Catching Up......

Well, it has certainly been a while since I have taken the time to post of my new adventures. Shortly after my last post, Kim and I were off to Philadelphia, well West Chester, PA to be exact for a live audience presentation of Kirk's Follyon QVC. Like last year, we rented a car and drove the seven hours instead of flying. We swung by the airport in Philly to pick up Sue and then I was off to the Paoli train station to snatch Kathleen. Dji, Anne Marie and Mary Jo arrived later in the evening. We were off to a rip roaring start however enjoying a few cocktails and getting reaquainted....b/c it had been so long since St Patrick's day and its not like there are not hundreds of e-mails flying around on a weekly basis, but then again it is different to be face to face.


The next day the show went off without a hitch. We were a little concerned with the show host, but Antonella was a perfect match. The best part of the show was Kim's modeling of her two silver shawls that she turned into a poncho....you never know when you get your chance at fame and she was ready, willing and on her game! Can't wait to get that dvd to replay that priceless footage.

And yes, I do feel as out of place at these events as I look in this picture but sometimes it is good to venture outside of your element. While the whole jewelry thing is not my bag so to speak it is enlightening to see everyone's spirits lifted and genuine happiness pour out of everyone when they are in the Kirk's Folly realm. It has given me the opportunity to meet seven new faces that I can now truly call friends, visit Rhode Island on two occasions and participate in the Autism Ball that turned out to be a wonderful success.

To fill our Saturday in PA, we went to this little town of New Hope on the Delaware River just before you enter New Jersey. Kathleen said oh yeah this is only an 45 minute to and hour drive, a little over two hours later we finally pull in. It was worth the drive though lots of cute shops, some art galleries and plenty of bars to stop and have a cold one. We ended the day at a hat store and oh my look what we came upon.....

The ride home was not as bad as anticipated. The weather was beautiful and traffic was not an issues. We stopped at Cabela's on the way home but were disappointed in the deals we could find. I guess we just got lucky last year. We met Heather at Aubelo's for dinner and then were home ready to face reality on Monday morning.

The work was generally uneventful, stressful as usual. Tuesday we were in Cleveland but the rest of the week was spent here in Columbus. Luckily a couple after work stops at The Inn Between made the week go a little faster.

The highlight of this weekend was Heather and Leonard's wedding shower. Here is the happy couple after opening all their wonderful surprises. And yes, we better be invited over for some fancy Italian food from that new cookbook....but please hold the wheat flour!!

Next weekend is Artiscape in which Kim is getting all geared up for...I am actually taking two classes a metal texture class and some carved atc stamp class. The second one worries me a bit as I have no idea what I am getting myself into. Anyway, when not in class I intend on getting some much needed miles on my mountain bike. Let's hope for good weather......

For my artiscape trades, I am going to try and incorporate the rear cassette and derailleur from my new road bike...we'll see how it turns out.......

It looks like it is coming down to time crunch to get these done, but don't fret I will find some time between now and Thursday evening. I guess that is all until after Artiscape, perhaps my post will be a bit more insightful but for now you all you get is pictures and a timeline........but then again you could be sitting alone in a hotel room in Boone County, KY enjoying a triple whopper value meal....okay, okay I'll buy you a jack when you get back!!!

My 1st "Artful Evening"

Artful Evenings is held the third Tuesday of every month at European Papers on Town St. Kim is a active participant in this event every month; however, I attended my first class tonight. We learned different techniques for creating altered books.

Here were some of my attempts:

There were tons of people there just waiting to hear all about Kim's experiences at ArtFest and yes, I brought the ATC book she was published in to show Shara but all got to see....I will dedicate a whole post to this book, b/c I know she will not put in on her blog once I have more time to spend at my computer.

Finally..my new ROAD RIDE

Well, here it is in all its glory, my new road bike...it is a Felt Z35

Full carbon frame, dura-ace/105 set up and I added the Terry saddle

Now that the weather has finally turned it will be great to get out and ride....

although all my road miles of course are just to prepare for the upcoming

mountain bike season.

