse ran across my bare foot with Kat in hot pursuit.  Sure enough, she left its little carcass right by my chair at the drawing table.  Mice don't bother me a bit, but I'd rather not have it run up my pants leg.

I can't begin to tell you  how good these are.  Barrie made hamburgers on the little outdoor grill last night.  Good meat on a warm bun, cheese, onions, lettuce and tomato. 

*************************

I actually got some work done today on an old car I am painting in watercolor.  I might actually finish it this week! 

The oil paintings are a different story.  Slow, slow, slow.  I have four in progress now, and am not starting any new  ones.

**********************

This is another Photo of the Day from National Geographic.  This shows Flamingo chicks, photographed in Africa.  Aren't they incredible?



Tuesday

The weather forecast for yesterday said rain.

Funniest thing, that rain looked a lot like snow.

And it still looks like snow this morning!

********************



I have that National Geographic Photo of the Day on my web browser page. I usually just glance at the picture, but this one caught my eye.  It was taken in Greenland.  

If I would let myself, I could spend all day on the National Geographic web page just looking at all the photographs. 

******************

I found some "words of wisdom", and want to share a few.

Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

Once over the hill, you pick up speed.

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes, I even put it in the food.

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

More to come . . . .

Monday

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one pretty much sums up what is happening at my house today. 

****************

 

I am working on a small oil painting using analogous colors.  It's only 6" x 8".  There is going to be snow on the mountains.  What's going to be in the foreground?  I don't have a clue.  That's what gets me in trouble in my oil painting class.  I'm supposed to know this type of thing before I start to paint.  I just can't plan ahead very well.

***********************

I

Sunday

I was browsing through my "coffee table book" of Ansel Adams phototgraphs. I never tire of looking at his work.

I think this one of the quakies in New Mexico is my favorite.

And of course his picture of the Tetons is breathtaking.  I have taken photos from this location before, and never had the same perspective as he has.  It looked like he was up higher.

And sure enough, he could elevate his view.

************************

Kat caught another mouse last night.  She caught one last week too, but I don't think I made a note of it.  The one last week was a very small one.  A new litter already grown and out?

***********************

Saturday

No pictures today.

I have been looking at the fish painting all day and have decided I lied.  It is NOT finished.  The water is SO bad.  And the fish's belly is too white, and he needs a bug, and an eye, etc.




Barrie is on poop patrol in the back yard this afternoon.  Snow is gone, and the dog poop is all in sight.  I don't know what happend in the front yard this morning.  Looked like the garbage truck exploded.  There were boxes and paper all over.  Must have been something on the front porch, and something got into it.  It's all picked up now.


Tracy called this morning.  Her old phone died, and she has a new one.  She uses her phone as a calendar, address book, and all kinds of things.  She wasn't able to retrieve her calendar from her old one, so was putting in everyone's birthdays while we talked.

Am still collecting recipes that sound good for the new George Foreman grill.  Barrie fixed hamburgers the other night, not on the new grill.  They had lettuce, mushrooms, onions, and cheese.  The George Foreman grill might be great, but nothing beats a Barrie Burger.

Friday

Kasey got a slinky, and loves to send it down the stairs.  Isn't she lucky to live in a house with stairs?  Both Barrie and Tracy had some falls on the stairs, and their shins often looked like I beat them.  As far as I know, Kasey has never really fallen on the stairs (yet). 

You are done, fish!  I'm sick and tired of you.  The water looks very yellow green in the photo, but it isn't quite as bad as it looks in real life.  And at some point he had a bug he was jumping for, and I seem to have painted over it. 

 

AArrgghh!  I have spent all morning trying to straighten out bills.  First, RM Propane told me a while ago that I have a $70 credit, and that would show up on my next statement.  Got a statement yesterday, and the credit wasn't on it.  So I called.  Seems the statement I got was just for the most recent gas delivery, and the $70 would show up later. She told me to just throw the bill away.  Geez, now they will probably try to collect a late fee.  Wish I'd thought of that earlier.

Then my credit card company notified me that my payment was 11 days late.  So I called.  Had to talk to three people to get it straightened out.  (At least they all spoke English."  I was told they didn't know why I got the notice of a late payment, to disregard the notice and just wait for my next bill at the beginning of the month.

