Twilight - by the reluctant reader

A friend loaned me - no, pushed on me is more accurate - Twilight just about a month ago. I'm addicted. It's a series of 4 books and I have bought the others and have read 2 & 3 now. Christmas time is NOT a good time to be so involved with a reading addiction. I think I may begin the 4th one tonight.

Went to a wonderful party Friday night. Friends decided to have a wine dinner, matching foods to the wines. They did a wonderful job! We had some excellent wines, excellent foods, and an excellent time. That says 'honor roll' to me! I loved the soup so much (Thai coconut milk and chicken...yum, yum!)that I went to a Thai restaurant they recommended last night and ordered that soup. Laura's was better, but the restaurant's was a very close second. The owner is so sweet. I may take her cooking class next month. She shuts the restaurant down for the weekend and has a large buffet and teaches how to make various items on the buffet.

I wrapped gifts this weekend and worked on a commission that I shouldn't have taken on so close to Christmas. It's finished now and is the picture posted here...almost as wide as my card table.

Another travel week

Spent three days on the road this week with Barry again. He's been a good travel mate. We're both Scorpios (birthdays one day apart) and have a lot in common. We had some real adventures on this trip including involvement in a medical emergency in a market where the clerk was having a serious diabetic issue. We thought she was drugged, but luckily some people came in who knew her and fed her orange juice, which revived her fairly quickly. Our best meal on this trip was in a school cafeteria where they were serving Thanksgiving dinner...quite yummy.

At one client, we'd been invited to stay in the elegant Hospitality House. The home had been built in Atlanta in 1929, and the family only lived in it a month before being forced to sell because of the depression. The home was empty for a few years, then sold to a restaraunteur whose family enjoyed it for 43 years. Some time ago it was moved to the college campus where it is now. It was fun to stay in the posh environment...old time luxury. I'm attaching a view of the living room from the front vestibule. Beyond that room were the sunroom and a sitting room.

Another image is of the sunset view from my room the following night near the Smoky Mountains. Cold night, but the next day was much warmer.

The stained glass Tiffany-ish lamp is one I bought many years ago. I'm posting it just because a friend wanted to see it. I plan to strip the wallpaper in that room and pull the carpet from what is supposed to be hardwood floors beneath it, but that job is going to have to wait until at least Spring.

A friend at work loaned me a thick book to read today, but I don't know when I'll find time. It is all the rage with young women these days, and the movie was released today. Three young women at work and a coed I met on a college campus this week have assured me I will love it. TWILIGHT doesn't sound like something I'd like, and I do have that copy of A SEPARATE PEACE I just bought for my niece that I'd like to read again. Another niece is expecting to pick up her wedding album next week - into which I still have to do some calligraphy. I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house too, so this weekend may not allow me to read...I will post a review of the book when I do read it.

I bought some canvases a week ago at Preston's Art Store. I still haven't touched them with paint. I have lots of ideas, but little time.

Business cards

When I visited the downtown Christmas Open House last week I delivered a new business card to one of the shops whose owner had requested them. In another I picked up a great graphic card of another artist. Love it! The two cards are pictured here.

Late to my own birthday party

My family had a surprise birthday party for me last Sunday - the day before my birthday. I was two hours late. It WAS a surprise, after all, and that proved it! I got some sweet gifts, and even sweeter cards. Two had sentiments that almost made me cry, and many were very funny. I also received many cards from calligraphy friends with whom I'm in a birthday card exchange. Talented people! All the cards were handmade and each very different from the other. I will post photos later.

Last Saturday I went to a Tea Party/Christmas sale with my very excellent friend Doris. I bought a couple of pieces of blue glass for my collection, but mostly just enjoyed spending time with her. She'd taken me to lunch at Panera Bread for my birthday and we'd shopped for a bit at Hobby Lobby. Doing things I like to do with a very good friend...good times.

On Monday two work friends took me to lunch. It was a very good break in what was to be a hard week...so hard that I left early today to keep my sanity. I also got flowers at work...a pretty little fall arrangement that I meant to bring home today. I hope they're still alive on Monday. Another friend and I went to lunch on Tuesday for his birthday. I found a new lunch spot that is very good!

