Story Book Challenge

shadow of statue at library entrance

My art-doll club has issued a "challenge" for our annual August display at the local library. We're supposed to create a doll from a character in a book, then display the doll with the book. The public loves our semi-annual displays!

This one will be extra special. Already we have Cinderella, Jane Eyre, and a maiden riding a unicorn. Yes, one of our members is talented enough to also make the unicorn.













I've been wanting to make a fairy and this is the perfect motivation. You would think a child's picture book with pretty fairies would be easy to find at the library. I guess not in summertime! 

 stack of books sculpture at library entrance

 After much searching I did find this one and - happyjoys - had all these beautiful blue fabrics in my stash. The only thing I needed to buy was some cotton for the basic body.

Guess I better quit taking pictures and blogging and get busy now. Time is running out! Check back in a month for the results.



Breakin' Up is Hard To Do

I noticed that my profile needed updating.

Sadly, I deleted this line under Favorite Movies "...and anything with Antonio Banderas in it."  Antonio hasn't made a decent movie in years! Add to that the short hair & a bit of aging and well, I'm sorry but it was time to break up. I know! SHALLOW, right?!

I added The Hunger Games and Twilight Saga to Favorite Books.

That was all. Everything else is pretty much the same.

Just a Picture

Another happy instance of sunlight & shadowplay. I was taking pictures of the church prayer room and just happened to be here at the right time.

White & Green

Just wanted to share some beauty today.

I woke up one morning last week to find a dozen white roses on the kitchen counter.

{I have the best hubby in the world!}

The afternoon sun made the prettiest light on them.

After I snapped this, I noticed the same thing with the green pepper.

Just gotta love nature's cominations sometimes - sunlight, white petals, fresh greens.

Ten Minutes in the Backyard

Here's something you don't see everyday from your backyard.

I dashed home real quick for lunch and let Blu outside, and saw the school's lightpole being repaired.

Then noticed my new rosebush had bloomed. That's exciting because I'm not known for having a green thumb. That's why I let hubby plant it for me, but he thinks I was just being lazy :)

We have some uninvited houseguests. They aren't the neatest guests, but I suppose mama has more important things to do. Notice how she re-purposed Blu's soft hair after I brushed him out?

Mr. Gopher here is quite unwelcome! His partying is wreaking havoc on the backyard. He's been served an eviction notice but hasn't complied.

Blu the Mighty Hunter is distracted from his main duties by the puppy next door.

And that was just 10 minutes in the backyard yesterday! Tonight we were treated to the first fireworks display of the season. Don't know who was shooting them off, but we sure enjoyed it.

Port Pix

I had such a great time on my early morning photo excursion last Thursday, that I went again Friday. I drove to a small town north of here with some "junk" shops I wanted to browse, thinking there might also be something "small-town-charming" to photograph, too. Um, no. Not in that one, anyway. So on the way back, I saw the exit for this....

...and said, "hey - that might be interesting!" In all my years here, I've never seen it. I don't know what I expected. Maybe a river full of barges? Well, I drove in and headed toward the water but it is most definately a busy, industrial area, bustling with a lot of heavy equipment. I got a little spooked, turned around and went back to the visitor center. The nice, but very bored, man there told me where I could go to take some pix as long as I stayed in the car.

Having limited access made it a little less interesting to photograph, but that's ok. I snapped a few and scooted out of there, dodging the racing semi's going both directions. However, the port really is a big deal and if you'd like to know more, click here.

Back to the visitor center where I breathed a sigh of relief. There's a small museum with pictures and articles telling the history of the port; a pretty gazebo, stone waterfall & flower beds. And a retired tugboat!

They must let children's groups go thru the boat, but on this day the upper deck was roped off.

And that's about it for the port. But with a little imagination, you can find something artsy or interesting to shoot just about anywhere.

End of mini-adventure. Back to the office tomorrow!

"Buckle Tour"....conclusion

Today we conclude our tour of the local Buddhist temple property.

I suppose it's technically not a "garden." I really don't know what the purpose of it is. Maybe it's a meditation garden? There weren't any flowers or flowerbeds around, or pathways to speak of, but there was this "grove" way over at the northeast end.

I didn't walk over for closeups because... see that pond? I'm of the opinion, that in this neck o' the woods, ponds = snakes.

A splash of cautious color against all that gray.

Most people reading this know my beliefs. Some may wonder, why would I even step foot here? Let me be clear on this. I completely respect the different cultures of the world. I have been to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, & Philippines. I love the people and appreciate their history, art and culture. I don't and cannot agree with where they've placed their faith, yet I respect their right to choose.

However, I'm bound by my beliefs to love and pray that their hearts would be open to the Light and Truth of Jesus Christ, the eternal living God, who came to free us from the bonds of this fallen world and it's broken, false gods.

I've stood in the great temple of Bangkok and seen the famed jade Buddha. I'm not afraid of little deities. Joshua 1:3 says "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses." What that means for Christians today is, everywhere we go, we're an ambassador for Christ. [So please, brothers & sisters, be good ambassadors, not fire & brimstone jerks!]

I don't think it was coincidence that I went here this day and the gate happened to be open and the caretaker happened to be getting in his car and I was able to get permission to walk around and take pictures. There are no coincidences. The whole time I walked the grounds, clicking away, I just quietly prayed for the people who worship there. God will do the rest.

And so, with this little banzai tree, we bid adeiu. As I exited the parking lot and turned right, immediately there was a Vietnamese Christian church, an Adventist church, and a Baptist church, all next door to each other. God bless America, right?

But something else caught my eye and I whipped into the parking lot of the Baptist church to enjoy a huge field of black-eyed susans.

And finally, at a country lane corner...some purple thistles and Dean Martin!

I so enjoyed this morning outing that I went out the next day. The photo op was not as interesting but I did snap a few. Check back to see those pictures :)

"Buckle" Tour...continued

We paused our tour yesterday with a picture of the back of the garden centerpiece. So today we'll start at the front.

I have dear friends who lived & worked in Shanghai for two years and so enjoyed it. They once asked a tour guide who this statue represented, as they had seen one in Tulsa. He said he "...really didn't know, maybe it's the Madonna?"  Um, no.

Just to give you some perspective, in the next picture, at the left is a house, maybe the caretaker's home? Kinda like a parsonage?

At the base of the statue is a hobbit door. (Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, if it was, it would be round). Maybe this is an electrical room? Or something priestly? I don't know!

These large urns are for burning incense. There's one on the base, one at the entrance to the platform, and one out on the grounds in front of another statue.

When I took these pictures two days ago the sky was very hazy to the south/west. To the east it was a deep blue when I started but then the haze spread. (Notice the chem-trail in yesterday's picture of the Hindu temple? ahem.) I had the polarizing filter on the lens, but still had to do some editing. If anyone has some suggestions, I'm open to hear them.

Now we'll go around the garden for close ups of the encircling statues. In the next picture you can see the neighboring Hindu Temple in the background.

I know in some cultures, a plush body signifies prosperity. Maybe that's what this one represents?

Yes, I know what you're thinking on both pictures, above & below. I was going to type it, but trying to be respectful here, people :)

I uploaded more than I intended to today, but I wanted to group most of the statue closeups together. Just a few more in the next post. Please check back!