Emma Pod

Hiding Space

2011-09-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Josie finds a really good place to hide from the dog!

Ray and His Doggy Parents

2011-09-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is Ray at one year old. He looks so much like his mother, Danielle.

Here are two pictures of Ray's Mom, Danielle. She lives at RavenWyn Shelties in Forest Grove, Oregon

Below are pictures of Ray's Dad, Keenan. He is from IvanLee Shelties in Lebanon, Oregon.

Blog Mostly Recovered!

2011-09-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

Well Sparky,
My blog is now
almost completely recovered!
I still have a few miscellaneous photos to reload to posts, but most of the posts are done. In the end, I had to go through almost every post and reload the photos on each one!

First I tried to just recover the photos from the Recycle Bin and restore them. That captured some of the photos that got deleted but not all of them. It did not restore them to Picasa or to the web album for "Blogger". Some that I deleted from the "web album" were just gone. Luckily I still had copies in other places on my computer. So, I had to swear alot, stay up way too late, and look up a bunch of stuff online.

Then I tried re-uploading the photos in groups to the web album that Blogger draws from, hoping the photos would re-appear. My posts wouldn't sync up to repopulate the photos - even with the correct, matching file names! So, I had to swear some more, fume, look up more stuff, tinker, have a drink or two.

So, I resolved to go through each post and upload the pics for each - for about 155 posts. Luckily, I've been a lazy poster over the years!! Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have done it. My neck got sore, my eyes got blurry, I stayed up way too late, I had bad dreams.

I did contemplate just letting the whole thing go.....and starting over with something new. After all, I have virtually no readers anymore now that I'm out of the EDM loop. But I didn't want to lose all of the things I've entered over the past 5 or so years.

Now, I need to figure out how to back this all up! And I need to read more about Picasa and the web albums - and send them feedback about my experience (as if anyone will care, but I've seen posts from others who have had similar troubles). It seems to me that one should be able to remove a photo from an album and not necessarily remove it from one's computer - and be able to retransfer photos back to the original account if desired.

It's been a MAJOR PAIN!! But I did go back and fix some photos and edit some stuff. It also gave me a chance to better organize my photos. I had them saved haphazardly in several different folders, using different formatting. I have a bit of OCD, which is a helpful trait when doing something like this!

EP

I'm Ticked OFF!!

2011-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have totally screwed up my blog!!! I tried a feature in Picasa to transfer/migrate my photos from one email account to another. I thought it would be great to consolidate my photos. Then I was weeding out some of the photos from an album - not realizing that I was totally DELETING them! Of course, I now realize it's my fault for not reading the fine print.

The Picasa site says that the blog will be able to link to the new location - IF you link both email addresses as authors to your blog. I'm using an old Yahoo account for this blog, and when I attempt to add my gmail account, it tells me I can't (because both are connected via Google and only one Google account can be used for sign in purposes).

I was able to add both email accounts as "authors" as the instructions told me to do, but the system still wouldn't access photos from the second (new) account as the instructions said it would. And OF COURSE, once photos are transferred to a new account, Picasa says they can't be transferred back!!!! What the hell???

I was able to restore my photos from the recycle bin, but that doesn't put them back on Picasa, which holds the blog photos. And even though I've reloaded a number of photos to Picasa and the web album that Blogger uses, the blog is still not picking them up from either Picasa account.

GGRRRR.....

If I had a Hammer.....

I Can Control Bees With My Mind

2011-08-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I can relate to this.....

Smiley Face!

2011-08-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Art is Where You Find It!

Smiley Face - on the back of a bathroom stall door where a coat hook used to be!

Can o' Worms

2011-07-25T10:10:00.001-07:00

Maupin Whitewater Institute Sketches, July 2011

2011-07-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

This week I attended the Whitewater Institute in Maupin, Oregon. It's a four-day training program on community college outcomes and assessments. Maupin is east of Mt. Hood and is in the high desert area of Oregon. Each day we had class and then took a raft trip on the Deschutes River. Our raft team was GREAT, even though we had a few mishaps along the way - poor Katy got bounced out of the boat twice and I whacked her on the head with my oar once. Also, Tracy did a somersault off the front end into the river.

Bridge over the Deschutes River near Maupin

Rafts tied to the Imperial Hotel dock

Beavertail Overview

Blue Heron on River

More Beavertail Hills

Yellow Headed Blackbird

River Rocks Picked Up Along the Deschutes

Words of Wisdom from Yvonne, on Supervision Issues

Sunriver Sketches, July 2011

2011-07-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of sketches I made in Sunriver this year. I didn't take too many pictures or do alot of sketching. We stayed at a new Meadowhouse condo this time, I think it was #70 something.

Lyrics from the song "Human" on my iPod for walking

Sketch of trees in back of our condo

Big Island Sketchbook Drawings, Hapuna Beach, June 2011

2011-07-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sketch of random guy on the beach

Black feral hotel cat who visited us for daily snacks

More hotel feral cats

Gecko on bamboo

Palm tree outside our lanai

Completed Fish Paintings

2011-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the finished paintings that Ann and I completed last night.

Her's is on the left and mine is on the right. They are each 24x36" in oil.

Now we have to decide what to do with them!

Conference in Florida

2011-03-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I recently visited parents in Texas and then attended a conference in Clearwater Florida. The hotel was right on the beach and here are a few shots of the water! The weather was in the high 70's/low 80's. Water temperature was around 65 degrees - a bit cold, but a woman from Canada and I both got in for a swim!

Fish Paintings

2011-03-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

My painting buddy, Ann, and I are working on a diptych this term. We found two koi paintings and have been working on them sporatically this term. As you can see, we have different styles and are trying to merge them. These are photos of our paintings from a couple of weeks ago. Ann's (left) is more impressionistic and mine (right) is more defined. I'm trying to mess mine up some more and worked on it again last night. I still have to put in some green grasses along the bottom and add some more white to the fish and water. These are 24x36 in oil.

Ray is One Year Old!!

2011-03-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

Here's my baby at one year old! Ray's birthday was January 13th. He's got all of his fur and is about 14 1/4 inches tall and weighs about 21 pounds. He's gotten alot more confident and is following up on his New Year Resolutions to:

1. Chase the cats more
2. Chew stuff he shouldn't
3. Eat anything he can fit in his mouth
4. Not come when called unless there's food

I think he needs to go back to doggy school!

At right is a photo of Ray's Dad, whose name is Keenan. He is from a breeder in Lebanon, Oregon called IvanLee Shelties. Keenan is a champion!

Puppy Painting Update

2010-11-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

I finally got back to my painting class for one night last week. I was able to work a bit more on the body, face and background. I haven't figured out how to paint the bottom background and shading yet...will have to see how that goes. With my new job I haven't had much time for art this term. : (

Naughty Puppy!

2010-10-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

My darling puppy Ray decided that my glasses would make a really great chew toy! He went to town and here's what is left of my glasses. I was able to wear them for a few days, even with the crewed up temples and scratched lenses. But then they split right down the middle of the bridge.

I tried to order new frames online. They were an old Guess brand and I found a pair for $75! Then the company wrote that the frame is no longer being made. So last night we went to Binyon's and I looked at the new Guess frames.

Luckily, I was able to find a new frame with the same lens dimensions as the old ones. The guy was able to pop my lenses into the new frames and I was set!!!

The new frames are purple on the exterior and blue on the interior. They look kind of black, but not quite.

So, all is forgiven.

I did buy Ray some new doggie chew toys

Fall Painting and Ray 9 Months Old

2010-10-15T22:46:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything to my blog. Things have been busy with the beginning of fall term. I have a new job that is much busier than my previous job, so that's taking alot of time. I have lots to learn!

I'm not really taking a painting class this fall, but I can go in and paint with the rest of the class whenever I am able. I've only gone twice this year and here is my start. This is a painting of a cute Chihuahua from the dog park. I don't know her name, but I thought she would make a good subject! This is in oil, 12x16".

I'm also posting a picture of Ray. He was 9 months old on October 13th. He's 17-18 pounds.

Ray at 8 months old, A Graduate!

2010-09-14T23:33:00.001-07:00

Ray Playing with Classmate in Puppy School

Here are my most recent pictures of Ray. They were taken on September 8, 2010.

You can see that his hair is almost grown out, he has alot of fringe around his face, his nose has grown longer. He's about 17 pounds. I'm not sure how tall he is now...I'll have to measure him again

He finished Puppy School and has learned: sit, shake, down, heel, leave it, watch me, walk on a leash. He doesn't DO them all the time but he's getting better, and he's gained alot of confidence!

Ray the Graduate

Ray at Dogpark - 7 1/2 months old

2010-09-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

Here's Ray on August 29, 2010. I took him to the dog park and got a few shots. He's about 7 1/2 months here and is really getting his longer, adult coat. He's also got a really great tail!

I also took some pictures of his dog park friends. We go to a great park that has one area for big/active dogs and another area for shy/timid dogs. Ray goes the shy/timid area and plays with the other smaller, quieter dogs. Many of them are the little white foo-foo types (Malteses, Bichons, and many poodle mixes), which are pretty scrappy. I'm thinking of painting some of the dogs as my art projects for fall.

Ray on July 6, 2010 - 6 Months Old - in Sunriver

2010-09-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of Ray from July 6, 2010. He was almost 6 months old. Ray was born on January 13, 2010.

