Friday

Another beautiful day, and no sign of rain.  We got a few sprinkles yesterday. The weather forecast (the one I see, anyway) says 30% chance of rain today and 40% tomorrow.  I remember a saying from way back - - - "only a fool predicts the weather in Wyoming."

Here is Paul and Tracy's camper, all nicely shaded by the trees.  Barrie took elk burgers up last night, and she got a freshly baked loaf of bread and some corn on the cob at the Farmers' Market.

Barrie and Daisy bonding at the picnic table.

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Tracy had broken a fingernail into the quick, and it was sore. She bumped it on something last night, and said "Ouch!  Son of a . . . . ."  She didn't finish the sentence, but Kasey finished it for her, loud and clear.  It was one of those moments when you know you shouldn't laugh, but we couldn't help it.  It was followed by a lecture to Kasey from Barrie about "Remember, you can't talk in school like that."

 

 

Paul hasn't caught any fish at all.  The water is too warm, and the fish are all in the deep areas.  Paul talks to Randall quite often, and he says the water is the warmest it's been in recorded history. 


I am getting in trouble with the Forest Service.  The campsite is in my name, and first of all, I almost lost it because it was not occupied the first night.  Then yesterday, a warning ticket because a cooler had been left out.  Paul and Tracy had gone for a walk.  The cooler had no food in it - just ice and beer, but they can fine you for leaving it out.



Thursday

It's a very cloudy day, and I can smell rain.  Don't know where it's raining, but the smell is in the air.  Love the smell of rain!

Finally finished the drawing of the puppy and lamb.  Made the pup's head rounder, and changed the shape of his hips a little.  Also took off part of his hind foot.  Don't worry, it didn't hurt him.  I sprayed it with fixative and picked out a mat.

I got the rest of the mats I ordered for the art room.  We should be fixed up for a long time now.  Also received the mats I got on EBay.  I was a little surprised at how nice they are, and they are a real bargain.  Love, love, love Ebay!

I see this tree every day out my window, and it seems like it turned yellow just overnight. It is front of Wagon Wheel Motel.  I call it "Fred's Tree".

 

 Does anyone else recognize yourself here?

Wednesday

We had a huge crowd at art group this morning - there were twelve of us there.  One new person, and two who haven't been there for a long time.  We all had to scrunch up to make room for everyone at the tables.

I started this little 5" x 7" pencil drawing of an antelope this morning. The photo was taken in the spring, and I liked the effect of his scruffy hair.

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Kasey wore my favorite hat to the lake yesterday.  This hat has been stepped on sat on, and had gallons of water carried in it.

Kasey follows Paul around and "helps" him do everything.  Here she is helping him build a fire.  She also fed Daisy for him.

There was a group of rather loud people on the beach last night, and they had 4 or 5 pit bull type dogs running loose.  Did not make us comfortable, and it was nice to have them pack up and leave.

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Barrie took the day off yesterday and Kasey skipped school - they went to Rock Springs to Walmart.  They got Kasey's school supplies, and stocked up on things like toilet paper and paper towels.

 

 



Monday

Kasey was so excited she was going to the lake to see Uncle Paul and Aunt Tracy yesterday.  We couldn't go up until after 6:00, so didn't have much daylight left. 

Barrie took Shorty up, and after the initial hackle raising and snarls and threats, Daisy and Shorty began playing and gave us lots of laughs.  They mostly tore around the shade tent chasing each other.

Tracy and Paul moved to a nearby campsite that became vacant yesterday.  They can watch their boat from there

Judi and Rollie were at the boat dock and watched Tracy back the trailer into the water.  Judi took a picture and posted it on her blog.

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I think this is a little extreme! 

 

"The Taliban beheaded 17 people, including two women, for attending a mixed-gender party where there was music and dancing, Afghan officials reported today."

 

It would NOT be a good idea to open a nightclub there!

 

 

 

I have been working on this pencil drawing for a while now.  It is almost finished.  It's not the best idea to draw a white animal next to an off-white animal.  Value problems.



