Where I Stood Saturday (and Friday and Thursday)

Life is good, the studio has great AC and with this heat, there isn't much else to do but stay inside and try to stay cool.

I started an oil yesterday - 18" x 36".  It isn't done yet, but is getting close.

It is one for the show in Russell - in late August..I hope.

I always forget to get that beginning photo.  I sketched the scene out in pencil first, then, started with the darkest darks,

then moved on to the sky, the sand, with intermittent work on the van.

More of the details were painted today. 

This bus is a little worse for wear and that part isn't showing in my painting yet.  Oh well, all cars start out new at some point..this one is definitely USED.   The photo I am relying on is from a trip that my husband took with friends to La Paz, Mexico ~ back in the 70's.  It was quite a memorable trip for him, so if I don't happen to sell it, it will hang in his office for him to reminisce the days away.

Where I Stand Sunday

Living on 8 acres - has it's benefits - and it's drawbacks.  In summertime the grass area we mow, which is most of it, seems to be a never ending task.  As soon as you are through with the last part...you are ready to start the first one you did.  This mower was 'descompuesto' last week so the dog yard, which it is used for, became a little unkempt.  Now it's fixed, thanks to DH - always a small engine mechanic/troubleshooter.  Time to tackle it again and it is so hot that you cannot escape getting fried when you go outside. I had some trees to trim around as well, by the time I was done, the heat had once again gotten to me.  As I sat in the shade of the porch with a wet cloth and ice pack over my head guzzling a bottle of cold water, the little thermometer we have read 104 degrees in the sun with 119 heat index.  This was at 10:15 in the morning. I think I am inside for the rest of the day.

Our one big concern, although they seem to be handling it pretty well - are the chickens.

They have lots of shade, but that doesn't waylay the hot breezes that blow through the run and of course the chicken coop heats up so they can't go inside there for relief.  We set little fans around the bottom of the house, where they are seeking shelter from the sun, it seems to help some, at least they can get a breeze under their feathers.  They have begun their dust holes, where they scratch and hunker down in the coolness of the earth in the shade.  It has been amazing to watch them grow and grow.

This is Harlough, the little chick who is all of 6-7 weeks old now.  The biggest of the three - and NOT a Bantam, like I thought.  Check here to see how small she was when we got her when she was hatched.

This is Queenie the Bantam rooster.  He practices his crowing now...it is the cutest thing to hear, it isn't quite there, but darling all the same.  I experienced wishful thinking when I bought the other two chickens that they would all (3) be hens and the name 'Queenie' stuck for such a pretty bird. 

And lastly ~ Chickenator ~ named so because she escaped the box one night in the studio and had quite an adventure in and around my books and supplies leaving evidence of where she had been.  She is a small Banty and has a lovely color to her feathers.  They have such interesting coloration.  Her girth is nothing like a chicken I have ever seen...sort of petite and thin and wirey.   She and Queenie SPAR a lot.  It is comical to see little chickens act like big chickens.  Almost certain I have two hens and one rooster..and yes, Queenie will get to stay here with us.  In these parts some people get rid of their roosters or put them outside the run to live, I am going to resist that.  This is our flock - they provide us hours of entertainment in the late afternoon and hopefully someday some eggs for meals (they are also our pets, so we won't be eating them)! 

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing.

Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.

There are several others who also write this on Sunday, see sidebar.

Where I Stand Sunday

The heat is on..officially today!

"Play Ball"

6" x 6"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

Getting the feel for an upcoming commission.  Animals have many issues to consider in their physical make-up, such as placement of the eyes, shape of the eyes, length of nose and shape and placement of the ears, shape of the skull (check out the differences the next time you are around several dogs at once) to name a few.  Color is a biggie on this one.  Every photo I have - shows a slightly different hue.  Nicki passed away last May..so photos are all we have.  I think I am ready for a different pose - several to select from and a more complete portrait.  By the way, if you haven't seen "Dogs Decoded" on NOVA on PBS, you must see it.  It is so fascinating!



Top of the Mornin' to Ya

Are you an early riser?  I am not - but this morning I needed to be..so up and at em...before the heat sets in.  These 100 and more degrees days, are tiring and my hair usuallly never gets dry after a shower.  But there is more that can be done before it gets so blazin' hot and my hair is DRY. 