This was his first trip to Sunriver, in central Oregon. He loved playing in the tall grass and meeting neighbor dogs. He traveled in the car pretty well, but still got sick a few times.

We spent a whole week there, so he had time to adjust and did really well on his first trip!

Ray on June 27, 2010 - 5 1/2 months old - at Local Park

2010-09-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures of our new puppy Ray from June 27, 2010.

He was about 5 1/2 months old at this time, weighed about 13 pounds. Still soft and fluffy

Introducing Ray!!!

2010-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

We have a new puppy named Ray! He's a 5 month old Sheltie and we got him on June 16th. He was born on January 13, 2010. He's a bi-black Sheltie, 5 months old, 12 pounds, still fluffy, and cute!

After Jack died, we just couldn't go without a dog. And because it's summer and we'll have some time off for training and adjusting, we decided we needed to move more quickly.

Ray comes from Ravenwyn Shelties in Forest Grove, Oregon, owned by Corina and Morgan Olsen. Ray's mom is Danielle at Ravenwyn and Keenan from Ivanlee Shelties in Lebanon, Oregon. Ray looks just like his mom. My Grandpa's name was Ray Keenan, so we figured this was a sure sign this is the puppy for us!

Ray has been figuring out all the new sounds, smells, cats and routines of our house. He's also learning to wear his collar (with noisy tags), to walk on a leash (very confusing concept) and where to poop (outside is best). He's got a sweet temperment and is alot of fun!

We love him already!!

The Big Island, June 2010

2010-06-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

We went to the Big Island of Hawaii June 8-15th, stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort in an ocean front room. This was our view from the room, which was awesome! I didn't take alot of pictures on this trip because I took quite a few on previous trips.

Here are just a few shots of the beach, the snorkel entry area, the rocks, some hula and a pretty sky.

Big Island Trip Sketch Book

2010-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

We went to the Big Island of Hawaii, June 8-15. We stayed at the Hapuna Prince Beach Resort. Here's my sketchbook of what we did:

Wednesday, June 9th

Had a GREAT SNORKEL - lots of fish & crystal clear water. Drove to Kona, shopped at Ross (our favorite store!) and found some bargains, had lunch at Don's Chinese, walked through downtown Kona (to the palace, the old church, the shops), swam at the hotel but water was rough, had drinks at the Reef Lounge and fed the feral cats (and a mongoose or two).

Thursday, June 10th

Had another GREAT SNORKEL in early morning, clear, calm, lots of fish. We drove to Hilo and saw all of the lush vegetation. We did some more shopping in Hilo at Ross & Macy's, looked around town. We've been there before, so didn't do any of the tourist stuff. I swam in the snorkel cove because the waves were high on the beach. In the evening we went to our lounge and then took the shuttle over to the Mauna Kea where they had hula.

Friday, June 11th

We went snorkeling again in the early morning - the water was more cloudy and wavy, but was still pretty good. Rick was bitten by mosquitos in the night and had welts all over his legs. We went to the King's Shops in Waikoloa and had lunch at Arnie's Clubhouse at the hotel. Afternoon swimming was GREAT. It was hula night at the lounge and we saw students from the local halau. Back in the room we went on a mosquito seeking mission to rid the room of insects.

Saturday, June 12th

We didn't snorkel today because it was wavy and Rick's mosquito welts were bothering him under the fins. We drove to Hawi on the north coast. The King Kamehameha statue was draped with leis from the holiday on Friday. I got a red garnet necklace at a cute jewelry shop. We had lunch at the Snack Shack (where we've gone several times before. Afternoon swimming.

Sunday, June 13th

Morning snorkeling was not very good today. It was wavy, windy and murky, though we did see three turtle! That was fun. Today we went to Waimea to look around. I wen to the bead shop and the Parker Ranch shops. We found out that feral cats who have been fixed have snipped ears to mark them! We'd noticed that a number of cats had notched ears and just thought they'd gotten in fights. There's a local group that spays and neuters the many, many area cats. In the afternoon I drove to the Shops at Mauna Lani and went through the Lahaina Gallery. I wanted to see their Darrell Hill paintings. Great afternoon swimming!!

Monday, June 14th

This was our last full day. Snorkeling was again wavy and cloudy, but we did see some turtles again. Had lunch at the Beach Bar and spent the afternoon reading, napping, and swimming! We didn't take the car out at all today.

Paintings from Spring Term

2010-06-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of my Spring term paintings. These are all in oils and I used the water soluble oil paints.

This is a painting of our Sheltie Jack who passed away in May. I used one of the recent photos I took of him. I started this one in blue, because his natural black color is so dark it's hard to differentiate the shades. I will also try a normal color painting of him.

This started out as splotches of all the "end of day" paints after class. I just swabbed the colors onto an extra canvas. At the end, I found a photo of an old guy and added him.

This was my frustration painting for the term. It's not what I wanted or intended, but I didn't know how to fix it. So, I'll leave it.

This is a painting I did from a painting workbook. I'll have to add the name later.

Saying Good Bye to Jack, Our Sheltie

2010-05-26T23:29:00.002-07:00

On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, we said Good Bye to our dear friend Jack. He had been battling a back injury (possibly a slipped or bulging disc) and then he had additional organ problems that overwhelmed his ability to recover. He was with us for 12 years and 3 months, but it wasn't nearly long enough. We miss him so very much.

Jack was a rascal and a lover and a sweet, gentle spirit. He was barky and bratty sometimes. He ate cat poop out of the litter box and junk out of the garbage can. He herded the cats, much to their consternation. He never did quite earn his "Canine Good Citizen Award" and wasn't a very good host when company came over.

Jack's favorite word was "GO" and he was up for anything. He went on cross country road trips with us, stayed in hotels and rode in elevators. He loved running on the ocean beaches.

Sunriver was a favorite place and he liked playing on the early morning golf course and sitting in the grass smelling the pine air. He learned how to camp.

He shopped at Pet Smart and Home Depot. He loved going to the dog park. He barked at the same noisy crow every morning.

Jack's favorite toys were tennis balls, a ratty stuffed frog, and a rolled up newspaper. He loved going on walks with Rick. He took great pride in learning tricks - he could balance a biscuit on his nose, toss it in the air and catch it in his mouth.

Throughout his life, Jack suffered from ligament and tendon problems. He recovered from knee surgeries, endured acupuncture on a front leg, and was brave at the vet. In recent months, we noticed that he was sleeping more, hearing less, and moving more slowly. He didn't go flying off the sofa in full bark at every sound.

Jack was a great friend, a wonderful companion, a noble soul, a happy camper, the very best dog. We love him with all our hearts and our home is much quieter and way too empty without him (though we suspect the cats may be secretly pleased).

This is a recent picture of Jack after getting into blue paint while foraging in a bag of trash.

Breaking Up With God

2010-04-26T17:07:00.001-07:00

We have a student art exhibit in the college gallery. There are lots of paintings, prints, sculptures, hangings, etc. In the center is this exhibit on a table that I find intriguing. It's a painted umbrella, hand, pen on a board that says:

Dear God,
This isn't working for me.
I just can't trust you anymore.
Thanks,
Chris

It sounds just like a break-up letter to me.

Puppy Paintings

2010-04-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here are two puppy paintings I'm working on for class. My friend has a great Bernese Mountain Dog. As a puppy she was real fluffy and cute, like a teddy bear. The first one I painted in blues and purples. The second in blues and greens.

These are both 8x10" in oil.

Two Test Paintings

2010-04-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

This term I'm taking painting class again. I decided to try water soluble oil paints - they are alot different from acrylics in application and drying time, but have
water clean-up instead of turpentine.

Here are two small paintings I made recently. Both are from painting workshop books. The first is a copy of a snow scene from the book Oil Painting: The Workshop Experience by Ted Goerschner. When Rick saw it he said, "I don't know what that's supposed to be.....is it a swimming pool?" I think I still have a ways to go with the Impressionistic syle. In this painting I just tried to reproduce what the artist did. This is 8x10" in oil.

The second is my version of a cow painting from the book 60 Minutes to Better Painting by Craig Nelson. The idea of the book is to make quick paintings in 60 minutes or less in order to focus on the subject and not get bogged down in the details. This took me alot longer than 60 minutes and I did get bogged down in the details, but I see where he is going with his idea. I actually had to look up cow anatomy in order to figure out how the legs work. I have this cow on a bigger canvas in class and started this one as a study at home (since I've been home sick, I've been working on it and the other one is only half done). 8x10" in oil.

I've been staying home with a bad cold. All I've done is sleep, paint a bit, read some books, recharge my camera batteries, watch TV and take the dog out. It's a bore.

EP

Hawaii Paintings for Class

2010-03-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Here are two paintings I completed during my Winter 2010 painting class. Both are reproductions of paintings that I saw in

Maui in December. I wanted to try to capture the colors and light of the originals.

This first is from Front Street in Lahaina. The original was painted by Larry Moore during a Maui Plein Air Event. I reproduced his painting called "On Front Street". His work is much lighter and airier than mine. And his is in oil. Mine is acrylic,
12x16".