Paul and Tracy's camp

Tracy called from the lake yesterday.  The boat battery was dead, so they didn't get the boat in the water yet.  Paul had just recharged the battery before them came up, so I was to go up and loan Paul my pickup so he could come to town and get a new one

It ended up that Tracy made a couple of phone calls, and was able to find the battery, pay for it by credit card, and told Randy that Barrie would turn  in the old battery on Monday.  So I drove downtown and picked up the new battery.  They were going to wait until this morning before putting it in the boat.  Haven't heard from them yet today, so I guess it all went well.

We didn't put up our small tent this year, and I guess we should have.  The FS has a "rule" that a campsite has to be occupied the first night.  I left a water jug on the table, but I guess we about lost the camp site.

The campground hosts came down to visit with Paul and Tracy after they got here.  The hosts are Janet and Randall Montgomery and had seen my name on the check that paid for the site.  Pretty funny!  Tracy went all through school with their oldest daughter and they were good friends.

Paul cooked supper - brats and barbeque beans.  It was good.

Daisy loves the water.

 Fire felt good.

Chasing chipmunks wore Daisy out.

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Barrie ran dogs yesterday morning.  I think she said she ran a team of nine.  Dogs were so excited to get out and run.

 



Saturday

My blog page no longer shows the menu bar at the top where I can click to make a new post.  However, I can go to one of the blogs I follow, it shows my name at the very top, and I can get there that way.  Weird!

Just got email from Tracy that they are leaving Rock Springs.  I doubt if they even stop here on their way through, but will go right up to the lake.

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Just finished this little 3" x 5" painting in my moleskine notebook.  Only two pages left.  What do you do with a little black book with 60 tiny watercolors in it?  Darned if I know!

 

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How many squares do you see?

 





Friday

Tracy emailed me that they weren't going to be able to leave as early as they wanted today, so they plan on going halfway, and should be here by noon tomorrow.  They will probably go directly to the lake, get the boat in the water, and get their camp set up.

Barrie, Kasey, and I picked up food at Sugar Shack and went up to the campsite.  We'll never do that again.  Sugar Shack, that is, not the lake.  Not too impressive, and they made mistakes on the order, which of course we didn't find until we got up to the lake.

 Kasey is ready for supper.  She ordered a corn dog, and got a plain hot dog.

 Barrie, sorting through the food.  She ordered three french fries, and we got only two.  She ordered a mushroom burger with no ketchup.  It had ketchup on it.  I ordered a cheeseburger, got it, with no ketchup on it.

 

This pretty tree was right in front of the picnic table.  I think it's a juniper?  The campground is so overgrown with brush and dead stuff.  The wild roses are already turning brown and dead looking.  It is SO dry up there.  I usually take up a little firewood for Paul and Tracy.  I bet they won't even have a campfire this year. 

Barrie and Kasy went to the boat dock and went swimming.  I stayed at the table and did some sketching.

Thursday

Our dining room is back!  Barrie hauled our huge collection of "stuff" to the Food Basket yesterday.  She also took two child seats that had been in the back seats of our pickups.  She found two good booster seats at the Food Basket earlier, so Kasey has a new way to ride in our trucks.

(Please don't tell Barrie, but I will be starting a new pile of stuff for the Food Basket soon.)

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I finished getting twelve drawings and paintings ready for the silent auction that will be held at Rendezvous Pointe during the Blood Draw. 

 

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Wednesday

Tracy called.  They have had a campsite reserved at New Fork Lake for a long time.  The more they thought about it, they didn't want to be that far from town, because we wouldn't be up to see them very often.  So she asked me to see if anything was open in the Fremont Lake campground. 

Barrie and Kasey and I drove up yesterday afternoon and found a good space open for them.  It is right across the road from the boat dock.  They have stayed in the site next to this one before, and they can beach their boat at that nice little stretch of sandy beach, so they don't have to pull it out every night. 

They will be here Friday.

The reason the FS isnot reserving campsites at Fremont Lake for the summer was they they were going to be doing a lot of construction and repairs up there. 

Can anyone tell me what the Forest Service did up there all summer?  I watched for evidence of repairs or changes, and saw nothing.  Doesn't look to me like they did anything.

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There were only five at art group this morning.  Judi has been cleaning house after have grandkids all summer, and brought a bag of little toys for Kasey and a bottle of bubbles.  Thanks, Judi ( guess). 

