You know you're weird when you're excited to find a link to something that most people couldn't or wouldn't be bothered with...
http://blogsearch.google.com/
THIS is how to find people in blogger!!! I'm EXCITED!!! Surely people I know are on here. Surely!
lol...
So, the sun has actually been shining off-and-on during the past few days. We actually have the pool heater on (it's @ 84 degrees F) and have used it a few times during the past week. The other day I grabbed the GoPro and took some video of Sean, Miranda, and Kyle goofing around... dumped the dog in too, for good measure. (she's not that keen on swimming - weird for a spaniel, no?)
I edited the video today, on the Macbook (YAAAYYYY!!!), but need to shrink it down a bit and perhaps add some nice muzack for the background. It wasn't a very sunny day, so I might decide to scratch it down to a mere smidgen of its size and re-video on a sunny day. Add a few still photographs for good measure and it should look sweet. I've got an account in YouTube, so I'll post the link and you can watch it if you want. I'll pass the word when I've done that. Could be a while... this is Newfoundland, remember. Sunshine isn't an everyday occurrence!
Did I mention that the painting is done. Hmm... Yes, I do believe I did mention that. Robbie picked it the other day (last Thursday) and couldn't wait to give it to the recipient. She was thrilled and amazed... she cried. (I do hope it was emotional tearing up and not "Oh my god somebody did a crap-ass job of my dogs in this god-awful painting that I must somehow pretend to really love") Robbie loved it. Paid good coin for it, too.
I enjoyed it so damn (I can say that!!) much that I signed up for a diploma course in pet portraiture through the London Art College. It's a distance ed. program and it's taught by a marvellous artist whose work I really admire! It's in the mail and should be here soon. It's coming from the UK. Give it time... I want to start NOW!!! It starts with the basics of drawing animals and moves along to the more tricky bits of composition and actually painting them. It also goes into marketing and advertising yourself and your work. You work at your own pace, sending the work in either electronically or via snail-mail for a critique. They send you an audio-video of the crit with in-depth advice. Altogether, they figure a year to completion, but allow up to 2 years. After that, they want you to shape up or pay more. Makes sense.
Ah well... I have to allow my deltoid muscle time to heal. The week "off" should help. I'm going to have to look up some yoga stretches on YouTube. The description of the injury is amusing, but helpful in a visual way. My chiropractor said that the muscles are bundled up like a handful of spaghetti. Typically they run smooth from stem to stern. When they're injured, they act like over-cooked spaghetti and clump up in a bunch. The idea is to smooth them out so that they lay properly (aka smoothly) again. The horrible part is over, but I have to keep smoothing and strengthening them. Annoying that Paul can put me on the floor just by dint of taking my arm and hoisting it shoulder-height... Okay, it's annoying that Miranda can do the same. Argh...
Oooh! Hot tub time! Sunset over the ocean. Love you guys! Talk again another time. Soon.
~ Chris
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Finished the painting today!
Thank blooming heavens!! It's been a long project. Who would've thunk that a couple of dogs could be so darned difficult to paint? I mean, really!?! Ah well. The colours in the coats are what gave me conniptions. The first dog was my practice piece. Shiloh got worked over and over and over again... I'm embarrassed at how those turned out. Finally... FINALLY I got some good advice from a dog artist, Kathryn Beals, and watched a couple (okay okay... several... ) speed painting videos on YouTube. YouTube is my new bff... yup... They're still only my first animal paintings, so I'm going to have to keep practicing in order to get better. I think I'll clear off the kitchen table for now though. Move stuff back into the studio. Start doing laundry and other assorted housework... cooking, errands. We need a new weed whacker and I hear the lawn mower needs a new blade since the old one ate a rock. Stuff.
This is Shiloh
And this is Ginger.
And last but definitely not least, Maggie.
Ginger and Maggie are full sisters, while Shiloh is the mother of Shamus, one of the dogs living next door to us.
Enough about painting for now. I'll be working on the painting of Niki soon, but not until I've let my deltoid heal for at least a week without exerting it.
Moving on...
Miranda and her friend had a marvelous time in the swimming pool today. Fi rst swim of the year! The sun was shining, and there was this rumor of heat. 10 o'clock this morning I was standing outside in a sundress and a windbreaker, cleaning the bugs out of the pool. By 11:30, the girls were swimming! Hooray!!! There's still sun on the pool now, and it's almost 6:30. Maybe I should toss a suit on and get out there for a few minutes. Who knows when the sun and heat will appear at the same time again!