It was a good exercise in using brighter colors and contrasts, and trying to work more with basic shapes instead of details. I'm a detail kind of person, so it's a challenge to be more expressionistic. I like that messier look, but it doesn't come naturally to me (except when it comes to housework and cleaning - then I'm plenty messy).

Here's Larry's website: www.larrymoorestudios.com/field_studies.html

The second painting below is a reproduction of an oil painting by Jan Bushart, another Hawaiian plein air artist. The original is called "The Workhorse", (referring to the tractor). She uses great colors and beautiful greens and blues in her paintings. Jan also uses wonderful loose brush strokes, which is something I need to learn.
Jan's website: http://curlyjan.fineartstudioonline.com/

I wish I could have purchased both originals. These were good learning exercises and are strictly for personal use. My copies pale in comparison with the originals.

Mixer Head

2010-02-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

Our first assignment for painting class this term was to make a face collage. We used face segments from various magazine photos to create a new image. I used the eyes from a Michael Jackson photo, the lips and chin from Halle Berry, the nose from an anonymous model and the mixer/bowl/earmuffs from an educational magazine. I found the butler body from another magazine and added the pug in place of a piece of cake.

Some students kept the different colors and styles from each strip, but I blended the segments into one face. I can see that I made the eyes, nose and lips smaller than in the collage - and I left off the mascara. I may play around with those a bit more. I reworked the face color and shading since I first posted this. I really struggled with the face colors and blending...it's a new challenge for me in paint. The acrylic paint dries so fast that blending is difficult.

Photo Collage

I hung this painting in my office and people have asked me what it "means", or what I was trying to convey. Mostly it was just for fun, but I may have to make up something more esoteric!

This is 18x24 on canvas board in acylic.

EP

Painting of Retro Fan

2009-12-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight I finished the last painting for my Fall class. Earlier in the term we put together a still life display using items from the Art department prop closet. There was a whole bunch of stuff including a skeleton, some vases, bottles, a toaster, a tea kettle, a plastic baby doll, and this old fan.

I recently saw some prize-winning paintings of retro/50's appliances in an artist's magazine. There was an old Electrolux canister vacuum cleaner with hose and an old electric mixer. I wanted to try something similar with this fan.

This was a fun project but it was a bugger to paint. I had a hard time getting the blades and metal cage to look right. I like it! It's 16"x20" in acylic.

EP

Yellow Headed Blackbird

2009-10-31T21:01:00.001-07:00

Here's the other painting I've been working on in class this fall. I've always wanted a painting of a Yellow-Headed Blackbird.

When we were kids we spent summers at Lake Poinsett in South Dakota. The Yellow Headed Blackbirds hung out in the swamps near the lake. Grandma always looked for them when she came to stay with us.

So, here's my version. I think it's almost done, but will have to see when I go to class on Tuesday. This painting is 12x16 in acrylic. It started out with a very pale background, which was too pasty looking. I changed it to pond colors.

Cousins Painting Reworked

2009-10-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a painting class again this fall. I took in my summer painting from the old snapshot and got some good ideas for making the background better.

I repainted the house and the window reflections. My teacher noticed the house eave in the window reflection on the original photo, so I added that. He also pointed out that all of my background house and ground textures were the same style and were too bright. They needed to be grayed down a bit, cleaned up, and shadows defined.

I retouched the figures too. I think this is getting better and almost done now. Although, seeing this on the screen, I realize that the clouds and the tip of the building corner all converge in the window reflection...I'll probably have to fix that. This is 16x20" in acrylic.

Here's the original photo:

Hawaiian Flower Painting in Progress

2009-09-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

I ended up changing the background color to better go with the wall color, which is a "cork" color.

Here's my almost finished Red Ginger painting. Since the last picture, I worked on the flower, reworked some of the leaves, and put a few more colors on the leaf edges. I'm close to being done.

The background color looks better in person. I'm not so sure I like the flower petals - they look too sculpted.

I started making the background Naples Yellow. But changed it to go better with a cork colored wall paint.

Here are some earlier versions and close ups:

Almost done, before I changed the background color and added some accent colors.

Later version, adding colors and definition

1st Block-in sketch

EDM #137 - Draw Something From a First Aid Kit

2009-08-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

This week we had to draw things from a first aid kit. These are three items from my Hawaii First Aid Kit.

I take Bandaids, because I'm always cutting something, or stepping on something, or getting a blister.

And I take Bonine tablets for sea sickness. I used to think I had great "sea legs" but learned a very hard lesson about that one day!

And the tube of After Sun Gel was a freebie from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I picked up several tubes. It's great for sunburn.

I also take along drops to get water out of my ears and hydrocortizone cream. But I couldn't fit them into the drawing. ALOHA!

One Million Giraffes

2009-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's a fun thing....I just submitted an entry to One Million Giraffes!

Here's the link: http://www.olahelland.net/giraffes/

"My friend, Jørgen, doesn't believe I can collect one million giraffes by 2011. I'm gonna prove him wrong, but I need your help. You can create your giraffe(s) in any way you like, but not on a computer and no store bought objects. You must create your giraffe(s) yourself! Click here to read why. So far I've got 146 399 giraffes, so I need 853 601 more and I have 493 days left. Let's show Jørgen how amazing the internet is."

Ya GOTTA take a look and see all the creative giraffes! There's one made from an orange peel, a "Giraffe with a Pearl Earring", a "Last Supper" giraffe, a "Scream" giraffe, giraffes made of twigs/leafs/coins/fruits/potato chips/Legos/origami/clay.....from all over the world! It's amazing!! Whole classrooms of kids have submitted drawings.

I saw this on alissa4012's flickr account. She submitted two beautiful drawings.

fun, fun

EDM #237: Draw What's Under Your Bed

2009-08-23T23:14:00.000-07:00

EDM #237 is to draw what's under your bed. Under my bed is where I store boxes of old photos, old cassette tapes, and other items that I periodically pull out to examine. It's also Emu's favorite hiding place.

She goes there when I vacuum, when the dog barks at her, when strangers come to visit, when it thunders, and whenever she hears the dreaded cat carrier.

She has such acute sensitivity to the cat carrier that I have to remove it from the closet and open it's creaky door several days in advance of her vet appointment. Then she forgets that it's out and I can ambush her.

Emu is our 12 year old tortoiseshell cat. Here's a photo of her on top of the bed. She was the baby of the pet group for a long time, but through attrition, she's become the matriarch. She used to be a submissive creature, but now she hisses, eats first, swats the other cat and generally plays the Kitty Diva whenever possible. She's a tiny thing but has a big personality.

EDM #236: Draw The Palm of Your Left Hand

2009-08-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

This challenge was to draw the palm of your left hand, which sounds easy enough to do. But it was hard to hold my hand tipped over for so long! And I have more lines and wrinkles in my palm than I ever noticed before! And then I had to make a hand shadow.....

It would be an interesting task to draw my right palm with my left hand. Maybe I'll try that next.

EP

Roadside Attractions in Crescent, Oregon

2009-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a loop through Central Oregon. We went camping at Diamond Lake, which is south/central, just north of Crater Lake. And then we drove north on Highway 97 to Sunriver. On the way we passed through the small town of Crescent, Oregon.

I'm a big fan of Roadside Attractions (some of the best are in my home state of South Dakota) and I like to take pictures of them whenever I can. Here on the main street of Crescent were four great examples!

At the Woodsman Country Lodge we found this Lumberjack atop their sign. It's quite clever because both sides have the exact same face, so travelers from either direction see the same view.

Next door is Ken's Sporting Goods and Liquor Store (because of course, booze, guns and recreational items go together). There's a large carved grizzly bear on the roof.

And it looks like Big Foot is holding up the north end of the porch.

On the next block is the Crescent RV Park.
It's graced with a very nice bronze/metal elk on some rocks.

Later I'll post some other photos of our short trip.

EP

San Francisco Street Challenge

2009-08-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

Today I learned about a blog that posts photos for people to base a painting on. It's called Different Strokes From Different Folks.

The current challenge is to paint a San Francisco street scene. It's due August 12th, so I didn't have much time. I just did a quick watercolor sketch in my sketchbook. Thanks to Leigh for the info on this fun project!

"A bi-weekly challenge for any artist who would like to join in - I'll post one photograph every other Wednesday evening and I want you to paint or draw or etch it your way." Karin Jurick

There are some beautiful paintings already posted on the blog

EDM #235: Draw a Butterfly

2009-08-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

The EDM Challenge this week was to draw a butterfly. I drew the hippo in my sketchbook on Friday and added the butterfly when I saw it was the new topic.

I haven't seen any butterflies around here lately....of course, I haven't been looking for them either! But I will now.

Several Sketchbook Portraits

2009-08-03T20:40:00.001-07:00

I've been working on drawing faces. Here are a few of my recent face
sketches. These are from photos and magazines. The "Gorilla Dog" is my friend Melissa's new dog Boo with her husband. Boo is a big Newfoundland puppy and she kind of looks like a gorilla......though I did enhance her face just a bit!

This is Baby Boo

Boo with a Gorilla Face!

The drawings below were done on thin, sketchbook paper, which wrinkled with the watercolor :(

EDM #232: Draw the Last Thing You Bought

2009-08-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

The last thing I bought is a Winsor Newton Sketchers Pocket Box of Cotman Water Colours. It comes with 12 color cubes and a nifty little brush. And I got it for 40% off at Aaron Brothers!