 

Houses are usually decorated in a theme, like Southwestern, modern, or early American.  I have decided what the theme of my house is - early Storage Shed!

 

 

 

 



Monday

I finished this pencil drawing of an elk yesterday, and I'm not sure I like it.  It is just lacking something that gives it an edge.  And I don't know what it is.

This made me laugh.  I actually had a motorcycle once. And I even rode it!  But every time I stopped, it toppled over.  My legs were too short, and the bike was a little too heavy.

Tracy was riding her horse one afternoon, and I was to go get her in Shelter Park.  So I took my bike.  She got on behind me and we started home.  Beause I knew I couldn't stop, I kept circling Falers parking lot, waiting for a break in the traffic.  Tracy kept saying, "That's alright Mom, I can walk home.  But of course I didn't stop to let her off.  We made it all the way to our driveway, and of course, when I stopped, we tipped over.

I think that was the last time I ever drove it.  Driving through the Hoback later that summer, we saw a group of about six men on motorcycles.  They pulled off the road and stopped by some corrals.  And one of the guys put out his feet to balance his bike, and tipped over just like I did.  I laughed the rest of the way home.

I

Saturday

Quiet day today.  I spent most of the morning unclogging the applicator for my masking fluid. 

Then I watched a movie.  Anyone remember the movie from the 1980's "Blue Lagoon" with Brooke Shields?  Kind of corny, but I enjoyed watching it anyway.

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Kasey showing me her new dress.  Hmmm.  Not sure what it is, but it looks fancy.

Barrie and Kasey went to the Food Basket today, and Barrie said she hit it just right.  She got lots of clothes for Kasey, and two booster seats for the pickups.  No more infant seats in the back seat. 

Kasey told me she threw up at the rodeo last night, choking on grass.  I didn't ask.

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It's that time of year again.  The mice are looking for a warm place for the winter, and Kat is ready for them.  She left one on the floor for me last night.  I'm so thankful she does this at night so I don't have to watch.  She plays with them until they just give up and die.



Friday

A headline from the news this morning:

"Three members of  Pussy Riot-- a Russian punk band and feminist collective that mocked Russian president Vladamir Putin during a "punk prayer" in a Moscow cathedral--have been found guilty of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in jail."

Why can't we have a law like this in our country?  It could apply to both private citizens and politicians. Well, I guess we don't have enough jail space.

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There was a real racket out my window yesterday.  I knew it was birds, but had never heard a bird sound like that.  When I looked out, I saw a pair of flickers and their young.  Baby birds are not happy when they get kicked out of the nest!

 This is a small watercolor greeting card I finished yesterday.  I used watercolor pencils, and it was VERY difficult for me.   It still looks like something out of a child's coloring book.

My friend Vicky does beautiful work with her watercolor pencils, but she does landscapes.  Maybe I shouldn't give up on them yet.

Thursday

Did some Internet shopping this morning, and ordered a bunch of small mats - 8" 10" for small 5" by 7" paintings.  Lots of neat colors.  Then I found a lot of 10 mats that size on EBay for $15 and bought them too.  Guess we better all paint something small now!

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Please don't tell my daughter Barrie about this.  She grew up on unicorns and probably still believes in them!

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Wednesday

I think it's time to start closing some windows in the house at night!  39 degrees this morning! 

There was a nice turnout at art group today.  We missed Judi, but Mirian C showed up.  Hugh brought some of his completed paintings and Vicky and I badgered him until he let us mat one and hang it on the wall. 

We are low on small sized mats, so I will probably order a few today.

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Alright, Blogger.  I give up.  Yesterday I was able t o upload a video from the Internet.  Today I am trying up upload one of my own, and it just sits there. Finally, after an hour, I got one to upload, using Firefox.



Tuesday

My horoscope was worse today than it was yesterday.  It says I should get a job, and maybe even go to night school. 

I haven't attempted to upload a video in Blogger for a very long time.  It usually doesn't work.  Today I thought I would try again.  This is nothing special, except it makes me laugh.

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I'm trying to do a small piece with water color pencils, and I think it was a mistake.  Ooooh, those darned things are hard for me to work with.

