stuff about artstuff.

Art Imitates Cat.

So this one might fall under the "better late than never" category, and I suppose I ought to apologize for that.  But you know how sometimes you set little goals and to-do lists for yourself in a certain order of how you believe they need to happen, but one tiny detail holds you up for some silly reason and then the whole process falls apart and the entire thing hangs dangerously on the edge of never getting accomplished, ever? 

Oh.  No, it's just me? 

Ok then, never mind.

Anyhoo, as many of you already know (no thanks to me!) The Cat's Meow has been in quilt shops for months now . . . you can still find it here and there on the web, and even some cute quilt patterns here, here, and here.  And finally (fanfare, drumroll, ta dat dat dat da!) I have yardage available in my Etsy shop.

Those of you paying close attention will also recognize some of the kitties in this group from greeting cards you might have seen in everybody's favorite gourmet discount grocer, or here on my blog (or Flossie's!).

Most of you are already familiar with my constant studio companion and muse - but did you realize that every single kitty in the collection is modeled by Miss Flossie herself?  This isn't the first time Flossie has inspired a fabric group, so I suppose it's not surprising that when Harriet from Henry Glass came to me last year to brainstorm about a cat-themed group, I went straight to my "used pictures from Flossie's blog" file folder and started sketching (these are just a few of the inspiration-photos straight from Flossie's blog).

  

  

 

 

 
And all 10 of these kitty pictures are still available as prints in my Etsy shop!

Fitting, but not at all unsual, HRH herself is cuddled up in a blankie on my lap right now, overseeing the writing of this post.

'Nuff Said.

 
 
 

Hope you're all having a lovely holiday weekend.

And I Think They're Cute, Too.

Looking back I notice a sort of unexpected recurring theme from the week at the beach.

From the handful of books I grabbed to take with us 
where I read lots of stories about how Coyote helped create the World, gave people fire, taught ancient tribes how to fish and other real practical, helpful things...

...to the visitor who joined Molly on a walk one morning. 
Not surprising then that he showed up a couple times in my little sketchbook and drawings during the week.

Really just a pleasant character overall, in my opinion.  The Coyote of legend just wanted people on earth to be happy.  He sometimes gets a bad rap for the means by which he accomplished stuff, but his intentions were usually pretty positive.  The coyote on the beach was unobtrusively and politely curious.   And if you're an animal lover and haven't ever followed the Daily Coyote link in my lurk-list in the sidebar here, I think you should.

Our Little Wrens

Alright - one more for the "better late than never" category; here's another post I found in "drafts" from early July.  I know, who does that?

Well.  Me, I guess.

Here you go:

I am a fan of these spunky little guys, what with their perky little tails and extra-pointy beaks and much-bigger-than-their-actual-size personalities. 
Our own "Porch-Wrens" fledged last week and are currently flitting around nearby trees.
 
I've been watching this guy leaping across the roof and into the trees on the other side to flee the Wrath of Wren after finding himself in the wrong tree (even though his nest is up there somewhere also).  It's hilarious to see him scrambling through branches at top speed with a teeny tiny bird right on his butt until he is an acceptable distance from the rest of the Wren Family.

A more attentive and thoughtful blogger might have shared adorable pictures of this same house with occupants peeking out (ohmygosh that was cute) but we hated to harass them any more than we already were by simply going in and out the door ... so we would pass quickly and quietly, even attempting to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

A couple times I actually ventured to the front yard with camera in hand, but was met with that beady little glare that filled me with guilt for even thinking of standing there another moment.  What is it about wrens - they always look mad at me.  I kind of dig that about them.

Why the house right inside the front porch?  I know, not exactly the most practical place to encourage birds to nest.  It started 5 winters ago during an 85-day rainstorm (yes, 85 days).  It rained so hard and for so long that apparently this guy's normally dry nighttime roost in the nearby Douglas fir had become soggy, so he relocated to the holiday garland over our front door, inside our covered porch.
 