My 16 year old niece had knee surgery Wednesday due to a sports injury. I will visit her this weekend. A good friend's mother died yesterday, so that is on my mind too. My elderly aunt left for FL and I am worried about her safety there on her own this winter. She was argumentative when we spoke Sunday night. My husband was right when he called me 'stubborn'. It runs deep in my family. Aunt Chris is the worst! I guess that's how she's lived so long and so well.

Last night I met Doris again, in downtown Jeff, for an arty Christmas shopping downtown open house. All the little stores were decorated and festive and all also provided refreshments. I bought hot pepper raspberry preserves and gleaned the recipe for one artist's curry cream cheese. It will be a great party hors-doeuvres. I also bought some cool cards that will be fun to send. I left after visiting only a few shops...just too tired from a long, rough day to stay out any later.

Tomorrow I will go to yet another Open House. This one at the art store where I used to teach calligraphy, collage and card design. They are having a special discount tomorrow so I plan to buy some new canvases. I'm not doing art shows any more, but I still have the urge to create and want to paint some new art for my home. Once again, it will be fun to spend the afternoon with Diana. We always laugh a lot and I need her brand of levity in my life.

The image with this post is of a small abstracted cityscape I did last fall. There is a bit of texture in it that doesn't show up, and the camera flash has put a little glare on it. The wall is pale yellow, but looks more beige here, so the painting is slightly yellower too, I think. I painted two of these (similar, not exact) - one to sell and one to keep. The other did sell, and I'm glad I kept this one.

Goodbye, Savannah

I visited Savannah last week - sadly, probably for the last time. Co-worker Barry takes over my Georgia accounts and I introduced him to the client near there. We did have time to see some of the sights and eat a couple of nice meals. My birthday is Monday and his is Tuesday, so maybe that's why we made compatible travel partners.

One picture above is the exterior of The Lady and Sons restaurant...a de riguer stop for many who visit Savannah. We did manage to book dinner there and weren't disappointed. The cornucopia salad is a meal on its own. Another photo is of a small part of the third seating for lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse. It's open for lunch only and cash only. Seating and service is family style...ten people, many strangers, around a table covered with at least 18 different dishes of the most exquisite Southern cooking since Grandma's. At our table were a couple from Rhode Island and a family from California. We all agreed it was worth the wait. We had to take our plates to the kitchen sink on the way out - but we didn't have to wash them. Even so, I liked it better than Paula Deen's restaurant, but at Paula's our waitress, Taylor, and other guests sang Happy Birthday to Barry and me. (Barry was enamored of another waitress who reminded him of a glasses-less and younger Sarah Palin. She was also much younger and very cute.) We were told that lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' is listed as one of the 1001 things to do before you die. Well, we've done it; I hope I get to do it again. Yum, yum!

We met the Turners one night, a Welsh couple who had spent several years in Louisville. They now live in Savannah. Barry collects toasts, and they gave us "Iechyd Da" - pronounced Yahky Dah. It means 'good health'. We also 'met' an angry audio crossing guard. It said "Wait!" over and over again in a very rude voice. The same night we met the beauteous Mary Kate, a sweet young barrista at Kevin's Pub. Barry was in love. Unfortunately my photos in the pub were dark and blurry.

Another photo is a glimpse inside a gated courtyard, and another a magnificent fountain. I was asked to take a photo of a young couple by the fountain. I think it turned out great...they were a beautiful couple, and the fountain is magnificent. It's so nice to have such wonderful public art. I could have shot photos all day long. There was no lack of memorable sights.
There's a photo from near Vidalia, Georgia of Barry picking cotton...something he's always had an urge to do. Yes, he knows it's not fun to really pick cotton from the bolls, but picking a couple of sprigs was. I've also posted some photos of typical homes in the Historic district. We walked for miles before we had to go catch our plane for home. Savannah is a marvelous walking city. Many wonderful shops, and always a visual (not to mention gastronomic) feast.

I love flowers!

Bought these at the grocery tonight. There wasn't enough in the bunch to fill out the vase, so I went to my backyard for filler. Don't the yellow-speckled leaves add just the right touch!