Oooh... This is also the first day that I've worn a sundress. I was so impressed with that fact that I decided to record it for posterity. So... I'm attaching a pic of me wearing my sundress.
Woohoo!!! Summer sunshine!!!
This is Shiloh
And this is Ginger.
Ginger and Maggie are full sisters, while Shiloh is the mother of Shamus, one of the dogs living next door to us.
Enough about painting for now. I'll be working on the painting of Niki soon, but not until I've let my deltoid heal for at least a week without exerting it.
Moving on...
Oooh... This is also the first day that I've worn a sundress. I was so impressed with that fact that I decided to record it for posterity. So... I'm attaching a pic of me wearing my sundress.
Woohoo!!! Summer sunshine!!!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Father's Day was GREAT!!! (and I'm not even a father... )
Paul and I rode out to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve on Sunday. It was a really great day for a ride. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, there were lots of bikes out on the roads... really nice to see. Paul and I have these wonderful gadgets called "heated vests" that you plug into the bike and, with three settings, give you all the heat you could possibly want. Because I was sitting behind Paul, I kept mine on Low. Paul had his on Medium. Honestly though, I think we only used them because they were there. It was a gorgeously warm day!
For those of you who aren't familiar with Newfoundland, I should include a bit of geographic location information. :) We live in Torbay, which is on what is called the Avalon Peninsula. It's that little axe-head shaped thing dangling from the south-east corner of Newfoundland, and connected by a narrow spit of land (is that called an isthmus???) to the larger portion of Newfoundland. We drove along the TCH to Whitbourne and then south to Dunville (a really pretty one-road town) and Placentia (not so pretty but it's a fishing village from way back so what do you expect? wtf?) and then down a series of (Holy shit the scenery is amazing!) coves (some of which had cows grazing at the beach's edge), until we got to St. Bride's followed shortly by Cape St. Mary's. Just FYI, we also drove through Patrick's Cove which is where Paul had one of his most spectacular wipe-outs (which probably took one of his 9 lives) on the bike two years ago. A "decreasing radius, descending blind hairpin" turn that he used to demonstrate the durability of his armoured biking gear. Gear worked. It took him the better part of the season to get a new jacket to replace the torn-up one. He took the turn in a much more moderate manner with me riding pillion.
From there we drove out to Point Lance. A sandy beach! What a sight for sore eyeballs. White sandy beach stretching as far as my admittedly weak eyes could see. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't shining so strongly by then, but the picture... *sigh* Yup. I'll be posting it asap. If the connection isn't too slow, I'll attach it here.
Okay... we drove some more. I took more pictures, some of which turned out, some of which didn't. We passed through Branch, Colinett, St. Catherine's, and then arrived back at the TCH where we fully intended to fill up with gas in Holyrood. We were supposed to go straight. Paul turned left. Oops. 10K short of our destination we ran out of gas on the side of the road. You know something? It's nice to know that people will stop to check on you. Okay, so not many of them actually carry a jerry-can of gasoline in their trunk, but still... They stopped. I finally got a ride to Avondale, 15 minutes from the off-ramp we were stranded at, and back. The guy paid for my gas and refused to accept anything (I hid ten bucks in a pair of sneakers in his back seat), and even broke a glass Coke bottle to use as a funnel. Ahhh... the kindness of strangers. Paul had several people stop off while he waited, and one, a biker, actually offered to siphon gas from his tank!! Wow. Paul apologized to me several times... I'm not sure why. It was all part of the adventure. No harm. All part of the game. We phoned home to explain our delay, dinner delayed on our behalf. All's well. Happy Father's Day.
350 K round trip. (My arse was numb just before we ran out of gas so I was glad of a bit of a hike) 6 hours riding. I found out that the bike can easily do 220kph with a passenger on board. Don't ask me how I know. Just trust me on this.
This is a really great trip. It took us a couple of hours to drive from Torbay to Cape St. Mary's.
http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlacesToGo/ScenicTouringRoutes/TheAvalon.aspx?route=2
This is how to get there... sort of.
http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlanATrip/Maps/Default.aspx?route=2®ion=1
Here's a couple of pictures from our ride. It was a bit awkward holding the camera in the breeze, but that's what the strap is for, right?
