It's turning into summer!

Today was definitely summer - highs in the 90s and humid. I’m glad I didn’t have to be outside. John helped with the rowing class this morning and came back with drenched clothes.

The painter finally came back to do the touch-ups today. And now we can finish up with our part. Of course, that’s the hardest (at least for us). I did actually do some “art” at my drawing table this morning. And it felt good.
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We’re now in serious conversation with our Beach Bunch as to what we should do about our Beach Week. In conjunction with that, we’re looking around to see what alternatives might be available. No decisions yet. This is very traumatic! I know in the larger scheme of things, our plight is pretty puny - but it’s a huge part of our lives. And we’ll just have to deal with it.
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This is the Whistle Lighthouse on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, at sunset.

 

BP may do what Mother Nature didn't...

And now we have to make a decision. I've just read on a Mobile TV station's web site that the Alabama beaches have been closed to swimming, and most of the areas have been closed to fishing. I've sent a e-mail to our group to see what the sense of the bunch is. Our final payment is not due until next week. We've always left our deposit from year to year. So, if we make a reservation for next year, they might just keep the deposit and not penalize us - under the circumstances.

I’ve not commented much on the oil spill. I guess we knew it would be affecting us directly eventually, but just didn’t want to tempt the fates by bringing it up. We’ve been going to the Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan area since 1981. We’ve missed only four years out of that time, for various reasons. We’ve managed to dodge hurricanes and tropical storms, but it looks like BP is going to accomplish what Mother Nature couldn’t. And who knows how bad it will get, or for how long? Years? Decades? Centuries?
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I've gotten lot of surplus art supplies culled out and ready to give to a local art teacher, and all of it taken down to the garage. The other stuff, much of which had been stored at Vicki's is now (relatively) neatly stored away in the studio/office. I've found a huge amount of watercolor paper. I'm going to go through that, and probably try to sell some of it. I'm feeling pretty smug about that now.
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My eye is still improving, according to the doctor. And my cold is even better. John has gotten the cold now, and he is suffering. Poor baby!
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Some of the places on Kent Island are empty and windswept.

 

John worked today

John did all the work today. He went to the Y,; went for his routine optometric exam; picked up cleaning; and helped with a "learn to row" class.

I did a little bit with getting stuff put away, and that was about all. I'm feeling better today, but now I'm afraid that John is getting my cold.

So I'll just post one more photo of Kent Island, New Brunswick.

 

Almost summer

The temperature got into the 90s today. A line of thundershowers came through in midafternoon and dropped the temperature quickly. Welcome to the summer weather!

I loved getting to spend some time at the gallery this morning. I even did some painting - greeting cards.

Another visit to the eye doctor brought some better news. My eye is getting better - albeit slowly. At least she’s seeing some improvement. And, in truth, the painful episodes are fewer and farther between. Now if I can just get over this cold.

Allan and Tina spent the day getting moved into their new place. I asked them to come over this evening to get something to eat, and to look at something that didn’t need to be put away or taken out of boxes. He swears this is going to be his last move. I hope that’s so.
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More gorgeous scenery.

 

Miserable Tuesday

This cold (or whatever) has really got me down. I didn't do anything today except wait for the painter to come finish the touch-ups in the kitchen...and he never came. Oh, well...
I can only hope to feel better tomorrow.
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The scenery along the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick is definitely photogenic.

 

Working Monday

This Monday got to be right busy. John rowed early, and I went to WalMart for the usual grocery run.

And then the fun started. John got into the annual screened porch/deck cleaning. Getting rid of the winter muck and the pollen is a major project. Furniture needs to be moved; rugs rolled up and aired; the leaf blower needs to be used to get rid of the big chunks;"stuff" needs to be dusted and washed (washing machine and dishwasher); surfaces need to be scrubbed. It's definitely an all-day event. But it finally got done. We even threw a bunch of stuff away (always a good thing).

I got more of the inside stuff tended to. And, as a special treat, Matt and Amanda came by on their way back to Atlanta. Amanda found some art to take with her, and Matt got to show off his new car - so we were all pleased.

John's headed off to bed early. And I'm wondering whether this stopped up nose and head and hoarseness is a spring cold or allergies.

Memorial Day

We’ve had gentle rain off and on all day today. I went to bed about 10 last night and didn’t even get up to go to the bathroom until 3:30 - but slept until 7:30. We got lots done today. Jean and I got the pictures in the bedroom and office/studio hung, and the planning done for what we were going to hang in the kitchen. There’s still lots more to do, but we made good progress.

Allan and Tina came over for dinner, and for Tina to meet Jean. Then Jean loaded up her car and they all headed for home. Makes for a nice, quiet finish to the day. We don’t have much planned for tomorrow - just keep plugging away at what needs doing.
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On this Memorial Day, I want to recognize and thank all the men and women who have served and sacrificed in the military services of our Country. They don’t get nearly enough praise for their willingness to protect all of us.

