Category Archives: Daily Post

Aug26

Thunder and Lightning

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Last Wednesday morning I was awakened early in the morning by thunder way off in the distance. I could see a slight flash through my bedroom window, so I tried  counting the seconds to find out about how far away it was. Sometimes it would be thirty or so seconds, and I could hardly hear it.
As the early hours of the morning passed, maybe around 4:30 am, it started getting louder and louder.
Until BAM!
The lightning and thunder were very close and very exciting. You probably already guessed I love thunder storms. Being from Michigan, I learned as a child to adore the energy, and excitement they bring.
Anyone who is from the midwest would tell you that the storms here in California aren’t even close to the ones they have there, but it’s all we have, and we have to go with it.
Around 6 am, I grabbed my phone, hung my sleepy head out the front door just enough to catch this beautiful sunrise, and smell the beginnings of rain. It was breathtaking, and I regret this picture doesn’t even come close to doing it justice.  A little later in the morning, the storm really got going and we had tons of thunder, and lots of much-needed rain.  I love the clean fresh smell of a new rain, and my entire day was filled with energy and excitement.

Aug22

Winding Our Way Through the Countryside to the Ship…

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While we were at the Summer Palace, we were treated to a small band of local musicians.  My husband is a trumpet player, so this was of interest to us both.DSCN0197

Once back on our tour bus after touring the Summer Palace of Catherine the Great, we stopped for lunch.  It was interesting because my understanding of Russian food was that it wasn’t very good.  We probably didn’t get a taste of true Russian food, but on both days we were given a small glass of Russian Vodka as a starter.  Admittedly I had to try it, but only a taste,  It was strong, & I don’t usually drink.  The day was hot, stuffy, and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to be drinking vodka, get on a bus, and wind around the county side.  I have never been car sick, but there is always a first time.  The first day we had chicken stroganoff, the second was some kind of beef and rice.  I’m not a meat eater, but I did try it just to see how it tasted.  Everyone else thought it was pretty good, I wasn’t that excited, and couldn’t eat the beef, but again I don’t eat meat.

The country side was beautiful, and if I hadn’t known we were in Russia, the only thing I would realize is that we weren’t in the USA.

Once we came back into the city of St. Petersburg it became more interesting once again.  These two days were long days, and by the time we walked off the bus, there wasn’t one of us that wasn’t exhausted.

TMy husband LesThanks for taking time to read my post on the last day of St. Petersburg, Russia.  Next we traveled to Tallin, Estonia.

My husband Les

Karen

Karen

Aug22

Day 2, The Countryside of St. Petersburg

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Gates of the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg

Gates of the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg

We eagerly passed through customs, and because we  had cleared customs the day before, we didn’t have to do that again. We only had to  find our tour bus.  The same guide was with us both days, and this we were grateful for, but as the morning passed, I realized how much we were being told that wasn’t exactly as we knew it., or at least as we thought we knew it!  For instance, and this is where I got a little skeptical….Our tour guide was telling us how mild the winters in Russia were, particularly in that one place where individuals who had been criminalized  were imprisoned…..

You guessed it…..Siberia!   When we were told that, my radar surfaced, and all of a sudden I was interested in every tidbit of information I could get,  even more than before.  Siberia,  really?  They have beautiful, mild winters!  Are you kidding me?  Not one of us questioned this statement, but we all knew that people were sent to Siberia to suffer, and die.  I think the information we received on the museums, and palaces were correct, but this one statement made me realize that not everything we are told by our tour guide, can be believed.   I think this may be true anywhere, anyplace.

On the grounds of the Summer Palace

On the grounds of the Summer Palace

The summer palace was every bit as opulent as the winter palace, with acres and acres of beautiful parks, and ponds, statues, and gilded gates.  Everything was incredible, and interesting beyond belief.

The gardens at the rear of the Summer Palace

The gardens at the rear of the Summer Palace

Again we toured the country side, and the city to get where we needed to go.  But we were all interested in everything we could learn about what I would consider this mysterious country.  I guess I hadn’t stopped to think about what Russia would look like.