This is Challenge #232 from Everyday Matters.

(Like I don't have enough watercolor kits already, but this is so small and cute and I really, really needed it, and it fits in my purse, and the colors are so nice, and......well, you always need more paints, right???)

EDM #233 - Draw A Favorite Drink

2009-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

I finally did a challenge from Everyday Matters! It's been such a long time and I wanted to get back to it. We were to draw a Favorite Drink.

Last night I sketched the Iced Tea I had prepared. This is my favorite summer drink.

My two other favorite drinks are Coffee and Mai Tai's, but it was too late for coffee and too early for a Mai Tai.

It was really hard to wait till I was done drawing before taking a sip....

New Tropical Flower Painting Blocked Out

2009-08-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I blocked in the shapes and colors for a new painting - it's 16x20 in acrylic. I'm using a photo from our June trip to Maui. I can't remember what this particular flower is called, but it's a waxy, tropical blossom with beautiful variegated leaves. I have to decide how much to include in the painting and what colors to use in the background. So far I've just put on a thin wash to determine shapes and composition. I'll still tweak some things.....

Here's my original photo:

Spirit of the Sketch Class

2009-08-01T15:50:00.004-07:00

Last weekend I took a weekend class called "Spirit of the Sketch". My friend, Leigh Bunkin (findingmywings-leighbunkin) recommended it to me and it was great! Another friend, Ann, also took the class. There were 24 students in all.

Leigh and I worked together last year and we discovered that we both love art and we both participate in Everyday Matters (though I haven't done any of the challenges for quite awhile). I had never met a live person who does EDM. Leigh has just finished a self-challenge to draw and post to her blog daily. Congrats to Leigh for completing her year! She posted her sketches from class on a daily basis: Day 1 , Day 2, and Day 3. I'm going to post mine all together.

We learned lots of neat things in the class:

Gesture Drawings- this is a quick sketch of the movement or gesture of an object/person. We had from 30-90 seconds to draw each pose. We used graphite pencil, micron pen, brush pen, and three colored pencils. I really liked this because it forced me to be quick and and will help with sketching people in public. Here are just a few of the many poses we sketched:

Memory Drawings - for this exercise, we intently studied a picture for about a minute and then drew what we could remember. The picture was from a calendar and had a number of elements. I found the original calendar picture on the web. It was interesting to see what different people remembered....most people got all of the objects and general colors, some drew in the dog's little red tongue, most people got the purple outfit, but didn't get the sleeves correct. Almost no one remembered the hair exactly. It's a good exercise for capturing an image to draw later.

Drawing Values - we practiced various methods of adding value/shading: pencil shading with watercolor wash on top, ink shading with wash, watercolor shading only, w/c wash with ink on top, watercolor pencil. Ann and I went out to the college garden to draw nasturtiums.

Sketchbook Drawings - we collected natural and human-made found objects and made a page with comments; we copied a painting in the gallery and made our own painting in response and commented; we looked at lots of books and sketchbooks for ideas.

Sketchbook Page Treatments - we practiced collage, paint splatter, color wash, various borders, frames, lettering styles, drawing and writing placement/design.

Contour Drawing - where you carefully follow the outer contour of an object and capture it's shape - we drew right handed, left handed, and blind (without looking at drawing). I drew a padlock on a color-washed background sample.

Face Drawings - we did quick 1 minute sketches of everyone in the class. Mine are too bad to post!

Greek Bistro Kitty

2009-07-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

This was the last painting I made for my Spring class. I finished it in June. It's from the Greek Bistro in Kihei on Maui. The restaurant is in a garden-like setting, just off the beach. Several cats hang out in the urns that surround the outdoor patio and this is a painting of one of them. I used a photo from several years ago for this painting, 11x14" in acrylic.

When we were in Maui this year, there were a couple of new kitties at the Bistro. Below is a picture of two of them. I think the one on the left is the same one as in my painting! He looks like Barney, my sister's (The Old Bag) dearly departed cat.

As The Old Bag says...

Orange Kitties
Are the Best!

Dakota Cousins

2009-07-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Here's my most recent painting. It's from an old photo of my husband and his three cousins when they were teenagers. I thought it was kind of cute and dweeby (is that a word??). The photo is an old Poloroid from 1969 or 70. The painting is 16" x 20" in acrylic. I haven't painted many people and find faces and heads to be a real challenge.

Here are a couple of detail shots:

Painting of Car

2009-05-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here is my second painting from class this term. It's from a photo of an old car on a street. I had a very hard time with the trees and the shadows! I started out on a 16" x 20" canvas, then switched to 11" x 14", which worked better. Now I'm on to the next one. This is week 8 of the term, so I only have 3 weeks left to finish something.

Kauai Chicken Painting

2009-04-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here's my first painting for my Spring class - it's a group of Kauai chickens. The colors in the painting are a bit better in person. My camera doesn't pick up indoor colors very well and the flash is terrible. I went to Good Will to find a frame - for $2.99! It was light pink and I painted it black with a faint green in the grooves. I didn't include much of the frame in this pic, but it was a great find. I got an $8 frame for another painting and painted that too. This painting is acrylic, 16" x 20".

Winos, Dingbats & Riff Raff

2009-04-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

This was my last painting from Winter term. I used a photo from The Oregonian newspaper and tweaked it a bit. It's 18" x 24" in acrylic.

I ended up darkening the lettering on the building front after I took this photo of the painting, but otherwise it looks the same. This place is called the Historic Barge Inn Tavern located in Newport, Oregon, an Oregon coastal town.

This website has a nice article on Newport and this tavern: http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/01/newports_piece_of_the_authenti.html

I haven't actually been to the Barge Inn, but I intend to go....one of these days.

Hapuna Beach Painting

2009-04-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

This was my frustration painting of the term! I painted and repainted and scrubbed out and painted again. I think I painted over the whole thing about four times. That's one of the great things about acrylic! You can "erase" it.

I tried leaves on the tree - no leaves, a variety of different colors, a mountain - no mountain, clouds - no clouds, flowers - no flowers, umbrellas on the beach - plain beach.

This ain't perfect, but I can live with it. It's 9" x 12" in acrylic.

EP

Cheater Painting

2009-04-19T23:09:00.001-07:00

This second painting is a copy of an oil painting by Kevin MacPherson http://www.kevinmacpherson.com/. I believe it's called "Serene Pastures". I found it in a book that I checked out from the library and I guess it reminds me of South Dakota and Minnesota and Iowa. I like green and I like cows....what can I say? This painting is 9" x 12", in acrylic.

This was my first real experience in mixing colors with acrylic. I'd mix a color that I thought was close and found out it was very WRONG. I also found out that I wanted to treat acrylics like watercolor. It was hard to make the transition from thin to thick paint. The original painting is impressionistic and kind of loose, which I had trouble duplicating. But, in the end, I like it. I had this old, antique frame that fits perfectly!

Emma Pod

C3PO

2009-04-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Sparky!

Long time no see. Well, it looks like I haven't posted anything since May 2008! That's damn near a year ago - and entirely too long, I might add. I'm just glad that my blog is still here and my login still works. I had to look up my password though.

Since I last posted, I switched jobs. I had been doing an interim management job for 14 months and decided to return to my academic advising position. It was filled with a temporary person while I was gone. Things were hairy last summer and fall and in late November 2008 I made the switch. It was a bit strange for awhile, but all is going well now! I like working with students again and I'm happy to not be in charge of very much.

In January I decided to take a painting class at the college. We had a choice of using oils or acrylic and I chose acrylic because it's less messy and dries faster. The faster drying is both a good thing and a bad thing I've discovered.

Our first project was to find a picture with high color contrast. We cut out a small piece from the original photo, about 1" x 2". Then we blew the small pics up in the copier and graphed the image to a larger canvas.

I picked an image of C3PO, from Star Wars...just his head. This is it, my first ever acrylic painting. It's 18" x 24" in size. I'm not sure what I'll ever do with this, but it was kind of fun (and odd) to paint.

I'm happy with this image and I learned alot in the process. I'll post the rest of my winter class paintings.

EmmaPod

EDM Challenge # 166: Draw a Fish

2008-05-28T01:46:00.000-07:00

This is my drawing for the EDM Challenge #166: Draw a Fish. It's a White Spotted Pufferfish, my favorite fish to watch..

We see them when we snorkel in Hawaii. They look almost like a dog or a seal - they're very curious and slow and cute. They follow you along as you snorkel, watch you with their eyes and flutter their little yellow fins.They come in a number of colors, but my favorites are the taupe with white spots.

We're going to the Big Island in one week, so will get to see them again!

I used wikipedia for a source picture. Here's the link and pic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pufferfish

EDM Challenge #160 - Draw a Trophy or Award

2008-03-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

For this drawing we had to go into the Way Back Machine Sparky! Back to 1972 to be exact. The challenge was to draw an award or trophy, and the last award I remember getting was when I was in high school. So I went looking through my old scrapbooks. Have any of you done that lately? It's a trip!

It was interesting to re-meet that girl who was madly in love with a boy named John, who belonged to 4-H and won a purple ribbon at the county fair in South Dakota.

I sewed a brown pantsuit, which you can see in this newspaper photo
(back when I weighed about 120 pounds). The boyfriend clipped it out of the paper and sent it to me with a sweet note.

