Thursday, February 28, 2013

Aspen Trunks


We passed closely by some aspen groves and I always enjoy the texture of them and the pattern they make.  In some respects they are more interesting with the addition of sunshine which adds some shadow and dimension but the sun must have been visiting Arizona.  I was happy to be able to just keep moving forward.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Lone Tree




Although we traveled through quite a bit of national forest land where there were lots of trees (immensely beautiful in the fall when the foliage changes to brilliant yellow) there are sometimes trees standing by themselves.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Road Closed



Fortunately this red and white "road closed" arm did not block our way as we traveled last week.  But it's also reassuring to know that if conditions are bad enough, traffic can be stopped both directions at two different locations which keeps us all safe.  Of course, I'd like to believe that we are cognizant of weather conditions before before we leave home and will cancel if those conditions warrant.  But, on the other hand, sometimes those storms move in pretty quickly.  From this location it's a rather good climb in altitude before dropping down again and the snow is usually thicker in the higher altitudes.  It's good to know that someone is looking after me and preventing bad situations.  

Monday, February 25, 2013


This photos shows a small portion of the 17,000 acreage owned by Ralph Lauren located between Ridgway and Telluride.  He named it the Double RL Ranch and because a road for national forest access goes through the property, the public can travel through.  In the summer months this portion of the ranch is usually occupied by a herd of cattle.  How often do you suppose Mr. Lauren is actually on this property?!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Tile Card

Look, look, look.  Can you believe it? I actually had some time in my studio today and managed to complete a few cards.

This one is thanks to Alison as it is one of the techniques she presented at stamp club this week.  Cardstock was scored before the image was stamped.  I added color using Distress Inks and then added two layers of clear embossing power which further enhanced the tile look.

I added a gold charm heart and key and gold cord tied into a bow.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Snowy Drive


We traveled south to attend a memorial service this week and drove into a snowstorm.   I wasn't driving so was free to do some "drive-by shooting."  These fenced trees were just past the turnoff to Telluride ski area.  I took the photo because I was inspired by the contrast and lines.

Although the roads became snowpacked and not always sanded, we moved along and enjoyed the trip.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Ladies Time


As a Christmas gift, I planned for myself, my daughter and my granddaughter to each create a necklace.  I wrapped up a kit containing some chain, beads, charms, etc. and also indicated that the gift included a shopping trip so they could pick out other things they wanted to include in their necklace.  Since our "Christmas" trip was cancelled, the gift wasn't opened until early February when we were finally able to be together.

The shopping was fun and they added mostly charms to the collection.  We set aside an evening where we all worked on our projects and we made good progress.  However, it was difficult to schedule another time when we were all available so they were completed individually but they were all done before I had to return home.

Each necklace was unique and personal and very different from the others and it was a fun ladies event.  This is mine.  My necklace is shown.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Unusual


I've visited quite a number of cities all over the world but this was the first time I saw a window dressing that carried outside the window.  We were across the street from this display so didn't see close up how it was accomplished but it was quite impressive.  Unique indeed.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Winter Confusion


Because we've experienced such very cold weather in Grand Junction, it's a bit of a shock to see flowers in bloom in February.  But this photo was in the Portland OR area where there is something blooming every month of the year.  It's very refreshing and offers some hope that the cold can't last forever.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Secret Word Is "Olive"





Olive, you say.  Yes indeed.  This great variety was found at Zupans in Lake Oswego OR.  I count 16 although there's one artichoke bin stuck in there.  I love olives - must be my Italian heritabe - but try to eat them in moderation.   That leaves more room for cheese!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Charonge




I haven't had time for my stamping therapy so I've had to resort to drinking.  Just kidding!  I rarely have alcoholic beverage and a liquor store would go out of business if they were dependent on my purchases.  But every now and then something comes along that gets my attention and this bottle of Charonge was one of them.  I took the description right from the bottle so you can see what enticed me.  It's quite good straight from the bottle chilled, but I liked it even better with the addition of a little orange juice and then I could also count it as one of my daily servings of fruit.  Joke!  The store display said it could also be used for making sangria.  I'm beginning to think I should have bought several bottles!  I found it at Whole Foods, one of the benefits of visiting a city.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Bookcliffs Closer To Home


These Bookcliffs are just west of Grand Junction but further away from the interstate than those I featured yesterday.  These are more thoroughly covered with snow and I found it interesting that you couldn't tell where the mountains ended and the clouds began.  The weatherman says that may be the last of our snow this year and while that sounds good in one sense, we surely need more moisture than what we've received so far this winter.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Bookcliffs


There's an unusual plateau to the north and west of Grand Junction generally called the Bookcliffs.  There are a series of mountains with a flat top and it's the only range in the Rockies that extends east and west.  They are especially pretty when covered with light snow which defines the slopes.  This photo was taken to the west of us in Utah on Monday.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Movie Night



