A Certain Sadness, A Certain Joy ...

THERE is always a certain sadness on arriving home from an excellent adventure. The joy, however, in bringing back images and memories of the adventure more than makes up for returning to reality.
These flowers are courtesy of the city of Halfway, Oregon. It was not halfway from our home. No, siree!
My cousin John noted I've been from one side of Oregon (the Pacific Ocean) to the other (the Snake River, that divides Oregon and Idaho) in the span of less than a week - and it's true. Such different land formations, yet similar in some ways. Such different temperatures! The stars put on quite a show for us and I wish I had gotten pictures of them and knew more constellations. We saw one planet/star disappear on the western horizon. So either there is some hanky panky going on in the universe or one of the planet's moons got between us. Here's hoping you see some good stars in your own skys. Now I'm going to a wedding! Can life get better? We'll see - femminismo

EDITORIAL ADDITION: Here comes the joy ... and the bride. It was very warm so the straw fans came in handy on the grounds of the Joel Palmer House restaurant in Dayton, Oregon. Everything went perfectly as far as the guests were concerned. The groom strutted down the aisle to the ZZ Top song "Sharp Dressed Man" and looked sharp, indeed. Next came the maids of honor and then the bride on the arm of her very proud father (my son!).
Go on ... you can say it! "Awww!"
The minister was sincere and authentic, the vows they wrote and exchanged were tear-inducing (the crying grandmother sat behind the crying father, at left being comforted by his wife) and the kiss was very well done too. (Good job, Matt!)
The reception? Awe inspiring food from the restaurant. The pesto/garlic shrimp, porcini risotto with meatballs on the side to be draped with a cherry sauce - all the fresh fruit - WOW! There was much, much more and then the cake. A chocolate layer that took this chocolate lover's breath away and a delightful poppy seed layer with raspberry filling and cream cheese.
While helping clean up I found this natural arrangement of the straw fans, a wedding program, lavender sprinkles and the pillow the ring was on. I wouldn't be surprised if the "E" monogrammed on the handkerchief isn't an "E" for Evelyn, the bride's late great-grandmother - also known as "Grandma Portland," one of those cherished family nicknames. Now you've seen some of the joy I've experienced today. I hope you found some - femminismo

A Wedding and Art. Things Have Been Hopping!

THE wedding is July 11, 2010, so it's not as though that's what I've been doing for the past few days. But my granddaughter is getting ready for that big day, next year, and on Saturday she held a gathering of mothers and grandmothers to preview "The Dress."
The girl knows what she wants and doesn't want. The wedding dress is lovely, with an over-skirt of tulle embroidered with a cascading floral pattern and squiggly "wedding cake" embroidery on the bodice. The veil tops it off perfectly, but of course it's the girl inside the dress that's the prettiest and brightest thing in the world. Kind, generous, loving, her head on straight, future plans galore - she's got it all in hand, down to not forcing her fellow, cash-strapped, student friends to spend a fortune on clothes just to be in the wedding.
She is lucky to have worked at the Joel Palmer House, which is where she will have her wedding and reception. Check out the menu. I am looking forward to eating there. Mushrooms - of all sorts - in almost everything but the panna cotta (I am hoping).
After having lunch with Marissa, my granddaughter (and her future mother-in-law, her mother and other grandmother), I arrived back home and then went with a young friend, Ashley, to do gelatin prints at Art on a Lark. (It's an art store where you rent space and tools to work.)
This was the first time many of us had done this. Led by Dawn S., we proceeded to paint up a storm on the gelatin, putting down natural materials and other stuff that turned up. Then we pressed paper on top, rubbed it and took both a negative and positive impression on our paper.
There's no other way to learn these processes except jumping right in and spreading on the paint.
We had plenty of paper and lots of enthusiasm, so very soon every available space for drying paper was taken up. The gelatin is very sturdy - surprisingly so. I have a tray of gelatin I brought home that I'm going to try before bed tonight. Forget the dinner dishes!
Here is one of Ashley's prints. I especially loved the colors, and the stamp she used added a very modernistic appeal. This would make great gift wrap, don't you think?
Just a couple more that I did - they are side by side - and then I'm signing off so I'll have some time to go paint a bit. I, as always, loved the bit of copper paint. I love metallics. They are a great substitute when you're trying not to "glitterize" the entire world - femminismo