The event was called "Dress Revue" and we had to sew our own outfits and model them for the judges. We were judged on both our sewing skills and our presentation skills. I went on to the State Fair and can't remember what I earned there....not another purple ribbon I know!

Ah nostalgia.......

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #159 - Draw a Favorite Cooking Tool

2008-03-05T23:26:00.001-08:00

The challenge a week or so ago was to draw a favorite cooking tool. I'm not much of a cook. And I don't have alot of tools other than the basics. No fancy gadgets hang out in my kitchen.

I dug out an old, old favorite item. It's a steel, side-crank flour sifter. It's got the turning metal spirals inside and a screen mesh on the bottom. It works great!

About once a year I use it to sift flour for cookies or cake or something.

EDM Challenge #158: Draw a Kernel of Popped Popcorn

2008-02-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

The EDM Challenge for the past week was to draw a kernel of popped popcorn. Instead of popping my own, I searched for some photos of popcorn kernels and it's amazing how many varieties there are! And I recognized some as the "most common" shapes.

Anyway, here' s my ear of corn, an unpopped kernel, and a popped kernel. As I was drawing, I discovered that some of the different sections reminded me of teeth - specifically molars. Have you ever noticed that?

EP

EDM Challenge #157: Draw a Towel

2008-02-17T00:05:00.001-08:00

Here are some dishtowels for the EDM Challenge #157 . I believe my sister, The Old Bag, gave all of these to me for various Christmases and Birthdays. It's the only way I get pretty towels!

Me (left) and The Old Bag (right)

My Dog Jack

2008-02-11T17:19:00.001-08:00

I took this photo of my dog Jack right after I got a new digital camera for Christmas. I think this is a really cute shot. He's a Sheltie and he's 10 years old.

Jack is a barkaholic. He loves to sneak food. He has a great internal clock. He knows if a squirrel is near just by sniffing the air. He's got one really good leg left. He herds the cats.

He's adorable!

EDM # 155 - Draw Something with Steps

2008-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

Here is my drawing for the EDM Challenge #155: Draw Something with Steps. These are the steps that go from our dining room to the upstairs. I'm not terribly pleased with this, but I don't want to do it over. It looks a bit muddy to me and I had trouble getting the shadows and depth right.

The hanging rug is the one I bought in Mexico at Playa del Carmen.

Lemon Imposters.....#154 EDM Challenge

2008-02-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

The #154 EDM Challenge is to Draw a Lemon. I went looking through my fridge and found a bottle of reconstituted lemon juice. I found a bottle of Key Lime juice. I found several oranges in the fruit drawer. I found lemon tea bags in the cupboard.

So, I drew a lemon substitute: a citrus fruit and a lemon tea bag. Close enough. Hey, I did go to the store to purchase sponges for the sponge challenge!

Because of general busyness elsewhere, I haven't taken time for art and blogging. I'm getting out of practice with my drawing, so plan to do it more often. And I've missed seeing what everyone else is doing with their art work!

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #149: Draw a Broom

2008-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here's my broom for the EDM Challenge #149. It's an old push broom that we use on the back patio and in the garage. I had a hard time getting a crisp photo - everything looks a bit blurry. But I got tired of trying, so here it is!

It's also a bit out of proportion, with the broom part being larger than the stick part, but the stick wasn't very interesting to draw. We'll just pretend it's farther away and there is perspective.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Emma Pod

Playa del Carmen Art

2007-12-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't do any drawing while we were in Mexico (see 12/16 post). I just didn't feel like it. I did alot of reading and swimming in the pool. Out on the hotel pool courtyard, there were two artisan carts. One was a woman who created beautiful wool rugs and table runners. She had her loom set up and worked on pieces right there. We looked through a big stack of rugs that she made and I fell in love with this one. I bought it to hang in our stairwell.

I love the fish and the bright colors. It's very heavy and tightly woven - and is made from the wool of Mexican sheep! I sewed a rod pocket on the back and hung it with a curtain rod and cord.

The second artist created pottery. His cart was filled with ceramic bisqueware and he drew Mexican designs on the pieces (or you could get a blank one to create your own design). He had umbrella tables set up with paints and brushes. We painted the background colors (two coats) and he did the distinctive embellishments and flourishes. The pieces were glazed and fired overnight, ready to pick up at 10 AM the next day! It was a great way to spend two afternoons.

I painted this platter and a blue bird/flower vase.

While painting I met some interesting folks: A woman from Canada whose friend won a free trip to Mexico and invited her along. A newlywed from Ireland who was there on her honeymoon. A couple from Wisconsin who are planning to start a winery on their farm. Two young women from Japan.

So, even though I didn't draw, I did do some art!

Emma Pod

Playa del Carmen Trip, December 2007

2007-12-26T20:47:00.001-08:00

We recently returned from a week in Playa del Carmen, on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. We stayed at the Secrets Capri Resort, which is about five miles north of Playa (and about 25 miles south of Cancun). The hotel is away from the bustle and noise of the city and was very relaxing.

Here are a couple of shots from the hotel, pool, bar and beach. The ocean waves were high, so our beach was closed for a few days. There were storms farther east and we got some wind, rain and churned up water. The pool was OK, but we had hoped for that clear, turquoise Caribbean Sea to swim in.

Below is 5th Avenue, a marketplace in Playa del Carmen. There lots of activity and things were alot more expensive than I thought they'd be! You can't take five steps without someone crying, "Amiga! Amiga! Lady! Come look!!!"

On the left below is a Mayan bench on Mamitas Beach in Playa del Carmen. We wish we would have discovered this beach sooner because the water was beautiful! I didn't take a shot of the beach, but here's a beach pic I borrowed from Karen's Public Gallery found on Picasa Web Albums.

One day we took a snorkel trip from Aqua World in Cancun - we used Jet Skis to get to the reef. The snorkeling was not great because of the high waves and murky water, but at least we got into the water! Because of the choppy waves, it was hard to keep the jet ski level. One couple capsized and we almost did when our front end went under a wave.

Here are shots of ruins at Tulum:

Even though the weather was not the best, we had a nice time! The hotel was great! We relaxed! We got some sun and shopping! The people were friendly! The food was great! And we weren't at work! What's not to love?

Emma Pod

EDM #147: Draw Something Made of Wood

2007-12-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

Here is my drawing for the Everyday Matters Challenge #147, to draw something made of wood. I bought this carved wooden monk a long time ago at a monastery - I can't remember which monastery or even in which state. It may be from New Melleray Abbey in Iowa, or Blue Cloud Abbey in South Dakota, or Mount Angel Abbey here in Oregon.

Emma Pod

PS - Snakebite writes...maybe it's from Abbey Normal. And I think, what the heck is Abbey Normal??? So I do a Google search.

Abbey Normal is:

a Belgian-style beer from Cambridge Brewing Company
a bit from the movie Young Frankenstein described in this entry on the I Live on a Farm blog
a You Tube dancer Just Call Me Abbey Normal
a strange woman on iLike
a coffee cup with a brain on it
a number of zombie-loving people on myspace
a t-shirt company and an ID tag for another company with t-shirts
a mountain that is just left of "Cow Patty".
a cover band that made a record called Mr. Pickle
a published author Pneumanaut: a thesis by Dr. Abbey Normal

Who knew???

EDM Challenge #144 Draw Something Square

2007-11-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Here's my drawing for something square......OK, something square"ish". It's a new tote bag I got earlier this month. Tomorrow's my birthday and I bought this for an early present. The flash made it a bit paler than the drawing really is. One can never have too many bags.

Emma Pod

EDM #142 Draw Something Hot

2007-11-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

The EDM Challenge #142 is to draw something hot. So, I decided to combine two of my favorite hot things: coffee and Hawaii.

It's been gray, foggy, and cold here in Portland, Oregon. It's no accident that folks in the Northwest are coffee addicts....we use it to self-medicate when the sun disappears for months at a time and the rain soaks through everything. And now that we had to change our clocks back, it gets dark sooooo early.

So, I turn to coffee and memories of Hawaii! This is one of my favorite mugs from Maui. It's tall and narrow.

When I use it, I think about having breakfast out on the lanai,

looking at the ocean.....

and the palm trees

and the clear blue sky

and the flowers

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #140: Draw an Envelope

2007-10-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here's my drawing of an envelope. I'm not crazy about it, but I finished it and decided to post it anyway. It's made of kraft paper.

I drew it while watching a PBS show on Charles Schultz, the artist who drew "Peanuts". Do you ever draw something and remember what TV program you were watching, or what music you were listening to, or what what was going on in your mind at the time, or how you were feeling? I find the associations amazing!

I'm still working too many hours and going in on the weekends. But, I'm trying to reclaim my inner space and outer life. I'll remember that and Charlie Brown when I look back on this drawing. At least the string is not tied shut and the flap is half open! I take that as a good sign that escape is imminent.

I guess art really is therapy!

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #141 - Draw Something With Bristles

2007-10-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend I tried drawing several things with bristles. I started with my purple, battery powered toothbrush and drew it three times. It still looked lame. Then I tried drawing my old utility scrub brush that has lots of bent and curvy bristles. Bad. Then I settled on some of my hair painting bristles and these looked OK to post.

