on the hunt - 344
--10--
A light day in the glass studio, but only because my day is so chopped up. I’m exhausted just thinking about the next few weeks....
1). I went to the grocery store and stocked up on non perishable things I will need for the next few weeks and that took most of the morning. I have dinners and parties and gatherings to go to and most of them I’m taking some sort of food, starting tonight with the Camera Club Christmas Dinner & Party. I’m making a Dump Cake and it is in the oven right now. The house smells wonderful. It is so easy to make and that is what I took last year, too, and there was not a crumb left to bring home.
2). Saturday is my friend Myrna’s “Last Annual Christmas Party,” that she has every year and every year she says it is her last, but that hasn’t been the case for 10 years now. She serves a sit down dinner for about 15-20 (plus everyone brings something, too) followed by the most fun time after dinner with the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Some of the gifts are so funny and well thought out, and a few pretty raunchy ones, too. I don’t know what I’m going to take yet for Pete’s and my gifts, but I am going to be making a big garden salad with candied pecans and my homemade blue cheese dressing. That was a request by friend Gail, and also I think I’ll make some kind of easy appetizer, too.
3). Next Tuesday is another Christmas gathering at Rock & Penny’s. They were our first friends when we moved here 40 years ago, and we have remained friends ever since. They don’t want anyone to bring food or gifts, just friends and good memories the invitation said. It will probably be inside and outside because they have a great back yard made for entertaining and also a big fire pit. That day is also the last class of the year for the Preserve Ambassadors from 1:00-4:30, so that will be a full day for me.
4). Then Christmas morning Gail & Jim have invited several friends over for breakfast at their house. And, I am having all my family here for dinner that day also---there will be nine of us for that, but everyone will bring a few dishes, too.
5). And one more…..a New Years Eve Party across the street at John & Sherry’s. They hold this in the back yard and have a big fire going also. We went to that last year and had a great time and met some new people.
6). At the beginning of the year in the Camera Club we were each asked to bring an 8x10 photo each month and they were secretly voted on by all the members at that meeting with the top winner’s photo being selected to be in the Camera Club calendar for 2014. I entered every month and did get 2nd & 3rd place three times, but finally in October I won first place with my Great Blue Heron at Starfish Co. (that photo has become my new signature picture). Tonight at the party, they will give the calendars out. I’m anxious to see how they all turned out.
7). The whole morning was overcast and in the low 60s, but the sun just came out and it is warming up a little bit. We are predicted to be in the low-mid 70s here for the next week or so. It is my favorite time of year weatherwise, but I can’t wait for all this Christmastime rush and stress to be over and begin a new fresh year and back to some normalcy.
8). Pete has been keeping busy the last two days. Yesterday he helped our neighbor clean out their gutters (there were actually little trees growing out of it) and trimmed a lot of greenery for him, too. Now today he is helping another friend paint the inside of his father’s house to get ready for renting. His father can’t live alone anymore and has just gone into an assisted living home.
9). One of the caregivers (Tammy) for our neighbors next door, Vince & Jane, (Vince is pretty sick) asked me the other day if I would do a family portrait of their whole family (kids, grandkids, etc.) next week in the back yard. I am not a portrait photographer by any means, but she said she wanted me to do it over anyone else. I am really flattered and I will do my best. I’ll have to study up on lighting and camera settings. One thing I did suggest is to have everyone wear a red shirt/sweater of some sort. I’ve seen portraits of large groups done like this and it does look better than having everyone wear something different.
10). Oh, and I almost forgot, Pete has his left hip replacement surgery scheduled for January 13th. He is very anxious to get that one done as it is hurting him a lot…as much now as the right one did before replacement.
When I started typing I never intended for this post to turn into something so long and newsy, but once I got started I just kept thinking of more and more stuff. There is actually lots more going on, but I’ll save it for another day.
On the way to the grocery store this morning I quickly stopped at the pond and took this simple little picture of some wild grass growing by the water.
