The Artists

Having so much talent in one family is challenging. Carrie makes sure the guys have opportunities to explore their talents, whether it is music, art, athletics or whatever.


The homeschooling co-op had a 6-week session with a talented professional artist, Michael, who introduced charcoal, graphite sticks, a variety of drawing pencils, kneaded erasers, value sketching, and gestural drawing. Lee and Collin made good use of their time with the class. I was delighted to be able to sit in on one of the classes. Michael gave me a sheet of paper, drawing board and a piece of vine charcoal, so I could play, too! What fun!

Lee's value study was a good exercise, preparing him for Michael's final assignment: dinosaurs!

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of Lee's dino, it was fabulous! Michael's specialty is dinosaurs, and he sure passed on the details of how to draw them - very very well! Some guys just never outgrow that dinosaur stage...

Ode to the Mouse

White mice
on ice
are nice
(snake dinner).
However
a cat most clever
prefers
stuffed black mice;

fake are better.


About every two weeks, you have to be careful about cleaning off the top of the fridge at the Wright's. I learned the hard way (more than once, I have to admit) that those little kleenex-wrapped packages are up there for a reason; who knew cleaning a fridge could cause heart attacks?


Arrowmint (corn snake who has grown a LOT over the years) likes his mice thawed, thank you very much.


I should warn you about the sack on the door rack of the refrigerator freezer, too...it can be rather shocking to open it and find little white mice bodies (fuzzies as they are called) which are destined for the snake buffet.


At our house, the mice are the nice inanimate sort. But they manage to show up in strange places. We keep the toilet seat down now. We think this cat may be part raccoon, at the rate she drowns her mice. This morning Mom found one in her water dish. I discovered it when I went in to brush my teeth. Mom had wrapped the poor little thing in tissue to sop up some of the water.

I wasn't sure what it was at first, but having had several "tissue package encounters" I was very leery about poking around to see what was in there. Sure enough - a mouse.
I was most relieved to see it was BLACK, not white.

We get them at the vet's, 6 at a time, for $3.

The cat has also figured out which cupboard we keep that little sack of mice in, and she haunts the countertop, trying to open that door with her monkey-fingers. At any given time, there are about 4 black mice stashed around the house in her favorite hidey-holes. Very entertaining. And cheap.

Those black mice are worth their weight in gold. They keep this kitty busy and out of other things she shouldn't get into. Mostly.

As you can see, she's all worn out from batting the mouse around and then drowning it...

I wish I could tell you that tummy is from dispatching REAL mice. Nope. Just a fat cat.

Bar Hopping

The entrance from sea into Tillamook Bay is called the bar. Crossing the bar - there's a poem with that title, usually used at funerals. The poem is peaceful. The real bar is not. The Tillamook Bar is quite dangerous - deaths are recorded every year, and the Coast Guard tears out collective hairs trying to keep boaters safe, rescuing the foolhardy and unlucky, and petitioning for funding to keep the north and south jettys, the arms of rock that enclose the bar, built up to withstand the relentless pounding of storm-furious sea.


Bar watching is one of the local entertainments. In the summer, with blue-green sea deceptively tranquil appearing, rich colors of water and sunsets entice lingering tourists to sit for hours with cameras in hand. Winter storms bring out the locals, who also tote cameras, but usually sit in their cars. We're not dumb - it's cold and wet and incredibly windblown out there! But oh, the Kodak moments! It's always worth a venture into the gale.


The north jetty just received an $18-million 200-foot extension and additional 100-foot capping of existing jetty. The stones are big as small houses, being hauled in one at a time on huge flatbed trailers. A towering crane from Manitowoc, Wisconsin (yep, my other home base) was on hand to run on a rail along the top of the jetty, transporting the stone along to the end.
The south jetty, which was completed in 1979, has lost about 900 feet over the years. That is another whole story, the stone had to be brought in and placed by barge.