One of Catherine the Great's gowns

One of Catherine the Great’s gowns

This is one of the gowns worn by Catherine the Great.  On the sides, inside the gown were small boxes.  These boxes were called flea boxes because the fleas from the dress, and the wig would make their way to the sweets hidden inside the boxes.  Remember they didn’t clean their clothes, or wigs like we do today.  Can you even imagine having fleas?  I can’t even stand it when I find a flea on our cat or dog.  We don’t have any lousy fleas in our household!

After we toured the summer palace, Les and I sat on a bench, under a shade tree  in the garden to rest. As we sat there I noticed lots of cats around the palace.  This we were told was to rid the grounds of rodents, OK that I could believe.  I watched one cat, who was particularity lazy, & most probably well fed, watch a pigeon. His interest was not of a cat who needed a meal, but one of a cat mildly intrigued with a bird.  The pigeon was not one bit worried about this cat, although as you can see, he did keep an eye on him!

Russian Pigeon

Russian Pigeon

Thank you for reading my post about the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg Russia.  Next week I will post once more on the end of our second day.  This will be the trip from the country through the city, and back to our ship.

Aug19

Dusty’s Little Adventure…

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Dusty’s Little Adventure…
Dusty the Giant Flemish Rabbit

Dusty the Giant Flemish Rabbit

Yesterday while his peeps were away, Dusty decided to go exploring….
Apparently, when you leave a bunny alone without supervision, it’s important to close the gates to the back yard. After Dusty’s peeps had been gone for…well it seemed like days to Dusty, he decided to find out just what there was to offer in the big wide world.
Quickly Dusty hippity-hopped out the open gate, and one house at a time decided to trim the neighbors gardens.
It  hadn’t been  long before the family came home to discover Dusty missing,  but in the meantime he trimmed his way down the block only to discover he was getting mighty full.  So full that he hardly could move.

Dusty on his way to trimming yards!

Dusty on his way to trimming yards!

You can imagine the terror his family felt when they realized someone had left the gate open, and Dusty was missing.
Quickly they split up, and started searching the neighborhood in hopes of locating their giant rabbit.  Connor got on his bike, and started riding around in one direction, Dad looked in another direction.  Mom, and Sage took off in yet another direction.  It wasn’t long before Sage spotted Dusty resting in a neighbor’s front yard.

Before frightened Dusty even knew what was happening to him, Sage had pounced on him, pinning him securely to the ground.  Mom was terrified that Sage had knocked the air out of him or worse, but he was ok!

I think Dusty’s poor little eyes were spinning after that incident.  He was so frightened when he realized how far he had hopped, and how much plant life he had trimmed in the process.  But Dusty was really proud of himself for doing such a good job on all the neighbors yards.  He thought they would all come home and wonder who had trimmed their gardens,  they would never know!

All in all Dusty learned to be more cautious, his peeps learned the keep the gate closed and locked, and everyone was safe at home ready for another adventure.

Aug15

First Day in St. Petersburg, Russia

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Russian Orthodox Cathedral, St. Petertsburg

Russian Orthodox Cathedral, St. Petersburg

After cruising all night on the sea of glass, our next destination after Finland, was St Petersburg.  Everyone was excited, and not one of us knew what to expect.  We all stood silently in line to clear customs as we entered Russia.

The customs agents were stone, cold sober.  Not a smile!  But they weren’t threatening either, they were just doing their jobs, and doing it seriously.  I find our own customs agents are sometimes much the same way.

Mural on the Celing of the Hermitage Museum, Russia

Mural on the Celing of the Hermitage Museum, Russia

After clearing customs, we proceeded to our designated tour busses, and there we met our guide.  She was very friendly, and helpful, answered questions, and took us on the most incredible journey through the city of St. Petersburg.

Van Gough at the Hermitage Museum

Van Gough at the Hermitage Museum

The bus trip started with the Hermitage Museum.  The lines were long even though it was mid-morning,  the artwork was beyond imagination.  Much of the museum was gilded in gold, and we would later realize that much of Russia is also gilded in gold!  There was a great deal of up the stairs, down the stairs, waiting in line to go into another part of this gigantic museum.  Without any air-conditioning, this huge building was stuffy, and  hot.  Occasionally there would be a window open for some circulation, but not often enough, and certainly not enough circulation for the amount of people.  We were allowed to take pictures in most parts of the museum, that really surprised me.  Some turned out pretty well, some were too dark to keep.

