It's HOT, HOT, HOT!

I feel like this SALMON! Sizzle! (taken on our camping trip when it was cool and rainy, but that salmon was the best, ever!) Cool and rainy weather, how I miss you, I will never complain again... Who am I kidding? Of course I will! I read an article about not complaining (http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org) while I was in the endodontists office finding out I have to have a root canal on monday and it is haunting me. I'm a complainer. The person who wrote the article wore a plastic bracelet, and everytime she complained she switched it to the other wrist. The first day she estimates she switched 100 times. Today, I probably would have had a bloody wrist from switching.

I am posting with nothing arty to say, I just need to complain for a moment, it's so hot here in Tacoma, WA! It was at least 103 degrees today, a record, and since hardly anybody in western WA has AC, it's ugly. Me and Ash were camped down in the basement most of the day which is a tiny bit cooler than the main part of the house, 92 degrees, and I don't even want to think about how hot it is up in our bedroom.

Also, I'm sorry I have not answered any comments, such nice comments they were, but it has been a struggle with little Ash (4 months old on friday) this week in this heat, and I am saving all my energy for him.

I'm not being a blog princess, I promise!

I have been carving some more blocks and stamps, (when he takes his 15 minute catnaps) I'm getting better, but still figuring it out, so nothing new to share.

I hope you are all cool and having a fun summer.

New Print week 15 and Giveaway Winner

When I should have been painting this morning, I carved my first block. I know there are many things wrong with it, but maybe someday I will be famous as a block print artist and you can say you bought my first one for $2! I did embellish a bit with white ink, the white round flowers most notably, but here is my newest print, "Undine" This will be the only stamp of it ever made, because at some point I broke it in half. I really get into my carving...

I must say, I was so excited doing this, I was hyperventilating.

Thank you all very much all who commented on the giveaway post, I wish I could give you all a print, sometimes I an tempted, believe me, but the postage would kill me. All your wonderful comments makes doing this project worthwhile.

The winner of the prints is the number 23 commenter, I need to go back and look at which it is, I used the random number generator, (random.org) because Skylar is gone to visit his daddy, and can't be bothered with my contests. :)

I'll email number 23 as soon as I figure it out.

**Winner is Diane Clancy. Diane, please email me, I can't seem to comment on your blog for some reason.

4 print Giveaway!

It's time for my monthly print giveaway. The four 5x7 prints pictured above will be given to someone who comments on the post between now and Sunday when I post my new print. All you have to do is leave a comment and Skylar, my grandson will pick a winner.

Week 14 52 week print project Villa del Sol

I've been thinking of and trying not to envy my dear friend, Gillian who has been in Europe with her niece lately. Her blog.
I dreamed of a beautiful sunshine drenched, flower surrounded villa, so here is my newest print, "Villa del Sol"

5x7 on fine photo paper, available at etsy for a limited run of 12 and a limited price of $2.

Click on the pic.

Happy sunday, everyone, Flight is doing better.

Our poor greyhound!

On Thursday morning I was awoken by the sounds of dogs and cat growling. Kelsi's little terrier, Molly, that lives with us was attacking Megan's cat, who never usually comes out of the basement, but for some reason did. At some point, also, Flight, our greyhound, got a claw in her nose. There was blood everywhere, almost all of it from Molly. It was awful. Molly seems fine at this point.

Yesterday we realized that Flight was really hurt because her face is all swollen. It was too late to get into the vet last night, but Dave took her this morning. He put her on an antibiotic, but she is suffering so much, and her face just keeps swelling in different places.

I think it is the cat scratch, but it could be that she got stung, I wonder? Anyway, see my poor dog? Usually she has a thin nose and a beautiful face. She is such a gentle soul, but she would like to chase and eat little furry things, given the chance as that is what she was trained to do as a racer.

***Authors note: She is doing better this morning, thank you. I think the antibiotics are working. The swelling is down and she is moving around a bit better. I spent a sleepless night, worrying, but I think she will be ok.

An Amazing Artist to Share

I found this artist while reading Une Envie de Sel.

Jeanne-Ming was kind enough to share her painting process with me, it involves drywall compound and carving and I can't wait to try it myself!

I hope you like her work as much as I do.

Week 13 - 52 week print project "The House On The Hill"

Here is my new print, "The house on the hill"

Yes, I know, it's somber, and maybe dismal, and possibly sinister.

But I did have a great time on my vacation.

A 5x7 of this print will be on available on etsy for a limited time for $2. Free shipping

Click on the pic to be taken to etsy to buy it.

Nehalem Falls Park

Today we took a little trip up to Nehalem Falls Park. It's about 22 miles from where we are camping. There is a beautiful forested campground, more for tenters than RV's but beautiful. We took a hike along the river about a mile. Somehow, Flight and I lost Dave and Zoe along the way and Dave had to come find me.

We had a picnic along the river and then Dave climbed down the rocks and took these pictures of the falls. It looked pretty precarious and he scared me spitless. I was so afraid he was going to fall in, hit his head on a rock and drown, my knees were weak. I was considering whether I would jump in and try to save him, or run up to the road and scream for help from all the twenty something campers there. I always have a plan... I am a product of my mother's vivid imagination, and I am always having to fight expecting the worst, but all was well in the end and I guess it was worth my worry.