Bits and Pieces

On my way home from work last night I remembered that it was the last day of the Five from Four exhibit. As luck would have it, the Second Street bridge was backed up so it was a second reason to detour and go to the Cressman Center to see Steve and Laurie's exhibit one more time. I arrived just before the gallery closed and was fortunate to have the gallery to myself for contemplative study of each piece. Loved the textures Laurie Doctor incorporated into her large canvases. Textural painting is one of my favorite means of expression, and she does it so well. She also used "Moon Lettering" - which I'm not sure if it is her own creation or if it's based on a font. Very graphic, and she used it - and other styles - upside down, backwards, etc. to great effect. Steve Skaggs used variations of color in his all-one-format pieces. They were rectangular pieces on paper, heavily coated with a clear medium for both sheen and protection, mounted on black in open black wood frames with no glass. Very beautiful...layered passages of lettering in many different styles. The three other artists of the 'five' (from four countries) also had good work - every one in a very different style. It is a wonderful showcase of lettering as art. Laurie's sketchbook journals are so intriguing...snippets of her life and glimpses into her deep range of talents. It was a nice way to end a busy work week. Bonus...by the time I left the gallery, the bridge traffic had cleared away and it was smooth driving all the way home. Serendipity.

I snapped a few shots from the car on my drive home. The view from Main Street west, a view of the old bridge architecture (I remember even as a kid I was fascinated by its symmetry and geometry), and in Jeffersonville a One Way street sign by a fire escape that I thought was an interesting juxtaposition. I also snapped my new piece of art by Susannah Hebert - a glass and copper sunshine. Because I currently have it in my family room/studio rather than in the garden where it will have summer residence, the lovely etched lettering on the sun's face doesn't show up. I finished painting my family room yellow last weekend. I'm glad I bought the Jiffy Steamer to help with the removal of the tacky old wallpaper!

I travel to Savannah and Vidalia GA three days next week. This is my last trip to this client as I am handing it over to a co-worker on this visit. Would love to take this opportunity to visit my aunt and cousins on St. Simon's Island again, but there is never enough time to do all I want to do. I will definitely take my camera though and try to get some good photos of memorable Savannah!

This and That - Travel and Politics

I spent last week 'on the road'. Once again, I was far too busy to take any photos, though I had my trusty camera at my side. On the highway from Hattiesburg to Clinton, MS I saw several picturesque truck farmers with truck beds full of yams. It must be sweet potato season in Mississippi. I really wished I wasn't driving and had had the time to stop to snap the extra large African American farmer in straw hat with the yams neatly arranged in evenly sized stacks on his truck bed. He looked like a vanishing bit of Americana.

My trips were all excellent. I like weeks like that. They're hard in that I have to be away from home and my family and my art. I haven't picked up a calligraphy pen or a paintbrush in weeks! The hours are long on the road, but there is something very satisfying in knowing I am helping my clients...and I like them so much! Almost all of my clients are wonderful, kind, generous-hearted people whom it is good to be near. I want to help them succeed. It is good to be part of something bigger than myself.

I meet such interesting people on my flights sometimes! A little bonus in my life. They are transient companions. I will likely never see them again, but we are all on this planet (or sharing the same air) together and for the hour or so of our time in the sky together we connect. Funny thing happened this trip. I found out that a man in Mississippi whom I share conversation and trips to a coffee shop with actually knows a lovely Louisville couple (The Dehoneys) whom I met on a flight about a year ago. You never know. I'm glad my mother taught me to be nice.

Speaking of my mother...she is so funny! And she is surprisingly political this year. She said to my sister and her friends Saturday night after a party, "If I voted for Bush, I'm sorry." I love her! I was very young, but I remember my first taste of politics. My dad threw my "I like Ike" button into the backyard. Mom was wholeheartedly for Eisenhower and Daddy was steadfastly for Stevenson. I don't remember where I got the button...Mom? A neighbor? No idea. I looked for it for a long time.

And now I have to tell what my good friend's 4 year old granddaughter said of Sarah Palin. Yes, she knew who she was, she said. "She's the only woman who is voting for McCain." Had to laugh out loud when I heard that one!

I voted today. I'll be traveling on election day. The courthouse was VERY crowded! I've never seen so much early voting going on! I had to wait an hour. Courthouse workers told me it's been like that every day.

Old Bikers, lovely home and fab exhibit (The old, the older and the new)

I was browsing some of my photos today and found this one of three old bikers taken last Spring in Paducah, KY. I remembered how delighted I was to see the juxtaposition of old versus new and back to old again. The three old gents obviously had different ideas of 'biking'.

