Sometimes You Just Need to Laugh

Some people complain about Pinterest. They concern themselves with copyright violations or someone copying their art or their photos or their whatever...

I personally love it. It is a virtual filing cabinet for me. Back in the day, I would print things I saw and loved. Mostly art quilts. Then I moved to just saving them on my own PC. Now Pinterest saves them for me. If Pinterest went away due to lack of interest would I care? Probably not!

I look at it almost everyday. Sometimes my focus is recipes, sometimes fiber art. On this day, it was the humor that caught my eye and made me LOL. So enjoy a few with me and as always comments are free. 

And then...

Oh my...

Looks like Amsterdam" s idea of a good art gallery.

And finally. what else would you do on a hot day.

You rock for reading and I only hope you were not drinking coffee when reading this.

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

As the story goes...A reluctant centenarian decides it's not too late to start over . . .

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).

It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.

This book made me laugh out loud. At times it seemed like a story that I started and then paused and you picked up the next sequence only to pause again. Just when you think Allan is caught, some hilarious twist shows up and a new path is presented. Death by elephant was perhaps my all time favorite and then I read about how Allan and his friend who made up things in their war on double espionage.  A real treat for some light hearted reading. Give yourself a summer break.

An Urban Conversation

The MIX exhibit for this year is called Urban PDX. After photographing the city, I chose to work with two bridges: the 1930's built St Johns bridge and the newly introduced Tillicum Crossing. Our task was to create one large piece, with dimensions of 30x40 inches in portrait orientation and one piece that is 8x20 Inches.

For the large piece, I knew that I did not want to have a typical colored sky. I love this piece of discharged cloth  that to me resembles a sky at sunset and so the background is whole cloth. I chose to give the St Johns bridge elder statesman status and feature it very boldly. The new younger sister is juxtaposed across. She is created with a contemporary floral and a black and white graphic print. I don't usually put borders on art work but the sunset needed to be reigned in. This piece is named
An Urban Conversation.

For the smaller piece, I stepped out of the box completely. This bridge backdrop was created on my IPad with a photography app that distorted the bridge. It was then taken into Photoshop where the orange colorations were created and grunged. This was printed on my home printer and the black bridge was appliqued on top. I love working this way.

The Margerie Glacier

I am reminded that my word for the year is to stretch, to experience for the first time...

We were in Alaska last week on a cruise ship and spent the day in Glacier Bay National Park. Oh my!
In spite of the grey and rainy weather, these views were spectacular!

Thankful for

Got a tear in my eye...

 

Uptown Funk

Well this one sure is fun!  I am so glad that people have the talent and take the time to do these kinds of creative things. Enjoy the new and old.


 

Edith's

Margarita's

The Stockton's and Millar's

And Mexican coffee. Oh my!

Quivira Golf Club

Golf at Quivira with Rick, Claudia and Bill. The course was short but mighty. Hitting to the side of a hill, or an uphill run, or carrying a rocky ravine all added to the difficulty. If your ball didn't fly well, the views were spectacular as many were set on the edge of the ocean.

We are seen here snacking on sliders and tacos after hole 8. They were waiting for us when we arrived. Such hospitality was so impressive!

A really fun outing.

New 52: Cabo

We flew in today, on February 29, our extra day. The food, colors, flowers, are exquisite. Seems like we are getting an extra vacation day this trip. Yippee!

More  to come but don't you love this graphic. Complements of the Addlib app.

Gracias por mirar!

Coronado Stroll Around

We started on the boardwalk, which overlooks the San Diego harbor. Headed west on Orange Street and walked all the way to the Hotel del Coronado.

Found a nice little restaurant with sea food omelets for a tasty brunch. It was the kind of place that loans fishing poles. Perhaps we could have caught breakfast.

And finished our walk along the harbor, golf course and many lovely homes including this one with a flowering bush above the entry. Not quite 7 miles. My dogs are barking.

New 52 - a Stretching Routine of Sorts

My daughter, Caite, and I decided that we would like to try new recipes this year. Don't you just get so stuck in a food rut. My first attempt was these delicious potato stacks. They are actually quite easy and are a really nice touch instead of baked or even scalloped potatoes with the meat or fish of your choice.