For those of you who aren't familiar with Newfoundland, I should include a bit of geographic location information. :) We live in Torbay, which is on what is called the Avalon Peninsula. It's that little axe-head shaped thing dangling from the south-east corner of Newfoundland, and connected by a narrow spit of land (is that called an isthmus???) to the larger portion of Newfoundland. We drove along the TCH to Whitbourne and then south to Dunville (a really pretty one-road town) and Placentia (not so pretty but it's a fishing village from way back so what do you expect? wtf?) and then down a series of (Holy shit the scenery is amazing!) coves (some of which had cows grazing at the beach's edge), until we got to St. Bride's followed shortly by Cape St. Mary's. Just FYI, we also drove through Patrick's Cove which is where Paul had one of his most spectacular wipe-outs (which probably took one of his 9 lives) on the bike two years ago. A "decreasing radius, descending blind hairpin" turn that he used to demonstrate the durability of his armoured biking gear. Gear worked. It took him the better part of the season to get a new jacket to replace the torn-up one. He took the turn in a much more moderate manner with me riding pillion.
From there we drove out to Point Lance. A sandy beach! What a sight for sore eyeballs. White sandy beach stretching as far as my admittedly weak eyes could see. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't shining so strongly by then, but the picture... *sigh* Yup. I'll be posting it asap. If the connection isn't too slow, I'll attach it here.
Okay... we drove some more. I took more pictures, some of which turned out, some of which didn't. We passed through Branch, Colinett, St. Catherine's, and then arrived back at the TCH where we fully intended to fill up with gas in Holyrood. We were supposed to go straight. Paul turned left. Oops. 10K short of our destination we ran out of gas on the side of the road. You know something? It's nice to know that people will stop to check on you. Okay, so not many of them actually carry a jerry-can of gasoline in their trunk, but still... They stopped. I finally got a ride to Avondale, 15 minutes from the off-ramp we were stranded at, and back. The guy paid for my gas and refused to accept anything (I hid ten bucks in a pair of sneakers in his back seat), and even broke a glass Coke bottle to use as a funnel. Ahhh... the kindness of strangers. Paul had several people stop off while he waited, and one, a biker, actually offered to siphon gas from his tank!! Wow. Paul apologized to me several times... I'm not sure why. It was all part of the adventure. No harm. All part of the game. We phoned home to explain our delay, dinner delayed on our behalf. All's well. Happy Father's Day.
350 K round trip. (My arse was numb just before we ran out of gas so I was glad of a bit of a hike) 6 hours riding. I found out that the bike can easily do 220kph with a passenger on board. Don't ask me how I know. Just trust me on this.
This is a really great trip. It took us a couple of hours to drive from Torbay to Cape St. Mary's.
http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlacesToGo/ScenicTouringRoutes/TheAvalon.aspx?route=2
This is how to get there... sort of.
http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/PlanATrip/Maps/Default.aspx?route=2®ion=1
Here's a couple of pictures from our ride. It was a bit awkward holding the camera in the breeze, but that's what the strap is for, right?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
I passed my motorcycle training course!!!
Now all I have to do is go down to the DMV out in pack-a-lunchville, aka Mount Pearl, and do my written test. That'll get me my Class 6, Level I license. Woohoo! I meant to get out there this week... might do that tomorrow. I spent a few minutes studying the section on "signs" in the driver's handbook.
Funny thing there... my instructor told us that people go to write the test, fail the section on signs, and hop back in their cars to drive home! Um... failure to recognize what the signs mean?? Huh? They're allowed to DRIVE?! Ack! No wonder there's so many g.d. weirdos on the road!!
Anyway... Paul let me (okay, he encouraged me) drive his KLX 250 up and down the road beside our house yesterday. There I was, all geared up and ready to go for the 1-minute up-and-down jaunt. Stalled the bike. Stalled the bike again. And again. and again and again and again... I totally couldn't seem to get the hang of the clutch! After about 10 minutes solid of standing there poking the starter with my thumb, holding the clutch, releasing the brake, giving it gas, letting out the clutch... bike would lurch then stall... I FINALLY managed to get up the road! Woohoo!!! Up the road to the church parking lot, turn around and go down our road to Dominion Hill where I turned around in the muck (eww), managed to get about 20 yards up the road, tried to gear back down to first, *cough* die. Damn. I spent another 10 minutes trying to move up the hill under the bike's steam.
I should mention that the part I enjoyed most about the riding was the actual riding. I mean, wow... it's so much fun to be tooling up the road, legs tight against the tank, swaying with the curve in the road in perfect harmony with the bike. Definitely an enjoyable experience that I'm looking forward to repeating!
Now to move on the less enjoyable part.