Inside the winter palace

Inside the winter palace

From there we toured the city, and as we were touring we realized that never once did we see an ambulance, or even a police car.  The city seemed void of any kind of law enforcement.  Later the next day, we did actually spot a police car but it was not engaged in any activity, just driving along the road.

The first day was devoted to sightseeing, the museum, and seeing the winter  palace.

During the Second World War, after taking much of the artwork out, the Nazis bombed almost all of the palace  Everything has been recreated based on pictures, and remnants of wallpaper, gilding, floors, etc.  The green foil is a recreation as well, based on green foil found in the palace after the war.

The green room in the winter palace.

The green room in the winter palace.

One of many dining rooms in the winter palace.

One of many dining rooms in the winter palace.

Aug12

Another Finished Project!

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Stool Pigeon Bar Stool

Stool Pigeon Bar Stool

A couple of months ago, before our trip to Russia, the gallery I belong to decided to have a  fundraiser  benefiting young artists.  Of course,  I volunteered to participate, and in doing so was committed to creating three chairs.

My first thought was…..that’s a huge commitment, how on earth am I going to do this, more importantly why did you do this?  Knowing we were leaving on vacation, the word crazy even crossed my mind.

My second thought was… I needed to  frequenting the yard sales on Saturday, and Sunday.  My husband, and I spent all day looking for just the right chairs to use for this project.  He asked me exactly what I was looking for?  Isn’t that a silly question coming from the husband of an artist?

How the hell should I know what I’m looking for, I’ll know it when I see it!

So off we went, neighborhood by neighborhood scanning each garage sale, checking for chairs…any chairs.  Boy did we find  interesting chairs.  One man had the most beautiful hand crafted, wood chair I have ever seen. It clearly was out of my price range, but more importantly I would never alter it in any way.  Another sale featured rattan fan back chairs which I have always loved, but I knew if I bought it, it would never see the inside of any gallery in my lifetime.

Childs beach chair

Childs beach chair

We kept looking, and my husband was so patient with me.  A friend of mind who lives around the corner, was selling two oak bar stools, they caught my eye.  Not exactly chairs, but if they held a butt, that was good enough for me!  She only wanted $5. for each of them.  I bought only one, and now I’m sorry I didn’t get the other one.  Needless to say, since I was altering the stool, I picked the worst, most worn stool.  I must be a glutton for punishment!

Rattan Doll Chair

Rattan Doll Chair

Onward to the next house…..

After combing many neighborhoods, I spotted a childs Sponge Bob Square Pants beach chair.  This adventure had been going on  for quite some time,  so I had my husband stop.   The lady wanted $3. for it, and how could I complain about that?  That made my second chair.

Keep going…..

Finally late in the day, as we were trying not to get discouraged, I spotted a small rattan chair.  Not big enough for a child, I realized it must be a doll chair.   After talking to the lady, I purchased the little Rattan doll chair for $2.  that did it,  we were finished!

That was quite a day, and after all said and done, a successful day at that.  Once we got the chairs into the back yard, I put a big drop cloth on an outside table, and began to spray all three chairs with white primer.  Sponge Bob was the most resilient, he just didn’t want to leave, but the rest were easily covered.  One thing let to another, and I had my project about a third of the way through by the end of the day.  Not a bad day if I do say so myself!

The legs of the stool have been crackled for a different effect,  I decorated the rungs with stenciled tissue paper, and my husband thought it would be fun to put a pigeon to the stool, and call it a Stool Pigeon.  So I sketched a pigeon, zetangled it, used acrylic medium to adhere it onto the top of the stool, and it blended into the background just as I planned.

Bar Stool recreated

Bar Stool recreated

Our vacation came and went, and the deadline for the chairs was extended another month.  That was a relief, since I returned home from vacation with bronchitis, and didn’t really have the energy to work on my projects.

Last Tuesday with all three of my chairs finished, I drove them down to the gallery for the fundraiser.  It felt so good to get them finished and I thought you might want to see them.

 

Thank you for taking time to visit, and read my blog.  Questions, and comments are always welcome, and appreciated.  Karen