Rick's 60th Birthday video

I apologize for the poor video. Still playing with the Flip camera. I didn't mention Joyce, Darlene and Karin. I post this anyway for posterity. We were all inside because it was 95 degrees outside! Can't wait for Fall weather! Jaime was very sick so she couldn't come over and grill steak and shrimp as planned. We had Publix fried chicken and I made potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, baked beans, corn on the cob, and rum cake. We also baked an apple pie for Joyce and Karin. Had to run out and buy a fan because the ceiling fan on the porch has died. Got a little stressed out trying to peel the eggs. The peels would not come off those darn things! Oh, well, it was fun and I loved having my friends and family around. It was Stephanie's birthday, too, but she was at work. She and Cory went out to Carrabas later and her mother came over on Sunday. We were also celebrating Cory's birthday on the 14th. Jill was visiting Courtney.

Hyde Park Art Show

I went to the Hyde Park Art Festival alone on Saturday. Jaime and I used to come here. It was only a shadow of it's former self with MANY shops, restaurants, the movie theater all closed. The show itself was only on one street where it used to sprawl for blocks. There were still some remembered landmarks there, however, and the parking garage was easy, close and FREE!

There was a lot of amazing art work such as the first photograph above. The pictures were three dimensional. Very cool. Unlike anything I had seen before. Also there was a stall which had huge paintings that weren't paintings at all but very detailed stitch embroidery. Amazing. There were many, many very beautiful and labor intensive artisits' works displayed, but there was nothing like what I am thinking about doing and, understandably, the artwork cost much more than I would think about charging.

My idea is to come up with something affordable that I myself could not resist. (Affordable - $20-$30 range for a poster-sized print?) This simple little technique of  "oil painting" appeals to me so much. By blurring the image it seems to convey more feeling and make the image more anonymous and timeless at the same time. It makes even simple scenes much more interesting and meaningful somehow. --- Also, it reminds me in a bizarre way of my near-sighted vision before lasik which was incredibly frustrating, but which also "softened" reality sometimes.

Click on the photos above to enlarge and see the "oil painted" detail.

My Idea. What Do You Think?

Posters. To sell at art shows? Feedback requested. Double click on pictures to enlarge them and see the detail. These are my first efforts.

School Skating Party!

First school skating party. We went in the pouring rain. A flash flood really. Didn't want the kids to be disappointed. Wondered if anyone else would be there. The rain stopped magically right after we all got soaked getting in the car. We saw lots of friends and neighbors and school mates there. Jill tried skating for the first time. Jonah had a ball and Cory had even more fun, even though his back was hurting. I wonder if he can even walk today? It was fun! Note: Jonah was all over the place. If you look closely, you will see that he is in almost every picture. Guess I didn't have to worry about him learning to skate. Jill told Courtney that it "cracked her up" that her Grandma never learned to skate. Guess I won't have to worry about her learning either. My one attempt as a teenager at a church skating party resulted in my being wheeled off the middle of the floor in front of everyone like a refrigerator!

Tree Surgery with a Truck

Sean came over to investigate the tree problem. With no ladder and dark clouds overhead and rumbles of thunder, he had an idea. He threw a rope around the offending branch and he and Sean Borseth pulled hard. Only a little piece came down. Then they tied the rope to the truck and pulled again. I was a little afraid the whole tree would come down, but after a couple of tries, all the big offending branches were on the ground and NO ONE WAS HURT! Hooray!

Mia shows up to Grandma's with a very creative outfit. Check out the boots!

Jill - First Missing Tooth

Finally! Jill lost her first tooth.
After all the worry, it came out with a little wiggle. No door knobs needed! She's a big girl now!