Paul made me do exercises in going and stopping and going again. You know, pretend like I'm at a stop sign or red light... brake the bike, idle, go again. Hah... not happening. If I were really in traffic with a truck barreling up behind me... let's just say that I should probably be practicing a dump-and-jump manoeuvre. Well, I did manage to get it up as far as our driveway via the lurch-and-go method, then finally managed to get it cruising once more, so up to the church again. By this time I'd been out for an hour or so, it was starting to get dark (just starting, mind you) and my hands were cramping. It was fun while it lasted. Time to go inside.
Kyle told me that it took him a week of trying to get up to the church. I guess I'm doing well then.
Funny thing there... my instructor told us that people go to write the test, fail the section on signs, and hop back in their cars to drive home! Um... failure to recognize what the signs mean?? Huh? They're allowed to DRIVE?! Ack! No wonder there's so many g.d. weirdos on the road!!
Anyway... Paul let me (okay, he encouraged me) drive his KLX 250 up and down the road beside our house yesterday. There I was, all geared up and ready to go for the 1-minute up-and-down jaunt. Stalled the bike. Stalled the bike again. And again. and again and again and again... I totally couldn't seem to get the hang of the clutch! After about 10 minutes solid of standing there poking the starter with my thumb, holding the clutch, releasing the brake, giving it gas, letting out the clutch... bike would lurch then stall... I FINALLY managed to get up the road! Woohoo!!! Up the road to the church parking lot, turn around and go down our road to Dominion Hill where I turned around in the muck (eww), managed to get about 20 yards up the road, tried to gear back down to first, *cough* die. Damn. I spent another 10 minutes trying to move up the hill under the bike's steam.
I should mention that the part I enjoyed most about the riding was the actual riding. I mean, wow... it's so much fun to be tooling up the road, legs tight against the tank, swaying with the curve in the road in perfect harmony with the bike. Definitely an enjoyable experience that I'm looking forward to repeating!
Now to move on the less enjoyable part.
Paul made me do exercises in going and stopping and going again. You know, pretend like I'm at a stop sign or red light... brake the bike, idle, go again. Hah... not happening. If I were really in traffic with a truck barreling up behind me... let's just say that I should probably be practicing a dump-and-jump manoeuvre. Well, I did manage to get it up as far as our driveway via the lurch-and-go method, then finally managed to get it cruising once more, so up to the church again. By this time I'd been out for an hour or so, it was starting to get dark (just starting, mind you) and my hands were cramping. It was fun while it lasted. Time to go inside.
Kyle told me that it took him a week of trying to get up to the church. I guess I'm doing well then.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Watching the U of Wpg's convocation on a Webcast
Well, it's another weather-odd day in Newfoundland and I'm sitting in front of the computer watching the live webcast of the U of Wpg's convocation!!! My daughter was just on a little while ago. I cried. I really wish I could be there, but it's nice that they offer the web option for those, like us, who are away. Paul and I sat together and waited for her 5 seconds of fame, then sent her a text message. Paul, being Paul, said to tell her to stop picking her nose... I did... Good thing she's got a sense of humor and rebutted with a "U saw that? I hoped you hadn't!" ... *sigh*
What's new in our family these days? Well, Sean, the eldest at 26 is taking a Construction Electrician course at Academy Canada. It will include an apprenticeship program and he's doing very well in it so far. He's been able to brag several times that he's gotten 100% in his exams! Way to go, Sean!
Kyle is now the Assistant Manager at the Irving Circle K store that he's been working at for the past year. No more school for him. He dropped out of the Physics program last year and has no immediate intentions of returning to university. Every now and then he mentions hair styling as a career option...
Both boys plan to return to Manitoba eventually... in fact, I suspect they'll both be heading there as soon as they can. *sigh* I'll miss them.
Dana's graduation doesn't mean the end of studies for her. She plans to attend the U of Manitoba to become a Dietician. A 2-year post-degree program. I wish they had a program here at MUN, but they don't... in fact, they had a 4-year program that they were talking about dropping altogether.
Moving on...
The weather here is up-and-down. It can't seem to make up its mind whether to let summer arrive or not. Spring-like weather means we're still getting holy-poop rainstorms, heavy fog, and the occasional sunny day. Not necessarily warm on the sunny day. Two days ago we had a lovely warm shower! It was like standing in a sauna. I managed to get a bit of colour on my face by virtue of helping with the stream clean-up behind my friend's place. I also managed to get bitten by almost every darned black fly in the swampy area! Itchy doesn't begin to describe the feeling. By the 2nd day I gave in and took an anti-histamine to alleviate the horrible itch! Unfortunately it was a "drowsy" formula... didn't know that when I went to fetch Sean. Hmmm... what a zoned-out feeling that was. I made darned sure that Sean drove home while I let my mind wander in la-la land by itself. I didn't take the next tablet until bedtime!!