The garland stayed up as long as we noticed him still using the roost (yes, sad dry holiday garland circled our front door well into spring) and in the mean time tried to encourage him to move a foot or two over to a nice dry house placed nearby.  Shortly thereafter he began filling the little house with sticks, moss, and clumps of dog hair; he managed to impress a mate with the new digs and that first year they had 2 nests of little babies.  And during particularly soggy periods in winters since, he has returned to his little garland-spot, although never for as long as he did that first year.

One summer the little house became inhabited by honeybees (not as tolerant of people opening and closing the front door as a wren) so the whole thing was carefully relocated to a remote area of a friend's (much larger than ours) yard for a season, and when the bees moved on the birdhouse returned home ... and without thinking better of it, we hung it back in the same spot inside the porch, and this year a new generation of our little family of wrens  returned ... and now have moved on.  Godspeed little wrens ... see you next year.

Time Well Spent

After Saturday's epic all-day battle with that prolific and omnivorous ivy, Sunday was decidedly slower-paced. 
There are several more big ugly dirty projects to accomplish in the yard, but I was a little stiff and achy, and was more about dillydallying as I pulled a few weeds and trimmed stuff here and there. 
The girls enjoyed the more laid-back vibe of the day. 
They both got brushed (no, it's not a new pet, that is just a pile of their fur). 
 
The vegetables seemed to enjoy our little 2-day summer, sandwiched between all that cold, grey dampness.


 
And I finally got a chance to play with my new (well, I guess not so new any more) camera (more about this another day). 
My old tripod is currently buried somewhere in the basement, but I played around with closeups just holding it by hand, snapping away, not sure what I was actually getting. 
I was hoping to capture the super-light spray from some of the exposed holes in the soaker-hose that runs through the beds

 
and the droplets that lie suspended on spiderwebs in the grass.  This one has a dog hair in it, but then everything at my house has a dog hair in it. 
Or a cat hair. 
Or thousands of both.

I didn't even notice this when shooting the strawberries - but ew. 
Who is that creepy little guy?  No, really.  What is this?

I am fascinated by the textures in old glass. 
I could stare into these insulators all day long. 
After some weeding and trimming, I sat at the table for a while and watched stuff go on overhead.


 
After some more weeding and trimming, I laid in the grass and watched more stuff go on overhead.
 
Stuff buzzed and fluttered, and the robin stopped right above me to sing for a bit. 
Then someone told me it was time for our walk, and time to think about dinner. 
The clouds swept back in, and once again, summer in the Pacific Northwest went back to mild, grey, cool, and wet (until the last couple days!).  I'm glad I was able to take the time off to enjoy these little bits of sun in my garden, it was time well spent.

Illustration Friday: Hatch

...as in cross-hatch.

Last month I was thinking about my hero Maurice Sendak, and the amazing worlds he has created in humble pen and ink - as a little kid I would (and still do) soak right into the pages of my picture books and just exist inside them. I played with my friend Little Bear in the woods, I frolicked with monsters in faraway places, I knew and deeply loved every single character. Even when it is used, color is never at center stage in his drawings, like it is in almost every single thing I've ever created.

It got me thinking about cross-hatch work. Something I hadn't even tried for decades. So I pulled out the little Moleskine and started sketching Molly wandering in a quiet woods, a very Sendakian place I suppose. Not the greatest cross-hatching ever, as I was reminded that cross-hatch is not for the faint of heart. Or those of us in the slightest hurry. Seems to be more of a Zen thing than I was really prepared for when I started sketching.

My hand started to get a little tired. So as the sketch extended into the other page (I've always drawn from right to left to minimize left-hand-drag) I went for a simpler more instant-gratification style...

In retrospect, each style suits each animal appropriately. Molly sort of is a serious assemblage of straight little lines. Thoughtful and slightly mysterious. Flossie, on the other hand - fluffy, friendly, not very practical or realistic.

You know ... I don't do yoga, I haven't really meditated for-real in years - I'm thinking maybe I ought to take up cross-hatch drawing as a regular spiritual exercise. And then, once I've reached that illustrative astral plane, I'll go totally hard-core and revisit pointillism. Ooh!

