Peak Season

or so the woman said when answering my phone question about the timing for visiting the Butterfly Encounter at Lukas Nursery. In order to keep myself sane, this week I've been going on outings whenever possible. Monday morning, around 10, it was possible. Arriving with the new camera in tow, I entered the hot and humid atmosphere of the aviary, which in this case describes it well because I saw way more darling little birds than I did butterflies! They were darting all over the place, and was it ever something.

Who wouldn't be happy when seeing a bird with POLKA DOTS? I mean seriously...

Apparently there are gobs of types of finches in this beautiful world of ours, mostly ones I've yet to see. All I know about this one for sure is that it is cute as a button.

Below is a Spice Finch which is really interesting as yesterday afternoon I made a homemade spice cake, one I've not made in forever. As a young girl, when asked what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday, you know, in the days when people actually made birthday cakes, I always wanted spice.

In addition to finches, they also have little quails that clean up the ground. I've seen brown ones, I've seen white ones, never have I seen one that I'm calling deep rust. Seriously cute.

They have a room, if you will, with Painted Lady butterflies ready to be both fed and held by the customers. You dip your index finger in some Gatorade, hold it below the butterfly; they hop on!!! The attendant told me their taste is in their feet.

Although there was a Giant Yellow Swallowtail flying around, not once did it land for even a moment. There were quite a number of this very attractive green butterfly.

And then something terrible happened--my camera battery died. I mean the screen went black. How could this happen, you ask? Well, interestingly enough, before leaving the house, I thought I'd checked it, but apparently I did not read it correctly. There was so much more I wanted to photograph, however, it was not to be. I was hoping the attendant would feel bad for me and validate my admission for another day that I wanted to drive twenty miles, however, she felt none of my pain. :)

Note to self, always take a second camera, it is not like you don't have one!!

Yesterday's excursion was to the Orlando Museum of Art to see the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, an exhibit that is closing within the week. Although that exhibit did not engage me much, you'll see something in a few minutes from it, I thought the museum as a whole was terrific. It's been way too long since last I visited.

So, take a look at the piece on the wall...

Can you guess what is under the openings on the left side panel? POSTAGE STAMPS!! There are punched, or that's what I'm calling it, holes with the stamps visible. Now that is really something, isn't it?

The permanent collection spans many genres, some super, some just okay.

I loved the movement in the sculpture, so lovely, the figure and painting in the back, not so much. Take a closer look at those two.

You may find yourself wondering just what is attached to that head gear. Well, I'm here to tell you that, for the most part, they are painted bird figurines that must have taken the artist a long time to collect. Or, perhaps he came upon a bird statue lovers' estate sale? One that also had gobs of crocheted potholders? I'll never know.

I found this piece fascinating...the statue is made from plaster casts, you know, the kind people used to wear on their broken arms. The photograph added another dimension.

I was especially intrigued by the self portrait pictured on the left below--made with stamps. No, not postage stamps, rather the kind that you use with an ink pad. The accompanying text explained that the artist also makes art with food, say chocolate sauce, photographs it, then of course discards it.
Sort of like my experiments with milk, food coloring, and corn syrup.

Okay, so about those prize winners....while in another gallery I kept hearing this clanging noise that was pretty much getting on my nerves. Here is the source of said noise.

Expertly created, however, a clanging metal on pots leaves me a little cold. Finally, probably my favorite painting in the whole museum....tada...a sheet!

I suspect that sheet won't do a thing for some of you, but I found it astonishing. The rocks were really great as well, but that sheet....WOW!

I would be remiss if I left out the cool sculptures on the plaza in front of the museum. Above you saw the sitting one, here are those standing about.

Actually it was a photograph of these that I saw in the newspaper that made me finally get off my butt and see them in person. I was not disappointed. Should you be interested in seeing them for yourself, they will stand mute outside the museum until the middle of January.

All views presented are my own...feel free to disagree with me!

So, we have some God made beauty, and some man made beauty. Isn't life amazing?

Trying to stay busy,

Gail

Slippery Slope

There is a slippery slope one finds oneself on, once one hangs something up outside and I should know because I'm slipping. First it was the bird feeders, followed by a bird house, followed by some sun thing, and the list goes on. Why, if one is good, two is better, yet isn't there some sort of rule of thumb when decorating that odd is the best? Of course there is, so three, or even five is just fine.

The zeal I once reserved for shoe shopping has been replaced by finding cool outdoor decor. Mind you, I don't spend a lot on these purchases, but when I find something I like, I don't hesitate. But, now I should. Three things hanging from two trees, three sets of wind chimes, some hanging baskets--certainly that should do it. Unless, of course, I find something else....