All that, just to be told to throw the bills and late notices away?  And I had really important things to be doing this morning.  I'm not sure what, but there must have been something.

I got e-mail from Hewlett Packard, which I usually just glance at, but this one had links to their "projects" with fun stuff to do and print out.  I printed KC some Lorax coloring pages, I also printed her a calendar for the month of May.  Her birthday's in May.  I thought she might have fun crossing off the days.  Made one for April too, but that probably wouldn't interest her as much.  One month is enough.

Wednesday

It looks like it's a done deal.  Peyton Manning has signed with the Broncos, and Tim Tebow will be going to New York.  With Manning's health history, it could be a risky deal, I think.  But Elway didn't ask me.  Guess I have become a New York fan.  Unless that deal doesn't go through.

**********************

Had a new face at  watercolor group this morning.  Her name is Pat, and she lives on the Upper Green.  Our group has been so small.  Will be better when the "snowbirds" come back.

******************************

Enjoying Tom T. Hall on my iPod this afternoon, and have a good book.  Life is good!

Tuesday

Vicky sent me the link to a video of Willie Nelson in 1965.  Really incredible, isn't it? 

Now, here's the scruffy Willie we all know and love.  I have about 40 Willie songs on my iPod.  Maybe I'll play them today.

*******************

I'm trying to complete the painting of the trout, and get started on a new one.  We are to paint something using analogous colors this week.  I wanted to use orange, yellow orange, and yellow.  But I think it would be too frustrating to try to stick to  those colors without using some dark somewhere.  Guess I'll use blue, blue violet, and blue.  And we can always use white.

I toned two little canvases yesterday and left them on the table top while I made the bed.  When I came back, they had cat tracks on them, and little green paw prints were on the table cover.



Monday

Nothing happening here. I've been looking through photos on my computer to get an idea for my next oil painting, and am posting a couple of old pictures.

This is what I did when retired, before I took up drawing and painting.  I think I finished fourteen or fifteen full sized quilts before I had my fill of it.  I still have a few quilt tops that haven't been quilted, and several tops in progress.  I have it all stashed away where I don't see it.  This humongous quilt frame is dismantled and is under my bed.

Barrie and Max, my "cute" dog.  Max was the only dog I ever paid money for.  He was a Silky Terrior.  Ever notice how close the word "terrior" is to "terror"?  Believe it.  Max was well known around town, because he was a master of escape, and if he was on the run, he didn't come back when called.  Spent many hours chasing this little rat down.  Even when he was so old he was almost deaf and blind, he would excape and bum around town.

*********************

I really hope my tax money isn't paying for this research!

Mice born with an extra female chromosome have much greater sex drives than their typical male counterparts, according to new research.  And even more interesting, the same findings may apply to human men with Klinefelter's Syndrome, who are genetically XXY, as opposed to the typical chromosome patterns of XY for males and XX for females

Sunday

I have no photos, so will post a picture of the trout painting I am working on.  It is a long way from finished.  I think I can ruin five or six watercolor paintings in the time it takes to finish an oil painting.  Well, maybe.  I haven't acutally finished any of my oil paintings yet.  The problem with oil is you can keep going back to work on it.  With watercolor, you make a mistake, you throw it away and start fresh.

**************************

I don't understand my Yahoo weather report for today.  Pinedale has a severe weather warning.  It says it might snow a couple of inches,  We might have thunder, and the wind will blow 5 to 10 mph.  After all my years in Wyoming, I thought I knew what severe weather was, but I guess I don't.  That sounds like a typical spring day to me.

**********************

Barrie took Kasey to see The Lorax last night.  Kasey came home very excited and told me all about it.  She said they went to the Threeator. 



Friday

I think I made a little progress on my oil painting of the jumping trout today. I changed the hill in the background, lowered the horizon line, and started working on the trees. I should have had my composition set before I even started, but no, I had to struggle with it two weeks before I figured it out.

*******************

Some new work is up on the walls of the art room.  Nice!

No, this one is not one of ours.  This is a drawing done by JD Hillberry, an artist I admire very much.  He works in graphite and charcoal.  This entire thing is a drawing, including the dark background and the piece of tape.

Thursday

Paul and Tracy went on a Caribbean cruise. Maybe you saw these photos on her blog, but I'll post them here again.

St. Thomas harbor.