Of course, we’re especially proud of our own Jesse.

And I want to share Clay Bennett’s editorial cartoon in today’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.

 

Actually working!

We’ve actually gotten some work done today We’ve sorted through bunches of paintings/photographs/etc. - put some aside, picked out some to hang, given some away, thrown some away, moved some around from place to place. We even got some hung on the walls. Lots more still to do, though. We’ll eventually get there.

We met Vicki at Blue Orleans for dinner. The food there is SO good, and plentiful. As usual, I brought home half of my crawfish pasta.

John’s going to pick Allan and Tina up at the airport in a little while. Jean is watching the new “Dr. Who” on BBC-America, and (obviously) I’m on the computer. John got a cable this afternoon, and we managed to get my laptop hooked up to the TV. That’s fun - especially to look at the photographs. He will have to get a longer cable, though.

I won’t be around long tonight. I got up at 4:30 this morning, with the eye hurting, stopped-up nose, and leg cramps. I did get my library book finished (the latest Jefferson Bass novel), though. Then, of course, I was the only one who didn’t get a nap this afternoon. I will be trying to make up for it tonight.

 

Holiday visitors

Our swim group has so much fun - especially when we’re eating! We met for breakfast - they’d been exercising, John had been rowing, and I just met them there to visit and eat.

I went to see the eye doctor again this morning. She said there was improvement, even though I’m still having episodes of pain. I’m to go back next week, plus continuing with the medication. But at least they’re seeing some improvement.

Jean got here this afternoon, and then Marty got here about 6. Marty got delayed because of the frog-strangler rainstorm along I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga. But at least they both got here safely. We went out to eat at Old Saigon - one of our favorites. Marty will continue on early in the morning - Jean’ll be here through the weekend.

We’ll be getting to work going through paintings in the morning.
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This is another lovely wildflower on Kent Island.

 

Slug Thursday

This Thursday was really a slug day. I did a bit more straightening up of old paintings and materials. But there’s still a whole dining room waiting. And then I have to find places to put the paintings. The big box the new sink came in will fit under one of the beds, so I’m going to use that to store some
of the works on paper.

We did some searching to get ready to go to Allan’s daughter’s wedding in up-state New York in early July - looking for a possible rental car and a place to stay.

Tomorrow the swim class is going to get together after class for breakfast. Then I have to go back to the eye doctor. I hope the new medicine is working. Each time this flares up, the cornea is deteriorating. It’s been a long time since the last episode (8 years), so I hope this new medication will keep it at bay. I’m still having some periods of pain, and, of course, it’s scary to think of the cornea being destroyed.

Also tomorrow, Jean is coming in for the weekend. And Marty is stopping by to spend the night on her way back home to Florida. It’ll be a fun weekend.
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This is another lovely flower from an island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.

 

Two different photos

I finally got to coffee with the swimming group this morning. I surely have missed visiting with them. I've even missed the exercise part - and that's really amazing!

After I got home from the gallery, I some sorting of my art stuff. I've managed to accumulate a sinful amount of watercolor paper - and I really will have to get started on using some of that. I threw some really bad stuff away, and found more older pieces that are really pretty good. That made me smile. There's still lots more to do, though.
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The first picture is from Kent Island, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick.

The second is one of Anne's photos from the wedding: me, Margaret, and John.

 

 

Another Tuesday

Today was sort of a catch-up day. I picked up books I'd had on reserve at the library; took the weekend's clothes to the cleaners; and deposited a check that came while we were gone. It was good to get to the gallery and get caught up with Vicki and what was going on in that world.

I decided to go ahead with getting a moveable island for the kitchen - with the top made out of the drop-out from the new countertop. Vicki asked our gallery woodworker to make one for her mom's house, and it looked really great. The guy got by the house today to check on the size, stain color, and pick up the piece of formica. That'll be a great addition to the kitchen, too.

We got a bunch more stuff put up this afternoon. We're getting down to the point where everything that needs to be gone through is art stuff - and nobody can do that except me. Sighhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! But maybe Jean will help me some this weekend.
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This photo is the observation platform at the research station on Kent Island, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick.

 

What a weekend!!!

I'm sorry - I forgot to mention that I'd be away from a computer over the weekend. We went to our friends' wedding in Delaware - and what a celebration it was!

It was nearly midnight before we got home Sunday night. The only glitch in the fantastic weekend was a flight delay for our connecting flight from Chicago to Nashville. And, although the sinkhole on I-24 east had been repaired, some nighttime road construction going up Monteagle Mountain had the road closed down to one lane. But they were minor problems.

The wedding, the guests, the bridal couple, the weather - everything was terrific. The bride was gorgeous, the groom was handsome. They even asked the “Fort Morgan Group” to stay for a formal post-wedding picture with the bride and groom.