We speculated there there must have been a dam there are one time, as you can still see the fish ladder to the right. All that concrete sort of mars the beauty of the falls, but it's still pretty.

Tomorrow we head home, I'm ready, I'm missing the kids. I'll post the new print tomorrow when we get home.

Astoria and Gearhart, Oregon

Shrimp Louie ala Pacific Way Cafe

It's so cute inside, but I was chicken to walk around and take more pictures of all the rooms.

I think this says that Astoria was founded in 1811. That Lewis and Clark, they got around...

The Blue Scorcher

Yesterday, we went to Astoria and had coffee at the Blue Scorcher. I love that place, but it

seems to be some sort of stomach jinx for me, because I always get sick. I think it's because I can't resist their organic baked goodies.
Anyway, while my tummy recovered we drove up to the Columbia River Estuary, saw a bald eagle, and some poor guy in an ancient motorhome that had somehow torn a hole in his gas tank. There was some action from the fire department over that, let me tell you.
Then for lunch we went to Pacific Way Cafe in Gearhart, one of my favorite places to eat in the world. I had the shrimp louie and it was as good as last time.
Tooday we went to Newhalem Falls, more pics later, Dave took them, so I have to wait for him to wake up from his nap so he can correct them.
When you get pics from me, it's WYSIWYG, but his must be PErFECT. Ahem.

Manzanita Redux, But With Pictures

A cool chair I saw in a gallery there, artist Debbie Harmon



Where we should have eaten lunch. Obviously, the dogs knew something we didn't. This cute place with an octopus waiter is called Bread and Ocean.

The beach at Manzanita

More beach.

Another place we should have eaten lunch, despite the terrifying giant crab on the roof.

A place called Salt and Paper.

Hunger struck later in Rockaway Beach and we ate at a dicey place I am trying to forget. I fully expected to get food poisoning, but the clam chowder and shrimp cocktail was good, it was just really a gross place to eat. I did not take a picture. I. Don't. Want. To. Think. About. It. ugh. Later we had giant waffle cones, mine with blackberry ice cream that I have been craving all summer. All I talk about on this blog, if I'm not talking about paintings, is food. Sheesh.

Foxglove at Oswald West State Park

Author's note** Evidently, I uploaded the uncorrected photos this morning, and the photographer was horrified. So I put the right ones on now, and added a few more.

This park is between Cannon Beach and Manzanita. My family can attest to the whining I have done this spring about having a foxglove photoshoot. I thought it was too late, but here they are at least 2 weeks behind Tacoma in flower bloom. So, we were able to find a pretty place to do it yesterday. Do you see the little creek behind the stand of foxglove? My husband is awesome, he found this place and I held the shiny thing for him. (some big shiny thing that makes a reflection on what he is focusing on)

Today I took photos of Manzanita, they won't be as good as the photographer's, but you will get to see how cute it is.

Anyway, back to the photographer's photos:

To get that stream one, he took off his shoes and socks and stood in icy cold water. brrr!

There's a snail on that mossy branch. Salmonberries, and the red ones are elderberries, ferns, and a mossy path. I need to go look up elderberries, I think the red ones are poison, and the blue ones come later that you can make wine and jelly with. If the red ones were edible, they could make a killing on them here, there are millions of them. Now I will probably have to come back and fix this. I'm probably wrong.

We are off to do some more exploring today.

In Manzanita, Oregon

A cool place we found today: http://www.coastcabins.com/
They have private hot tubs in each cabin area, but it looks pretty expensive. I really like the intro to the website, it really shows how pretty it is here.
It's in Manzanita, a cute little town about 13 miles from us that we had never been to before.
We also bought crabs from Brighton Marina in Wheeler. http://neahkahnie.net/wheelermarina/They pick fresh ones from a cage in the dock and cook them for you. We had cracked crab, rib eye steaks and baked potatoes for dinner. Sorry no pictures, I have been terribly lazy.
I did make my blueberry muffins this morning, but we burnt them to a crisp. Dave made a valiant effort to eat them, but we had to throw them away. I am used to making them with frozen blueberries and then the oven in the trailer was much hotter than I am used to at home. Be glad I don't have pictures, the smoke alarm in here went off.
Flight and Zoe ran on the beach in Manzanita and terrorized a poor family trying to build a castle. Actually, they think everyone loves them, so they go up to everybody. Sadly, the flopping around they did hoping for a pet ended in the walls of the castle being damaged.
Tomorrow Dave has promised a foxglove photo session, I've been wanting to take foxglove pictures for weeks, and I was so happy to discover that they are a couple weeks behind us in flower blooms, so there are still pretty foxgloves everywhere here.

Week 12 52 week print project "The HOPELESS BATHER" 5x7

Here is my new print for this week, "the hopeless bather", posted early because I will be gone on Sunday. As usual, click on my pic to be taken to etsy, or you can use the etsy ad in the sidebar to the right. The print will be $2 for a limited time, free shipping.

I am at the beach (Cannon Beach, Oregon) for a week, but I am bringing the prints with me to mail while I am on vacation. I'm awesome that way.

Selma Weissman

Check out her photostream here for some

dama do circo (detalhe)
Originally uploaded by Selma Weissmann

inspiring work!