Ah, This Is The Life

A Friend that Cora went to school with asked me if I would make some paintings for their new addition.  We went over and looked at their new addition, which was awesome, and I made some suggestions.  So, I began working on the paintings today.  She wanted what we have above our door, but in colors more complimentary to their decor.  I began with large shapes and worked down in an over-lapping pattern.  Have a look.  The top picture is the earliest picture.  The second picture is how i left them when I stopped for dinner.

It's been a good day.  We went shopping for a bit.  Then we came home.  Cora began playing her late Christmas present.  I bought her "Endless Ocean II" for the Wii as a late Christmas present.  I had planned on buying it for her in January, but they pushed the release date back by two months!   So, finally, I got her that late gift and she began playing it.  Here Toby has taken ownership of her lap, deciding that complete deflation was appropriate, while she plays her new game.

Cora made dinner while I was painting.  She made Beef Stroganoff...she makes the home-made kind and I know I am totally spoiled, because YUMMMM!!!  It was awesome!

I decided that a picture of the happy couple was necessary!  

It's been a good weekend.  I started by seeing my newest niece.  Continued by taking the dogs up for a walk and then saw a movie.  Today we went shopping and then just enjoyed each other's company...This is why I wish weekends were longer.  Tomorrow I will be teaching first graders.  I'm looking forward to it, but I would not turn down another day with my beautiful wife.

Life is good.

Praise for Music Teachers

Yesterday, I subbed for a music teacher. She's great and always leaves nice non-musical plans, that is, I don't have to play anything more complicated than a CD player. She usually puts on a spring and fall program and does lots of other stuff with the kids. Lately, though, I have more respect for her. She has these African instruments, probably 20 or 30 of them. Some are big, some are small. You are still waiting for why I have more respect for her, aren't you? Well, the kids come in at various times during the day to practice. Did you get that? PRACTICE, that means not all of them are good. Or even if they are good, it would be difficult to tell from the cocophony of sound and notes booming out from all the other wonderful, LOUD, instruments. I suppose it is just that none of it was in harmony...no, that's not true. A few of them would play together and you could almost hear them over the others.

I guess I have become used to the relative quiet of the classroom and the (what's another word for formless, tuneless, loud, cocophony)... it was just a strange assault to the ears. It was like no other sound. Oh, I managed to get stuff done and prepare for the next class, and I suppose I could got used to it, but WOW! So, I take my hat off to all music teachers, because I am sure when your kids practice it must be hard for you to concentrate.

I got a few more paintings further along last night. I got one finished and I will show it tonight. A few others are further aong. I hate it when I get to a spot where I realize this painting is just not working like I thought it would and then I have to go back over it. For example I had planned on doing an elephant in a forrest, but decided the background wasn't good enough. So, now there is a different background...third try. Ah well, they all eventually turn out...I don't give up until they do.

Oh, I shipped out my first painting yesterday! "The Red One" is now on its way to its new home. Cora and I both had grown accustomed to it hanging on the wall. I guess I will just have to make another.

Monday is over, where is Friday?

Sunday Evening Blues

I have enjoyed this weekend very much. I think it has been the change in the weather. I feel really good. I have a little of my cold still hanging on, but overall, very good! I absolutely love the sunlight!

(that's my ghillie suit, on the fence)

So, today I was extra ambitious (well, for me, I was ambitious). I started by raking some of the mess up in the back yard, dead twigs and stuff. Then I mowed the lawn, fertilized just a smidgin, and watered it. I did some other chores and then painted this.

I am not particularly pleased with it. I was going for a boy's monogram, but I m not certain that the jet works...it seems, as Cora so acurrately put it, that the jet is attacking the tractor... oh, well, back to the drawing board, so to speak.

I am still waiting for a job for tomorrow. I hope it comes along. I like having them ahead of time, then I don't have to worry so much about it...

Cora, on the other hand, has been a dress making fool! She has made a couple good ones tonight. I think I am going to go through my accident reports and fix some of the holes...they are getting tattered...

We continue to wonder about Burundi. What exact size is the little boy in Burundi...Cora bought a few different sizes to be on the safe side. What's the weather there? Turns out it's something like 80 degrees year around. What do we take? Who knows. Hopefully we will soon.

