Winter Holiday Weekend!

Saturday we woke up to a winter wonderland! It was the first snowfall this year and it just happened to be the weekend we planned to get our Christmas tree, what a treat! Well, first things first, we had a house full of pups that were rambunctious and wrestling... We had our three (Cooper, Sally and Fred) and Bill's mom, Carol's two (Sadie and Nikki) and his brother, Jeff's pup (Betsy) for good measure. So, needless to say, a nice long snowy walk with six happy dogs was in order!



After we warmed up by the wood stove and ate a good breakfast, we bundled back up and set out on a search for the perfect Christmas tree. It was a tall order but we finally all agreed upon a tree that not only smelled good but was the right height and fit all the other indescribable characteristics we were all looking for :)



It was easy enough to set up, no big catastrophes, and we were off! We all worked together stringing cranberries, popcorn, making paper ornaments for the finishing touches. I think it came together pretty well, if I do say so myself.

Oh, and we can't forget the classic movies that were playing during the decorating party! It had been a few years since I had seen these. Memories from so many Christmases past came flooding back...

Holiday Sale in Loveland

I wanted to let everyone know about the upcoming holiday events at my new studio, Loveland Art Studios on Main. Events start Friday, December 12th and continue through December 20th.

Winter Art Show Schedule

Studio Opening Reception
Friday, December 12th 6:00 to 10:00 pm
Music by Kendall Karg
Cocktails and Appetizers

Saturday, December 13th 11:00 am - 3:00 pm & 6:00 - 10:00 pm
Music by The Bobby Sharp Trio
Cocktails and Appetizers

The Loveland Arts Council is planning the Christmas in Loveland Celebration as well.

Saturday, December 20th 5:00 - 10:00 pm
Appetizers, Coffee & Adult Beverages
Entertainment & Horse Drawn Carriage Rides between the Artist on Main Studio building and Christmas in Loveland events.

It sounds like it's going to be a great group of events and I hope that some of you can make it to the area and partake in the festivities! Please send this post to anyone who might be interested in visiting the area this holiday season, we're wanting to spread the word.

SOFA Trip with Jane

About a week ago, Jane Pleak and I met up in Chicago to check out the SOFA show (Sculptural Objects and Functional Art). It was a quick little visit for us but we really had a great time!



I was also able to catch up with some of my favorite students from UALR! Amy, Trevor, Jennifer and her boyfriend had made the trip up to see the shows! It was such a treat to get a little time to see their smiling faces and hear about what their making and how the other majors are faring the year. They are all doing well and I can't wait to see images of what they are working on these days!!

I made a quick trip to Lilstreet Art Center and Terra Incognito Studio and Gallery after taking Jane to the airport. I was so impressed with the size of Lilstreet, 3 floors full of artists, and studios! Their exhibit, Distictive Lines was up and that was a real treat! Terra Incognito was closed but I was let in by a sweet studio woman and was able to check out the gallery space. It was a large space with lots of good work, a show of Sylvie Granatelli's work and others was up.

It's nice to know that Chicago is just a 4 1/2 hour drive from here. Chicago is a full of good music, an active art scene, plus Obama's transition office! :)

NOV. 4th Get out and VOTE!!!!!

Here is where Bill and I voted this morning at 7am, downtown Loveland.

We were lucky and got right in but there was a line that had an hour wait that early!


How great it is to be apart of this democracy.
Let's just hope we don't screw it up this time! :) Over the last couple months Bill and I have knocked on doors, I've hung door knockers, and built up some mean calves along the way, LOL!

After voting this morning, I set back out on foot to knock on doors and encourage those undependable Dem. voters to get out to the polls! It was a beautiful day, unseasonably warm, with tons of bright fall foliage for all to enjoy! Have you voted?
I saw this photo on the NPR site of the evening lines for the polls. All my volunteering is done and now it's time to sit back and watch what the future holds.

Garden of the Gods II

This was our camping spot we found way back off the trail in the Garden of the Gods, in the south-eastern tip of Illinois. Even though we were the only backpackers that were in the woods that night, we kept hearing people talking until dusk and first thing the next morning.

We finally realized that the noise was coming from this far off rock face, close to the drive and park area... The stars where SUPER and there were lady bugs everywhere!!!

It was such a treat to have Andrew meet us half way to enjoy a little Bling of fall! This pic is for all of you down in those places where the trees stay green :)
This show of color alone is worth the snow we'll endure here in Ohio!!!

I've always felt that making the time to be in the woods for a couple nights while the leaves are changing is a good testament that I'm really living my life right! What a pleasure to have friends and loved ones that enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Garnden of the Gods I

We hiked in about 1 1/2 to 2 miles and camped on top of a rock face looking up at the stars. We saw many different rock formations on the hike in and out that had interesting iron circles within the walls called "Liesegange bands". The iron deposits haven't erroded as quickly as the surrounding rock, which has left these beautiful bands, swirls and circles behind. We're still wondering what exactly caused them to occur.

Here is Bill next to some of the impressive waves that we saw time and time again throughout our hike. With all the history exposed, we were sure wishing we had a geologist with us to interpret it all for us.

The Garden of the Gods was halfway between Cincinnati and Little Rock, so Andrew met up with us there to take in the expansive fall color that was peaking this weekend! I think we all could use a couple days away from the new media and the stress of the looming election!

All the of the dogs made it out with us for the weekend! (From left to right: Fred, Cooper, and Sally) They had a blast and Cooper and Sally did an excellent job carrying all of their food and water for the overnight stay out in the woods! It was Fred and Sally's first night on an outback wilderness trail, what troopers!!!

September Camping in Kentucky

We went to the Red River Gorge in KY for a little pre-fall camping. Just a few photos to share... The scenery and sunset was amazing! We had a premo camp spot where we could see forever!