The south jetty is currently inaccessible by wheels, being at the end of the Bay Ocean spit - a wonderul day hike. There is a road in the works, repairing an old road along the bay side of the spit, which may provide access to rebuild the crucial south jetty structure. The portion of old stone submerged under water and the unsettled current and silt at the mouth of the bar compound with wild weather to make this bar supremely dangerous to cross, in any size craft. As the current and silt stabilize, the projection is for increased depth of water and safer navigation.


In the meantime, bar hopping is great entertainment - as long as you are on dry land.


This particular day was one of those golden coastal moments between fading fall and true winter. The sun was warm, breeze moderate, tourists vacated, and the day after a huge storm that drove in 30-foot waves. That means action on the bar, with monstrous waves breaking at the end of the jetties producing spectacular spray. The only problem is that it is impossible to capture the sound, power, and beauty with a mere camera. But here are a few efforts, to entice you to bar-hop along with the locals:



I'm always amazed when I look at my photos, I never know what might sneak into the lens while I'm not looking - I never saw this gull, being focused on trying to capture breaking waves!
Besides gulls, pelicans, cormorants, seals, and occasional orcas, the little Turnstones love the bar. A flock were working over the barnacles inbetween waves. As the water receded off a rock, they scampered out to pull barnacle innards out of the shells - the barnacles open in the water and expose their feathery parts so a quick bird can snag the little creatures. Tasty, I'm sure. For a Turnstone. I like my seafood in larger bites...

It's fascinating to watch this dance of danger. The birds will seem totally involved with their feasting but their radar is definately on the incoming waves. They will scramble and flutter just out of reach up to the next rock as a wave breaks over the rock they were just on. Then back down they go as the water recedes. What was so intriguing to me was how they could gauge just how high to go to escape the incoming wave - some waves just barely covered the their rock, the next one might crash in over the next three rocks high. The Turnstones were always accurate in their estimate - I spent a lot of time just watching them and marveling at nature's innate safety system.

Look closely - see the two Turnstones in flight, just out of reach of the roiling water and breaking wave? Amazing.

Entertainment is where you find it, eh?

Bar hopping is addictive - just a warning to those who wander out to the north jetty parking lot at Bar View Park.

Bambi - X-rated

If you are vegan, vegetarian, anti-hunting, a tree-hugging Bambi advocate - skip this post. Immediately.


If you are a red-meat eater, read on.


Brother Chris and buddy Tony went deer hunting a couple of days ago. Chris is flaunting his "older age retired guy" status, and informed Tony they were NOT looking downhill for deer as they drove into the hunting country, he was done packing anything UPhill. The hunting gods must have been listening. An innocent young buck stepped out into the road in front of them. Stood there. So Chris HAD to shoot it. Right?


Half the meat went to Tony. Tony claims the only reason Chris took him along was to pack out any deer they bagged. He really earned his half. He took hold of the tail, Chris took hold of the antlers (3-point) and they pitched into the back of Chris' pickup. After years of hauling out of canyons, up cliffs, miles from the rig - this was waaaaaaay too easy!


Chris gave the other half to Mom. Minus the tenderloin and a few steaks. He cut most of the hindquarter into steaks, the rest is headed for summer sausage made by a local processor we've used for years - good stuff! The guys delivered the steaks, we wrapped and labeled...

sixteen packages, and...

fried up a handful for mom's dinner!

Hunters who go for the big trophy antlers end up with older bucks, tougher meat. Our family has never been about the trophies, although they've bagged some big ones over the years. But a nice 2-year old is tender and tasty, and venison is a healthy lean meat.



This batch of steak barely needed a bit of pounding out with a jar to tenderize it - then rolled in flour, browned slowly with a grind of pepper and shake or two of seasalt, just until medium done. Some boiled spuds, veggies from our garden out of the freezer, finished off with a dish of Tillamook ice cream - that's good eatin' in this country!

We were raised on this stuff. And we still watch "Bambi".

The Crafty Witch

Anne loves holidays. Especially if it involves sparkles, costumes, and crafty opportunities to share with friends and family. She has a knack for having just the right fun stuff to do, for young punks and old(er)folks. Best of all, she currently works at Craft Warehouse - how cool is THAT?!


Anne has won employee of the month several times, for her outstanding sales. Customers ask for her. Kids surround her. The Cricut bows down to her. She is truly the Craft Queen.


