Louisville at Derby-time

Well, chalk up an exciting Derby for 2009! Who ever heard of Mine That Bird? Thorobred horses are often named with nods to their sires and mares, and this one is no different. His sire was Birdstone, and his mother was Mining My Own. Someone turned that into Mine That Bird. The winning jockey, Calvin Borel, made everyone happy about the win. His excitement was infectious - in a much better way than the swine flu. Those who had bets on the horse were even happier, because the payoff was over $100 for a two dollar bet! Churchill Downs' track is seldom muddy. It doesn't hold water. At least that's what they always say. Today proved that wrong. Heavy rains early and no sunshine to dry it out left the track sloppy today. All horses, whether black, grey or roan looked taupe at the end of the races - and so did the jockeys!

I watched from home, celebrating Steve's birthday doing what he wanted to do. Omelettes for breakfast, T-bones for dinner, chocolate birthday cake, and watching the horses run on my big screen.

I've been doing some art lately. We went to Cherokee Triangle Art Fair last weekend - saw some old art show friends and met an artist I've corresponded with but had never met. Good day - and hot for April! I'm glad I didn't do the show, but I'm glad we went. People were reporting good sales, but I didn't see many people walking around with purchases unless you count beverages. We did our share. Steve bought me a pair of earrings. I took some photos including the ones here of street musicians and green-spiked hair guy, the rooftop (spied while walking to my car afterward) and the little girl painting (a Derby chapeau.)

I also went to a Derby Festival event - the balloon glimmer. Hot air balloons lit up and aired up along the riverfront. Music, chow wagon food, friendship...good night. Photos of balloons against the city backdrop and the river and the menacing looking 'policeman'.

Two Rough Weeks Come to an End

Friends and I went out after work last Friday night and saw a fun side of Louisville. A light dinner at Carly Rae's began a great night of talking and fun - even a bit of singing by my friends. A relaxing end to a very rough couple of weeks. I enjoyed my friends' company very much. Friends can definitely make bad days better.

Good friend Diana is home from Florida until Spring break when she will take her grandson back to FL for the week. Hopefully we will get together before she goes back. She described her new art studio and it's drool-inducing. I can hardly wait until I can see it and the new work she will produce.

I haven't done a lot of art lately, but did those tiny love quotes in little golden frames and a large piece for a friend - the Credo in Romanian. It turned out pretty well. I did three full-sized versions and gave her two of them - the first one had spelling errors...sorry, but I am not used to three "i"s in a row. The detail photo above is pretty close to life size. These were LARGE pieces.

I have not returned to the portrait of my niece - finished until I decided the skin tone wasn't right. She's much more peaches and cream than I had her pretty face. She saw it and loved it though, so I do need to complete it. And, as I predicted, she has totally changed her 'look' since I started it. Her hair is more her natural blonde again instead of the dark color she had in it May when I took the photo I based it on. The image posted here is after I'd 'undone' her highlights and shadows, so it needs some real fine-tuning as well as a lightening of the whole face and neck. It's not going to be easy. It's my first portrait - not quite ready. It was supposed to be her Christmas gift. It's a good thing she liked her jewelry armoire. Maybe I'll have this finished for her July 4th birthday!

This weekend I may try to do a few small quotations for an art show I may do late this summer. Mostly, however, I have to prepare to be away from home for a solid week, when I'll be traveling in MO and Kansas. Charleston will be the destination the following week for a couple of days. Too much to do. Have to check the weather and plan my travel wardrobe. The internet is such a help!

I began a painting recently - all pink! - for a friend who saw one in Savannah that he loved (I didn't.) I thought I'd try to make him something in that vein, but I hate it so much that I'm having trouble with it. Moral of this story - stay true to yourself...your art should be your own, not a flimsy representation of someone else's. I predict that unless the muse rests solidly upon my shoulders, this pink will be painted over.


Thank you Purple Pixie Sue - for nominating me for a blog award! I am not worthy, but I appreciate you so much!

What I Did Yesterday - thoughts of love and valentines

Here are six little pieces I made yesterday for Valentines Day. Pressurized Romans in pencil on saran-wrap backgrounds in mini frames. Frame openings are only 1 1/4" x 1 1/2". These are for a small art show later this week. My part will be VERY small. No time to do more than these, and I have no more frames. They'll make nice valentines.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

This area was hit by a powerful ice storm with many power outages this week. We did a happy dance when power came back on at my house last night. THANKS, Duke Energy workers!

Catching up with several photos here. One is of ornaments I painted for Christmas gifts. Not as easy as I'd thought it would be! One is of sweet and special niece Celeste with her beau Irvin on Christmas day. Two more are of dancers at Rob and Laura's New Year's Eve party...I didn't ask permission, so am only using un-recognizable photos. What a fun night! Laura's friend later posted a clip of Laura singing Autumn Leaves to You Tube...Google that (Laura Dorman + Autumn Leaves should do it.) Fabulous!!!! Other photos are of my room on recent travels - quite lovely. This one was a gem of a place with only three guest rooms in Ripley, MS - Inn on the Square. And one is of tree limbs downed by ice in Mom's front yard. This is actually a very minor scene in Kentuckiana. Damage from downed trees and power lines was everywhere and lingers several days later.

Have some art to do this weekend to prepare for a mini art show + social event I've been invited to participate in at 21C, a new Louisville hotel. Will post photos of my results later.

Looking forward to SuperBowl Sunday - not for the football, which - alas - I do not understand. Looking forward to spending time with friends, playing games (Cranium, anyone?), and watching those commercials. And the expected thaw! Unfortunately, there is more snow in the future - another storm coming next week.

Ending a bad year starting a hopeful new one

Come on 2009...hope springs eternal.

I went to a wonderful New Year's Eve party - very international, very much fun. Thanks, Laura and Rob! Your friends are so much fun!

I packed up Christmas 2008 New Year's Day and today. On to 2009! I am planning to work on only art I want to do in 2009. Tomorrow I will try to letter Credo in Romanian for Laura. I have four portraits to do - my three nieces and one's boyfriend. That should keep me busy for a long time. Thanks to DJ Pettit I am not too afraid to take on the challenge. The first one I started - Natalie's - looks so exactly like her it's amazing. I had the skin color wrong so it didn't get finished for Christmas, but it will. She looked so pretty on Christmas day - and so different from the photo I took of her in May that I was basing the portrait on - that I see that I may have to do more than one. These girls today are always changing their looks.

The Christmas commission I did was satisfying in the end. The 'commissioner' literally jumped up and down in joy when she saw it. That pretty much made my day. Very sweet.

I finished the Twilight series of books. Number 4 was not very satisfying. It seemed quite contrived. Nonetheless, the series was great and it's still hard for me to believe I became hooked on a vampire series. I studiously avoided Anne Rice's books many years ago. No - I don't believe in vampires. But Twilight made me want to. Crazy - I know.

Celeste saw the Natalie portrait and loved it and is excited that I plan to do hers as well. She cut my hair in a punky-messy way and it looks great. Lots of fun and very easy to keep up.

Happy New Year!

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!