Gratitude Friday

Since I haven't done any painting lately, I thought I would post a couple of old paintings. Our computer hasn't been completely restored since the Great Blowup, so I don't have access to Photo Impact Pro to edit the pictures. I did both of these in a class with Charlotte Lang. They are quarter sheets of Arches 140 lb cold press. One is of some pots that we did from one of her sketches. We experimented with the efffect of salt. The other is Lake Mead. The assignment on that one was to use only 3 colors. The only color I can remember was scarlet lake. I had never used it before. Charlotte gave me some to try out. It's a great color. Charlotte is a wonderful friend. I wish I could see her more often. She lives in Mesquite, Nevada and usually spends the summer in Utah. We don't get up there very often. She and her husband don't like to fight the traffic here.

Now, getting back to Gratitude Friday, these are the things that I am thankful for today. First of all, Bombard Electric called yesterday and said, "We're ready to schedule the installation of your solar energy system. We can come out tomorrow morning at 6:30." Hooray!!!! As I type, there are brackets on my roof and an inverter in my art room. They should be finished with the installation in 3 days.

I'm also grateful that Jim and I feel so energized. We are going to paint and tile our guest bathroom this weekend. He has already started, so I have to make this short. Maybe we got fired up because things are finally going well with the solar. Whatever it is, I like it. I will post pictures of everything that has been happening around here. I wonder if I can talk him into reinstalling my Photo Impact Pro...

Pottery

I stopped by Diana Strinati Baur's blog http://creativestructures.blogspot.com/yesterday. She recommended checking out Liz Kinder's work http://www.lizkinder.com/. Please check out both sites. These are wonderfully creative women. When you stop by Liz's site, be sure to read "About Liz Kinder". She is very funny!

Well, I have to get ready for school. Enjoy your day!

Gordon Lightfoot in Las Vegas - We Love Him

Jim and I went to the Gordon Lightfoot concert last night at Aliante Station. Aliante is a beautiful new hotel on the northern outskirts of town. The showroom was small and very intimate. We had perfect seats - fifth row exactly in the center. It felt like Gordon was making eye contact with us all night (even though he probably couldn't actually see much of the audience because of the lights shining on him and the band). He was perfect. He sang for almost two straight hours. He told one joke and one anecdote about Doug Kershaw and Jerry Jeff Walker. The rest was pure, beautiful music. His concerts are magical. We saw him for the first time last spring in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. If you haven't listened to his music in a while, pull up some of his videos on YouTube. You'll fall in love with him all over again. His old songs, his new songs - lovely, magical, ethereal. His band - fabulous musicians.

We grabbed a bite to eat after the concert. This was a big night for us. We didn't go to bed until after midnight. For us, that's late. We get up at 4:30 a.m. every morning. This morning, we got up at 5:30. (Thank you, cats and dogs, for not meowing and barking for your breakfast.)

I'm trying to work in some painting. Why is it so hard to squeeze into the schedule?

Goodbye Enclosed Patio or Candy and Jim, The Demolition Duo

We are trying to have a solar energy system installed. This is not easy. It could be easy, but ... We originally applied to the program a year ago. Things finally started rolling (a little bit) in August. Anyway, the latest snag was with the power company. They talked to the City of Las Vegas Building Department about our screen room. The building department said that a permit had been pulled for the patio, but not for the enclosure. We've been in the house ten years and the patio was enclosed approximately 40 years ago. We didn't want to tear it down because we feel that the original owners have left good vibrations all over this house. They loved this house. (They passed away and we bought the house in an estate sale.) We want to leave some of their imprint on it. The screen room wasn't exactly what we would have done, but it had funk value. Well, we had to tear it down. We got most of it done today and we'll finish tomorrow.

I will post pictures, but I'm very tired. It's time for bed:)

Gratitude Friday

A friend and former employer died on Tuesday. His name was John Harmon. He was a great guy - a good old cowboy from Texas. I'm grateful to have known him for over thirty years. He will be greatly missed by many. Rest in peace, John.

Gratitude Friday

I am grateful for the perfect weather we're having right now. I even love the light at this time of year. It's different - softer, quieter.

I'm grateful for this big, black cat who jumps in front of my monitor whenever I sit down at the computer. It's Cary Grant's way of telling me to love him, which I do. I love his brothers and sister, too.

I'm grateful for all the people who make me laugh. My mom, sisters, husband and dad are all funny. What cracks me up about my dad is that he is so pleased with himself when he does or says something funny. He cracks himself up. I also have made some blogger friends who can really make me laugh. Thank you all.

I'm grateful to John L. Smith for writing a terrific article in the Las Vegas Review Journal this week about Jim's stepfather, a World War II veteran and a Las Vegas gaming pioneer (and a very nice guy).

A Tree

This is a tree in our neighborhood. I'm not sure what kind it is. It must be a desert tree, but I don't think it's native to our desert. The next time we go to the nursery I'll look for one and get the name.

It's a 10-1/2" x 14-1/2" watercolor on Arches 140 lb. paper.

Gratitude Friday

I'm thankful for the blogger friends I have made. I love reading their blogs and reading the comments they make on my blog. This is so much fun.

I'm grateful that today is Friday. I'm ready for the weekend. I'm going to finish the painting that I'm working on.