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Tracy and Paul went to Lander last week for a memorial service for Leslie.  Then, they stopped and visited with Brother Bill and Alice.  They meant to just stay a short while, but ended up staying over three hours.  Glad I decided  not to go spend time with the LeClairs. I decided some time ago to not go to the memorial.

Here is a photo of Leslie and Bobby at the Fremont Peak Overlook, taken several years ago when they visited me.

 



Monday

My horoscope says my charm is bubbling out of me like champagne today.  So sorry you all missed that!

It's a sure sign fall is on its way when the cat starts seeking out sunny spots on the floor to take a nap.

This cartoon is more entertaining to me than the Olympics has been this year.  It's true I didn't find a schedule so I could watch what interests me, but it seemed that if I did turn the TV on, there was nothing but ping pong, beach volleyball, or something equally borning on.  Really, ping pong?  The old Romans would turn over in their graves if they could see what we consider sport.

Sunset last night.

A long time ago, I got to go along with a G&F flight over the mountains to check on the ice on some lakes.  Ken Koniceck flew us.  I loved it!  I'm pretty sure this is the top of Square Top.   

Saturday

"Fremont County weed and pest supervisor Lars Baker said mosquito numbers are down considerably from last year in Fremont County."  How the heck do you count mosquitoes?

 

And I just read on the news that a female bear and her three cubs broke into a cabin in Norway, drank 100 bottles of beer, and ate all the food that was there.  Party, party!

 

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I got out some of my watercolor pencils yesterday and started on a small painting of a bird.  I've never used these enough to know what I'm doing, so I'm not expecting much.

 

Barrie and "Nester" were inseperable when she was little.  Now Nester lies on the back of the couch, and Kasey pays no attention to him.

 

This is part of the artwork decorating the ouside of Sid's store in Shoshoni. 

 

Here is more of what's left of the east side Main Street in Shoshoni.  As far as I know, there are no businesses on this side of the street.  At one time, there was a pool hall, a movie theatre, a cafe, a hotel (and the drug store) and a bar/supper club. 

 

 

Thursday

Watched one of my favorite all-time movies last night, "Annie".  I think there is more than one version of this film out, but the one I have (and the one I like best) is the one with Carol Burnett in it.  I knew it was a musical, but  had kind of forgotten that it was SOOOOO musical.  There were so many cute and talented little girls in it.  Makes you wonder how many of them went on to a film career.

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The annual choke cherry harvest drunken party at the Raper house has begun.  I've seen lots of robins in the bushes, and Barrie said there were a couple of "drunk" doves in the driveway yesterday.  Last year we had three sled dog puppies in the yard who enjoyed the berries that fell on the ground, and they were staggering around and acting goofy.  Do birds have hangovers?

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This is especially for my daughter, Tracy.

And this is just a "feel good" photo.





Wednesday

Good turnout for art group this morning.  We had a new person, Hugh, a retired veterinarian from Tucson, who has a summer home at Boulder Lake.  He does watercolors.

Vicki brought banana bread (hot out of the oven), Lenore brought peaches,  and several of us stayed and ate lunch today.  I won't need to eat anything until next week.

And all I accomplished today was doing a practice piece.  I was using a new (and unfamiliar) palette, and a flawed piece of watercolor paper. 

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Barrie is a dog magnet.  She picked up another dog off the street, and called Julie.  The dog spent time in our basement in a kennel, and the owner came and picked her up. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see eight or ten dogs waiting at our front gate for Barrie every morning!

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Here are a couple more bird pictures from back when I worked at my photograpy, taken from my upstairs windows.

Mountain Bluebird



Goldfinch

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The End



Tuesday

I haven't done much this morning - too distracted by a humming bird.  He wants in the house!  He flies right up to the window, bumps against the glass, and even chatters at me.  I don't know what he sees in here that is attracting him.  He must be seeing a reflection of something, but I don't know what.  Is this a juvenile?

Let me in!

Interrupted the cat's morning nap time.

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When I was more actively taking pictures, I spent a lot of time setting up the camera with the big telephoto lens, and got some good photos of birds,  Here are a couple.

