Colorful, Artsy Afternoon

Steel reproduction of a wooden sculpture by Marvin Finn in Louisville, KY

I know I said I'd be posting more fibery stuff, but the other day was just too fun not to mention and archive here! My husband needed to go to Louisville, and I was glad to go along since our friend Marti was going to be there. (More on that....)

I had just read about an art garden along the Ohio River waterfront that featured reproductions in steel of a favorite Kentucky folk artist's work, so we went to check that out first. My husband and I had the opportunity to visit Marvin Finn in his apartment many years ago, and I was really pleased to see the recognition that the city of Louisville has given his legacy.

Then we walked to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft to see Marti and her art car on display. Not JUST Marti and the car, but also her rather-famous miniature horse, Iota McHippus (Io for short, and yes he has his very own popular facebook page) that rides along in his own colorfully-painted mini horse trailer!

Io's trailer, sorry I forgot to photograph the Happy Art Car!

Marti loves to spread joy with Io and his colorful personality as a catalyst, and as you can see everyone loved them both!

We had fun looking at the other art cars, and went through the awesome exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.

Gourd art by internationally-renowned Frankfort artist, Jennifer Zing

Before we headed off to her favorite Peruvian restaurant, our daughter had her face painted. It was such a fun and lively afternoon!

Photo Fun

Truly, I have been doing some fibery stuff lately and will post soon. In the meantime, enjoy these "artsy" photos taken on yet another marvelous ride, this time back at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill where I went riding with Marti, my husband, and daughter.

All over the place!

If this blog seems to hop all over the place, it's because that's how life has been lately! We did get to Florida for spring break, the first time my husband has ever gotten away for the whole time with the kids. Siesta Key is as beautiful as I remember, and hadn't changed a whole lot in the 25 or more years since I'd been there.

We also enjoyed an afternoon at Venice Beach, looking for fossilized shark's teeth. I found two small ones, the kids mostly enjoyed the sand and surf. They got along GREAT on this trip and handled the long drive there perfectly, too. It made for a very pleasant time.

This is who we saw on one long walk on Siesta Beach! He drew a crowd, as you might expect.

The sunset also drew an enthusiastic crowd. There's just something awe-inspiring about watching that huge burning orb drop into the ocean before your eyes, even though it occurs every single day.

I also got to see a long-lost friend from the neighborhood where we lived when I was in junior high and high school. We've been writing for the past year or so, our lives having gone very different directions. It was great to see him and introduce him to the family.

There has been a LOT going on at the farm, will post about our new cria and hope to have lambs as well in the next few days so check back soon!

A Merry Christmas

2010 Polar Bear Club (predunking)- Andy, Robert, Zach, Adam

Well, the birdhouse felting and shipments of socks finally got finished and it was time for one of our favorite nights of the whole year... Christmas Eve. A tradition was born many years ago and was reborn last year of jumping into the icy lake beside my parents home. (No, I didn't participate, though I have in the far past!). Doesn't every family celebrate Christmas this way? First, the guys had to do lots of chanting loudly to get themselves psyched up. They planned their route to the water and back carefully, as there was literally just a small area that was unfrozen!

I hope you'll enjoy this short video of the event! Things were somewhat more subdued after that, and unfortunately our daughter wasn't feeling well and was very quiet for the evening.

Our son Robert had the honor of reading the story of Jesus' birth from the family Bible.

We told lots of good stories and jokes, sang some carols, ate a wonderful meal, and then even did a bit of karaoke.

(Robert was the hit there, as he ad libbed Deck the Halls and had everyone in stitches.)

Munchie was dressed up in Santa attire, and he and my brother's cat Joe got along great as always. My brother Andy read us some great poetry, we opened gifts, there was a small wrestling match, and good memories were made! Our family has so much to be thankful for, and I'm looking forward to more time with them on our upcoming ski adventure!

Sushi dressed up for Christmas this year, too, and he's very proud to have launched his very own Facebook page- check it out!

Wonderful WEG (World Equestrian Games)

The countdown clocks that have been up all over Lexington for about 3 years finally wound down, and the Opening Ceremonies of the World Equestrian Games finally came about with the most beautiful displays of equine pageantry and variety. Paul and I were blessed with free tickets to the Opening at the last minute, and Mirian got to attend with a friend. (Robert is not into horses!)