The prompting for this has come from my bike travels. Riding down all the streets within about a mile radius of our home, I've discovered some houses that it seems the owners have not been able to stop. One chime leads to another and another and another. You get my drift. Which reminds me of something that was both funny and painful. I believe it was the first time I did the annual "Fiesta in the Park" around Lake Eola. A big show filled with some good stuff, and then again, some not so good stuff. The lady next to me sold wind chimes. Now, talk about some volume! As I recall there must have been 200 wind chimes. As stated above, I'm all for wind chimes but that many? No way! By weekend's end I didn't care if I never heard another one again. Since then, I've changed my mind. To set your mind at ease just a little bit, let it be said that we have a very big yard and each chime is placed quite a distance from one another. Feel better now?

I like purple almost as much as the next person, however, I'm thinking these people have taken it just a wee bit too far. Then again, maybe not?

Yesterday I was remiss in not showing you what a thryallis plant looks like, or at least the blooms which pretty much cover the plant right now.

It is quite pretty when all abloom; allegedly the flowers attract butterflies but to date I've not seen that in action. Now you understand why when a squirrel breaks a branch off it is just one more reason to want to banish every last one of them from our property. I've added something to the war chest:

Unfortunately, despite the menacing appearance of this water gun, the distance the water travels is not that great. While at Wal Mart I looked at all the squirt guns, and there are many, none of which seemed to the simple fill and spray. They are all double barreled and oddly colored as this one is. You have to slide that silly yellow thing on the bottom just to pump up one squirt. Too darn many choices!

Yesterday was the official first day of summer, the longest day of the year, however, it was gray and gloomy for much of the day with some much needed rain falling all through the evening and into the night. You would have been hard pressed to notice the length of the daylight. By 9 PM I was already snuggled up in bed reading The Good Father by Noah Hawley from Austin, TX. Weaving the story of both a son who seems to have committed a political assassination with previous crimes on the same order, I have to admit it gave me nightmares last night. Still, it's a good read about what it would be like to be the parent of a child that commits a horrific, highly visible crime. I've often thought how dreadful that would be. It was bad enough when Bill used to give us fits in high school doing all manner of stupid things!

While we're on the subject of Austin, this is a very cool article about the department where Jonathan works at the University of Texas in Austin. He is the Center Administrator. This is well worth your time checking out because it is all about the next generation of solar energy.

Never one to sit around just because it is raining I pulled out my oil paints, given to me by Angela, who received them as a gift, Lord knows why, anyway here is how I started.

Every single paint tube got a few squeezes which in hindsight was a few too many. Using my little scrunched wax paper technique I did some blobbing of said paint and here you go:

And you thought I only posted my good stuff on this blog! If that were the case, it would be pretty darn boring, wouldn't it? I want you to know that although I'm always experimenting, there are plenty, and I mean plenty of failures along the way. Just the other day the image I entered did not win the Mt. Dora Poster contest. Remember all the excitement regarding that last year? My only hope is that I get into the show next year!

It's that time of the morning my friends--the sun is still shining, the birds are chirping away, and in fact, looking out my window just now, a male cardinal is sitting on the fence wondering where his next meal is coming from. Okay, I made that up, but he IS sitting there.

Off I go to add another 100 miles to the odometer.

Five miles at a time. :)

It's A New Year

It may be a new year but that doesn't mean I'm done writing about the old one. With the opening of Hobby Lobby, I've re-discovered my love for quilting. What I like about the store is that they have a nice selection of fabrics, however, it's not an overwhelming selection. I'm not happy when there are too many choices, something the modern world provides in spades. Have you seen how MANY types of orange juice are on the supermarket shelves? Ridiculous. No wonder people feel so stressed out!

So, before I move on to another project, I thought I'd show you a closeup of the zigzag quilt I finished for Matthew's Christmas gift:

I learned some new techniques while making this quilt, and hopefully, with the new modern quilting book I received from Jonathan for my birthday, I'll be learning more.

Speaking of gifts, here's a shot of the gorgeous orchid Ruth's parents brought on Christmas day:

 

If you can imagine, there are thirteen, yes, you read that right, thirteen buds yet to open! Expect follow up images to come.

Bruce's knee problem improved dramatically, enough so, that on January 1, 2011, we went to Ikea on a recognizance mission. What, pray tell, are we doing now? I'm thinking of moving my office to the current guest room where I have the room to keep my sewing machine up, and have more of a photography studio in the room with the best light. Still puzzling about where this idea will go.

After Bruce left to set up the booth Sunday morning I went out back, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? A beautiful rainbow!

 

It would seem as if I am destined to never get a good shot of a rainbow, or at least to date that's been the case. Rarely do I see them, and both times when I have in the last year, I've had camera issues. Here's a little lesson I've learned--don't buy a generic battery for your camera. Although the after market battery I purchased for the Olympus works fine for a bit, there is no blinking indicator to let you know the battery is almost spent. Thus, I had no idea the battery was dying when I put my camera away. Running inside and grabbing my camera to catch the rainbow before it faded, I discovered the battery was DEAD. Great! Quickly changing it, I was barely able to get a few shots off before it was gone. Moral of the story? Spring for the good stuff.

