Art Community

Stepping out of my comfort zone....joining Grand Valley Art Student League. My friend Sara asked me to join the GVASL so I took a step outside of my comfort zone to nourish myself with art. I know I like being around a community of like minded people - artists.  It nourishes me and helps push me to create.

52 Week Photo Project: Week 52

So I did 52 weeks of photography. Most of the time I just wanted them to little moments in my life. I think for the most part looking back on them they did. February 2013, Michael upgraded our phones to iphones and in doing so it opened my eyes to life differently.  Paying more attention to just the moments around me. Feeling my joy in those moments. All of them have just little stories with them. Some I won't remember next year and some I will. But all were my life. I love that I see it unfolding like this now.

I look forward to 2014. I know it is going to be a fabulous year!

52 Week Photo Project: Week 45

Far Away

Inner Excavation

I am taking an afternoon to start in with Inner Excavation again. I want to do the tasks. So sitting at a local coffee shop and reading and writing.

















Taking notes, using little flags to remember important passages.

Writing poetry....I begin. 

Library Remodel

Our library moved in the spring to another location to do a remodel of the existing building.  They re-opened this week and it turned out really nice. (The library I go to is Mesa County Central Library.)

The top 2 photos are pieces of art by artists we know, but all of the art throughout the building is really good.  There is a piece behind the check out counter that I really love, but couldn't get a good photo of it because there were so many people there with the grand reopening. This first photo is of a piece called Green Jelly Beans by Mary Mansfield and the second piece is I think Dream of Trees by Diana Woods.

The third photo is just of the lights - I really liked them, but really hard to capture them on photo. They are much prettier in person.  The last photo is of the patio.  The screens to let light on to the patio are made to look like book shelves.

I wasn't able to get many photos as it was just so crowded.

Sunset Photos

On our way home from Denver on Saturday we hit Grand Junction just as the sun was setting so here are some photos I snapped....have I mentioned I love my iPhone.

Fire

Fire started yesterday 10 miles northwest of us here in Grand Junction. The path is tracking mostly north and east away from town. They closed I-70 for a time last night and now it is down to just one lane open. But they are still concerned with the fire crossing the Colorado River. There is an evac order is mostly north and east of us - towards De Beque, CO. 


Last night I was dreaming I was cooking and I kept smelling smoke.  I kept looking in the pan in my dream and thinking it doesn't look like it is burning. Finally I woke realizing I was smelling actual smoke not dream smoke. We weren't on fire - just with the area fire the smell was carrying to us and being sucked into the house by our air. It did cause me to have to break out my inhaler but I have been lucky because I only had to use it once.  I also took some allergy meds and that seemed to help me with my sinus' and my eyes watering and stinging. 


Our beautiful state is in such trouble. Pray for rain without lightening please.

Carlson's Cherry Lemonade

While Tammy was here in April we went to our favorite local winery - Carlson's Vineyards.  We sampled several wines and they shared this recipe that we all decided sounded amazing.  We didnt' get to enjoy it the last time Tammy was here, but Michael and I did make some recently and will make some more when Tammy visits in a week.  


Carlson's Cherry Lemonade
2 bottles Carlson Cherry Wine
12 oz. can of frozen lemonade


Combine lemonade and Cherry wine.  Add ice and orange slices or other fruit like a handful of blueberries or raspberries.  


NOTES:  You are not adding water to the lemonade. The cherry wine acts like water for this recipe. But it can be very tart so I do add ice to water it down some. 


I am sure you could use another Cherry Wine but we love Carlson's.  


When Michael and I tried it the first time we halved it.  I did one bottle of wine and a 6 oz. of frozen lemonade and it worked well. But if you are having more than 2 people you will want to do the full recipe as this goes down quickly and tastes so good it was easy for just the 2 of us to go through.  

Snow in May

Yesterday we went on a little drive in the afternoon to get away. Work has been so busy so a little break was needed. I packed some BLT wraps and Snickerdoodle Bars and off we went to take a drive over the Mesa. For some reason we didn't bring a camera. I think we were just both so tired and it was just thought of getting away that was important.

Anyway, last year we went to this same spot on the Mesa for Memorial Day and there was a little snow left. This year Oh MY the SNOW! I can't believe it looked like Christmas up there.

This is a photo from last year....



If you look, you can see a road in the bottom of the photo. This year we couldn't even see the road. And the lake was completely covered with snow and ice. There were banks of snow on each side of the road that were hard to even see over to see that there was a lake there.

I was in a short skirt and sandals of course being bright and sunny in GJ when we left so I didn't get out the whole time we were up there around the snow. But there were people sledding up there still. It was amazing to me that it is the end of May and there was so much snow - and especially compared to last year. It was completely gorgeous though - the snow was so bright white. Usually this late in the season it looks so dirty. But they had a snow fall the night before so it was so bright white and looked to perfect. It did make me wish I had been dressed in warm clothes to go out and play in the snow in May.