I also found a photo of the Latimer House where I will spend a night later this week when I am in Mississippi. Built in 1895, it is a late-Victorian beauty inside and out.

Yesterday my friend Diana and I visited a wonderful exhibit in Corydon, IN where one of our friends was a featured artist. We each purchased wonderful works of art by Susannah Hebert. Mine is a yellow glass and copper garden sunshine with a beautiful quote sandblasted into the sun's 'face'. Diana bought a fun piece to hang on her new studio's front porch. It will definitely be a conversation piece. The real stunner of the day was Susannah's glass, metal, rock, wire and bead tree. A true work of art, that can never be duplicated. Susannah's sister and friends all had intriguing art pieces, so Diana and I were very happy that we went. Actually, I had to go to pick up my sunshine...Diana's purchase was unplanned and a bonus for Susannah. Susannah and Diana are pictured above, as are the tree and a detail of the tree's trunk.

Charleston - or Chawlston - great any way you say it

I returned Sunday from a weekend trip to Charleston, SC, one of the most lovely cities in America. A co-worker and I were on a business trip all day Friday and Saturday, but managed to take an hour to shop near the Market and found a fabulous little place, Harriet's Boutique, where we bought some cool jewelry. (Three Christmas presents purchased, plus a few cool pieces for myself!) We bought shawls in the Market and ate at two wondrous restaurants. In Charleston we ate at 82 Queen. Creamy grits to die for! On Saturday night we were treated to dinner at Oscar's in Summerville. I nearly licked my plate, the tenderloin was so delicious with its Jack Daniels sauce and mango chutney. Yum, yum! Once again, no time for photos, though Charleston is quite the photographer's dream. I have many shots from previous trips, and will make sure to get the camera out on subsequent visits.

My step-mother-in-law's many illnesses finally took her today...just as family had begun looking for a nursing home. My sympathy to her children and grandchildren.

Watched the debate with interest tonight. Good job on both sides, though my mind has not been changed. I don't like whining and meanness. I felt Hillary was intelligent and gracious tonight in her interview.

Louisville Art Weekend Extraordinaire

This past weekend was great for art lovers in Louisville. I left work on Friday to attend the opening reception of Five from Four - an art exhibit of the work of five calligraphic artists from four countries. Steve Skaggs and Laurie Doctor of Louisville invited three friends from around the globe to participate in this exhibit. Almost all of the work was created in 2008 just for the exhibit. Great stuff! Great too to see Laurie and Steve again.

The annual St. James Court Art Show was also this weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was great to see old friends, BJ McHugh, Ann and Tom Ebendorf, Cheryl Brady and others from my own art show days. I did my part for the economy buying several pairs of earrings from artists around the country. I bought a pair for my niece's birthday, but also bought several for myself. I resisted spending $500 for a glass necklace. It was so funky and cool, but easily resistable at that price. These images are of glass pieces from the show and of houses from the beautiful old Louisville neighborhood.

Saturday was also my niece's 19th birthday. Dinner that night at the Bristol was very disappointing. It's the second or third time we've tried the new Jeffersonville location, but I think it will also be the last. Extremely terrible service (like NONE!) and food that was not worth the wait - or the price. Ice cream cake at her house afterward and watching old home movies was a fun way to close out the day, however.

Oh yes...I also got my flu shot. My sister came prepared. Her business, Health Services of Kentucky is going strong at this time of year protecting citizens from the flu virus. I'm glad to have mine. Thanks, Marcia!

parts is parts

Parts is parts they say...here's the hair...it will grow.

No new photos - what happened?

No new photos. I didn't even get my camera out on my trip this week to Missouri and Nebraska. The weather was wonderful, the work was hard. Three of us drove to MO and spent a day with a client. Two of us flew on to NE and spent a longer day with another client. Had to get up at 3:30AM Friday to drive to Omaha and fly home. Great weather, good people, good flights. No time for fun or photography. Today was spent catching up and actually working. It kept my mind off of heartbreaking family news. Tomorrow will NOT be spent on work! Maybe I'll get back to some painting. And maybe soon I'll have a new photo. --But NOT a photo of me with my new haircut! Sweet Celeste thought it would be fun to give me a VERY short 'do'. I fear that I am not young enough or pretty enough anymore to carry off this look, though it garnered many compliments. Hair grows quickly. It will soon look perfect.