I loved the way the sunrise shone right through the trees near the road.  Very pastoral - or pastural...whichever you want to call it. 

Rock being delivered this morning - to replenish the driveway that hasn't had rock on it for about 3 and a half years.  We have tried to get this rock for 2 years...ha!  Around here, they just don't take you too seriously when you call and order some we have found.  So, today is the big day!  Yay! 

Heading to the west again, soon...cameras are ready after I spend some time getting the cards cleaned off, batteries recharged and equipment together.  Will be gathering source photos for the winter studio time from Yellowstone, Arches, Navajo Res.,

New Mexico, and lots of lakes and mountains and hopefully lots of wildlife! 

Maybe when we get back, it will have cooled off a bit. I am crossing my fingers - this has been one hot and humid summer in Kansas.

P.S. Oregon Coast is out, as we didn't make a plan enough in advance, our favorite places were crowded with other peeps who love them.

Where I Stand Sunday

You need not ask,
he's a member of the family.
Dog baths, nail clipping,
tick treatments, shots,
dog food, exercise,
but with it comes
miles and miles of
love.

(and I am not speaking of the feet in the shoes - ha!)

Each morning, our Weimaraner alarm goes off. This morning it went off a little late, I think because of the heat. Even with AC's on , it is still a restless night.

From Wikipedia:
The phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer", refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere that usually falls between early July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.
Well folks, that's us!
Today at noon I will be taking a break from kitchen remodel and watch Susan Carlin paint via real-time video at Ustream. The actual URL is www.ustream.tv/channel/SusanCarlin. You can try to click on this link, however, you may have to type it in as I do. I think that maybe unless she is actually an open link at the time, it doesn't connect. (I am a hacker - at best.)

Just an FYI, here is a photo of our RV 2-alarm system. It had just been activated by the 'yard guys' at Menard's in Nebraska last Wednesday.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

Where I Stand Sunday and A Painting Today

With my best "studio" helper (Chaco) in tow, here I stand getting the heater going. Ran out of propane last night (thanks so much Midway - for showing up so soon after we called!). We had to hook up to a small propane bottle from an extra in the RV. Have two more, so I hope that propane guy shows up tomorrow. It's cold today.
Today I finished the pastel, below. It is done on Pastelboard, which is absolutely wonderful stuff! Wish my benefactor would buy me a case of the largest size they make and ship it to me! Ha!

La nina timida - The Shy Girl - pastel on Pastelboard, 11" x 14"
SOLD - collection in Wyoming

Countdown

In a few days I will be on my way to NYC area to be with my daughter and her husband while they have or have had their 1st child. In the meantime, we are busy as always, G working on his 1950 Chevy, getting it ready to make lots of trips to the landfill with stuff we have on our property that was pushed over (out of sight) into ditches around the perimeter. It sure is easier to work on older autos by yourself. I am doing laundry, cleaning, planning and packing. Blogging may be sporadic until about 9/5/07, but will update when I have time. Life is good when your immediate family is about to increase by one! I am so looking forward to being a grandmother. Also, looking forward to cooler climes. It has been over 100 degrees here every day for a long time. Only in the high 70's in NYC.

How Hot is IT?

There are many places on earth that are plenty hot - record-breaking hot. In fact, there's a good chance on the day this record-breaking temperature was recorded by a meteorological station in El Azizia, Libya in 1922 there were other places hundreds of miles away that were even hotter. On September 13, 1922 the thermometer reached a blistering 136° F/57.8° C. In all likelihood, this record temperature has been exceeded since then in many places on earth, but we have no official records of the temperatures. It is important to note that when atmospheric temperatures are recorded it is not the surface temperature, where it can sometimes reach 150° F/ 66° C, but rather the air temperature at about 5 feet (1.6 m) above the surface in an enclosed shelter. Of course, it's important that the temperature sensor is not exposed to direct sunlight - the shelter is louvered to permit air flow across the sensor. Most humans don't 'hang out' where some of the hottest tempertatures on earth are regularly experienced so there aren't a lot of meterological stations in these places to reliably record extreme temperatures. Glad I am not at one of them.
The temperature sensor on the building in town showed 103 at 7:30 this evening. Not too many people hanging around outdoors, except for the "roofing" people. I feel sorry for them. It is REALLY hot out there. Have you watched Al Gore's special on "global warming" yet? Check it out.