I ate HAGGIS!

I went to the Scottish Highland Games with Vicki and David today!

I ate HAGGIS!!! hee!

it tasted like meat loaf.  I don't get why most everyone thinks its disgusting!

we saw this Celtic trance band, Brother and another band called Albannach.

some drums, some didgeridoo, some bagpipes.  awesome!

hot, dreadlocked sound guy in kilt!!!

the birds of prey show (hot falconer with red tailed hawk, do you see a theme here? : .)

I learned the McGregor plaid colors.  I bet you didn't know I was a bit Scottish didya?!  

REPRESENT!  LOL!

we also watched Scottish dancers and bagpipers.  lots of men in kilts playing bagpipes!!! : .)

I had a great time!!!

I caught up on my True Blood viewing.  

Candace put a happy face on my EGTL today!!!  I love her!!!

Saturday, Jorge dragged me on Jorge and I went on a (20 mile, ouch!) bike ride in Alviso.  

what's cool about Alviso is its history, along with it wetlands, which is home to many species

of beautiful birds (and gnats.  lots of 'em).

yacht club shot using Jorge's iPhone apps!  very cool, yeah?!

I've got some art planned for my xtra day off tomorrow.  I'm so excited for another day to play!

Happy Labor Day!

S'mores!

Those s'mores were delicious!  

I wonder if it was the burning of the marshmallows over an open fire, 

or was it the fresh air???

Its a little dark, but in this second photo, you can see the shoe laces on Mr. Marshy's boots!!!
And see how he's holding a Hershey's bar???
LOL!!!

striking the tents

Marit's crafty summer camp is coming to an end.  As part of striking the tents and making sure the coals are out in the campfire, Marit suggested an ATC trade between the camp participants.

Y'all know how much I like to make ATCs, so I was game...

I thought I'd post a peek here, but I'm just gonna show my card.  

I hope the ladies like!  : .)

Not much else going on these days except work, work, work, and 

being tortured, I mean training with Rommell and Aurora, heh.

he was a hairy bear, he was a scary bear...

*Top 10 Things I Like About Camping*

First looks...

(our campsite was actually on the opposite side of the lake)

Familiar (familial?) expressions...

Supervising tent set-up... : .P

Expansive views...

Cute furry creatures...

Owling (Beth swears its all the rage...)

which immediately lead to...

owl

squirrel

sasquatch...

Hiking...

Playing with fire...

(color swap!)

S'mores...

& Sunset on the lake...

I also enjoyed the fresh air, no technology (including horological implements), 

people who completely understand & accept my weird and off-color sense of humor,

sleeping in & not having to shower : .P

sleeping on the ground (this old body can't take it), chem toilets and flies...ick.
definite disLIKE!!!

but the rest...it was like MAGIC!

BTW - There was only ONE bear!

 

Scrapping the Music - A Night Like This

The song for this round's challenge is A Night Like This by Caro Emerald

I decided to start working in my Smashbook, 

they're all the rage ya know!!!

(watch the video, its pretty cool!)

which made the going a bit easier, as the pages are pre-printed!

I just had to add the pixs and some embellishments and VOILÁ!!!
(click image to see it bigger!)

this photo was my inspiration!

I was enjoying the moment with sunset at Morro Rock

during my solo visit to Morro Bay in 2007.
very good times!

I can't believe how quickly the days have been flying by lately.
a lot has been happening, but I haven't had a chance to put it down here.
I'm off to the wilderness with the cousins for a few days.
maybe I'll have good photos to post when I get back!

father of mine

Bert's visiting...

we've done some fun stuffs...

watched Annie show her pig Mahoney at the fair

hiking

geocaching (without a GPS!!!)

flea marketing

(that's a fuzzy pix of my re-entry stamp)

I scored...I almost have my early American garage sale dining room set completed!

I've got more adventures to post, delayed b/c I didn't have the interwebs for 11 days!

that was agonizing.  I love my interwebs!

Scrapping the Music - Three Little Birds

Its time for another challenge at

Scrapping the Music!!!

Bob Marley's song

Three Little Birds

is our inspiration

this round!!!

Of course, 

"every little thing gonna be alright"

when you're getting hugs from Stitch

at the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

Cute, yeah?!

: .)

Come play along!!!

everything gone white and everything's grey

I have a hard time busting out of my little black & white box.

I gravitate towards those "colors."

I don't think I'm all that definitively black & white,

I like to think I'm more shades of grey, 

even colorful sometimes, 

but then again...

: .P

*     *     *      *     *

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible.  Instead... only try to realize the truth."

"What truth?" 

"There is no spoon."

"There is no spoon?"

"Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself."

*     *     *      *     *

I worked on that upcycled piece this weekend.

it took two entire days to roll those newspaper rosettes 

and glue them down.

The canvass is 8"X8"

"From far away, its just a big ole mess!"
Nothing to recommend it, really.

I think the close-up is quite cool!!!

I'm thinking it would look neat if I splashed some watercolors on it???!!!
There's already some color from the newspaper...

I also wanted to do some art journal pages,

I really like this artist's grungy, artsy work...

but I am not so relaxed.

I need things to coordinate and be organized, 

no matter how hard I try to do "messy."
AND whoa! its black & white!
SURPRISE!!!

Here's what came out. 

I wanted to use these Social Distortion lyrics

(Ball & Chain)

for awhile now...

I sent this over to Pens for her Songs In My Heart blog : .)

It was a bit inspired by the rut I've been in, 

and thinking I was going to have to quit running.

I think I mentioned I got hooked up with a trainer???

(Or shall I call him the "body whisperer"...Yes, he is THAT good!)

Already, amazing things are happening.

I was almost crying during today's session.

These workouts have been so much harder than training for

 and running a marathon, believe it or not!

But its been so goooooood.

To feel like 

I'm moving forward, doing something

instead of stagnating.

Yes!

Short week!  It'll be Wednesday tomorrow already! 

hup, hup, hup!!!

beach time

kath IM'd me at work yesterday 

and asked it I wanted to join her and the D's 

at the beach.

you'd think that I would have immediately jumped on that idea, 

but my work ethic reared its ugly head 

and I actually said no at first!

b/4 I could think about it, I got all spontaneous, 

quickly wrapped up what I was doing...

and then we were off!!!

a most excellent day!!!

you too can make this fauxlaroid (with your own photos, of course), 

template and brief instructions generously provided 

by Jennifer Kirk of Ambrosia Creative (via Etsy on FB).  

major details are not listed.  I just kept playing around with the template

until I could get it to look like I wanted (in PS Elements).

the best colors!

exuberant youth!

you can't tell, but its COLD!

kath's elbow.  I realized this am we don't have pixs of us together.

I must fix that!!!

I think they might have been pretending to be seals???

the girl!!!

nature!

lucky shot!  I think he wanted snaks!!!

I spent a lot of time today looking for stuff, 

physically and virtually...it was tres annoying!

that means I have too much stuff!

I started this project!

upcycling!!!

ain't it cool!

I also modified a recipe for lemon pasta, yum!

tomorrow, I'm going over to Jack's and we'll bbq BEEF, 

and watch the first two episodes of True Blood, season 4!

I can't wait!!!

I'm hearing fireworks in anticipation of 

Independence Day celebrations!

Happy 4th, Americans!!!