We had a movie night while visiting our daughter and her family.  I was in charge of "supper" for the evening and this was my choice - popcorn, good cheese and crackers, salami, apple slices and grapes, stuffed celery, radishes and deviled eggs.  My favorite snack foods.  Not shown are some cream puffs that I made.
If you haven't seen Here Comes The Boom, I recommend it for some light-hearted watching.  A high school biology teacher looks to be a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise funds to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his fund-strapped school.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentines Day

I'm a little behind but wanted to wish my visitors a Happy Valentines Day!  I hope your day is lovely and filled with sweet surprises.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

You Might Not Know You're In Farm Country When. . .


. . . all you see is trees.  It appears to be a forest but when you look closely, the trees are growing in straight lines - not at all like the typical forest.  These trees are planted and harvested for the pulp needed in papermaking.  Yep, that's farm country!

Disclaimer of sorts - The photos in this series are "drive by shooting," meaning I took all of them from a moving car.  The quality may not be the best but it's as good as I was able to do.  They were taken on my iPhone and processed in iPhoto as I didn't have access to Photoshop Elements.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

You KNOW You're In Farm Country When . . .



. . . you see the distinct irrigation equipment.  Seen at just the right angle it looks like some prehistoric dinosaur.  It seems to be a great solution for getting the water to the crop.  I don't want to imagine where we'd be without irrigation systems.

Monday, February 11, 2013

You KNOW You're In Farm Country. . .




. . . when you see the distinct  shape of the barns.  Some are old and some are new but they are all distinct and have character.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

I'm Not Sure . . . .



. . . . whether most would consider the harvesting of wind to be "farming" but I thought it might qualify.  The turbines weren't moving a bit this time which is very usual.



I know there is controversy regarding wind turbines but I think its a a smart concept and I find a beauty in a collection of them.  They are a bit like a forest - without the greenery.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

You Aren't So Sure It's Farm Country . . .


. . . when it's power that is being harvested but it's wise use of the power of water and we certainly benefit from the crop that is produced.

Friday, February 8, 2013

You KNOW You're In Farm Country When . . .


. . . a major beer company has a storage silo for the grain. . .



. . . or there are huge wheat silos for selling grain at the highest price for the farmer.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

You KNOW You're in Farm Country When . . .


. . . you see large loads of animal feed OR . . .

. . . processing plants that use a whole bunch of animal product (in this case milk for making cheese).  
Note:  We passed by the Jerome Cheese Company many times and I always wondered what type of cheese they produced.  We finally called them as we passed by and it's a processed cheese.  Seems to me that hardly counts as cheese and I thought it terribly unfair to the cows.  Maybe I'm a cheese snob.



Wednesday, February 6, 2013

You KNOW You're In Farm Country When . . .


. . . you see cattle in a feed lot, sometimes lots and lots of cattle . . .




or when you see cattle roaming in a smaller space (which looks a lot more comfortable and free).

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

You KNOW You're In Farm Country When...


...you see horses running free on large sections of land . . .





. . . or maybe the horses are still because they are occupied with eating.






Monday, February 4, 2013

City Lunch


Lunch at Sushiville in Tualatin OR was a treat and especially because the food is really good and there's no similar establishment in Grand Junction.  Just watch what moves along on the belt and grab the items you prefer.  Or you can be like one member of the group and special order.  Plates are color-coded to indicate the price of the item.  At the end of the meal the waitress counts up the various numbers of each color and provides the total for payment.  Very efficient and charming.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Happy 9th Birthday!



I was thankful to have my cutter when I suddenly realized I hadn't made a card for our granddaughter's birthday which is coming up soon.  The number background is a Shilhouette cut file which I cut from patterned paper.  I didn't have time to figure out how to isolate the 9 to cut it separately (I'm sure that's possible!) so I traced it and cut it by hand.  It's all sparkly which doesn't show well in the photo.  I adhered the cut background to black cardstock with a punched border and added satin ribbon.  The flag was stamped and hand cut.  I bet the planned laser tag party will be great fun for the party guests as well as the birthday girl.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

One More Trading Card






This is the third and last variation of this series of trading cards.  The primary difference with this one is the offset matt.  The cute heart trim is something I purchased by the yard and had in my stash.  It's all satin and shiny and adds a nice touch that doesn't fully show in the photo.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Gotta Love The Negative



We most always use the positive shape from the electronic cutters, punches and die cuts.  But every now and then I take a look at the "leftover" piece and see some possibilities.  The black background on this artist trading card had some nice swirls going on and I liked the curve it had so I put it to use.  The heart is the traditional positive cut and the small white heart is punched.  Simple but effective.