Paul, relaxing on shore.  That is their ship behind him.

Tracy, on "dress-up night".

*************************

Today seems to be a "do nothing" day.  I've done a little work on a pen and ink drawing, but I feel like reading.  It's that kind of day - overcast and dreary looking



Wednesday

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

There is a herd of about ten does that hang out around my house.  These two spent quite a while helping each other with an itch they couldn't reach.

*************************

A cute little waitress named Kasey brought me taco salad upstairs for supper last night.  It was delicious!  Thank you, girls.

*******************

Some of the mushers arrived in Nome last night.  Dallas Seavey was the first in.  Aily Zirkle was second, and Ramey Smyth was next.  There are still more than fifty mushers at various places along the trail.  Good race!

 

Tuesday

Yesterday was not a very productive day.  First, I ruined the sky on a new watercolor attempt of the old church.  Then I got red oil paint on the sleeve of my shirt and smeared it on the top of the drawing table.

Maybe today I will just read.

******************

Someone posted this on Facebook to share.  Makes me laugh.  I used to teach kindergarteners to do this!

This is just a "feel good" picture.

******************************

The top three mushers in the Iditarod will be leaving White Mountain this morning for the last 22 mile stretch into Nome.  They had a required eight hour layover in White Mountain.  Dallas Seavey will leave first, Aily Zirkle will be about an hour behind him, and Ramey Smyth an hour behind  her.  It's an exciting finish!

Monday

Aliy Zirkle, the woman musher who has been doing so well in the Iditarod, is now in second place.  She got into Koyuk less than an after Dallas Seavey, but was an hour faster in route from Shaktoolik, a distance of 50 miles.   They are now 123 miles from Nome.

Here is a picture taken in Koyuk of Aliy feeding and taking care of her team at the checkpoint.

I love this picture.  Look at all the expressions on the dogs' faces.  Kinda worried, a little scared, but also interested and curious.  These dogs are being flown out of Koyuk in a small plane.  They were dropped in Koyuk and are headed back to Anchorage.  Or if they are close to Nome, they may be flown there.

Photo by Jeff Schultz

***************************

I have finished all five of the Larry McMurtry "Texas"  books.  One thing I really like about his writing, is I feel like I have known some of the characters personally, in my lifetime. 

**********************

Hmmm.  What shall I do with the rest of my day?  Sure don't feel like working on the closet in my downstairs bedroom, although the room looks like a tornado went through it.  And don't feel like working on the desktop computer, either.  Guess that leaves reading, or painting.  Yeah!

Sunday

 It's that time of year.  Pinedale is looking kind of worn out and dirty.  The streets are muddy, and the huge piles of snow on the street corners are melting.  the cars and pickups are all pretty much the same color.

*******************

The Iditarod sled dog race is rolling right along, and it looks like a woman may win it this year.  She has been in the lead ever since they got to the Yukon.  She and four other mushers are in Unalakleet.  The guy who won it last year is also in Unalakleet, running in fourth place.  It's only about 200 miles to Nome from there.  Of course, anything can happen, and the race isn't over till it's over.

****************



Saturday

Wouln't you like to be able to sleep like a cat?  They always look so comfortable and relaxed, no matter what position they're in.

Kat jumped up on art table this morning, stepped on the remote, and turned my iPod on.  It's been playing classical music - now it's Buffy St. Marie.

******************

I painted the sky on the new church painting this morning.  The paper has a bad spot on it and there's an unwanted line in the sky.  Not a good start.

Also painted some rust on the old car painting I have started.  It's on 300 lb. paper, and I always have problems with that paper.  I like my cheap 140 watercolor blocks better.  That 300 lb. paper was probably stored in  my basement for about 30 years. Should still be okay, but maybe not.

***********************

 

Yesterday was Barbie's birthday!  She's in her 50's.  She's aged well, hasn't she? 

Friday

After oil painting class today, I went to the bank to cash a check and get my signature notarized.  Got check cashed, but didn't have my drivers license with me, so couldn't get my signature notarized.  Came home, got drivers license and went to the courthouse.  Got my signature notarized, and wasn't in the right building to turn the form in.  So I had to go to the old library, which has been converted to a court building.  I never saw so many STOP notices or warning signs before.  Finally a woman came out and took the form.

At both the bank and courthouse, I never saw one person I knew, and none of them were friendly.