Nancy and Lisa made a guest appearance at the market Sunday afternoon, posing for this shot before they walked around the lake:

 

So glad they both wore black! Nancy left yesterday after spending two weeks here visiting with the clan. Sadly, both my tech support (Matt), and organizational specialist (Nancy), have departed for another year before I was able to exploit their talents fully!

 

Tom shot this while we were in DeLand. Actually, he made two exposures, which brings me to lesson 2 of the post. Most times when taking family shots we don't think a lot about the composition, however, looking at the two photographs reminded me of something Professor Strout taught me in my one photography class at Valencia. I'm passing it along to you guys so you can be mindful of it while taking your own family shots. "Don't cut people off at the joints." I'm going to show you the other image to demonstrate the point:

Do you see the difference? Amazing what having feet will do! This is no dis on Tom's photography skills, I'm as guilty as anyone about not being careful of this. Note to self--pay attention to the details! Because this blog allegedly has something to do with photography, every now and again maybe I should share my limited technical knowledge?

I love ART. All kinds of art. Knowing this, our son Matthew regularly gives us art as gifts, with this year being no exception. Both Bruce and I are delighted with these new lino-block cuts of two of our favorite places in London. 

I can't tell you the amount of times I've heard people say they have no more room for new art. Hogwash is what I have to say about that! Moving current art to a different location gives it new life because you're seeing it differently. Buying art is a highly personal endeavor, but once you do, it's always nice to have folks admire your selection. Never once did anyone comment on the art that currently is hung over the fireplace when it hung over the piano. I can't tell you the number of folks who've asked if it was new once we moved it. No, we've had it for several years! Now, folks comment like nobodies business.

Good grief Gail,  you sure are full of advice today! And you thought you were coming here for a little entertainment....

Microblogging, or not....

My friend Josie tells me micro-blogging on sites like Twitter, or Facebook, is the wave of the future; this does not bode well for narrative writing. I'm still going to buck the trend and keep writing. According to the newspaper I read while eating lunch, writing each day increases your brain power; Lord knows I can stand a little bit of that.

When last I left you I was pontificating about photography's place at art shows. I was hoping to hear back from someone about this matter, anyone have an opinion? I've begun to wonder just what is "art?" I've looked up the definition although I'm not sure that tells me what I want to know. Furthermore, who decides what great art is anyway? We all know that some artists now considered masters were shunned while living. How does one place a value on art? Is it skill, creativity, color, nuance, or the ability to make the viewer either think or feel that sets some artists apart from others? Sounds like I should take a class!

Despite the ongoing weekend art festival, I still did well at my markets.

Speaking of which I was delighted to see Lisa and Danny at Eola on Sunday. I think I was chatting with someone and looked up to see Lisa. She was astonished to see the transformation of the market, barely recognizing it from her earlier visits. They walked around the lake, staying to not only listen to music, but have some delicious treats. I think Danny drank a half gallon of the fresh squeezed orange juice, and I know for a fact Lisa enjoyed some delicious sweets. Danny is still having treatments, which are keeping things under control, but the side effects are not so great, one of which is extreme fatigue. It is difficult to exercise under these conditions, but owing to his indomitable spirit, he's still trying.

Whether or not what I'm doing is artistic, I'm in a show this weekend in Deland. With the flagging economy this might prove futile, but it is always good to be in juried shows every now and again to improve your street cred. I'll be surprised if anything comes my way, but I'm giving it my best shot. Bruce left yesterday morning for his inspection in Kissimmee (perfect as always!), from there straight to the airport for his inspection today in Foxboro, MA. After he's done there it is on to CT to check on the progress of that job. He won't be back until sometime Thursday evening which makes for a very long week. I hate to drag him up to Deland on Friday afternoon to set up the tent, however the show begins at 9 on Saturday morning. We'll be hard pressed to set up in the morning because it takes forever. The amazing thing about Bruce is that no matter how hard he works he never complains. We could all learn a thing or two from him.

I've been somewhat entertained by all the old fashioned things becoming popular once again now that the economy is so tattered. Cube steaks, a mainstay of both my childhood, as well as our boys, have seen some astounding sales increases. I've been reading that movie tickets sales are soaring, as are candy sales. By candy I don't mean Godiva, I mean Necco wafers, the cheap stuff. In case you are wondering, here's how they stack up. Not one to jump on a bandwagon, I took this a month ago trying to make an interesting photograph.

We had some much needed rain yesterday which sent me over to Leu Gardens to take advantage of the gray skies and wet plants. The pictured amaryllis plant was not only drenched, but the color was unbelievably saturated. Hoses and sprinklers are poor substitutes for a good long rain. Everywhere you looked there were large stands of the beautiful bulbs. The rest of the day was pretty much non productive on my part. Today, however, is another day, and I've already done a bunch. I thrive on a combination of activity and routine.
----------------
Listening to: Blur - Music Is My Radar
via FoxyTunes