Potpourri

It's Friday and it's Potpourri time with a little Journal Friday
and a book review thrown in.
This is the By The Sea page I've been working on from Pam's class.
I've added the words.

The words will be familiar to some of you *wise* folks.
I took the chorus from "By The Beautiful Sea" to journal.
(Words by Harold Atteridge in 1914)
In many ways I'm not happy with the page,
however, it makes me smile so not all is bad.

I finished reading The Celtic Riddle: An Archaeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton. I have a good friend in California who I call my Saurian Sister. We both were book pages on AOL back when chat rooms were just getting started (Lzrd and Dragn) and we've stayed friends through the years. She sent me a box of books with other goodies for my birthday. This is one of the books she sent along with several more Archaeological Mysteries by Canadian, Lyn Hamilton.

Lara McClintoch is the co-owner of a Toronto antiques store. Her travels take her all over the world. In The Celtic Riddle, Lara accompanies her employee, Alex, to County Kerry, Ireland for the reading of an old friend's will. Eamon Byrne left each of his quarreling heirs a clue - a piece of a puzzle that would lead to a mysterious treasure - but the family would have to work together to find the treasure and that's not likely with this group! An ancient Celtic poem serves as the key. Lara and Alex are fascinated by the intricate riddle and come closer and closer to the secret. Murder and mayhem and long lost treasure. Sounds like the perfect summer read to me!

(Photo by Tommy LaVergne)

Lastly, a snapshot of Rice Owl third baseman Anthony Rendon in action.

He has been named the 2009 Collegiate Baseball National Freshman of the Year.
Owls are off to Baton Rouge to play LSU in the Super-Regionals.
Good luck OWLS!

Wednesday Morning

I couldn't resist!
See more LOL cats at icanhascheezburger.com.
We are adventuring today.
Enjoy your day.
Joy To You!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... June 1, 2009
The Merry Month of May is over!

Outside my window... the sun is shinning brightly. There’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s going to be hotter than hades today.

I am thinking... how exciting last nights baseball game was. What fun we had. Our section sang Happy Birthday to me and at the end of the inning, after announcing no runs, one hit and no one left on base the announcer said “Happy Birthday Snap”! They certainly didn’t have to do that, but I guess they got into the ‘mood’ since we sit just below the press box! The NCAA can be such a stickler about things during tournament time so we were surprised they said something that wasn’t tournament related! One of our section mates made brownies and I passed them around. I didn't have one until after the game -- too busy chewing Double-Bubble.

I am thankful for...another day on Mother Earth.

From the kitchen...I’m not cooking today! We will use a coupon for lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen. A nice salad is calling my name!

I am wearing... I’ve just returned from the gym and from watering the garden. Grubby best describes red shorts, gray Planet Hollywood Paris t-shirt and tennis shoes.

I am reading... The Celtic Riddle: An Archaeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton one in a box of books sent to me by Saurian (dragon/lizard -- get it?!) sister in California.

I am hoping...our Owls move on to the Super-regionals. It’s fun being “grandparents” to a baseball team!

I am creating... finishing a knit shawl and working on a counted cross-stitch

I am praying... for Anne Marie and Cydney Marie

Around the house...I hear Mr. Dragon mumbling/grumbling about the house taxes.

One of my favorite things...college baseball!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Rice baseball tonight, Astros baseball on Wednesday, work/play in the garden, be crafty/arty

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

(Taylor Wall from the Rice baseball web site.)

To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Camera Critters 60

It's Saturday and it must be Camera Critters time!
Back at the Houston Zoo, I'd like to introduce you to
two Asian Elephants, Mom and Son,
Tess and Tucker.

Tucker wondering around looking for something to get into!

In a year or so, Tucker will have a little brother or sister.

But my real reason for talking about the elephants was to
introduce you to Max, The Elephant Dog.
I think you'll enjoy the video (from the Houston Chronicle) and his story
and you'll see more of the elephants and the new elephant barn.
Enjoy!

Potpourri

It's Friday so it must be Potpourri Time.
I'm starting off with another journal page that I've done
following the process in the Visual Journalism 101 class I'm taking.
I do love the gesso resist.

I've added collage elements to both sides of the page.
Next step is to doodle and journal --
the two hardest parts for me.
I like what I've done so far.

For some reason I haven't been in the paint mood.
I'd rather be knitting or doing cross-stitch.
I've also noticed that my fingers are itching to work with fabric.
Maybe I should listen to my fingers???

I did get some reading done this last week.

I bought Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber at Sam's Club and took it with me to my dental appointment the same day. I read while waiting to have my teeth cleaned. When I got home, I read until I finished the book. This is the latest in Macomber's Blossom Street series. Quoting from the book flap, " Knitting is a lot like life ... dropped stitches and all!"
"Knitting and life. They're both about beginnings - and endings. That's why it makes sense for Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle's Blossom Street, to offer a class called Knit to Quit. It's for people who want to quit something -- or someone! -- and start a new phase of their lives."

I enjoy the setting of a yarn store, although Macomber really doesn't spend much time there. These are nice, cozy romances. The good guys and gals come out winners and the bad guys and gals fade off into the sunset. Some nice, quiet brain candy. And, did I mention, Macomber always includes a knitting pattern?!



The Art Thief by Noah Charney is a book that Mr. Dragon found, read, and then passed it on to me saying "I think you'd enjoy this one. I did." Can't beat a recommendation like that! In The Art Thief, three thefts are simultaneously investigated in three cities, but these apparently isolated crimes have much more in common than anyone imagines. A dizzying array of forgeries, overpaintings, and double-crosses unfolds as the story races through auction houses, museums, and private galleries. My favorite character is a minor one in the novel, Professor Barrow. I’d love to take an art history course from him. I'm going to "borrow" some of his comments on my next tour!

Some people say a really good author writes about what they know. Charney certainly knows all about art and art theft. He is the founding director of the Association of Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA), the first international think tank on art crime. He holds degrees in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art and Cambridge University, and he divides his time between New Haven, Connecticut; Cambridge, England; and Rome, Italy. The Art Thief is his first novel.