I have highlighted and dyed my hair since I was in high school. I also used to give myself perms. I can't begin to count the times that I've screwed it up - too light, too dark, too frizzy, too burnt, too orange, even too purple once! In college I highlighted my hair too light and then gave myself a too frizzy perm. I finally bought a hat to cover it up and a boy asked me out because of my cute hat!

I've learned the difference between ash tones and warm tones. I've learned to use drabber (that involved the purple hair in an attempt to correct the too orange). Over the years I've collected a number of hair implements. Here are three, with bristles. I have another one that I may add later...

I used to pay someone to do my hair, but they make mistakes about as often as I do. So, I just do it myself. I've learned through trial and error (and 10:00 PM trips to the drug store). By now I have a whole beauty supply shop in my bathroom and can fix just about anything!

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #139: Draw Something with a Handle

2007-10-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've truly been a Pod Person for the last few months. Since May I've been working in interim management jobs that require way too much of my time. Over the summer I filled in for a woman who had a baby. I dealt with moving a department, packing up and storing stuff, planning an office remodel, and hiring some replacement folks. That job was campus based and it was great experience, but very busy.

Now I have a one year interim position and am again working with remodels, merged departments, hiring new staff, and overseeing various multi-campus office locations. It's a challenge and I'm learning alot of good stuff. But it has been overwhelming!

So, tonight I decided to start my drawing again. I even bought some new paints recently. These 10 hour days and Saturday office visits have got to stop!

I was thinking about how to get a handle on my life, my time, my work, my body, my mind....and tried to think of an image that would help. I started drawing a handle holding all of those elements in one piece. I was reminded of this old garden tool and went looking for it. It's at least 20 years old. I probably bought it in Iowa City, Iowa. It used to be shiny blue, but now it's worn, bent and rusty. But it still works!

So, I'm going to use this old thing as a metaphor to remind me to keep a handle on work, self, body. I think I'll take it to my office. I'm going to work less and stress less about it. I'm going to recapture my sense of self and creativity and home-life. I'm going to exercise more, eat better, and hopefully my face will quit breaking out.

Most of all, I will quit trying to be perfect!!

Emma Pod (and trying to stop)

EDM #131: Draw a Spray Bottle

2007-09-06T23:15:00.002-07:00

I am behind in my Everyday Matters drawing projects. Last night I drew #131, a spray bottle. I use it when I'm out in the sun and get too hot. I also sometimes use it when I'm ironing and need to dampen fabric in order to get wrinkles out.

Last weekend, we were talking with friends, remembering how our South Dakota Grandmothers ironed clothes. They used a glass pop bottle with a sprinkler cap attached. I remember my Grandmother used to dampen linens with her bottle and roll them up to get them evenly damp before she'd iron. Aren't we lucky to have steam irons?

Emma Pod

Rockin' Girl Blogger

2007-08-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

My blog friend Brenda at Amber Ridge Desert listed me as one of her "Rockin Girl Blogger" awardees! Isn't that nice of her?

I did a little Google search and discovered that Roberta Ferguson started the
"Rockin' Girl Blogger"
award on June 18th, 2007 to celebrate female bloggers. Here's the link to her post: http://www.robertaferguson.com/2007/06/18/why-not-start-something/

"I’m starting something today, right here, right now. You get to be in on it. It’ll be fun and it will build us a community of one sort: girl bloggers. Or, better yet, “Rockin’ Girl Bloggers”. How do you like that?
This one-time deal comes with a nifty badge as well... Let’s make a ginormous list of rockin’ girl bloggers. I am going to tag some of the rockin’ girl bloggers that I read regularly. From there, they can tag some more rockin’ girl bloggers, and so forth."

Brenda says we're to select four blogs and pass along the award. Here are mine:

Since my sister, The Old Bag, got me started with blogging last summer, I'm listing her as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She started blogging a long time ago and has persevered through work, graduate school, moving, travels and cycling.

Laserone is a Rockin' Girl Blogger for sure. I first found her through her Everybody Loves Riley site, which is devoted to her adorable pug Riley. My friend Kathleen has a son named Riley and he always thinks it's funny that his name is so popular for pets.

Arty Velarde is another Rockin' Girl Blogger. She creates wonderful drawings of chickens and lawn bowlers. And we share a fascination with Roadside Attractions.

Marta is also a Rockin' Girl Blogger. She does some beautiful artwork and has a great blog. I've just gotten acquainted with her work recently.

There are so many more wonderful women bloggers! It's been great fun getting to know you.

Emma Pod

Sketchbook Drawings

2007-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post a couple of my sketchbook drawings from our Sunriver trip earlier in July.

The first is a tree right by the patio of the condo
we rented. I used Micron pen and colored pencils.

The second, below, is a sketch of Jack sleeping, in pen and watercolor.

EDM# 129: People Doing Something (for Snakebite)

2007-07-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

This is sort of a stretch - a fellow blogger named Snakebite asked me to draw a chainring. What's a chainring you ask?? It's a bicycle part.

Snakebite is a South Dakotan, like me. He is a bicycle fanatic who stumbled upon my blog through my sister The Old Bag. She is also a cyclist.

So, for this EDM Challenge, I drew a hand holding a chainring (I believe it's the big ring that holds the pedal). The chainrings are really quite pretty! I guess they are also called chainwheels or cottered cranks.

I was looking through the EDM list and realized this is also Challenge #35 - Draw a Bicycle or a part of one!

The original photo that I used is from this website:
http://www.bikecult.com/works/chainwheel.html

So, Snakebite, this one's for you!

Emma Pod

EDM #127: Draw a Skyscape

2007-07-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here's my drawing for the #127 skyscape challenge. It's a view of the sky and the front entrance to the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. I used a photo from our trip last December. I really love the Hawaiian sky and palm trees....I find it endlessly beautiful.

Emma Pod

EDM #126: Draw a Sponge

2007-07-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the Everyday Matters loop for a few weeks. Vacation and work have taken me away from sketching this summer.

Tonight I looked around the house to see if we had any sponges. I couldn't find any, so I bought a pack of 99 cent sponges at the store. Here they are on one of my antique plates. They kind of look like slices of sponge cake.

Emma Pod

Sunriver, Oregon

2007-07-07T20:23:00.001-07:00

We were in Sunriver, Oregon from June 30th - July 5th. Here are some shots of our stay.

Sunriver is a resort community located in the high desert of central Oregon. The sky is blue, the trees are tall, the air smells like pine, and it is hot. Sunriver is an outdoorsy, casual, active place with horses, river rafting, bike paths, swimming, tennis and golf (skiing in winter). We rent a condo on the edge of town where we can see horse pastures, the Deschutes River and Mt. Bachelor.

Below are pictures of the Deschutes River that winds through fields on the west side of town.

I loved this rustic fence with wire that surrounds the horse pasture.

The horse stables and pastures are right next to the river:

The house and path above are typical of Sunriver - there are no sidewalks. Houses are built into the trees with the forest as a yard.

Wildflowers and boulders:

We always stay at the Meadow House complex. The view on the right is from the front deck of our unit, right on the golf course.

The Village Mall of Sunriver has little shops and bike rentals.

Two more shots of the river and field next to it.

We had a restful, relaxing time. Jack especially enjoyed the trip. He got to see deer, horses, gophers and other dogs. He would sit on the deck and just sniff the air.

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #124: Draw Something Yellow

2007-06-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my Dad built a cabin beside Lake Poinsett in South Dakota. He taught engineering at the college and had summers off, so we spent our time swimming, sunning, reading, and playing in the sand. In the kitchen was a collection of various cups, glasses and plates - we each had our favorite items that we liked to use.

Last summer my sister came to visit me in Oregon and brought a favorite speckled yellow cup from the lake! I now use it to keep my brushes in. So, it is my yellow project this week.

I haven't been drawing much lately and have missed three challenges (coin, shade, bell). Work has been really busy since I started a new summer job in May. We also took a trip to Maui and are going to Sun River next week. I haven't taken the time to sketch, but I have been taking pictures.

Here's a shot of a robin's nest in the tree right outside our front door. There are FOUR babies in a fairly small nest and most of the time we just see their beaks. They're starting to get bigger and have speckled feathers. The Mom is busy carrying worms all day.

Emma Pod

June 2007 Trip to Maui

2007-06-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a week in Maui. We stayed at the Maui Prince on Makena Beach in South Maui. Above are photos of the entrance and some exterior grounds. They hosted the King's Trail Triathlon while we were there. In the past we've gone to a luau, taken a boat trip, driven to all the sights. This time we mostly did.....not much! Which was great.

Here are two shots of the interior courtyard and garden area of the hotel.

These are the interior garden stream and large koi fish pond. You can buy fish food and they all come with open mouths.

Hotel pool and beach, where we spent alot of time just lounging, swimming, snorkeling, iced tea drinking....

Beach area - there are coral reefs, fish, and turtles right off the shore! We had great snorkeling every day.

Bailey House Museum - an old missionary house and girl's school. The huge outdoor stone was used for various pounding needs. The museum houses a number of really nice paintings by Edward Bailey. Museum link: http://www.mauimuseum.org/:

Old Keawalai Church (1832) and graveyard near Makena Landing. http://www.keawalai.org/:

Below is the main street of Makawao - a quaint upcountry town with lots of nice, artsy type shops.

