Nature is Lovely

I think the bloom of the hosta is such an amazing shape, color and texture. The sun was casting such beautiful shapes on my stucco wall behind the daylilies. It looks like a light show. What a beautiful backdrop!

Watercolor Postcard

A quick watercolor postcard I did today for my nephew, Garrett, who is a 1st year cadet at the Air Force Academy. He just left last week and will be training all summer at the Academy. The small painting is from a photo of him swinging on a rope swing on our canoeing trip a few weeks ago. I know he's having fun at the Academy, but maybe this will remind him of some "real" fun!

(The photo with green background was taken with the Rebel for comparison)

New Camera

These shots were taken on my deck with my brand new Canon Rebel T1i. I like how the background is distorted and unfocused. This should be fun playing around with the new camera and it's settings. I'm still trying to figure out the software and how to download photos. Hopefully I will get some goods shots soon.

Glenridge Hall - still wet

Painting at Glenridge Hall

This view is the back side of Glenridge Hall along the slate walkway up to the backyard. I was able to get the first layer of paint on my paper. I will finish it up at home.





This is Glenridge Hall. It is a beautiful home where my group of plein air painters painted this morning. We wandered around the grounds taking photos, looking at the gardens, the beautiful Tudor home, fountains, and the large chess game. It temperature was in the 80's this morning and creeped up into the low 90's this afternoon but it didn't bother us. When you are painting in such a beautiful setting you are concentrating on your work and the sounds around you, not the heat. We stopped for a few minutes to eat our lunch on the summer porch. Our group had painted here before, but it was my first time. I can't wait to go back!

BOOKS I WANT TO READ

These are some of the books on my bookshelf right now. Currently I'm reading "Tortilla Curtain" which contrasts the lives of a wealthy young couple in Los Angeles with a poor hispanic couple living in a tent city of the LA suburbs. I see so many interesting books at the library....too many to read! Of course all of the Twilight books are really popular, along with Charlaine Harris, Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich, Vince Flynn, John Grisham and the other NYTimes best seller's list. Rick Riordan is very popular with the kids. I get a lot of questions about good books for elementary school age children. I like to check out some of the popular authors to see what they are reading. I also get book suggestions from the Arapahoe Library District's website. They have short video book reviews which you can watch. They also have several suggested reading lists. Grab a good book, glass of tea, prop up your feet and enjoy a good book!

Daisy

Our Jack Russell, Daisy, will be 16 years old this year. She has her own chair (she thinks) in the den and her own fleece blanket. I loved the way the sunlight illuminated her face this afternoon. She looks so sweet!

Computer to TV

With the help of my computer savvy son, I finally figured out how to hook up my computer to our TV using a Belkin HDMI to DVI video cable, mini-DVI to DVI adapter, and an audio cable. I wanted to be able to watch the movies I make on the large screen. I just so happened to have an Adam Lambert video playing when I took the photo. The "genius" at the Apple store assured me I would have no problem hooking up the cables. Even the guy at Micro Center said it was a breeze. They always seem to leave out a critical piece of information like you have to go into your preferences and set your computer to "mirror". Good thing my son is home for the summer! Now I can show slideshows and my iMovies that I have created on our TV.

Natural Rock Water Slide

This natural rock water slide is located in Jefferson National Park. There was a lot of water because of the recent rain. Our fearless leader, Diana, said there is usually only a trickle of water on the right side. The water was so cold it took your breath away. It was pretty scary from the top but totally worth the bumps and scrapes!

Cucumber Soup

South Beach Diet's Cucumber Soup............just 140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat.....just what I need to start my healthy diet to get in shape for next year's wilderness adventure. If I start today, maybe I can get into shape to make it up the 50' climbing wall by next June!

Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing, New Castle, VA

We had a wonderful family reunion at Eagle Landing in New Castle, VA. It is situated in Jefferson National Park and was the perfect vacation/workout/family reunion.....especially for families with kids in their teens and twenties! The adults are all taking a lot of Advil now but it was worth it. We had a great time catching up with each other and seeing how much the kids have grown since last year. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and I took many photos that I want to paint. I only had time to paint one small pastel. After all of the day's activities I really didn't have time to paint. Here are a few photos of the area and family. If you want a real adventure check out Wilderness Adventures at Eagle Landing in the Virginia mountains.

Family Reunion Water Fun

Here is the whole Fly gang enjoying Jefferson National Park in the Virginia mountains. It took us about 30 minutes by bus to travel to the site. Once there we had about a 30 minute hike up to the falls. We slid down a natural rock slide waterfall. Afterward we hiked up to see the Roaring Run waterfall. The water was so cold it took your breath away. We had a great time and came away with only a few bumps and bruises and a lot of fun memories!

THE BILTMORE HOUSE

We toured the Biltmore House and grounds Thursday morning. I had never seen hay wrapped in plastic. They looked like huge marshmallows lined up in the fields! The house itself was magnificent! I think my favorite area was the Grand Foyer and Winter Room. The Winter Room was a large glass covered area just off the main foyer filled with tropical plants. We were able to see many of the bedrooms which were just opened to the public. If you ever get the chance to go to the Biltmore don't miss the bowling alley, indoor pool and exercise room in the basement.

FAMILY REUNION

Every year we meet with my husband's family for a big family reunion. We usually have about 25 people attend. This year we will be traveling to the mountains in western Virginia. We stopped at the Biltmore House in Asheville last night and stayed at the Inn on the estate. These are a few photos from the Inn. We plan to tour the estate this morning. The Biltmore House is the largest family dwelling in the US. I'll post more photos of the house soon.