After the 2 p.m. wedding, the guests went back to the hotel or somewhere to rest up for the reception - which didn’t start until 6 p.m. There were many more people at the sumptuous reception (open bar, heavy hor d’oeuvres, plus dinner). DJ and Lisa met when he took ballroom-dancing lessons, and Lisa was his teacher. So dancing was a major part of the reception. Dancing before dinner; between courses of the dinner; and, of course, after dinner. The dancers love what they do, and love to share. We didn’t partake, but certainly enjoyed watching.

Unfortunately, the chronic viral infection in my eye flared up over the weekend. By Sunday morning, I knew it was definitely active. I called the eye doc from Midway Airport in Chicago, and left a message on his emergency phone. But, as it turned out, he’s out of town for the week so, of course, he didn’t return my call.

I just went to the office this morning, and the tech who was there to answer the phone sent me to a large multi-discipline eye practice. The doc there confirmed my self-diagnosis and approved of my self-treatment. He did put me on a different medication, and I’m to go back on Friday.

I didn't take a camera, but I hope to get some photos from Margaret and/or Anne. I'll post some when I get some.

And now, we start getting rested up.

After pictures

These are the "after" pictures. We will be putting pictures and paintings back on the walls, but we'll have to think about it for a while.

 

 

 

 

Before pictures

These photos were taken after the painting had been done. Before the painting the paneling below the chair rail was the same dark wood. The first one was before the floor was put in; the others after the floor was put down, but before the countertops.

 

 

 

Family visit

Sarah, Sue, and Alison, plus John and Mary. Isn't this a great bunch!

 

 

 

All the work is done!

All the workmen are now finished, except for the final touch-ups that the painter needs to do (planned), and one little place I’ve found that the flooring guy needs to fix. We are SO pleased with the results. I’ll try to get the photos downloaded tomorrow, and get at least some posted tomorrow night. I’ve been working on getting stuff put back in order. “Putting back” is slow-going because I’m going through everything before I put it back…and throwing/shredding/recycling lots of stuff along the way. And there’s nothing on the walls yet, either. I’m putting some things in the rooms where they might wind up, but we’ll probably wait for Jean to help with it.

I also re-found a couple of boxes with old papers from Pink and some letters from John’s mother. The girls are going to enjoy going through those.

Allan’s lady, Tina, got into town this afternoon, and we went out to dinner with them. Went to Logan’s Steakhouse - hadn’t been there in a while, and I had a nice small filet with mushrooms. Since I had skipped lunch, I ate every bit! And now, resting up and getting caught up on some TV.
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These are some of the trees on Kent Island, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick.

 

What should you REALLY be afraid of?

This is part of the “Back Story” in the Newsweek Magazine of 24 & 31 May 2010:

WHAT SHOULD YOU REALLY BE AFRAID OF?

Using the most recent U.S. data available, (here is) a list of unsettling threats and their far riskier counterparts.

Murders (2008) - 14, 180
Suicides (2006) - 33, 289

Children abducted by strangers (1999) - 115
Children who drown in pools (2006) - 288

Burglaries (2007 - 2.2 million
Identity thefts (2005) - 8.3 million

Shark attacks (2009) - 28
Dog bites (annual average) - 4.5 million

Americans killed by terrorist attacks around the world (2008) - 33
Americans who die from the seasonal flu (annual average) - 36,171

Deaths by allergic reaction to peanuts (annual average) - 50-100
Deaths by unintentional poisoning (2006) - 27,531

Women who die from breast cancer (2009) - 40,170
Women who die from cardiovascular disease (2006) - 432,709

Fatal airline accidents (2005) - 321
Fatal car crashes (2008) - 34,017

Americans audited by the IRS (2009) - 1.4 million
U.S. Deaths (2007) - 2.4 million

Pot hole?

This sink hole appeared in the eastbound lanes on I-24 in Tennessee at about Mile Marker #126. It's currently about 25' in diameter and about 25' deep.

WOW!!!

 

Tennessee Watercolor Society

The Tennessee Watercolor Society is having its biennial show in Chattanooga this year. I didn’t enter a painting, and am not very active in the organization. But I did volunteer to help out at the week-long workshop this week. George James, juror of the show, is the instructor for the workshop. The
Chattanoogan.com had this article about the show and workshop. It’s a good show - and will be hanging until 25 June. If you live in the Chattanooga area, go see it sometime at Chattanooga State.

I spent most of the morning at the workshop - and learned some interesting techniques for using this plastic “paper” . I came home to eat lunch, take my car for routine stuff, then John picked me up to go play bridge. Midafternoon, I got called to come back to the workshop to help with some unexpected problems. Fortunately there was an extra player at bridge, so he took over my place. I helped out at the workshop/exhibit site, and then went back to get John. He took me to get my car, and we went home. Whew! No telling what tomorrow will bring.
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When you can't see what the birdwatchers are looking at, you take pictures of what you CAN see.