A light day in the glass studio, but only because my day is so chopped up. I’m exhausted just thinking about the next few weeks....
1). I went to the grocery store and stocked up on non perishable things I will need for the next few weeks and that took most of the morning. I have dinners and parties and gatherings to go to and most of them I’m taking some sort of food, starting tonight with the Camera Club Christmas Dinner & Party. I’m making a Dump Cake and it is in the oven right now. The house smells wonderful. It is so easy to make and that is what I took last year, too, and there was not a crumb left to bring home.
2). Saturday is my friend Myrna’s “Last Annual Christmas Party,” that she has every year and every year she says it is her last, but that hasn’t been the case for 10 years now. She serves a sit down dinner for about 15-20 (plus everyone brings something, too) followed by the most fun time after dinner with the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Some of the gifts are so funny and well thought out, and a few pretty raunchy ones, too. I don’t know what I’m going to take yet for Pete’s and my gifts, but I am going to be making a big garden salad with candied pecans and my homemade blue cheese dressing. That was a request by friend Gail, and also I think I’ll make some kind of easy appetizer, too.
3). Next Tuesday is another Christmas gathering at Rock & Penny’s. They were our first friends when we moved here 40 years ago, and we have remained friends ever since. They don’t want anyone to bring food or gifts, just friends and good memories the invitation said. It will probably be inside and outside because they have a great back yard made for entertaining and also a big fire pit. That day is also the last class of the year for the Preserve Ambassadors from 1:00-4:30, so that will be a full day for me.
4). Then Christmas morning Gail & Jim have invited several friends over for breakfast at their house. And, I am having all my family here for dinner that day also---there will be nine of us for that, but everyone will bring a few dishes, too.
5). And one more…..a New Years Eve Party across the street at John & Sherry’s. They hold this in the back yard and have a big fire going also. We went to that last year and had a great time and met some new people.
6). At the beginning of the year in the Camera Club we were each asked to bring an 8x10 photo each month and they were secretly voted on by all the members at that meeting with the top winner’s photo being selected to be in the Camera Club calendar for 2014. I entered every month and did get 2nd & 3rd place three times, but finally in October I won first place with my Great Blue Heron at Starfish Co. (that photo has become my new signature picture). Tonight at the party, they will give the calendars out. I’m anxious to see how they all turned out.
7). The whole morning was overcast and in the low 60s, but the sun just came out and it is warming up a little bit. We are predicted to be in the low-mid 70s here for the next week or so. It is my favorite time of year weatherwise, but I can’t wait for all this Christmastime rush and stress to be over and begin a new fresh year and back to some normalcy.
8). Pete has been keeping busy the last two days. Yesterday he helped our neighbor clean out their gutters (there were actually little trees growing out of it) and trimmed a lot of greenery for him, too. Now today he is helping another friend paint the inside of his father’s house to get ready for renting. His father can’t live alone anymore and has just gone into an assisted living home.
9). One of the caregivers (Tammy) for our neighbors next door, Vince & Jane, (Vince is pretty sick) asked me the other day if I would do a family portrait of their whole family (kids, grandkids, etc.) next week in the back yard. I am not a portrait photographer by any means, but she said she wanted me to do it over anyone else. I am really flattered and I will do my best. I’ll have to study up on lighting and camera settings. One thing I did suggest is to have everyone wear a red shirt/sweater of some sort. I’ve seen portraits of large groups done like this and it does look better than having everyone wear something different.
10). Oh, and I almost forgot, Pete has his left hip replacement surgery scheduled for January 13th. He is very anxious to get that one done as it is hurting him a lot…as much now as the right one did before replacement.
When I started typing I never intended for this post to turn into something so long and newsy, but once I got started I just kept thinking of more and more stuff. There is actually lots more going on, but I’ll save it for another day.
On the way to the grocery store this morning I quickly stopped at the pond and took this simple little picture of some wild grass growing by the water.