I was lucky enough to be visiting on Halloween day. Here's Anne's fun costume, made all by her big-girl self! Well, Matt did help with fitting... Having access to wonderful fabrics and bobbles and dodads is soooooo fun! She wore a humongous green stone ring, a beatiful Celtic knot brooch from the Highland Games, her Spidery cape, fab stripey socks (I want a pair!), and poison-green sandals! The hat looks like an original - wonder if the WW of the West misses it...

Anne is in charge of the vinyl department - the letters are vinyl stick-ons. The boards and backgrounds and embellishments are also available in the department. Anne gets to make demo and display pieces - and guess who her subjects are ? Family, of course!

If you have a sister, you have to appreciate this one!

Anne is also a wonderful photographer, so it's no surprise to see her photos on many of the great decor displays. Sister Megan and her family are plastered all over the department!

And what's a witch without a cat? Well - it's a witch with a dog, naturally. Tilly is adorable, but a challenge to catch her personality in a photo. This one is perfect.

You should see her art/sewing room at home - it's like being turned loose in a candy store for those of us who are crafty at heart. We love our Crafty Witch - thanks for all the fun, Anne!

Have I told you about this?

Sometimes you just have to have the right tool. After using this one, you'll run, not walk, to the nearest kitchen supply store and get your very own MICROPLANE!

When you need a lot of grated lemon rind, such as three pans of Lemon Bars, the Microplane makes short work of a refreshing job.

Can you smell the lemon?!

Then, when you have a bunch of naked lemons, you can juice them! I find a lot of satisfaction in using old-fashioned tools. This wood citrus reamer was a gift, and I love using it.


I use a lot of fresh lemon juice and rind every day with my raw food recipes and drinking water. With these two tools, it's so easy!

Kitchen table Art Class

Art has always been important in my life. Having the opportunity to share that love with my grandpunks is very special indeed. All the boys have been engaged in drawing and doodling since they were old enough to hold a crayon.


While the older boys were involved with art classes during their co-op time, Jayden and Max were sorta left on the sidelines. Jayden had used his own hard earned money to buy a "How to Draw Horses" kit, and has made amazing progress all on his own.



One day as I was sketching, he and Max approached me about doing some drawing. So out came the paper, graphite sticks, pencils, kneaded erasers, blending tortillions, and we commenced on an impromptu lesson.


That lesson lasted 6 hours (the other guys were gone with Carrie for the day), with time out only for lunch and a movie.


We started with turning a circle into a sphere. They learned about sitting shadows, blending curves, highlights and backlight. I was amazed at how good they were, how engaged they stayed with the project.

After that day, every morning the first thing I heard from them was "Are we going to do a lesson today?" So for four days, we sketched. We did cones, and cylinders, and boxes. We looked out the window to see the same shapes in whatever was out there. We turned cones and spheres and cylinders into trees and silos and barns (it's Wisconsin farmland, remember?!) We had a blast! I haven't done so much pencil work in years, and enjoyed every second.

With Max's effort to get all his chores done each morning without squabbling, I was able to keep my promise of a reward - a trip to Hobby Lobby to put together his very own art kit. Some 4B pencils, kneaded erasers (he LOVES those things!), a package of tortillions, a sketch book, and a zipper case to keep it all in. I don't know who was more thrilled, me or Max!

We also did some painting - this project, on paper bags, ultimately turned into leaves, which were for making cards and stringing around their room.

So what do you do with these ingredients?

You do some free-form art! Drizzle the glue onto paper, making designs. Sprinkle heavily with salt. Mix the neon food coloring (5 drops per Tablespoon of water), then using eyedroppers, slowly let drops of color run along the lines of salt, blending and traveling around the design. Fascinating!!

I have found over the years, that any kid (young or old) has art in their soul. They just need a few supplies, and time to explore. With a little practice, they can produce some very satisfying creations.

We have a lot of fun around the kitchen table, doing all sorts of artsy projects.

Grandpunks are the greatest!!

Now I'm waiting for some pictures to show up in the mail box. That was the price of "lessons".