My pictures won't do it justice, but let me just mention some of what we saw and heard at the Opening: Hundreds of horses representing dozens of breeds, a parade of athletes from 62 countries (much like they do at the Olympics), Wynona Judd singing My Old Kentucky Home as beautifully as I've ever heard it, Mohommad Ali in a glorious antique caddillac, William Shatner driving a buggy, drill teams, horses dancing with the Lexington Ballet, glorious opera singers, governors and mayors and other politicians, a real princess (HRH Princess Haya, president of the FEI), a dozen Fresians "dancing" to New York, New York, a mini horse race with famous jockeys riding, precision drill teams, trick horses, and million dollar circus carriages. It was a display I'll never forget.
There were so many different breeds and styles of horses on display throughout the Games (not just those competing), and it truly was an international event of excellence and diversity with the best of many types represented. All were groomed and trained to the hilt, and I was completely inspired.
Not only REAL horses, there was the most beautiful horse art and sculpture at every turn.Mirian got to meet the actor who played the jockey in the Secretariat movie (just released this weekend, and I got an autographed Breyer model of Secretariat, signed by Ron Turcotte, his real jockey! Painted horses remain all over Lexington, and I still hope to check them all out.
There is more to come, I can't say enough about what a great time I had at the WEG, and like many of my friends I feel that it's come to an end too soon... but we're so lucky to have had it at all.

Vacation Memories

Playing in the creek, Zion National Park

So, it's been a long time since I've written! It seems like forever since we were in Utah and there's been a lot of water under the bridge since.... our son was in an accident (he's okay now), school started, and we made the decision for me to home school our daughter (more on that later..). Utah left a big impression on me, and provided the space and inspiration that I'd hoped to have with extended time away. Especially the hiking! Walking those sandy trails with castles of rock rising all around helped clear away lots of cobwebs in the way that beach walking does for many. Since I've been letting my memories simmer for so long, I think I'll leave out the details of our trip for now and catch up with my current life.My camera broke on the first day of our trip (I fell on it when my scooter skidded out in deep sand), and when I returned it was hard to get excited about blogging without a decent camera! After a lot of research, I decided to buy a used duplicate of the Sony DSC H50 on eBay (for less than a minimum repair bill), and it is working out great.The first hat I made upon our return- definitely Utah-inspired colors!

I found some time for fiber arts, but not enough yet since the Midway Festival and other good selling opportunities are fast approaching! I'm enjoying making jewelry using alpaca fiber beads, and it's nice to have another alpaca product that's not dependent on cool weather! Speaking of.... it's supposed to be a cool and beautiful Labor Day weekend, hope you have a nice one.

Destination: Moab, Utah

We finally got away from the farm after all of the lists and preparations, details after details, and extra training of our helpers who will be caring for our animals and home while we take a good long trip for the first time in ages! Our somewhat unreliable motor coach was finally fixed and we left the same day, anxious to start chewing away at the many miles we hoped to cover.

Munchie and Sushi, of course, got to come along! Some friends have expressed surprise that we would bring the pets with us (not the teens!), but after the third day I can attest that they are, um, a bit easier than the teens can sometimes be.... Spousal harmony has been tested to the max, too, as we have driven many hours a day and experienced the frustration of discovering things still not fixed on the coach as promised.A few rare minutes of sibling cooperation at a rest area near Vail, CO

Sometimes it does become about the destination, and we were all excited as we approached Moab, Utah and pulled into our lovely campsite to stay for at least 4 nights (a big improvement over the Walmart parking lots we parked at for free in Missouri and Kansas). Colorado was gorgeous as we drove through, but Moab is sooo different than anyplace we've ever experienced. We had a great Mexican dinner in town and all had a decent night's rest, finally.We set out today on our dirt bikes (and I on a Honda Reflex scooter), with the goal of getting acclimated and finding some petroglyphs which are in the immediate area. The first place we identified to look for a brochure was actually near a golf course in the back of a cool subdivision of desert adobe homes- not really where you'd expect to find an ancient archeological site. I had become intrigued by these ancient rock drawings while researching a felting commission earlier in the summer. I thought they were awesome!
This lizard wasn't especially impressed.We then rode up a road beside the town's McDonald's to find some more, and within just a mile or two this is what we began to see...We plan to go back to locate the petroglyphs, but for today the beauty of Moon Flower Canyon just kept beckoning us further, despite the heat. Moab has been on Paul's "bucket list" for a long time, and from what we experienced here on our first day it's been a very worthy destination! We still look forward to visiting Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, which are only a few miles from here... it's gonna be a great trip.The kids climbing around on one of many water breaks- it's HOT, but so NOT humid!