Friday, August 27, 2010

Bowling

Last night we went bowling with Kate. Needless to say, none of us bowled very well. I usually break a 100, but I only did that in the first of 3 games. It was very fun though. I tried getting an action shot of Zach, but apparently bowling alleys are tricky to photograph.
So I took a picture of my shoes.

After bowling, we headed to Cranky Pats for great thin crust pizza.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Done!

Zach and I finished up the last 21 game boards a few days ago. We did a total of 125 this summer.
Neither of us really want to look at another one of these for a while... :-)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Visit

Yesterday Zachary and I went to Illinois to visit Zach's sister, Kristanna and her family. She is about to have surgery to get her kidney removed, so we wanted to see her and wish her good luck in person. We also got to spend some time with Tristan. Landon, the youngest, was off at Grandmas.
Zach was a little jealous of Tristan's sand box, but he did let uncle Zach help a little bit. He is a fun little boy.

Milestone

Yesterday was a special day for our Subaru.
100,000 miles! (Don't worry, Zach took the pictures while I was driving)
May you have an adventure filled 100,000 more miles.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Frog

I spied this neat frog while at my parents today.
After downloading the pictures off my camera onto my computer, I noticed a mosquito on the back of the frog, feeding. Shouldn't the frog be eating the mosquito? Weird.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Renaissance Faire

Zachary and I made it to the Bristol Renaissance Faire this year on Saturday. It is a yearly pilgrimage for us.
A very tasty pilgrimage indeed. I didn't get a picture of every dish, but here is a sampling. A few favorites and a few new discoveries. I tried a new drink this year called Black Berry. I am not much of a beer drinker, but this was mighty tasty, a blend of Murphy's Irish Stout and Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss. It is the dark brew next to the Rat Man Dew (blend of Mountain Dew and hard cider, Zach's choice)


Plenty of goods I wish I could take home and put in my house.

An artist creating a portrait of Henry VIII.
Musicians.
We took in a few shows too. A Falconer demonstrating his falcons and hawks.
A very funny acrobatic show, called Barely Balanced.

Adam Crack, the bull whip guy. He'll be competing in the World Championships this winter for his whip cracking skills.

The classic Mud Show. Feats of strength and wit held in a mud pit.
Moonie. The master of improv comedy, juggling, and audience embarrassment.
Our last show of the day was the Barely Balanced act again. Their last show of the day includes new tricks with the addition of fire.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Back to Basics

I was recently asked if I would be interested in creating samples of artwork in different mediums on different types of papers for a paper company. I was both excited and leery of the project. It excited me that it was motivation/opportunity to get out my stored away art supplies from my college days. It scared me that it has been since I was in college that I created artwork without using a computer. I get creative at times with my graphic design work, but its not the same as getting my hands covered pastels dust.

I broke out a few art books and looked for inspiration. I have a book that is called Essential Monet, filled with Monet paintings. I enjoy his and the other Impressionists work. I found his painting, La Falaise de Ste.-Adresse (1873) and was inspired to emulate it using pastels.

It was a fun exercise, to try to capture the same feel as the master. With the pastels medium, turned out softer than the painting. I also changed up the landforms slightly, but I think I was able to achieve the impressionist feel. And not at one point during the process I tried to use my pastel stick like a computer mouse, so success.

Random Wednesday

Clematis blooms.

Fun Fact: Did you know in the pioneer days of the old west, the Clematis plant was referred to a pepper vine, as it was used as a pepper substitute to spice food, when true pepper was rare and expensive. It is toxic in large amounts, unlike real pepper, but Native Americans used it as treatment for migraines and skin conditions.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Weeds

Zach and I chose to skip re-mulching the flower beds around the house as a cost saving measure this year, and put it off till next spring. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal if it wasn't for all the rain we've been getting this summer. Usually this time of the year is dry. We have found ourselves in the mist of a weed-plosion.
I tackled one section over the weekend, but there is many more sections to attack.

Coneflowers in bloom.