Amazing Life

A friend wrote me saying I have been quiet again so she was worried something was wrong. And in fact it is completely the opposite. I am doing really good. I am feeling a peace that I have felt in a long time. I really feel like I am doing good and on the path I need to be/want to be. I have been side tracked by some things I needed to help Michael with but I am just glad I can help him as he has so much on his plate right now. And I know that I will make time for the things I need too.

Michael and I took our change jar in and cashed it in - we had $100. We decided to use that money for us - for a few date nights. Here in Grand Junction on Tuesday's the Avalon theater has what is called Dinner and a Movie. If you have dinner in one of the downtown restaurants and bring the receipt to the movie theater, they will give you 2 free admissions. A few weeks ago Michael and I went to the Rockslide and then went to the movie after. The movie was Serenity. We are Serenity fans. Seeing the movie with other Serenity fans was so fun! I loved it! The whole evening was SO MUCH FUN! We have been talking about it since. North by Northwest is going to be playing February 8th and it is one of my favorite movies. And so we are going to go see that too.

On top of date nights, we had a chance to go to Durango this past weekend. Leaving Friday and coming home on Sunday. So a quick trip but really nice. Michael has been working really hard and this weekend he didn't do work or check work things at all. It was really nice just to have a weekend for us. We just relaxed, talking, walking around and enjoying each other's company which was perfect for the weekend before we celebrate 8 years together. Today Michael and I celebrate 8 years of being together. Wow! We both are very blessed to have been on this journey together. He is an amazing man that I have no words to capture how much I love him and how much he means to me. But each day I feel joy in my heart of being with him. And happy to celebrate 8 years with him.

Amazing life and amazing journey!

Nice Note Photos

Here are just a Nice Notes we left around downtown Grand Junction....others we left in books, shopping carts, shelves at grocery stores and then several at my doctors office.

This was at a bus stop with lots of graffiti in it. As you will see if you look closely - I put it next to the word hate. Hoping it would be something there instead of hate.

On a parking meter....this one and the one above stated around the longest.

Library book return

Grand Junction downtown has what is called Art on the Corner. Really it is art all along main street. It is one of my favorite things about Grand Junction. Anyway, I put one Nice Note on a statue along main street.

Nice Notes

I read the website www.operationnice.com often as it just makes me smile and reminds me to be nice in unexpected ways. I hope I am nice most of the time - but going out of my way to be nice, especially when it isn't how I am feeling, is something I am not sure I always think of so Melissa of Operation Nice gives me those reminders.

Operation Nice was celebrating her TWO YEAR BLOGIVERSARY and Melissa asked her readers to participate by doing Nice Notes. And so Michael and I went around town sticking up nice notes. The photo above is one of them that we did in downtown Grand Junction. Some of them were still up today. We went out to run errands and decided to check to see how many lasted through the Farmer's Market and many did - and I hope they made others feel as good as it made me feel leaving them.

Colorado National Monument

Just a few picture Michael took when we went up to the Colorado National Monument on Thursday...

Art on the Corner

Every year in Grand Junction we have what is called the Art & Jazz Festival. Michael and I have gone most years - I think maybe missing one out of the 6 years we have been together. They close off Main Street and line it with art vendors and then have a stage where then there is of course the other half the name...Jazz. It has gotten smaller each year - or at least it feels like it has to us. But we still go and support Colorado artisans.

With the festival comes the changing out of Art on the Corner. Grand Junction's Main Street has sculptures up and down it which they call Art on the Corner. And many of the pieces get moved or taken out to get ready for new pieces that are basically unveiled at the Art & Jazz festival. It is one of many things that I love about Grand Junction - is the art that lines Main Street.

Here is a few new pieces for 2009...

Art & Food

Today we were up early and out of the house for a Saturday. We had to go do some errands before going to The Gallery B&B's Art Show. It might be the last one of its kind as they are closing the Bed and Breakfast and 2 of their in house artists are moving to a new studio. So we really wanted to be there and support all of them as we have always loved all the art shows they have put on and they are just good people. I picked up a little bowl for Michael's office for his birthday - which he knows about since he was there and said he liked it. And we also got an art piece by Mary Mansfield. I really beautiful mixed media piece that we are probably going to hang in our bedroom.

They always have food out there at the shows one thing was ham with cream cheese spread on it and then wrapped around a pickle. It was really good. So I was telling the ladies there about something I made for a meeting that Michael went to...BLT Roll-ups. The BLT roll-ups was new for me. I was reading another roll up recipe that had bacon and thought why not BLTs. They ended up tasting pretty good. But I never can make my roll ups look perfectly round like most photos I see of them. Anyway....I mixed 1/2 cup of cream cheese (I used low fat cream cheese), 1/4 cup ranch dressing (also light), 1/4 cup mayo (and again light), 1/2 cup diced tomatoes and spread that on tortillas (used 8 tortillas total - I think). I cooked up a whole package of bacon but didn't use 5 slices. I broke the bacon up into little pieces and sprinkled on top of the cream cheese layer. I then chopped some greens up and sprinkled that on as the last layer. Rolled up and cut into bit size pieces - securing with toothpicks.