Artistic wisdom and Ike's trickery

On Sunday afternoon the Ohio River Valley witnessed a bit of Ike's strength. With some gusts as high as 90 mph and some sustained winds of 50-60 mph, much of this area was left without power. More than 100,000 homes remain without power tonight (Thursday.) Fortunately, my home was nearly unaffected, and I put out the call to family members & friends to come stay with me. One small oddity of the wind is evidenced in the photo of my three sunshine plaques on the fence in my backyard. Two of the three flipped around. I'm surprised (and happy) that they didn't fall off, but am fairly flabbergasted that they could flip around instead.

The second photo is from my trip to Paducah last week. Scratched into the concrete walk in front of one gallery was this appropriate quote - art does not have to match your couch!

Flirtie Gertie

The brace is off my hand and it feels good! I'm traveling again quite a bit for work. Last week in MS and TN, next week in MO and NE. Have recently been in NC and SC as well, and October brings a return to SC and MS, among others.

I am working on a surprise Christmas gift for someone...actually three someones. I hope they turn out. If they do, I will share on the blog for sure. So far, so good. It's exciting! (But there's a long way to go.)

Last week I spent time at Donna's house, and she is doing fantastic new (art) work! We went to Paducah's Lowertown, but the most fun was visiting the Papa gallery, where she may soon display her own work. The people there were great. I wish we had something like it here. I stayed with Donna's lovely and so hospitable mother...thanks, Jean!

The image I'm sharing is from a store window. Wouldn't Flirtie Gertie make a great greeting card!

Broken hand, art and calligraphy

I fell. Face first and full length. On 4th Avenue (main downtown street in Louisville) during busy lunch hour. I hurt. All over. Two + weeks ago.

Lucky for me the upper body landed in the dirt and mulch around a small tree. When I was able to get up I was covered in same, and spat out mulch. Head to waist in the dirt. Remainder on concrete. Blessing number one: had my head landed on concrete, I'd have been spitting teeth. Blessing number two: a year ago the 'mulch' around the trees on 4th Avenue was less mulch than manure. I do count my blessings.

Bad for me was that the broken bone (two places) in my right hand was not diagnosed by x-rays. I knew it was too swollen for too long and too painful, so had an MRI, which did show the breaks. No surgery required, and since so much time has elapsed, no cast. I'd asked for my fingers to remain free so I could type. It's not displaced. I am wearing a brace which I can take off to shower - and which I took off in the weekend workshop I took just long enough to do the sink art...inked letters on good paper, washed off with water. Brace back on for the dryer parts of the work...embellishing the marbled-looking backgrounds created under the running water. I have about a half dozen or more to work on when my hand heals. I got great results with Moon Palace Sumi ink on cold press watercolor paper. Yummy marbling, many shades of gray. I will post some in the next week or so.

Good friend Kathy LaPorte hosted Diana Hutchison and me for the weekend. We enjoyed a visit to Randy and Jacquie Banks's house Saturday night and loved seeing old friends Barb Beattie, Erika Woods, Susannah Hebert (from whom I am splurging & buying a spectacular glass garden sculpture) and newer Calligraphy Guild of Indiana friends too.

The photo is a mock up of me working on one of the pieces I began in the workshop. No sink art in this one...just Dick Beasley-inspired lettering & design. Remember. Not my best work. I fell. Broke my hand. Still hurts. Didn't cry. (Did whine a bit.) And so on.

Miss T (for Trouble)

Miss T came into my life for only a few days. She showed up hungry and skinny one stormy night. She stayed in my garage at nights and in my backyard garden in the daytime. She made herself quite at home and chased the birds and squirrels away. This was now HER domain! Unfortunately, though I had fallen in love with her sweet face and silky fur and enjoyed playing with her...I am allergic and had to find a different home for her. Yesterday, regretfully, she was given to the friend of a neighbor. She'll be living on a farm in New Haven, KY as an indoor pet. My loss, their gain. I miss her - but Nutsy the squirrel is glad she's gone.

Badminton, anyone?

