The Boyce Thompson Arboretum



It was difficult to determine the champion of the Ruby vs. brush stare down...






The Khalsa Montessori School Spring Carnival (Amazing.  Many thanks to Brian Flatgard, the entire PTO, and countless volunteers!)






Who says peacocks don't fly?!

Phase I: A custom back seat. 
Isn't the body style of this auto gorgeous? My friend, Jay K., bought the shell of the car and is the process of building the rest.  It is the ultimate collage.  It inspires me!
I am honored to be lending a hand on the business of upholstering this bad boy.



Foundations of a back seat: plywood/pressboard + various foams (some of which Jay took from an abandoned sofa.  That's right: this project is now green!)



I'll skip the shots of me figuring it out and just get to the ones where it looks like I might have a clue what I am doing!






 
"How about we make progress and then clean it up later?" Asks Jay.  (Clue that I might be obsessing)



A job worth doing is worth doing correctly.  Don't rush me, Jay. 



Progress!  The chair of the seat looks smooth and snug, and the seat back is still buckled because we stapled it all together forgetting that we had not installed the Velcro or O-rings.  Rookies!  A simple fix for another day.  See you soon for Phase II!

Ahem.  Apparently I have not written a blog in 98 days.  Oops. 
I'm back.  (Many thanks to the sweetest yous that came looking for me!)

So!  I do not claim to be, nor to I pretend to be: a photographer.  I will get around to learning that art form one fine day, but in the mean time I am simply a great lover of creating pictures with a camera.  My photos are quick, conceptual rough drafts.  That's all.  (Smile) 

As you may remember, about this time last year I declared that nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" like a Holiday Card Photo.  My team and I wanted to explore several themes this year, but the process was compromised by the fact that my old Canon point and shoot (Right? I told you I'm not a photographer!) suffered a sudden and untimely death literally during the shoots (which all took place within 24 hours).  And so, many thanks go to my dear friend, Agent Povinelli, for her time and for the use of her iPhone!  And... excuse the blurry quality and high contrast that we ended up with!!!





This next one pokes fun at the generic "Catalog Family."  Ruby is a major fan of catalogs.  She drags them around for months, takes them to school (and to dinner, and to the bathroom), and memorizes them.  Late one night after she had gone to bed, Kris and I picked one up and began to make fun of it a bit.  Who is this family in their coordinating pajamas purchased ONLY for the holidays?  Look at the father's bleached, gelled, and perfectly feathered hair... he really signed up for this?  Funny, until you get a load of the Catalog Mother... she is a real treat herself.  Hmmm.   Of course their pajamas, slippers, stockings, towels, napkins, fleece pullovers, sleeping bags, travel gear, and bedding are all monogrammed... and as it turns out, The Catalog Family has the most fashionable names of them all!



And, of course, there was a grand finale.  Whew!  It was not easy to talk Kris into this one, though Ruby seemed to think it was a fine idea. These were taken at dawn at a preselected hospital Emergency Room about 35 minutes from our house.  Agent Povinelli and I needed a bit of a pick me up at the Starbucks on the way, and as we sat in the drive through fully clad as Mr. and Mrs. Super, you could see him wishing for instant death, or at least complete invisibility.  Ahh, but those Starbucks employees perked right up when they saw us.  Oh, did they smile, gather, giggle, and wish us well!

It is, on the surface, just amusing.  The Super Family, one injured, departing the E.R.  Also, it feels a bit autobiographical.  My family has been through it!  Especially with health and well-being challenges! But we get back up, dust ourselves off, smile, and carry on as if it is business as usual.  By golly.







Though it was dawn, there were several passers-by.  The essence seen in the next shot was a bus driver employed by the hospital.  She approached wide-eyed on her way into the building and I said to her, "Oh!  You look very official.  Will you pretend to hand me these prescription bottles for the next several shots?"  She shook her head "No," meaning, "Oh geez, I guess so..." and then Povinelli shouted, "You are going to be in their Christmas photo!"  This woman had just looked me in the eye, declared, "Girl, you are messed up!," and began to walk away when this photo was taken:



Do note that Kris couldn't help himself: laughing and having a great time...



Happy, happy holidays all!  Sending you love and warmest-ever wishes.