Kitty in an urn at the Greek Bistro!

We had a great time!

Emma Pod

Maui Roadside Attraction

2007-06-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week in Maui - and guess what I found! Another roadside attraction to add to my collection!

Here are the front and back photos of a giant whale, probably made of concrete. It's located in a park on the main drag in the town of Kihei, on the southern coast of Maui.

Humpback whales spend the winter in Maui and hang out in the channel waters between Maui and Lanai. They have babies in the Hawaiian waters and then return north to Alaska.

Here's a link to the Island Marine Institute for more info on the humpbacks:
http://www.whalewatchmaui.com/index.html

We had a very nice trip and I'll post some more photos later.

Emma (tanned) Pod

Roadside Attractions

2007-06-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago, Lydia at Arty Velarde http://www.artyvelarde.blogspot.com/ posted a photo of a large muffler man. I wrote a comment that I love the huge, old fiberglass and concrete animals, people, and structures that were created around the country. Lydia asked if I would post my photos. I grew up in South Dakota and if you've ever driven across our state, you know that it's very flat - and there are lots of kitschy items along the way. Here are just a few from photos I've taken on road trips back home:

At the edge of the Badlands on the western side of South Dakota you'll find Prairie Dog Village - which is a vast network of prairie dog tunnels, mounds, and actual prairie dogs - lots of 'em. The photo on the left is of the giant prairie dog that sits at the village entrance (made of concrete I believe). The Ranch Store is on the edge of Prairie Dog Village. And I've included a photo of an actual prairie dog.

In the town of Mitchell, South Dakota there is a Corn Palace. The exterior is decorated with pictures, mosaics, and murals made entirely of corn! Near the Corn Palace is the Corn Palace Motel where we stayed one night. Below the motel sign is a huge steer and across the street is this huge buffalo. I don't know the man standing beside the buffalo, but thought it would make a fun photo.

Next we travel to Huron, South Dakota where there is a giant pheasant atop the Dakota Inn. The ring-necked pheasant is the official state bird of South Dakota and people fly in from all over during hunting season.

If you've ever driven in South Dakota, you've heard of Wall Drug. There are signs everywhere for this giant gift shop-o-kitsch. Wall Drug takes up most of the downtown strip of the town of Wall and sells everything you can imagine. It's full of trinkets, jewelry, hats, t-shirts, cups, boots, film, etc. There are also alot of unusual attractions, like robotic singing cowboys, dinosaurs, jackalopes, a gorilla, cuckoo clocks, bargirls, bucking horses. I'm sure I took more photos when we were there, but I can't seem to locate them. Here are just a few of the giant dinosaurs out front, the farmyard animals, and a jackalope (which is supposed to be a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope).

On the southern Oregon Coast we found Prehistoric Gardens. There are alot of different dinosaurs, but I only have this one photo. I wish I had taken more.

My last photos are of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. I took the photo on the left when we were traveling south on Highway 101 a few years ago. It's from the Trees of Mystery near the California Redwood Forest. The photo on the right is Paul and Babe from Bemidji, Minnesota - I borrowed this pic from another website for comparison.

If you want to see more big sculptures, here are some fun websites I found:

World's Largest Roadside Attractions website: http://www.wlra.us/index.htm

Gallery of Huge Beings: http://www.wlra.us/hugebeings.htm

enjoy! Emma Pod

More American Art Pottery

2007-05-28T11:47:00.001-07:00

I drew some more of my Arts and Crafts/American Art pottery collection. On the left is an antique copper box with a raised/embossed lid. The middle vase is a Brush McCoy with a mottled vellum glaze.

The pot on the right is my very favorite of all my pots. It's a Peters and Reed piece that has a raised organic, leafy design on it. The pot is quite heavy and has a wonderful matte green glaze (darker than I've painted it here). I remember I bought it about 10 years ago in Vancouver, WA and paid $125 for it - my most expensive pot.

When I first started collecting in the early 1990's, art pottery was just starting to get expensive. Matte green pots became really popular and spendy. Now there are so many reproductions and fakes being made, it's hard to know what is "real". I was watching PBS "Antiques Roadshow" and they showed several pots that were recently made in China. They were made to look old, had dirt in the glaze, the clay bottoms were scuffed and darkened, and they were reproductions of TECO and Grueby. Ebay is full of items called Arts and Crafts "style" matte green pots.

Before ebay, I used to find some great deals in little towns between Oregon and South Dakota. We would drive home through Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nebraska and stop at antique stores in little towns along the way. Because of their remote locations, prices were usually low. That all changed with ebay.

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #120: Draw a Flashlight

2007-05-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

This week we were supposed to draw a flashlight. Now, I know that we own a number of flashlights - a bright pink one, a black one, a couple of small red ones, a tiny key chain one, and at least one large yellow or orange industrial one. But, the blue one is the only flashlight I could find this morning. I drew the sketch at left - which I didn't really like.

Then later in the day I found the pink flashlight, so tonight I drew both of them together, below. The pink one is a bit off on perspective, but oh well.....I'm not gonna draw a third time.

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge # 119: Draw Some Rocks

2007-05-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is my drawing for the EDM Draw Some Rocks challenge. It was fun to do!

I didn't have any good rocks nearby, so drew this from a photo I found online.

It's watercolor and sepia Micron pen.

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #118: Draw Some Hair

2007-05-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm cheating with this one. I drew this a couple of years ago and posted it a few days ago with my tag post. It's the only thing I have with hair and I don't feel like drawing hair. So there....

For Halloween I wore kitty face paint and kitty ears. My co-worker in the business office took the photo above. For drawing class we drew 1/2 inch grid lines on a copy of our photo. Then, on a very large piece of paper, we drew corresponding grid lines that were wavy. As we drew each grid from photo to paper, the face got skewed.

This is charcoal on some kind of very heavy paper. It was fun to draw. Some people's drawings were really hilarious with huge eyes or giant foreheads. Our Instructor told us it is easier to draw a self-portrait this way to start with.

I think the hair looks pretty good on this drawing. Below is the original photo I worked from:

Emma Pod

I Got Tagged

2007-05-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

I just found out that I was tagged by Casey Klahn of "The Colorist", http://thecolorist.blogspot.com/, a terrific artist from Washington State! He does beautiful work - especially landscapes in pastels. I love his vibrant tones. So, the gig is to tell 7 things about myself that others may not know. HMMmmmmm....here goes:

1) I live in Portland, Oregon and am an academic advisor at the community college here. We've lived here since 1992. Before that we lived in Iowa City, Iowa and I worked at The University of Iowa for 7 years. Before that we lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for 4 years. And before that we lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I'm originally from Brookings, South Dakota - home of the SDSU Jackrabbits! When I came to Oregon I thought it was odd that the prominent college mascots are Beavers and Ducks, but I guess the Jackrabbits and Coyotes from South Dakota are pretty weird as well.

2) I have a master's degree in theology from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary. At one time I wanted to work in the church or maybe be a pastor. I got into higher education instead.

3) I'm 52 years old and have been married since 1979 - how many years is that???? I'm not sure, but I know it's more than 25.

4) I love to read. I quit buying books and now use the library. I check out 6 or 7 novels at a time and sometimes come home with books I've already read, but forgot. My Dad does that and I used to think it was crazy, but I guess aging will do that to you. After turning 40 a co-worker told me she has CRS (Can't Remember Shit). I think I'm getting that too!

5) I used to think I'd get a PhD in higher education administration or some such thing. I wanted to be a Dean of Students in a college. But now I'm not sure I want to work that hard. I think I'd like to earn an art degree instead. I've always loved color and shapes and design, but never thought I had any talent. A few years ago I took two drawing classes and realized that I can LEARN. What a concept! I'd like to learn more and do more art in my spare time and on into retirement.

6) I am just learning to golf and am pretty bad. But, there is hope! We went out today with some friends who do not believe in keeping score. Now, that's my kind of golf!

7) Last summer my sister came to visit and taught me how to blog. She's The Old Bag, http://oldbag.blogspot.com/. It seemed fun. Later I found the Everyday Matters Group and have been having a blast with it. My office neighbor and I had been joking about being drones and pods in a big organization. I had used the pseudo-name Emma Pod for something as a joke and decided it would be a good blog identity. My real name is Mary.

Now, I have to tag 7 other folks, so here they are. You can let me know if you've already been hit:

Brenda at http://amberridgedesert.blogspot.com/
Teri at http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com/
Casey at http://caseytoussaint.wordpress.com/
Ronell at http://rnllvanwyk.blogspot.com/
laserone at http://pookieart.blogsome.com/
Lin at http://viewfromtheoak.blogspot.com/
Platitudinal at http://loocheeta.blogspot.com/

Emma Pod

Green Pots....

2007-05-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pots from my collection of Arts and Crafts/American Art Pottery. The left turquoise pot is a brush McCoy. It got it when Ross Perot was running for president and it's got ears that look like his, so it's my "Ross Perot pot". The front pot with pink flowers is a Roseville "Clematis". The taller green pot in the back has no marking and I'm not sure who made it. And the far right pot is a Roseville "Carnelian". It was an anniversary present.

EP

EDM Challenge #117: Draw Something Round

2007-05-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my something round for the Everyday Matters challenge of the week. It's one of my antique green pots that looks a little like a speckled bird's egg. It was harder to draw and paint than I expected. It has a round opening, a round bottom, a round body, and a round shadow.

