A Peek in the Cupboard

Last week, I warned you that instead of sweeping up the contents of my week and sorting through the dustbin for blog ideas, I might just clean out the refrigerator and serve leftovers, but Old Mrs. Hubbard’s cupboard is bare. Okay, maybe not exactly bare, but not exactly organized either. By Old Mrs. Hubbard, I mean me, and I got nothin’. My well is empty (chalk it up to exhaustion).

So, I’ve got no story to tell as we leave for Sacramento early Wednesday morning for our last show of 2010 or Z0L0 as we’ve been calling it. We still have at least one more Eugene Saturday Market to do for our October point and a riverside studio sale in Roseburg later in the month and of course, the Holiday Market, but that’s of future concern.

Right now, there are clothes to be packed, pendants to be finished and a scruzillion little details that require attending, so this week’s blog shall be brief.

Combing through the photos, I selected a few that amuse me, probably why we took them in the first place. I’ll give you a quick tour and then turn you loose to view and make your own interpretations.

This past weekend we participated in the Corvallis Fall Festival, home to the Oregon State Beavers. Here is a humorous necklace we made and sold in the first couple hours of the show. I knew there’d be an arty fun Beaver fan who would appreciate the intent as well as the content, and sure enough, a creative soul tried it on and didn’t take it off.

Here’s a pile of treasure we discovered, bits and pieces we’re turning into wearable art.

One of them is an Amelia Earhart necklace titled Traveling by Starlight, which two little girls were playing with on Sunday afternoon.

Another little girl came into our booth a few weeks ago and while her mother was shopping peeked around the counter. Upon seeing my wine colored John Fluevog shoes, she scooped them up into her arms and gave them a hug. I didn’t have the camera in my hand when she did that, but grabbed it immediately and snapped her holding them. It feels like I’ve already shared this with you, if so, consider it a leftover.

Speaking of wine, there are a few people out there who will know why this particular bottle was a delight to receive as a gift.

And I’m glad to know about the healing power of wine… “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses,” 1Tim 5:23. Cheers St. Paul!

It’s my father’s birthday this week and as a train lover, thought I’d post this one in honor of him. Happy Birthday dad.

This butterfly necklace is one of my favorites. While I’m glad we design one of a kind pieces, I sometimes wish we could replicate.

Groom took this photo of a person taking a picture of a butterfly with their cell phone.

Still enamored with our new cell phone, here’s one I took of a coffee date the other day with friends.

Speaking of which, take a gander at the older dude texting on his. To view the details and see it better, simply click on that (or any other) photo and then hit the back button to return to the blog. Do you notice how the younger folks are actually waiting for their boat ride in Grants Pass by hanging out while he’s separated himself from the herd and playing with his phone?

Always a romantic, I’m reassured to know there’s a special Prenup guide for lovers.

I opened a jar of liver of sulfur (a patina for metal) while working in the studio the other day and was tickled to see this smiley face peering back at me. Ah, I’m a sucker for sweet.

Yeah, I’m not sure what was going on with these two cone-head dogs in a parked car. Are they cute? A little scary?

The last two pictures involve parking meters in downtown Eugene. What, pray tell, is oozing from the coin slot? How did it get in there and why is it coming back out? Did it drink too much, ingest something that made it sick, or was it simply embarrassed by having to wear a pole cozy?

Alright, I told you I was keeping this brief, so I’ll bid you adios and happy trails.

What a Doll!

If I were to sweep up the remnants of my week into a pile, the debris would comprise a colorful mélange, full of odd toddies and beastly bits. Consider this week’s entry as my dustpan and let’s have a sort, shall we?

As my week unfolded, it did not lay dormant as the remains do now like a deflated rainbow but took up full residency and demanded attention. Nothing and everything was pressing. Probably the first thing on my mind is that today, September 22, is the first day of autumn (happy equinox!). It is also the third year since my dear friend Christine La Bean died and I miss her.

In other news, one friend moved to Albuquerque on Saturday for a new job (good luck!) and we were informed that two others have cancer; one with stomach and the other lymph although we were told “nymph.” Admittedly, it is shocking news, but the punch to the gut was momentarily delayed by our minds trying to process that our friend had nymph cancer. Oh the blessing and curse of possessing a dark sense of humor.

While we have expressed our love and support to them privately, we’ll not turn down any prayers, blessings or positive thoughts on their behalf you might have to spare. Thank you.

Okay, enough of the sadness. There are happy occasions, too. After a year and a half of toying with the idea, Groom and I finally made the leap and purchased an Internet phone. I’m not usually a gadgety-girl, but whoa, it’s a mini computer and I think I’m in love.

Groom is usually the technofile as I’m more interested in what other people enjoy reading and watching and eating as consumption appetites are windows to compatibility. You may not care a single whit what we’re temporarily infatuated by, but that won’t stop me from telling you.

Currently, I’m reading Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility while Groom concludes an Alan Gordon medieval mystery. Pausing in the general vicinity of the Middle Ages, we were both googly-eyed over Pillars of the Earth, the book and the recent Starz Original mini-series.