Oooh! New thing! Paul FINALLY persuaded me to take a motorcycle training course. *sigh* Yes. I'm going to try to become a "motorcycle mama." It's a 2-day course. Friday is in a classroom, Sunday is in the parking lot on a motorcycle. *gulp* Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm very nervous. But resolved. If all else fails, it will get Paul off my back. At best, I'll be able to ride Kyle's cute little Buell Blast every now and then.
Painting continues apace. Three golden retrievers in one painting. As a break from that painting, I've been working on a cute portrait of our little Niki-girl. She's much easier to do. Gee... I wonder why. Oh yeah... I have her right here as a model. I've also got an excellent photo that I'm working from. I have to literally yank myself away from that canvas to get to work on the commissioned one. Ah well... Fortunately Alia keeps me on the straight-and-narrow.
Next painting will be of the turkey chicks from next door. I've got new chicks to photograph and an old photo from a couple of years ago to use as the background. They're adorable-looking things. Much like chicken-chicks, but taller and with bigger feet. As they get older, they look very much like the "just add water" monsters from Marvin the Martian (remember Bugs Bunny?). Still cute, but kind of bizarre.
~ Christine
Look 'em in the eye: FREE Messenger video chat Chat Now!
What's new in our family these days? Well, Sean, the eldest at 26 is taking a Construction Electrician course at Academy Canada. It will include an apprenticeship program and he's doing very well in it so far. He's been able to brag several times that he's gotten 100% in his exams! Way to go, Sean!
Kyle is now the Assistant Manager at the Irving Circle K store that he's been working at for the past year. No more school for him. He dropped out of the Physics program last year and has no immediate intentions of returning to university. Every now and then he mentions hair styling as a career option...
Both boys plan to return to Manitoba eventually... in fact, I suspect they'll both be heading there as soon as they can. *sigh* I'll miss them.
Dana's graduation doesn't mean the end of studies for her. She plans to attend the U of Manitoba to become a Dietician. A 2-year post-degree program. I wish they had a program here at MUN, but they don't... in fact, they had a 4-year program that they were talking about dropping altogether.
Moving on...
The weather here is up-and-down. It can't seem to make up its mind whether to let summer arrive or not. Spring-like weather means we're still getting holy-poop rainstorms, heavy fog, and the occasional sunny day. Not necessarily warm on the sunny day. Two days ago we had a lovely warm shower! It was like standing in a sauna. I managed to get a bit of colour on my face by virtue of helping with the stream clean-up behind my friend's place. I also managed to get bitten by almost every darned black fly in the swampy area! Itchy doesn't begin to describe the feeling. By the 2nd day I gave in and took an anti-histamine to alleviate the horrible itch! Unfortunately it was a "drowsy" formula... didn't know that when I went to fetch Sean. Hmmm... what a zoned-out feeling that was. I made darned sure that Sean drove home while I let my mind wander in la-la land by itself. I didn't take the next tablet until bedtime!!
Oooh! New thing! Paul FINALLY persuaded me to take a motorcycle training course. *sigh* Yes. I'm going to try to become a "motorcycle mama." It's a 2-day course. Friday is in a classroom, Sunday is in the parking lot on a motorcycle. *gulp* Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm very nervous. But resolved. If all else fails, it will get Paul off my back. At best, I'll be able to ride Kyle's cute little Buell Blast every now and then.
Painting continues apace. Three golden retrievers in one painting. As a break from that painting, I've been working on a cute portrait of our little Niki-girl. She's much easier to do. Gee... I wonder why. Oh yeah... I have her right here as a model. I've also got an excellent photo that I'm working from. I have to literally yank myself away from that canvas to get to work on the commissioned one. Ah well... Fortunately Alia keeps me on the straight-and-narrow.
Next painting will be of the turkey chicks from next door. I've got new chicks to photograph and an old photo from a couple of years ago to use as the background. They're adorable-looking things. Much like chicken-chicks, but taller and with bigger feet. As they get older, they look very much like the "just add water" monsters from Marvin the Martian (remember Bugs Bunny?). Still cute, but kind of bizarre.
~ Christine
Look 'em in the eye: FREE Messenger video chat Chat Now!
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Wake up call
Sunrise over Torbay