Some Paintings

Here are a few paintings I have been working on. I am prticularly fond of the Dragon Flies and the Monogram. I need to work on the panda, but I was experimenting anyway. These will be for sale on Cora's blog soon.

Finished Product, Spiff Lives!

I grew up in the eighties and the nineties. I read the comics whenever I visited my grand-dad's, which was everyday. My favorite comic strip was Calvin and Hobbes. The boy and his tiger. I loved the commentary and I loved the mix of comedic childishness and adult pessimism. Calvin and Hobbes made me laugh. I still have the last strip they ran...what was it? 1995? Anyway, a few of them stick with me. I remember the snowmen...Calvin's snowmen almost always met some horrific end. I remember the "Aliens Welcome!" sign in his dad's lawn that he dug with a shovel...the impending spanking was only implied, but Calvin's satisfaction at a job well done was evident. Calvin's imagination was the fuel for the comic. One of the imaginary characters he became was Spaceman Spiff. He had a red space ship. This painting was inspired by that ship. It is entitled "The Red One."

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Thank you Bill Watterson for that wonderful part of my childhood.

So, now, even though I am becomming quite fond of this painting I will offer it up for sale on Cora's site. Does anyone have a suggestion for pricing?

Sorry these are sideways...but these are some other ideas for long canvasses...any preferences? Oh and I am a boy, so airplanes is gonna have to happen. Thats a hippo by the way...above the airplanes.

My Painting. For Sale.

Cora has been sewing dresses and blankets, hoping to sell them to help with some extra money for the adoption. I thought I might be able to contribute, so I bought a few canvasses. I like this one. I am ALMOST finished. I need to finish the spaceship...but I think it won't take very long tomorrow. I made this one with a boys room in mind...maybe a future NASA employee...When I finish it, I will put more pictures up here and Cora might even put it on her site.

My calf is feeling much better...still hurts if I twist wrong, and I walk with a slight limp, but nothing compared to yesterday. I wish weekends lasted longer.

Today, We Party

Well, not quite, but we do plan to relax and enjoy ourselves. Today it is supposed to reach 106 degrees...at least. I think, since we have had an odd summer (usually hottest in the first week of August for us, but this year it has remained cool), we deserve to enjoy this little piece of it. We are going to go to my sister-in-law's house and swim in her pool and maybe have a BBQ. I plan on taking large Rib-eye steaks, anyway.

F-22 Raptor, a lean, mean, air pane killing machine.

Here are some photos, since a few of you (cough-cough-Cora, hack-cough-Kim-cough) prefer to look at pictures. Mabe you will enjoy these.

Real Pilots don't need a cockpit, and some ride side-saddle! This F-15, and E model in this instance, was on display at McChord. The E model was meant for ground attack...silly way to use a pure-bred fighter.

Of course there are the obligatory airplane photos...this blog is called Planetruth for a reason.

At least the US Army Air Corps knew how to paint their bombers! The paint schemes of the mid to late 1930s were often very colorful. This B-18A is at McChord AFB.

This A-5 Vigilante at PIMA, is an example of the fastest jet the Nvy ever employed. She was built at a bomber, but since the nuclear mission disppeared soon after they came into delivery, the Navy decidedto use them for recon! They did a great job, though they took severe losses in Vietnam...probably something to do wit flying into heavily defended areas in straight lines with no ability to fight back. Still, it looks fast, even on the ground.

Cora and I finished the "changing table." I still have to work on the giraffe knob, I am not happy with it facing the same direction as the monkey knob, so I will sand it off and reposition it. Coar was saying those hand painted knobs go for $15 each at some sites...now tht's crazy. I would sell mine for $50 or $60...just kidding, I don't know, I would probably sell them for less...more like $10...maybe if I got really good, I would lower the price...who knows. They are kind of fun to paint.

I think I want to leave a geocache for my darling parents, today as we drive by their city. The neat thing is it is basically a treasure hunt. You leave clues and coordinates and the fun part is writing clues. One of my clues last week was, "you will need your metal detector, what you seek is in mint condition." It was an Altoids container buried in the dirt. Look, Cora likes Geocaching!!

Here is a landscape from Arizona. I suppose my painting in the men's room does not compare, but, whether you like the weather and climate or not, you have to admit, Arizona has some awesome landscapes! Beautiful country. It pobably has something to do with growing up here, but, apart from the mountain vistas and the rolling hills and the wonderful ocean shores and that spectacular rainforest and the Columbia Gorge and the Yakima River Canyon...and most of the state, I don't like the way Washington looks. Hmmm...maybe I do like it a bit?!