Here is a picture of them...



Side note: I love that plate I got it for $1 when we were out shopping while my parents were here for my birthday.

Time Lapse

A really good thing that happened this week....One of my very good friend Jessica has been wanting to take a trip so she called together a group of friends (A, C and I) and said lets all get together. So it looks like I am going to have a girls-weekend -- possibly the weekend of my birthday. Jessica is going to fly here and spend 1 or 2 days with Michael and I. And then her and I will drive to C's town since C can't get out of town - we will be having the weekend there. And then A will fly to C. After then Jessica and I will come back here and she will spend a couple days here before going home. So I am really excited about that. I could really use some girl time/friend time.

What else...

We have been up to the Colorado National Monument more lately then we probably went at all last year. Tuesday evening Michael wanted to film a sunset so we went up there to get that. And then Wednesday morning we got up at 4:15 so we could head up there again to film a sunrise. He is going use them as time lapse in a wedding video he is doing.

Tuesday evening before heading up to the Monument we stopped at the library so I could pick up a couple books on hold for me. One really just had me absorbed from the moment I picked it up -- Brave on the Rocks by Sabrina Ward Harrison. I haven't ever read/looked at her first book but of course now want it too. Brave on the Rocks really evoked my emotions, memories and imagination in positive ways. It is a book I would like to own as I am sure it would be a constant source of inspiration through her message and her art.

I finished Breaking Dawn in 2 nights. it is the forth book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyers. I have some issues with Breaking Dawn But I think I will just do a review on good reads since it might have some spoilers. Right now I am reading The Post-Birthday World and I really thought after reading 21 pages that it would be one that ended up on the "didn't finish" list. I then got to a dialog instead of the authors long detailed explanations of things that don't have anything to do with the plot. And helped me plug on. But now is confusing me as the author described one scenario 2 ways. Two different ways it happened, two different sets of feelings and reactions. And the plot seems to go back and forth between the those two scenarios so I am not sure what actually happened. Where I ended off last night seems to have moved past that scenario but the book is still hanging in that....wonder if it will end up on the "didn't finish" list because it is annoying me.

I have been battling with a migraine this week. It started Tuesday evening and still hasn't really let up. I hope to at least get some work done today as I don't feel I have gotten much done this week.

I had the dumb

Today we were out on the Colorado National Monument with the couple whose wedding we are filming. They are a lot of fun so there were many laughs. I still had a little lagging migraine so when we got home I pretty much went to bed. After I got up, I was going to attempt making dinner but thinking wasn't coming so Michael ordered us pizza. Thank goodness because when I came to look up if there were any coupons online - I had to put our zip code in and couldn't even remember it. I had to pull a bill from the stack I had sitting on my desk to input the correct zip code. So I fear what would have happened if I had tried to cook.

Sunny Saturday Out

Michael agreed to do a wedding video. The personal type videos aren't really his main area but he LOVES doing them for the very reason that they are personal -- about people. He likes capturing people. And he has a way that just seems to put everything together to create very beautiful and touching memory.

So today we met with the couple and went through some pictures with them and he asked them some questions to prep for filming them tomorrow. He is doing a pre-wedding interview for the video.

Because it has been raining every afternoon/evening -- we saw clouds forming over the Colorado National Monument -- where we were going to film. So that made us a little nervous that we might get rained out or that one of the areas we were filming would be too muddy to film (coincidentally the place is called Muddy Springs - and even after all the rain it wasn't Muddy). After meeting with the couple we went to check it out and it was fine. It was again nice just to kind of get out of town. I mean it wasn't far -- still in our area but up on the Monument and in Glade Park. But still incredibly beautiful. Always reminding me how lucky we are to live in Colorado.

Unfortunately by the time we got home I had a migraine. So had to take some meds and get into bed with an ice pack. I hope it clears up before tomorrow.

But over all it was a very nice day.

Day 3

I have been in a migraine cycle. I woke up yesterday and was just so happy it didn't feel like Monday's. Of course I did a little too much so it ended up hitting me hard. I had to break out ice pack and extra pain meds. Today it was less but still not great but I suspect tomorrow it will be almost all the way gone. yay me!

Last nights news & weather didn't say anything about snow but we woke up to a very white covered yard. It was such a pretty snow. I should have grabbed the camera but now it is melting so not as pretty. But the cold weather did call for chili and cornbread. The house smells great right now.

Both Michael and I had a really good work day - very productive despite my migraines. I hope that my migraine is better tomorrow so I can get even more work done.