My cold from last week is much better. I still have a bit of sinus trouble, but am getting back to normal. I didn't draw anything else all week and didn't even go to my exercise class. I just went to work and came home to sleep.

The Moody Blues are coming back to Portland this summer and we just got tickets for their July concert. I'm very excited about that! When we saw them in Las Vegas, we sat in the balcony - which is so far away.

Not much else is new here.....it's been cold and rainy all week.

EP

EDM Challenge #116: Draw Something Green

2007-04-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

I think this is the only drawing I'm gonna get done this week. I really wanted to draw something NICE that is green....like green leaves, green pots, green outside. But I've had a bad cold all week and just haven't had any energy. So, tonight I drew my collection of medicines and lame green lettering! I did it in my sketchbook with Micron pen and Crayola colored markers.

I've been drinking cherry cold syrup, dissolving Airborne tablets, swallowing decongestants day and night. I don't know if it's just an Oregon thing or not, but the GOOD decongestants have been banned from over-the-counter sale because meth lab people steal them and use them to make illegal drugs with. The new stuff just doesn't work as well. I found a few of the old ones in my bathroom drawers tonight, so they will last for a couple of days. I called the pharmacist and found out I now need a prescription in order to get the old "Sudafed" with pseudoephedrine.

I took one day off from work this week and but went in for the other four. All winter I have successfully avoided all colds and flu. I work with college students and they bring everything into our office, cough all over, touch things with their germy hands. My husband also works in a college and he has been sick with the same thing. We each have our own stash of syrups, cough drops, and pills.

sniff and hack,
Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #115: Draw a Shopping Cart, and a Church Steeple

2007-04-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here's my shopping cart drawing for the Everyday Matters Challenge #115. It's just a generic grocery cart.

Here's a second drawing I did this week. It's the steeple from St. Andrew Church in Portland, Oregon. It's a little blurry - it was hard to get a photo that was clear and centered.

Miniskirt Memories

2007-04-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sketch I drew whilst at the coffee shop yesterday afternoon. This couple was sitting at a table outside and I could see them through the window. The young woman was facing the window, but perhaps forgot that people inside could see her quite clearly!

It reminded me of being a teenager. I'm 52 years old now, and when I was in 8th grade, miniskirts were brand new. We all wore our skirts at least 5 inches above our knees, which caused problems for our parents and school personnel. I remember one English teacher asked the boys to leave the room and lectured us girls about how to sit in our desks and admonished us to keep our knees together!!!

Then when we were sophomores, our Algebra teacher, Mr. French, liked to look up our skirts when we sat in his class. He was a creepy guy, to say the least!

This "view" reminded me of that English teacher and her lecture. She was right, it's not a real attractive look! At work I see so many students who are always tugging their pants up or pulling their skirts down

Emma Pod

HAPA at the Aladdin Theater

2007-04-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Barry Flanagan & Nathan Aweau

On Friday night we went to a HAPA concert at the Aladdin Theater. HAPA is a Hawaiian band that performs a mix of traditional and new Hawaiian music and chant. They produce an amazing sound for just three guys! The concert was really good and we had a great time. HAPA is Barry Flanagan, Nathan Aweau, and Charles Ka'upu and two hula dancers.

Not only are these guys good musicians, they are very funny! And Charles, the chanter, is a thoughtful, spiritual person. The place was packed with folks who are from Hawaii originally, or who just love going there to visit.

Nathan & Charles

We first heard HAPA when Keli'i Kaneali'i was the lead singer. Our favorite album is the one called "Collection", which has their best songs.

The Aladdin Theater is a funky, old, art-deco style stage theater. It's a smaller venue that has been renovated at various times over the years. It looks like someone in the 1970's used that "antiquing" paint that was popular and put a wash on the columns. Gold lame curtains were added to the upper boxes. The original painted lampshades are still there, but I wish the place could be restored with true art-deco colors and style.

EDM Challenge #114:Draw Something Ugly That You Love

2007-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge is to draw something ugly that we love or feel sentimental about - and therefore keep. Here's my entry: a rubber chicken. This ugly, dusty old thing has lots of good memories attached to it.

This was a going-away present from friends in the College of Nursing at The University of Iowa. I worked in student services there for 7 years. We started a tradition of giving "rubber chickens" for various occasions.

When I left that job in 1992, it was a bit difficult for me. I really enjoyed the university and the college and the people there. But it was a college town without alot of job prospects. My husband got a new job out in Portland, Oregon, so we moved away from the midwest.

My co-workers signed this chicken with funny things like:

You're no turkey
Stay abreast of your friends in the College of Nursing
Stick your neck out and enjoy
Spread your wings
We will miss you Chicken Little
Don't forget your old hens
Good luck to a good chick
Hope things end up well (on the butt of the chicken)
Just kiss them on the lips and leave (on the beak)
I guess you'll need to "wing" it for awhile
Run for your life! (on the leg)

For my going-away party, they decorated the room with nursing lab stuff like rubber butts, arms, torsos and legs and Halloween costumes! It was pretty funny. Here are a few shots

A Few More Pots....

2007-04-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Since I started drawing pots, I decided to sketch some of the others I have around the house. Here are three of my favorites. I like the matte green and brown tones of older pottery.

The fluted top pot on the left is an old Weller, the taller middle pot is a Peters and Reed, and the vase on the right is a Niloak. These are from the "Art's and Crafts" period (early 1900's) and I like their earthy colors and textures.

Emma Pod

Bye Bye Pots...

2007-04-08T00:54:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting old art pottery for the past 15 years or so. It's been great fun scavenging in antique stores, garage sales, and online to find good deals. I've decided to sell some of the pieces I'm not so crazy about or no longer have space for.

I've been trying to figure out what they're worth and plan to list them on craig's list or ebay. I've bought alot online, but have never sold, so it will be a new experience for me. Tonight I decided to draw some of the pots I'm thinking about parting with. I have a few more that I'll group in another drawing.

These are mostly old McCoy pieces. The back left vase is a Weller and the green hanging planter is a Roseville. I'm not sure who made the tall turquoise vase, the two blue pieces in front, or the low maroon pot.

EP

EDM Challenge #113: Draw a Fence

2007-04-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here's my offering for the week's challenge #113 to draw a fence. Actually, I drew a fence post. It's from a New Zealand photo that I found online at the address posted below.

It was very hard to get a good photo of my drawing without too much glare from the flash - and the colors don't look quite right either. Anyway, I like the moss growing on the post. It looks alot like Oregon.

Original photo at:
http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/photos/new_zealand/images/fence%20post.jpg

We are working to downsize our stuff again. Last weekend we cleared out three bookshelves and we're sorting books to sell or give away. When we moved here, we had 35 boxes of books from six undergrad and graduate degrees earned between the two of us, plus tons of novels. We still have six bookshelves left.

I'm also sorting through my collection of antique art pottery and am going to try selling some on ebay or Craig's List. After working so hard to find pots at good prices, it's kind of hard to part with them. But, we have way too many.

We had a couple of terrific spring days this week, but it's gray and rainy again today....just in time for the weekend! : (

Emma Pod

EDM Challenge #112: Draw Something Fresh, Plus Josie

2007-04-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

This morning I finally did my #112 Everyday Matters Challenge to draw something fresh. We had nothing fresh in the house all week! Last night I did the grocery shopping and got some fruits and vegetables.

You know you're old and have been married a long time when a Saturday night outing is a trip to the grocery store!!! I saw some young, cute, dressed-up people there - and remembered Saturday night dates. Actually, I was kind of glad I had no place special to go.

I had expected work to be slow all week because of spring break, but it was really busy and really hard. Students came in with all kinds of difficult problems. Spring term begins tomorrow, so people were taking care of late admission and registration, financial aid problems, probation and suspension appeals, bad grades, etc.

Here's a shot of Josie, helping me paint this morning. She likes to sit on anything that is off the ground or table surface. Today she sat on my art box to observe. She has beautiful, icy blue eyes.

We have sun today, so I'm going outside!

Emma Pod

News Flash: Rogue Squirrel Nabbed!

2007-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our campus has had a number of squirrel emergencies over the past year or so. Because of frequent feeding by humans, the animals have become bold and brazen!! They enter buildings, demand lunch from picnickers, charge at passers-by, and terrorize staff and students alike. This particular interloper has met it's match:

"Thanks to John Gwaltney Beaumont, the squirrel residing in the Sylvania Print Center, CC 113 press room is CAPTURED! The squirrel will participate in the PCC catch and release program. Thank you everyone for your concern, advice, suggestions, and moral support during our squirrel crisis, and a special thanks to John!" (source: college email)

Luckily, we have enough talented folks around here to outsmart the little tyrants....

If you've ever worked at a college or university, you know that educated folks can get overwrought by most anything. Last year there was a whole email exchange about the "squirrel problem" - folks were actually advocating capture of the worst offenders, a squirrel relocation program, and maybe even (gasp!) humanely disposing of the furry offenders. The debate raged for awhile and then something else came along to capture people's attention. Ever since, when an absurd topic/situation comes up, it becomes known as the latest "Squirrel Crisis". It's actually quite hilarious and has given some of us a good laugh.

EP