This is Arizona and this is Washington State...if you look behind the air plane, you can see Mt. Rainier rising through the haze.

and here is what we drive around in, lots of hills:

this is the landscape closer to home...

and residents of Seattle see this:

And it isn't like Arizona has Ocean Front Property...though, I knew someone who wanted to sell me some a few years back...cheap, probably worth a bunch, now. Does Arizona have pretty girls like this one?

And Arizona does not get THIS much snow...

Long Hot Day

I knew it was going to be hot today when I wanted to turn the air conditioner down further at 5:30AM. We began with our traditional break. Then we broke to work. I and the other sub needed to bring three pallets of surplus books from the elementary. But first, we needed to empty the food service van, which my associate had thoughtfully filled with siurplus computers but had not emptied. I found that yesterday, and I was not happy. So, we emptied the van, ten got the books. It was hard, heavy, and hot. All that "fun" was compounded by the fact that my cohort is, while well intentioned, not the candle with the longest wick.

I've noticed, lately, that he removes the keys from every vehicle he drives. That is something that is a bit of a pain if you work for a school district. There are all sorts of occasions where you need to get through to something, but someone else's vehicle is in the way. If they leave the keys in you can move it and go on with your day. (also, he does not even have pockets, so you can't rely on him to open gates or doors without handing him your own set...and THAT is annoying, because he does not remember to give them back)

After lunch, he went to the elementary to finish the "small" mowing. There is a mower at that school. I took the big mower over to the other elementary and mowed. As I was finishing up, I lifted the front deck and the front guide wheel just fell off! The linch pin that holds it in place had disappeared, as had a few spacers. I rescued it and began my trek back to the shop to fix it, but the maintenance man for that school told me the other sub had run out of gas and then had to leave for home. I said fine. I would fix that and then fix the Big Mower. The heat caused the breeze to be tepid across my face while I drove back on the mower. I got to the shop and parked the mower. I went to the van, which the other sub had left out front, with the main garage door to the shop wide open (when there is no one specifically at the shop, we close the doors...keeps tools from walking off). Amazingly, he had left the keys in the van, so I did not have to go back in and get them from the breakroom. I filled up a can of gas and left. Here is a picture of me in the van on my way to the elementary to rescue the mower, note I am happy at this time. I did not take pictures of me after I discovered the predicament Tootsie Roll had left me in.

I got to the other school and there was the little mower...about 2/3 finished with the mowing. I looked at my watch and decided I could finish it in time to go home. I filled the mower with gas and then flipped the seat back. I was about to get on it, when I noticed that the keys were missing. I thought, "how appropriate." I walked back to the van, figuring Mighty Mouse had left the key in the van. No such luck. I called the other maintenance man (let me just come out, it's my Father-in-Law) and asked if he knew where Twinky had left the key. He did not answer. I stomped back to the mower and continued to marvel at Muscle Brain's logic. Tae the keys out of the mower that was out of gas and would not go anymore, but leave the keys in a decent school van, next to a shop with its door wide open and no one around to say, "Stop stealing those tools!" Just brilliant.

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I walked inside the school and found the custodian and asked if Meadow Muffin had left the key with him...NOPE. I finally had to push the damned mower around and into the building...that was no easy feat. I was sweating heavily...and irritated. I finally got back to the shop and walked in and put away the keys. I glanced at the table with the intention of leaving note for the maintenance guy who comes in first on Monday about the mower behind his Polaris. It was then that I saw the mower key. I was moved to cursing. I saw the words on the piece of paper under it. "Keys to mower at TH." Instead of yelling out loud, which would have startled Oprah the shop cat, I left these words below his: "How useful to have them here!"

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I shut down the lights and left. What a wonderful day. I went to the bank and cashed in $126 of coins.

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I took the camera to work today. I stopped a coulple times to take pictures. These are about the only things from the day that made me happy. I took some pictures of pears nearing ripeness and apples, sorry they are a bit blurry: I forgot to go to macro. I also took a few pictures of hops.

I also took a picture of the painting I put on the bathroom wall in the breakroom. What do you think?