Tuna Does Vegas , Ocean Windchime

Yesterday we met Nancy and Bo at the WarnerTheatre for the Sunday matinee of "Tuna Does Vegas". It was wonderful and we laughed so much.

This is the last week Nancy will be mobile, or at least on her feet, for a good while. On Friday she has surgery - they will start with her on her stomach to release her Achilles tendon, from just behind her knee, then they will turn her over for three more procedures (among them to remove that floating piece of bone the is causing her so much pain). The surgeon anticipates a four hour surgery after which for several weeks she has to keep her foot elevated and can lower it no more than 10 minutes - she will be issued a wheel chair. When all of this is healed she will finally get the knee replacement on her other leg.

I also picked up a windchime she finished that one of our friends commissioned as a gift for someone. Isn't it pretty? Of course the colors are so much prettier in person. I will string up the chimes later this afternoon.

Fishy tray, Crozet festival and the Blue Ridge

I came back in town last night and will be leaving again tomorrow since we get to set up for Saturdays show at Lake Braddock HS tomorrow evening.

Nancy made this neat Fish tile as a commission for a friend. She has the patience to bend stringer in a flame for the tenacles.












I took this shot while Nancy she was setting up our "booth" at Fort Belvoir - she doesn't know I took it! The Potomac is outside that window behind us.












Sunday Gerald and I went to an early church service then went to the Crozet arts festival where a vendor offered to take our picture. We had a great time. When we finished there we went to Carter's Apple Orchard and picked apples. We also ran into some friends, the Parker's, that we had not seen in a while - we had a great visit.











Blue Ridge from Carter's Orchard.

Turquoise! I loved those red rocks and thought that I would be making red glass but it was the turquoise that grabbed me and inspired my newest tray in turquoise, maze and hints of those purple sunrises out there. Picture coming soon.

Nancy and I had a successful show here at the officers club on Fort Belvoir. It is such a pretty setting - the back wall is a window overlooking the Potomac, where eagles are often seen soaring . I'll be heading home tomorrow morning and returning Friday morning to set up for our Saturday show at Lake Braddock HS. It is a juried show in its' 24th year. If anyone is up this way come see us - we've added a new component to our display.

Where did September go, solo show, Nancy's surgery

September flew by and took with it my favorite season...Summer. I really like those hot summer days, especially the ones in the desert with no more than a miniscule percent of humidity.

October has brought my second favorite - I really love fall and the smell of early morning air but just wish for 90's in the afternoon. Last weekend worked the Selma Railroad Days show - we had a great spot just down from the main bandstand.

I booked my first show solo show. On Novemeber 7 I will be in town at Clover Hill High School for their annual fall craft festival. Gerald will set me up early and send James to pack me out. Nancy is having her first surgery on November 6 for a bone chip that is floating around loose and damage to two tendons - there will be 3 incisions -ouch! She has to get that fixed before she can get her new knee.

I am thinking of going camping this weekend - just turned the 'fridge on in my Winnebago.

Petrogliphs

This morning we packed our cooler with provisions for lunch and went off to our adventure at Valley of Fire State Park - we actually did not even see it all (but spent hours there along the trails and climbing rocks) and it is not that big. There were petrified logs, yes entire logs. Rocks of every hue - reds, yellows, and all sorts of shades between. There were amazing panoramas everywhere and sunset was indescribably beautiful. Some looked like beehives (from centuries of wind, sand and water), an elephant and 7 sisters. Then there was Mouse's Tank that you got to by walking down Petroglyph canyon trail - oh my it was amazing to actually see up close and be able to touch such vivid petroglyphs. I do have a lot of pictures to bring back. This trail was loose, rather than packed sand and my feet and blue socks are now a lovely pinkish terracotta color. We saw jackrabbits, desert squirrels, little lizards. The ranger said the burros and mountain goats were out but we did not see them.

Hope you have time to check out those links. Going to attempt to get all that red sand off me so I can start off clean for tomorrows trip to Red Rock Canyon (I wonder how challenging those rocks will be to climb) and if we have time we are going to try to go to the Brothel Museum in Crystal.

Vegas, Death Valley and Date Milkshakes!

The furniture market was good -always fun to see the outrages things that are made. Haziza makes some really wild furniture and accessories using acrylic - take a look. I really wanted something for me but it is so expensive that you need a trunk full of spending money to get.We stayed at Treasure Island and they gave me a bottle of champagne for my birthday. When they found out Ger's was around the corner they brought up another.We left on the 18th and drove to Pahrump a really small town a little over an hour away. Their one and only yarn store is....Walmart. It is a friendly little place and a great base to see a lot of things, Death Valley being my favorite. Today, since it is Gerald's birthday he got to decide what he would like to do. We went to China Date Ranch and had a date milk shake then travelled a back road that we had never taken through Death Valley - really pretty vistas. I don't think we will ever see the entire park..but will certainly keep trying. We saw a baby coyote and some rabbits. At sunset we were almost at Badwater so we decided to stop and eat dinner at Furnace Creek Ranch (they have one of the borax 20 mule team wagons out front - a real one not a replica and it is so much bigger in real life than I expected them to be)... we shared a "Cowboy gyro"! It was a great day but now I need a shower and shuteye since we are up early again tomorrow for more adventures

Views From Hawaii

These shots are from Nancy and Bo's room! If it weren't for luggage weight limits I would have stowed away in a suitcase.