Helping the "Boys"

It is not like I don't have any practice at it---I will always be a helper to boys. In this case, they are really men, but that doesn't sound nearly as interesting does it?

Thursday morning, instead of getting there on my bike, I drove over to Eric's house. He lives around the corner, but Mrs. Camera Crazy is a wimp! It has been too cold for the likes of me to hardly go outside! This is the expansive view of the back yard from the house he shares with his parents, but not for much longer.

Earlier in the week, he'd sent me an email, hoping I would help him with his camera before he spends the next two months digging in the forest at Caracol, Belize. Not content with his role as an anesthesiologist, he's gone back to school to get a Masters degree in Anthropology. For reasons I can't fathom, he thinks I'm an expert with cameras, thus his request. Well, first off it is old, or at least in today's technology. Then too, the first thing I noticed is that it was set on Panoramic, which would not do at all. Eventually we had to turn to the internet for help, getting to the obscure menu where it could be changed. Well, the part about the internet is true, but actually we re-initialized it to the factory setting, which is how I knew that it was seven years old, a lifetime in digital camera technology! Anyway, we got him pretty well squared away for his trip leaving on Monday.

Helping Bill is ongoing. The other day I purchased a tub of chlorine tablets for the pool, in order to stop the whole green thing from ever happening again. Except, try as I might, I could not open it. Neither could Bill, or Herbert, his expert helper!! Taking it back to the store today, the fellow had to use a rubber mallet, along with another tool just to get the darn thing open. He now has chlorine in his floater...

Then there is Will from FAVO. I'm pretty sure I've neglected to mention I moved out of FAVO---or did I? Well, just because I moved out, doesn't mean that we aren't still friends. Celebrating his 10th anniversary at the church, he will be giving an organ recital. Sometime last year I took a photograph of him that people seemed to love, so he asked if I could do one for some promotional material. Of course I said yes. He's a great subject, that's for sure! I turned this one black and white, just because I wanted to, although he won't be using this one, or black and white, for that matter.

It was very nice to meet his Mom who is visiting for a few weeks from Kentucky. She's also the mother of four boys, or I guess I should say was, as Will's brother died two months ago. My heart breaks for her.

Oh my goodness, you won't believe it, or I guess maybe you will, but I hardly do, so there. Look who came back!

Sorry, but you're going to be bombarded with pictures of this little cutie!

Yes sirree Bob, the bunting was on the feeder, however Mrs. Cardinal thought otherwise. At least she did on the front feeder, the back one she was perfectly happy to share.

Then our little cutie flew into the hibiscus bush, or really, let's be honest, it's getting so huge it could be a fat tree with very few leaves!

Woo hoo!!! I take these through the windows--if only I could get closer without them flying away. The birds were feeding in full force this morning, including a tufted titmouse, doves, red-winged blackbirds, a blue jay, and of course Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal. Maybe it's the cold weather, don't know, but they were a busy bunch.

Wednesday night I had some ladies for wine and snacks, and what a fun time we had. Baxter knew something was up, sitting by the door waiting for their arrival.

What's that on the table you ask? Boxed wine? Indeed. And not bad at all. Bruce was aghast that I'd serve it, however, I know my friends, who, at least to my face, claimed they liked it. Here's the only problem as I see it with the box---it holds four bottles of wine, which, if you're not careful, because you can't see it diminishing, you can get a little carried away! Of course, I'd never do that, but some folks might! :)

What else have I been up to? I've been obsessed with learning how to do a photo transfer for ages. Finally, I bought a tile from Lowes and gave it a go. I printed a photo at home (!), and used a gel medium to attach it to the tile.

Perhaps you can see that it is a palm tree. Imagine that? Anyway, once it was dry, I put water on it and started rubbing the paper off.

Once that was all gone, I let it dry, finishing it with a coat of Mod-Podge.

So, you see not only what the tile looks like, but as an added bonus, you see my dirty thumbnail!! Despite wearing gloves to clean Bill's gutter, my nails got filthy and I'm still scrubbing them to remove all the dirt!

In truth, although I'm okay with how this turned out, it isn't right at all. I think there is still paper attached that I didn't completely rub off. After extensive time wasting on the internet, I'm going to try again, armed with some of my new found knowledge.

In conclusion, the other night, my friend Bev, only half kidding, called me Martha Stewart. Can you believe that? I told her I was far from MS, only that I enjoyed making things. Furthermore, I told her MS would NEVER serve bread sticks formed like this:

Undoubtedly, hers would be the same shape and length. Don't you agree?