Happy Birthday

Today would have been my father's 96th birthday. Very hard to imagine, as he died just 18 days after his 70th birthday. So very long ago.

He loved to fish, he loved his horses and he loved to farm. He was the salt of the earth and everything to me. But the thing I loved best about him was how much he loved Mother. Both are in my heart today.

Shown are a few photos from his youth.

Our Bluebirds

Our second brood of bluebirds should fledge any day now. Last night, all four babies were still on the nest.

I captured a few shots recently. Bluebirds are fast; I am slow to focus and shoot. But you can see the male in the first two shots, followed by the the female and baby which fledged in May, and then the female alone.

We've loved watching these beautiful creatures. It's unusual to have them in the inner city as they prefer open fields.

Mosaic Table Tops

I save stuff - a habit shared by anyone whose parents lived through The Great Depression. Much to my dh's chagrin, I'd hoarded old chipped/cracked dishes for years, telling him, "Don't dare throw those away! I'm going to do a mosaic table top someday." When my nephew and his family were here last week, Lisa and I dug into the shards and someday was finally here. We actually did it!

I found this book on mosaic technique today at Marshall's for $2.99. It would have been so helpful to have read this before our projects!

Mosaic Inspiration:

This fabulous mosaic mirror was spotted at our local Habitat for Humanity Restore. We both lusted after it while hunting for a table for Lisa.

Marbles and beads were added to china shards.

Small reddish beads surround the inner border next to the mirror.

We each began with an old table. Mine was a $6.16 find at Value Village years ago.

I'd originally considered refinishing this small Pembroke table.

Lisa's table, which originally had a lip edging, was found at Habitat. I love that it has a very handy lower shelf - and that it was already painted white.

Next came the china. Using a rubber mallet, we wrapped each plate/dish in an old towel before smashing it. (We soon found that the side of a hammer worked just as well.) Lisa divided the shards by color into half a dozen styrofoam plates.

Thrift store plates.

Chipped vintage china from my collection plus a few pieces of tile.

A combination tile adhesive/grout was spread on each table. We then began laying out our mosaics. I soon learned I'd spread my adhesive way too thick, as my old china was quite thin. It ended up sinking into the grout more than I'd planned. Looking back, I should have removed the shards, washed them off and started over. But I ignored my inner voice and continued, fearing everything would soon solidify.

Most of Lisa's china was newer and thicker than mine. She was also more judicious with her grout layer. Beginning by piecing together the large floral center of a plate, Lisa worked towards the edge with colorful yellows, greens, blues and reds. After a few hours, she spread grout over the top, wiping it off with a large damp sponge. Much time was spent getting the tiles cleaned and making sure the grout looked very nice.

I did not spread grout all over my shards, but pressed a board onto the top to help flatten the surface.

Lisa's table with grouted shards.

Lisa's table with excess grout removed. I love it, especially the flower right in the center.

My table turned out looking much more old-fashioned and pastel than I'd planned. But I like it just the same. I still have to paint the table white and add little blue tiles around the edges.

What We Learned:

1. Use care when applying the adhesive. Make sure it is not deeper than your china/tiles are thick. You just want the china/tiles to adhere, not be buried.

2. Because of edges and rims, it is difficult to get a flat surface when using shards of old china. Tile - perfectly flat to begin with - would have been easier to keep even. But IMHO, it would not have been as interesting.

3. Use a sealer over your completed mosaic to protect the surface from stains.

4. Doing mosaic work is a lot harder and more time consuming than it looks. Lisa and I couldn't believe it took hours!

5. Be sure to wear old clothes. This stuff is messy and does not wash out. Ask me how I know.

6. My next project will be a mirror or picture frame - something which does not have to be perfectly flat.

Note added July 12: Once we got all the china/tile broken up, I think we spent 5 or 6 hours making the mosaics. My table was about 16x24", Lisa's was a bit larger. Allow enough time for this project, as the adhesive will be solid as a rock once it sets up. You'll want to finish setting everything in place at one sitting. If I'd used less grout and had flatter pieces, I'm thinking I could have finished in about 3 hours. We did allow an overnight cure.

Thinking of Getting a Mac

I'm having to use my dh's laptop. My computer has been acting up for three months and finally went to a blue screen only - no icons, nothing. Everything is backed up on an external hard drive and photos are on CDs. So all is not lost. There is no photoshop on the laptop so it may be a while before I can upload photos the way I'd like to. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Pops

Bill and Matthew
1979

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dh with Matthew, our only child. Solid as a rock, he has remained strong through many crises our family has faced. He is our anchor - the man Matthew fondly calls "Pops."

Father's Day

Kermit vonOhlen
1932

I'll never stop missing my father, gone now for 26 years. Just before he died, seeing my anguish at his suffering, he said, "My journey's almost over. Yours is just beginning." After all this time, I understand more completely than ever what he meant. I'll never stop missing him.

Surprise Visit

My DH Bill and Matthew

Matthew with me.

Our son Matthew was off today so decided to spend it with us in Charlotte for an early Father's Day visit. As always, we had a great time eating Vietnamese food at Lang Van and then looking at old photos.