On Thursday I took a two hour lunch break while waiting for my Southwest flight back to Louisville from Kansas City. I visited The Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art - an absolutely fantastic place in the heartland of the country. I saw the special exhibits which included 30 years of printmaking and "Sparks" - almost unremarkable except for a DuChamp assemblage but especially because of a 'quilt' made of liquor caps and labels, sewn together with copper wire. Absolutely phenomenal! In the sculpture garden is this pair of shuttlecocks...probably 12 - 18 feet tall. Got your racket? I used to know a man who was a badminton champion...he should see these. I also viewed the European galleries on the second floor. Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Pissaro, Seurat, Gauguin, Cezanne, Caravaggio - and many other favorites had works housed there. In the lower level were more modern pieces by Rauschenburg, de Kooning, Warhol, Calder, Pollock, Johns, etcetera...good stuff! I saved the third floor for a later visit. I had a plane to catch!

Weekend Warriors

I packed a lot into this weekend. My good friend Diana, recently back from wintering in Florida, came over on Saturday morning and we played. The watercolor "Red Hot Chilis" is a result. She'd done a similar (better) one in Florida and showed me how. Fun! I'll need a bit of practice to be as skilled with the medium as she is, but it was fun to do nonetheless.

This morning after church I sat in my garden watching the birds and the 'pet' squirrel, Nutsy. They did not disappoint. See the photo "Fighting Finches". I had my camera on high speed and was fortunate to catch them as they territorially scrapped over the fountain. Two other weekend warriors. This evening I am fine tuning a logo design that's dragged on for too long. I am almost pleased with it now...just fine tuning one letter in the second word. I'll share it soon.

I also wanted to share with Katherine Malmsten my tiny accordion book. I made the clay cover years ago when I took her clay workshop. She asked if that means that in a few years I'll do something with the ruling pen...hmmm, touché, my friend. I wrote an article - published in the Pendragons newsletter in May 2008 - about her ruling pen workshop earlier this year.

Party Time

It's been party-time here since late June. One niece turned 16 on June 22nd...party! All that driving I did with her will soon put her on the roads alone (if she can afford the gas!) Another niece turned 17 on the fourth of July - Miss Firecracker! A rain-soaked fireworks, but fun anyway. Yesterday a friend had a holiday party. Lots of fun and dancing and bean-bag tossing...harder than it looks.
I did finish a small book last week. I will post a photo soon. Travel will resume in a week.

The Artists Were IN

The Artists were IN this weekend! We took some photos after Friday night's dinner slightly off downtown in Louisville. The excursion helped us walk the wine off, and also made for some interesting photos. "IN" is one of them. Saturday afternoon we painted and grilled out on my new grill. Later, I sliced my hand apart while drying a sharp knife. Yeeeouch!!! Painful & not a pretty sight, but thankfully, it isn't my 'painting hand'.I painted a tiny still life last night while Donna worked on final touches on her two DJ Pettitt workshop paintings. Donna headed home early and I finished a second still life tonight. It's fun to feel the creativity again. Yes...the artists were in!

Lucky Me!

Today is Friday the thirteenth, but I'm feeling LUcKy! My good friend Donna is coming for a second weekend in a row. Tonight we're going to Artemesia for dinner and jazz, and tomorrow we will play with art stuff and shop at the fabric store. Maybe I'll have some new artwork to share by Sunday. (I took the photo of 4 leaf clovers in my backyard, where I can almost always find several of them.

There's a Man in My Makeup!

The other morning as I was putting on my makeup before work, I saw this man's face staring at me from the lid of my Bare Esscentuals eye liner jar. Nope...it was one day only. He hasn't been back.

Katherine Malmsten & D.J. Pettitt workshops

I'm coming back to my art, and I like it. Earlier this year my friend Kathy LaPorte and I drove to Kalamazoo, MI for a calligraphy workshop with another friend, Katherine Malmsten, a master of the ruling pen. We had a great time! Last weekend my friend Donna Hacker came up to stay with me and to attend the DJ Pettitt workshop in New Albany, IN.

DJ's ladies' faces are a signature style. I didn't want to copy and originally planned to paint something else. I'm glad I changed my mind. I learned a lot by sticking with the program and painting what everyone else was painting. Though we all (15 of us!) started with the same basic patterns, each of the finished pieces had the artists' individual flair. My Blue Lady is above in two phases of production...most everyone used earthtones. The other photo is of my friend Donna holding her near self-portrait with her Corgi pup Gwynneth.