Yeah, no. I probably won't. But it's a nice thought.

More Cats.

A couple weeks ago in a fit of creative angst (or maybe just anti-admin/accounting angst) I shut down the computer and walked away from my office/studio...in the middle of the day on a weekday and everything.  I know.  I grabbed the first things that I could find to just make something with, which happened to be  2 loose tubes of acrylic paint (raw umber and white) and a set of paper mache nesting boxes...and I sat down in the back yard and started painting.  No plan, just me and the paint.  And the boxes. 

Not too surprising, I guess, that these same weird little cats that have been in my head were what happened that day.

I just put the set of boxes in my Etsy shop.   The largest one is 8 X 10"...they're nice useful sizes for storing all sorts of papers and stuff.  I enjoyed just painting so much that I've painted on some more boxes since then...will be adding those to the store soon.

I hope they find a good home!

Everyone Loves Samples.

I've told you before how everyone in the house gets excited when packages arrive on the porch.  I suppose we all enjoy them in our own, extreme sorts of ways...but this.  This has to win some sort of prize.

I wonder who this could have been?  It doesn't seem to fit any of these mouths that just happened to be here on my desk; if only we could find a mouth that fits perfectly...

Busted. 

Nice work protecting us from that mean little box sitting by itself on the porch.  Fortunately the samples inside were well-packaged with a good barrier of packing paper...and we all know who loves that part the best.

Me, well...I'm happy when the packages hold beautifully-made products featuring my art, like this pretty little Confirmation card for Lawson Falle which was in this particular box.

And then there was this box which arrived the following day.  I was pretty excited because I knew what would be inside...

My new recipe binders by New Seasons.

Some of you may recognize the cover art from my set of kitchen prints produced by Image Conscious a couple years ago. 

I am so pleased by how these turned out.  I have been gushing about this to the amazing design team at New Seasons ever since I got my first proofs.

And the binders themselves...well, see for yourself.

I am loving this product! 

Along with cute recipe cards and full pages ready for printing straight from recipe websites or food blogs (and protective pages for the finished cards to fit into)

there are also several pages of really useful stuff ... ingredient substitutions, cooking and baking tips, ideas for grilling or using herbs, all neatly organized into one place.  Pretty neato.   This would make a great gift for that foodie you know who is constantly collecting new recipes, or someone just starting out on their own in their very first kitchen!

Hey what's that?

Um, excuse me. 

Anyway, as I was saying, there are neato tips and info ... all in one place right at your fingertips, and every inch embellished with fun little designs by yours truly. 

Um, what is it Flossie?

Really, right this second?

You can't just wait a minute for me to finish...

No, please don't...no, not here...oh come on...

Oh now that's just cold.  Really?  Your bottom?  Oh man. 

I give up.

Ok, well ... you get the idea.  I love this product, and I'm so excited to share it with you.  They'll be coming soon to a retailer near you (I'll let you know as soon as I have more specific info on that!) they're available now at all Sam's Club and select Costco stores across the country, and I promise that if you purchase one, yours will not have been touched by cat's bottom.

PS:  Recipe Binder Refill Page Update!

It's true, the manufacturer of this product doesn't sell refill-pages at this time, but until they do I think I have found a solution for you!

Visit my Etsy Store to purchase and download refill-pages you can print on your desktop printer as you need them!  These are not the exact designs available in the actual binders, but were created to coordinate nicely with them - they match, they're cute, and I do hope you enjoy using them!

Love to Craft

Do you?

Sure you do.

It's also the name of my new fabric group from the nice folks at Henry Glass.  Remember when I was working on this art?  It hits independent quilt shops this month.

Ta da!

These fabrics turned out just cuter than cute.  I couldn't be happier with the quality and the detail in the designs.  I squealed opening the boxes. 

Yup, actually squealed with delight.  Like someone who might truly believe that cats + yarn, thread, and ricrac could lead to something positive.

Oh come on, where's your imagination?  It could happen, right?