We'll be going to The Outer Banks with Matthew and Suzie, other family members and friends later this summer for Matthew's 30th birthday. I can't wait!

Our Garden

I've developed a condition known as trigger finger in both thumbs and the index finger on my left hand. It is aggravating and painful and keeps me from working on my art. So for now, I'm getting inspiration from the perennials in our garden. Here are a few of my favorites:

Raspberry Bee Balm
I love the red leaves just under the blossoms.

High Mallow
I had a hard time finding this plant which looks like a miniature hollyhock.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia - very airy and delicate

Chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine
I bought the little bug adornment several years ago.

Our hydrangea blossoms begin like this.....

before turning a beautiful blue.

We're hoping our coneflowers attract lots of honeybees.

All photos are clickable.

Distractions

I've been away from art for nearly two months and it doesn't feel good. I'm distracted. Not the kind of distraction we get by beginning to do one task and then finding ourselves doing another. I am in the midst of planned distraction - things I just have to get off my plate before I can move on. I liken it to doing prep work on a room before it can be painted. Unfortunately, I've had to give these things a higher priority than making art.

But all is not lost. As I work, I'm planning art in my mind. My work will go in a new direction, employing much more of my own hand-dyed and surface designed fabrics as well as digital imagery. I know what I want to do next but absolutely must get things in order before I begin.

In the meantime, I'll share a quilt or two you may not have seen.

Hurricane Warning
40" x 60" 2003
SOLD
Permanent Collection of The Concourse Gallery, Upper Arlington OH

Hurricane Warning was created for the juried show Vantage Point-South, The Art Quilt at the Page-Walker in Cary NC, where it was chosen as the publicity quilt for the poster and postcard. It was also in The Art of the Quilt, an invitational exhibition in Martinsville VA. It was purchased for the permanent collection of The Concourse Gallery while on exhibit with other members' work from The Art Quilt Network.

Very unlike my other work, Hurricane Warning is one of those quilts which just happened. It came together very quickly - just one week from conception to completion. The graphic beauty of hurricane warning flags really struck me the first time I saw them. The image stayed in my head for a long time and finally appeared in this piece.

My Love of Birds

This nest contains tiny strips from a torn blue tarp. It was found on the lawn at my sister's IL home.

It's a little thing to some, but I love birds. I love watching them, listening to them and especially finding a nest. When we were in IL last month, I desperately searched for red-winged blackbirds - most often seen sitting on metal fence posts along the fields. My dh saw several, but I couldn't see that far!

There were other sweet rewards tho. Like barn swallows seen swooping and flying all around my sister's porch. I managed to get one clear shot, but the beautiful swallowtail is barely visible.

This lovely barn swallow - seen here gathering nesting materials.

My sister and brother-in-law are blessed with five grandchildren who love coming out to the farm. On an afternoon of exploring, we discovered birds nesting in very unusual places!

The engine compartment of an old Ford tractor held five little black birds with bright yellow beaks. We had to climb up on the tire in order to see them snuggled together.

Photo credit: Olivia Powell, age 6

Lisa holds Addison for a quick look.

After my sister commented about finding a nest on top of their propane tank one year, we all had to investigate. And sure enough, the birds had chosen the same location once more.

I never realized robins nests were so big. This one is at least 12" across, filling the cover of the gas tank when closed. The robins have a safe, dry refuge.

Five robin's eggs.

On the homefront, we're really excited. Our bluebirds are back, having built a new nest in the bluebird box. They have been very, very busy. If we can get pictures this time, I'll be sure to post them. No eggs yet, but we're watching.

The 65th Anniversary of D Day

My Uncle Ed - WWII

My Mother had three brothers who served in World War II. My father-in-law did too. All were in my heart this morning as we watched President Obama in France.

Always eloquent, Mr. Obama's words today were especially so. "Friends and veterans, what we cannot forget — what we must not forget — is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century," he said.

During the ceremony at Omaha Beach, under an American flag flying high, he spoke from a platform and colonnade engraved with these words: "This embattled shore, portal of freedom, is forever hallowed by the ideals, the valor and the sacrifice."

I cannot imagine the emotion of standing in that place.

Twenty Years Ago Today

Twenty years ago today my husband was standing in Tiananmen Square when the tanks rolled in. He, the mayor pro-tem of Charlotte and another - all veterans, first felt the vibration in the concrete and then recognized the unmistakable sound. Thankfully, they were able to get to the safety of their hotel.

All were in China for a Sister Cities trip to Baoding when caught up in the Revolution. Referring to themselves later as "the gang of forty" the group witnessed history being made for the next eight days.

My DH shot many rolls of film which he was able to get out of the country by dividing it amongst a dozen others in the group. They were evacuated by the State Department on the American Ambassador's plane and flown to Tokyo. Theirs was the last tour group to escape China.

Note: An article in the June 5 Charlotte Observer (page 12A Nation/World) quotes my DH and the former mayor about the event. charlotteobserver.com