A hummer in the pine tree, with the light hitting him just right.  I took this one out my bedroom window.

The chokecherry bush is a popular spot for robins in the fall.



The smell of the grass Barrie just mowed, the wind in the leaves of the trees, the sound of humming birds fighting at the feeder, the sight of a magpie sitting in the sunlight on a fencepost, the sound of Willie Nelson crooning on the iPod, the sound of Kasey giggling about something, the feel of drawing paper and a pencil in my hand.

There, I almost wrote a poem, didn't I?

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Here are the tools I am using on the pencil drawing I have started.  Some of this stuff is new, some not.  The brush is to whisk away eraser leavings.  The thing that resembles a compass is the proportioinal divider I just got.  It's pretty nice, but I'm a little unsure yet about the best way to use it. It's great for measuring parts of the picture, but I still have problems getting my angles correct.

Then there's the lead holder, which I have had for probably 30 years.  I never used it, becaue the only way to sharpen it was with sandpaper, and very messy.  Then I found the little lead pointer that does a good job of keeping a point on the lead.  I'm using a paper stump for blending, and the new electric eraser.  I use the sandpaper to make a sharp point on the eraser to erase tiny places or fine lines.



And with all that stuff, this is all I have managed to produce!  I'm not sure I'll even finish this, as I used an unfamiliar paper, and really hate it.  I like a smooth, plate finish paper for drawing, but this is like trying to draw on waxed paper. 

Saturday

Noisy neighborhood today - weed eaters, someone building something, ravens, and trucks going by on the highway. Tired of having my windows open.

Speaking of windows open, it's starting to get cold here at night.  It was in the 30's last night!

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It was an exciting night for Kasey.  She was in the muttin bustin at the rodeo.  She came home still on a high - said she got dirt in her mouth.  She fell off and ate a little bit of arena dirt because her mouth was open. 

Barrie had her camera, and posted a video of her ride on Facebook.  I shared the video on my Facebook page also. I would try to post it here on my blog, but haven't been able to post a video for a long time. 

Kasey made a new friend at the rodeo.

I think her name is Fallon.

And she flirted with the boys.

Friday

Another windy day, and we are getting smoke from somewhere.  Not bad, but I can smell it.

Only four pages left in my little 3" x 5" Moleskine watercolor book.  It's interesting to look back through it at the things I've doodled.  I got a catalog yesterday that gives the correct pronounciation.  mol-a-skeen'-a. The notebooks are made in Italy, and they make sketch books, journals, ruled notebooks, and a few other kinds.

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XM radio is broadcasting live from the WE Fest in Minnesota.  Lots of country/western singers and concerts.  They say it is the largest gathering of campers ever.  Hmm.  Sounds suspiciously like a Rainbow gathering.

Why don't they put more things like this on the news, instead of the drama at the Chick-Fil A. 

Thursday

Uneventful day today.  I'm hoping to receive my order of "taco bowls" in the mail today.  We really like taco salad, and I have wanted to find the tortilla bowls like you get when you order taco salad in a lot of restaurants.  A friend from Texas mentioed she had some baking pans for torilla bowls, so I looked online and found some.  They're pretty cheap, and they come four to a set. 

After I ordered them, I found that all you have to do is drape a tortilla over an inverted mason jar, and bake them in the oven.  Or a custard cup, or just about anything that has a more or less round shape and is oven proof.

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Windy day today, but don't see any clouds yet.



Wednesday

Took a pencil drawing to art group today.  I am tired of packing all that heavy and builky stuff I need for watercolors.  Maybe it's time to cut back on what I need for watercolors, find a smaller bag, a smaller palette, take fewer brushes, etc.  Or maybe I'll just keeping taking drawing paper and pencils and let the watercolors take some time off.

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Nice gentle rain off and on this afternoon.  Kind of makes me feel like a nap. 

The grass is really filling in in the little front yard where the pine trees used to be.  There was never any grass under the trees before.  Kasey has so many petunias in planters in the front yard.  You never hear much about the fragrance of petunias, but I love the smell.  The smell of petunias drifts in my open window,  especially when it warms up in the afternoons.

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Why didn't anyone tell me about this before?