If you have a mandoline for slicing, the potatoes are nicely uniform in slice width. Using the mandoline was new for me also. Just heed the safety guides as I nearly took off the tip of my finger. It's still sore a month later. Here is the recipe link: http://www.recipetineats.com/cheesy-potato-gratin-stacks-muffin-tin/

Enjoy!

Well OK Then...

February 8 and first post of the year...
A new computer and adjusting to Window 10, which is not easy.
Trying to load and work with Photoshop on the Windows 10 platform.
HMM not easy either.

A segue into my word for the year which is drum roll please....

My initial intention was to stretch this aging body on a regular basis as in yoga or some other stretching class. But then I thought, stretching can also be to expand my thinking. I'm going to run with this one.

I love this little flower. It's formal name is Calliandra haematocephala. Easy for you to say. But it is the perfect example of the word "Stretch". It begins life as a little bud that strongly resembles a raspberry. It gradually begins to fatten up and then poof, it throws out all of these thread like petals. 

What's your word for the year?

Gloria!!!!

Take a minute and enjoy this.

You deserve it.

All the World's a Stage

I find these maps quite interesting. A friend sent them by way of her father and then by way of I wish i knew so that I could give proper credit. If you know, do share but for now just enjoy.

This is a very interesting set of maps showing a variety of similarities - and differences -- in the world as we think we know it.

 

1.This map shows the world divided into 7 sections (each with distinct color)     each section containing 1 billion people.   2. This map shows (in white) where 98 percent of Australia 's entire population       lives.   3. It may not come as a surprise but more people live inside the circle than        outside of it.   4. This map shows what is on the other side of the world from where you're       standing.  For the most part it's water.   5. Apparently you can't get Big Macs everywhere.  This map shows (in red)     the countries that have McDonalds.   6. This map shows the countries (in blue) where people drive on the left      side of the road.   7. This map shows countries (in white) that England has never invaded.        There are only 22.  (In the WORLD!)   8. The line on this map shows all of the world's Internet connections in 1969.   9. This map shows the countries that heavily restricted Internet access in 2013.   10. This map shows (in red) countries that were all Communist at one point        in time.   11. This map shows (in red) the countries that don't use the metric system.   12. This map shows (in blue) places where Google street view is available.   13. This map shows (in green) all the landlocked countries of the world.   14. And this is what the world would look like if all the countries with coast        lines sank.   15. This is a map of the all the rivers in the United States .   16. And these are all the rivers that feed into the Mississippi River .     17. This is a map of the highest paid public employees in the U. S.  (Quite        telling as to what our 'priorities' are.)   18. This map shows how much space the United States would occupy on the         moon.

Voices: Amy Purdy

At the age of 19, Amy Purdy contracted Meningococcal meningitus. As a result of this illness, both of her legs were amputated below her knees. This is enough to stop most people but not this young lady. She shared her story with us at Voices. And, it is amazing. She received a bronze medal in the Paralympics in snowboarding and runnerup status on Dancing with the Stars.

What a sense humor. She shared that she could be any height she wants by strapping on taller or shorter legs. She can make good use of shoe sales by varying her feet to fit the shoes.

She talked about wanting to learn to walk gracefully and does she ever.  She recently wrote a book: On My Own Two Feet. 

Do yourself a favor and listen to her here. What a gal!

Day 15: Auschwitz

A very profound experience. The first photo captures the sense of the place. 

The second in memoriam.

Day 14: Krakow

Rick and I in the salt mines. The Last Supper was carved from salt by some of the miners. WOW!

Day 13: Krakow

Pidgeons in Market Square (and where there hundreds of them) 

Day 12: Prague

A sausage food cart. Lunch was awesome! 

Day 11: Prague

View from the Royal Castle of the Prague bridges 

Day 10: Prague

Early morning on the Danube

Day 9: Nuremberg

Market Square 

Day 8: Regensberg

A delightful hotel and shop window 

Day 7: Passau, Germany

A walk along and then look up,

artfully decorated umbrellas 

Day 6: Melk

The charming town of  Melk, Austria

Day 5: Vienna

Rick meets Mozart near the Schonbrunn Palace

Day 4: Budapest

Night Tour on the Danube 

The Budapest Parliament 

Day 3: Budapest

Horsing Around at the Ruins Bar