Recent pictures

It's been a busy Summer, despite the rain. D's getting some household projects done, like replacing the water tank and corroded pipes in our cellar, J's been busy with baseball practice and games, and I've been printing my calendar and cards when time allows and enjoying flowers in my own garden and others.

Recently, we took a day trip to Fort Ticonderoga at the top of Lake George. I really enjoyed the neighboring King's Garden. It felt like we were in France. The reason my garden doesn't look like that garden is that they employ 5 full time, four part time and many volunteer gardeners!





These wheels caught my eye as we drove past on the way to Lake George.






This garden transports me to France!









New recruits at the Fort.

2010 Train Calendar!

I finally printed a trial run of my 2010 train calendar, and I think it looks good! I won a book from Lisa, a Flickr friend and blogger, who had a random drawing from her commenters. The first person selected declined the book, so I was lucky. When it arrives, I'll send her a calendar as a thank you!

It's Summer. and we've been busy with family, baseball practices, day trips, etc. Last week, we went to Fort Ticonderoga at the top of Lake George, and the neighboring King's Garden, which I really enjoyed.We played Miniature golf in Lake George and spent the night in a cottage.The next day, we hiked up Blue Mountain a ways. Actually, J nimbly scrambled ahead of us as we picked our way through the mud and rocks, lagging behind a good twenty paces.

Yesterday, we drove to Ithaca in order to watch the All Star game on a real TV in a hotel. Most everyone else had booked rooms in nearby hotels for college orientation visits.We also visited the Ithaca Bakery for lunch and breakfast, and visited a couple bookstores.

Our infrastructure is being repaired, little by little. D replaced a corroded pipe that lead into our washing machine- no more laundromat trips! He also replaced our water tank and more corroded pipes in the cellar, no more stuttering on/off of the water pump. I even negotiated a deal for a new satellite radio complete with car attached. I think I'll like my Hyundai Elantra!

Off to another baseball game.

Creative Options

It's a rainy morning. Last week my car died when my husband and I went to Oneonta on a dessert date. The engine seized up after losing antifreeze and clattered to a grinding halt, spewing oily smoke. Luckily my kids had D's car and were less than a mile down the road at a drive-in theater, and the first movie "Up" had been seen. They got us at 11 PM. My son drove me back to my car the next day so I could get my junk out. We eventually had it towed to a salvage garage and I received $75 for it. I miss my wheels.





However, the forced time at home has given me the opportunity to draw more. I've almost completed my train drawings for my 2010 calendar. I've also almost done making two small quilts for graduating seniors this year. I have to stop blogging and go tie Logan's quilt- the party is this afternoon!

Poppies and a few photos from recent trip to TX

A profusion of poppies populated the back garden patch, a welcome sight.



I enjoyed seeing gorgeous cloudscapes on my flight to and from Texas last week.



I loved visiting my niece in Austin for a day and a half.







Ranger is my niece's BIG 130-pound Newfoundland dog. When we walked down the hip SoCo area of Austin (South Congress Avenue) everyone commented, "Wow! What a BIG dog! What kind is it? How much does it weigh? What's it eat?" My niece should get a preprinted T-shirt with answers to the most often asked questions.



I also attended the wedding of my cousin's son and made these table runners as gifts for the newlyweds. The marriage was held at the beautiful Highland Park Methodist Church in Dallas. It was indeed wonderful to see so many cousins and their childrens' children!

Mid May

May brings many celebrations! Spring's in full bloom in upstate New York and the air is filled with birdsong and the heady scent of lilacs balanced by the delicate fragrance of pale pink apple blossoms. The lilacs overwhelm the senses from any distance, whereas the apple blossoms invite you closer to detect their faint, pure scent, nose directly in blossom. (Watch out for bees!) Lilacs remind me of older ladies who trail an overpowering scent in their wake, and apple blossoms are like newborn babies whose powdered scent is barely noticeable until you nuzzle close to kiss their soft spot on the tops of their heads.

May is our family's birthday month (father, daughter, longtime friend, brother,oldest son) and also Mother's Day. It seems like we are celebrating everyday! This year, I'll be adding a cousin's wedding to continue the celebrations until month's end.

R's animation project

We enjoyed seeing an end-of-semester, end-of-year art show  yesterday. It's nice to continue to be inspired by the work of others, and it's especially gratifying when that inspiration comes from younger people!  We saw hallways filled with student drawings and paintings, cardboard chairs that really held us, uniquely constructed instruments that made sounds, historical Hudson River floating constructions (R's group reconstructed the jet that landed in the river out of soda can  sheet metal rectangles- it floated!) and many, many more projects.It was fun seeing R's friends, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOn7Uxib8HA&feature=channel_page

This is a link to my daughter's recent college animation project titled, "From Where She Stood". It seems like she has done more drawings to complete this project in the span of one semester than I've done in over thirty years of drawing;  we are all proud of her creativity and long hours of work. Keep it up!

May Flowers

Wake Robin Trillium (I think)


Trailing Arbutus

Bluets

Daffodils and Tulip along stone wall

Pink Hyacinth

Daffodil Audrey gave me Last Fall, a nice surprise, since I forgot it!

Shad Blossoms and Moon (looks very oriental to me)

Crabapple blossoms (I really like this photo!)

Spring Photos

Posting a few photos from the last two weeks...of flowers,a walk among Mohonk rocks, Easter basket cat, garden dreams, parents, more flowers!

Ahhh, Spring at Last!

Crocus grace our borders and random spots in our lawn, heralding the arrival of long-awaited Spring. They look like ragged-shelled, pastel Easter eggs tossed like a flower girls' petals in handfuls. They catch the sun's shine and the attention of drowsy bees. They are small, gentle reminders that life remains good, despite recent horrific, senseless shootings of thirteen innocent souls in nearby Binghamton.The gunman, also took his life making the total fourteen. The only way I can make sense of this incident is to not give up belief in the goodness of mankind, to actively seek its existence even in the minute details of everyday life and actions. Maybe it's a Pollyanna outlook on life, but it's how I cope for now.

Our cat, Jazz, copes by sneaking catnaps where he shouldn't (on top of our bed).