I bought my bike at Wheelie Fun's big sale a couple months ago -- finally got back down there for a fit and to get everything built. We met Shara for lunch and a quick visit to a couple of the local antique/gift shops in Lebanon. The lunch was great at Doc's Place - good sandwiches and fries and of course, Bud Light. It was an exciting afternoon all the way around.

Since it was very cold for a April weekend, the fireplace went on once we got home. Here is Ruby enjoying its warmth...........

Happy Easter

Easter morning may not have been spring like but it was still a nice sunny day...here you see a nice shot out into our field --a little snow cover but the green grass is peeking through ready for a fruitful spring/summer season...


Here you see the lovely chance marie peering out looking for a glimpse of the easter bunny....

I made some cinnamon rolls to start the day off on a sweet note. They were unusually good this morning. Our day includes dinner at my Mom's house with friends around noon and then off to Kim's parents for dessert.

Kim enjoying the natural light at my Mom's after dinner -- prime time for flipping through magazines, catalogs and the Sunday paper.


Here is the 33rd Easter Basket I received from my Mom. A little less candy which is good, a couple cute bunnies and an adorable basket.
Last but not least, a picture of us once we were safely back home ready to spend the rest of the evening with our pack.

Ruby, Chance, Biggie and Nelly are taking turns sleeping by the fire while Kaj joins us for a cat nap on Ruby's love seat.

Easter this year is really a new beginning for us on many levels. We have been blessed this year with many new friends, interests and opportunities to evaluate changes we can make in our daily lives. I look forward to supporting Kim's art ventures, perhaps exploring some of my own and dabbling in both mountain bike and road racing this summer.

ARTFEST 2007

......little did I know I would actually feel a part of Artfest 2007 when my trip began....my plans were to simply spend some time by myself in the woods exploring all the trails and sights that port townsend had to offer while taxiing kim back and forth to her activities....although I did get plenty of time to explore my trip turned out to be so much more.....meeting the other artists ellen, sarah, julie, cynthia, lani from nova scotia - hanging out at the commons, art asylum, on the beach and in town with everyone was a wonderful...everyone contributing something different to the group...thanks everyone for making me feel like part of your artfest experience........the bed and breakfast we stayed at was great the owners carol and john were great (although they thought my name was Jennie) and I just loved the little guy...buddy......what else?? it seems like so much in such a small amount of time.....I mountain biked on thur and fri, got my first real massage on fri afternoon, hung out with Dji after my massage, went to Lake Cushman to meet up at Dji's lake house, meet Mr. Dji, PJ and Jenny -- we had a great hike through the woods and then a nice, sort of off the wall get together back at artfest after the "official artfesters" show and tell.........i hope everyone can make it back next year for more fun and laughter.........some pictures will follow but first take a look at "my art" -- sarah taught everyone how to needle felt and since I had nothing better to do and there was an extra needle this was the product:
I made the body which looked like a piece of bubble gum and then the wings and kim turned turned it into this special little creature adding the head, eyes and dots on the wings.

Here is Kim and Ellen on the beach after searching for shells, rocks, sea glass and anything else interesting in the sand..... Here I am a on Artillery Hill high above Fort Warden, my head is backed up to the bluff which drops above 5 stories to the sound below:
A better picture to put above into perspective: A trail offshoot that led right to another drop off: Don't forget about Buddy:

My hike with Dji and her dogs PJ and Jennie:

For more pictures check out this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66929610@N00/sets/72157600044547560/

All in all one great get away the new faces, new places and new experiences will make this weekend memorable. The weekend will always pop into my thoughts when I hear Little Rock, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tacoma and of course Nova Scotia.

Oh yeah, one more thing....artiscape is coming up in May and of course Kim has a full course schedule booked but (OK everyone sit down) I even signed up for two classes!! I will actually be a bona fide true participant......who knows what this may lead to...........wish me luck!!!