so i've bought a couple colors of wool roving, have some needles, need sponge pad, more colors, more needles and i'm good to go. my project that's been stirring in my brain has something to do with bugs, barbells and bell jars. intriguing yes?
now you too can needle felt the prez. i think it's a pretty decent likeness!
everything artist kit lane felts is a gem. i especially like her titles. this one is called, "alien albino space peas with 20 20 hindsight"
felt away!
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June 17, 2009
June 16, 2009
canoeing down the canon
sunday was a beautiful day. we packed up the newly purchased craig's list canoe and headed down the canon river. i was a bit nervous with baby o. but he was a trooper. h. making his typical funny faces.
mommy and o. paddling. this river is so shallow. we were constantly rubbing our back end on the bottom.
o. enjoying the mud between his toes.
see that little black thing in the tree. well this pic doesn't do it justice but j. and i both thought it was one of those fake owls that someone put up in the tree because it was so still for so long.
nope, not a fake, a real live bald eagle. we were so close! we saw two of them down river and their nest. it was so beautiful. we also encountered one oriole, 2 canoers, 3 kayakers, and about 1,000 barn swallows living under a bridge. the stench! i wish i would have taken a picture of their little mud nests, all lined up. so pretty, but stinky!
June 12, 2009
marsupial bunnies
coming soon! why should kangaroos have all the fun?
June 10, 2009
au revoir Paris
sunday was spent at chartre and versailles. no one can deny the splendid beauty and grand architecture of versailles but the next time i'm there, i'm going to focus on the more "down to earth" side of this oppulent chateau, the estate of marie-antoinette. an 86 acre refuge away from stuffy royalty for the teenage queen. the petit trianon was given to the queen upon her marriage to louis XVI and later the "farm house" (pictured above) was built to the queen's specifications. apparently she loved to play theatre games, milk her farm animals, make cheese and butter...who knew? a must read is a recent post from paris mavis about a time slip in 1904 and the petit trianon revisted as it was in 1789, fascinating!
monday & tuesday my sister saw the usual suspects, the eiffel tower, notre dame, louvre, & mont martre. i can't wait to hear first hand how she enjoyed her trip!
June 07, 2009
Loire Valley
friday was a tour of chateau d'amboise, leonardo da vinci spent his last three years of his life there. my sister also went to a winery but their tour guide did not give them the name! ZUT ALORS! i need details!!!
i vicariously stayed in this little cottage. notice the wisteria, can't you just smell it?
yesterday a tour of chateau de chenonceau, from the paris atelier blog..
"Chenonceau is known as the Queens Castle and when visiting it you can see why. It was owned in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, then made even more attractive by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis, and saved from the French Revolution by Mrs Dupin."
the chateau is known for its stunning floral arrangements.
here is the gardner's residence. ah, i could die happy in a place like this. again, decorated by wisteria. c'est la vie, n'est pas?
June 04, 2009
mont st. michel
today mont st. michel, a stunning abbey built on top of a tiny island. this is what happens when you start building in the 11th century and just keep adding on. "my island runneth over"...
i'll be staying in this lovely chateau tonight (vicariously, of course) just 18 km away from the island. doesn't it look like pemberly out of pride and prejudice, i believe mr. darcy and i will have dinner together and stay in this room...
the "marquise" and have our after dinner drinks in the library
a girl can dream, right?
June 03, 2009
in normandy
my 17 year old sister landed in france yesterday and is touring normandy. it is the 65th anniversary of d-day on june 6th. so it should be a powerful time to be there. in my vicarious living mode, i've decided that i will stay in this little b & b i found next to mont st. michel. isn't it sweet! can't you just imagine drinking a sparkling glass of sancerre and eating a hearty piece of crusty bread, spread with butter and brie. ooooh la la!
June 01, 2009
vicarious living: france bound
so my baby sister is off to France tomorrow and i'll be traveling with her so-to-speak, vicariously. she has sent me her itinerary and i'll be posting a bit of what she'll be seeing each day. i wish i could chaperon a bunch of high schoolers taking their first trip to france. how exciting. and shouldn't all of our milk come in these adorable bottles via bliss. vive la france!!!