And while the language in Deadwood has the power to curl the hair on a bald head, the story line set in Dakota Territory along with brilliant acting bring the 1870’s, Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and many other notable characters back to life.

God’s Minion turned us on to Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley this week. Following her suggestion, we found it on audible.com and are listening to the downloaded book while making jewelry. In order to design any, we made a trip to Salem last Thursday where a friend introduced us to a gentleman who bids on storage units for a living, so we rummaged around for potential upcycling and repurposing materials.

We played hooky from the Eugene Saturday Market, preferring to stay indoors and work instead of braving the rain. As long-timers, we’ve put in many a shivering day and it feels incredibly luxurious to have a choice in the matter.

Sunday was the semi-annual stamp show at the Masonic Lodge (March and September), and after rooting around for cool postage stamps we jetted over to the Fairgrounds for opening day of the Piccadilly Flea Market. Yep, you guessed it, coffee in one hand, camera in the other, our eyes in training for photo ops and cool jewelry parts.

From there, we hooked up with out-of-town friends and enjoyed Japanese, Italian and Salvadorian cuisine over the course of their visit.

I warned you the dustbin is full of this and that.

Now I’m turning to the topic of quotes. I adore and collect quotes because The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. – Mark Twain

A friend sent me a card a few days ago that says, Charm is the ability to make someone else think that both of you are pretty wonderful. – Kathleen Winsor

While we take photographs of whatever happens to grab our attention in the moment, over time we’ve shot enough images to present certain themes. Apparently our cameras gravitate toward dolls on occasion.

When applicable, we’ve tried to match a quote with a photo, but don’t strain yourself trying to figure it out, keeping in mind it’s a dustpan week.

Here are a couple more I really like.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance. – Oscar Wilde

Thanks for sorting through my dustpan with me. Perhaps next week, I’ll clean out the refrigerator…

Art in the Park

In the blink of a week, Groom and I added another thousand miles to our van going over the desert and through the woods to Boise’s Art in the Park, a fund-raising event for BAM, the Boise Art Museum. After setting up our booth in the lovely Julia Davis Park, we explored this boom town of the wild western 1860’s.

Of course, as the chronometer continues to spin through time, this capital city has adopted more of a modern metropolitan feel than its mining history, although some of the historic buildings still exist.

The first thing a person needs to know about the third largest city in the Pacific Northwest is that it is pronounced Boy-see, not Boy-zee. The locals tend to admonish ignorant pronunciation.

I don’t know if it’s the second thing anybody needs to know, but we found a restaurant serving “Trailer Park Cuisine.” Now who could pass up that opportunity? Groom and I were even offered the best seat in the house, a vintage car on blocks. You can see me leaning in toward it and then Groom ordering from their classy menu.

This was the luxury view from our window while we ate macaroni and cheese with sweet potato fries. It came with “trashy sauce,” which turned out to be sour cream and brown sugar plus a “secret ingredient.” Greasy and queasy.

As I’m typing this, I’m pondering our decision-making skills. Groom and I had just spent nine hours in van (interpret close quarters) and knowing we were going to spend more than 30 hours in our 8’ X 8’ booth over the next three days, we still chose to eat our white trash lunch cooped up in a car?!

In spite of the long hours required of us during the show, we’d drag our carcasses out of the comfy bed early each morning. Making certain our booth was business-ready, we’d procure a cup of caffeine from the artists’ hospitality booth and take a walk, meandering with coffee in one hand and camera in the other: A sweet way for us to start the day.

And you are now looking at some of the images we decided to put into our cameras.

Saturday was the anniversary of September 11th, so as we passed by these arches on a bridge, I peeked through one of the windows and noticed the flag, an appropriate symbol to memorialize. Speaking of American emblems, does anybody else see the irony in the next photograph? As the eagle represents freedom, it breaks my heart to see these poor birds behind bars looking so depressed. I really really hope this is not a sign of things to come…

Feeling momentarily sad, iconic Abe Lincoln made us feel a whole lot better with his generous hugs.

On a lighter note, Boise seemed to be filled with lots of color and personality this year. We stayed in the same hotel as KC and the Sunshine Band who played at the Taco Bell Arena on Wednesday, September 8, the same evening we arrived. We saw their limo and very colorful driver, “Rod.” Really, you must follow this link to his website page, where you can see a few more of his outfits. I spoke with this enterprising fellow and learned he has 365 outfits and wears one of them every time he leaves his house.

He is the most well-known and requested limo driver in the area and gives every customer the red carpet treatment (or blue or purple or…), regardless if it’s a trip to the airport or a night on the town. So, if you’re ever in Boise and need some entertaining transportation, you know where to find it.

The last shot is blurry, I know, but the lighting so early Monday morning as we got outta Dodge, heading east to go west, was too purty to pass up.

Of course, we’re happy to be home, but as Art in the Park was good (we sold all but two necklaces!), we must immediately gather and focus our creative powers for our last two shows coming up in rapid succession, the Corvallis Fall Festival and the Sacramento Arts Festival.

As Kimmmm asks, “How’s that hurry-up-and-be-creative-Now going?”