I remember when they used to leave the outer door at the courthouse open at night so Micky McKnight could sleep in there if he wanted.

The form I had notarized was an application to be excused from jury duty because of my age.  The instructions said anyone over 72 can be excused.  Finally!  I have found a positive side to getting old!

Someone asked me why people over 72 were excused.  I thought probably it was because we could have dimentia, or we had to go to the bathroom too often

Thursday

Charm asked if I looked at my paintings in the mirror.  Yes, I do.  I also think photographing a work and looking at it on the computer screen shows a lot.  Here is yesterday's little church.  I think the cast shadow of the roof overhang was where I screwed up the most. 

I LOVE Photoshop.  I got rid of the cast shadow and brightened up the side of the building facing the sun.  Also put back the brightness on the side of the bell tower.  This shows a little bit more what I was going for.

The last thing Vicky said to me when I left the art room was "Don't ruin that painting."  Oops.  I did.

I'm not sure what to do with the roof.  I think it looks a little strange, but they don't build peaked roofs in that country.  It's just flat and you can't see it.

********************

I have spent the morning "discipling"  the desktop computer downstairs.  I uninstalled a bunch of programs, and took away some of its toys.  I haven't gotten around to any of the disk maintenance things yet, like defragmenting the hard drive, disk repair, etc.  We might get it running better yet.

Wednesday

This is a painting I am going to do again.  I love the reference photo and after painting it once, I know what I've done wrong and know what to do differently next time.  I'm really kind of excited to be doing it again.  Look for a real masterpiece next time! 

******************** 

I've certainly never thought of this before.

Tuesday

Yesterday was a movie marathon day for me. I'm not sure why, but I watched three movies. Didn't paint anything, didn't read anything, just sat like a lump and watched movies.  I watched "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo", "And Then She Found Me" and "The Girl Who Played with Fire."

Made a little progress on the oil painting using red, green, and white paints.  I have the basic colors and shapes blocked in, except for the fish.  He's a shape without color right now.

*******************

I read an interesting comment in Larry McMurtry's book "Duane's Depressed".  Jody, the storekeeper at Corners said "Actions of the mind are unsettled by too much exposure to flat countryside."  It's called "Flat Disease."Any  of you feel that way when you're in flat country?  I got lost once in Nebraska driving on a dirt road through some wheat fields, taking my cousin to school.  Couldn't find my way back.  The roads are straight, no hills or mountains in sight, and no fences.  I stopped and climbed on top of my car so I could locate the buildings.   

 I always appreciate it when Barrie picks up my mail for me.  But today she brought me a summons for jury duty.  I can pretend to be deaf for something.

Sunday

Here is what Barrie got for her birthday - a Thomas Train, which of course she shares with Kasey.  She got it from someone in Boulder who had it listed on "Sublette Sells", a Facebook community. 

If you think you hear some inappropriate language here, I think you're right.  Barrie asked her "What did you say?"  Kasey said "Oh shucks!"

******************* 

I installed a calendar program on my computer last week.  I have lost my installation disk for Microsoft Works, which had a calendar program I used.  So I searched a for free calendar and found exactly what I need.  It's called "Efficient Calendar".  You enter events, mark whether or not you want a reminder, and you can repeat events at different intervals, daily, weekly, every other week, every year, etc.  If you ask for a reminder, a little white note pops up showing the event.  And it already has the US holidays on it. 

I also found that my computer has a "sticky notes" program that's great.  No more sticky notes stuck on the computer screen.

***********************

Noisy outside today.  Icicles are falling off the roof onto the metal roof below.

 

Saturday

Here's the proof, Betty! I really am doing my homework.

When I took this little painting to the oil painting class yesterday, there was a big lumpy looking brown mountaiin.  I practically started over from scratch, and painted over the thing that looked like a dead elephant.  Also painted over the trees and started new  ones.  I'll wait until the paint dries some and then try to finish the trees.  Nothing to brag about, for sure, but I used only blue, orange and white paint.

And I started a new painting using only red, green, and white paint.  I'm learning a lot about colors in this class.

********************

Another bright sunny day today.  

I finished Larry McMurtry's Duane's Depressed last night.  There are two more books in that series, and I have them on my Kindle.  I might be tired of Larry McMurtry by the time I'm through reading them!