Actually if Flossie was truly the inspiration for this collection, the name would be Love to Sit on Top of You and Give You Stink Eye While You Craft.

She helped me cut some fat quarters, and we're celebrating her debut on fabric with a giveaway.

A fat quarter bundle, all designs in all colorways, is cut and folded and ready to go.

Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite thing you've made with your own hands (either recently, or ever) and I'll draw a name from a hat on the 22nd...to celebrate the First Day of Fall.

Workus Interruptus

Sketching new concepts for a client, big black notebook in my lap. There's something else in my lap...a nose.

With her neck stretched to freakishly giraffe-like proportions, nose must stay in central location. One eye and one ear are sleeping; the other eye almost open, watching...other ear listening. Always on duty.

Always nearby.

Always a comfort.

Client concepts halt for a few moments, quietly sketching the moment takes precedent. Followed, of course, by some soft scritches behind the ears (the softest spot on the face of the earth) a little scrungle on her head...then back to the project at hand.

Feeling just a tad happier...scritches and scrungles are good for the soul.

It's Raining Cats and Dogs.

Really it is...but I'm not talking about Seattle's crazy winter weather any more. If you've checked out pcCrafter this month you'll know what I mean.

It's my newest Creatable, named...appropriately...Cats and Dogs.

This collection features, well...cats and dogs (duh) but wait, there's more! Coordinating background patterns, frames, borders, banners...you really ought to check it out, especially if you're not already familiar with the cool stuff at pcCrafter.

Followers of Flossie's blog might remember her making friends with another pink-nosed kitty a while back. Well, there are an awful lot of big pink noses in this collection. I guess I have to admit...I'm surrounded by quite a bit of inspiration in the big-pink-nose department around here. It's pretty much all there is in our house. Big. Pink. Noses.

Well, 3 out of 4 are in the running for biggest (if actually measured there could be a very close tie on this one) and the smallest one would easily win the contest for pinkest on most days. But there's no denying we're just a family of big pink noses.

Anyhoo...hope you enjoy Cats and Dogs, big pink noses and all!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Well no...actually according to some, it's absolutely delightful...

Although this week I'm stuck here in the studio where it's warm and dry working like crazy (emergency deadlines!) I took a little break this afternoon to play in the snow with Molly. She loves this stuff even more than the people-part of this family does (and that's a lot).

And it's so rare around here...it's pretty special for us to have actual snow that doesn't turn to rain and disappear immediately, especially this close to Christmas. It's just so darn festive!

Now I know you friends who live where you get real snow have always thought I was exaggerating when I told you about the way Seattlites completely freak out and simply walk away from their cars, leaving them every which way in the middle of the freeway when the road they're driving on starts to turn white, but lookie here...I wasn't just making that up! This was the local news-blurb on my internet homepage this morning:

Illustration Friday: Pretend

I can pretend that they'd be friends.        These guys are from my new Creatable collection for pcCrafter, Polar Bears and Penguins.     Yeah, so, I know. Just indulge me in my little fantasy about giant predators being soft and cuddly and enjoying the company of adorably squishy birds who live on the opposite end of the planet.

I know.

But I'm just hoping you all can join me in simply enjoying the cuteness of it.     And while you're doing that, think good thoughts about real polar bears and real penguins, and their homes on the polar icecaps, and maybe think of just one teeny tiny little thing you could do yourself to help save their homes. I'm not talking major environmental heroics here, just little stuff.  Ride a bike or walk somewhere that you might have normally driven. A little trip to the Post Office or to pick up milk at the grocery store. Turn off a light that might still be on in another room (I mean, if no one else is in there, that is...don't go leaving loved ones in the dark telling them Beth told you to do it). This stuff is simple but most of us don't think of it often.

Alright...I stopped myself for a second, and looked around, and had to go do it myself.

There were 5 lights on in other rooms that didn't need to be. See, here I am preaching conservation on the World Wide Internets and I was burning 5 unnecessary lights (and probably lots of other wasteful stuff that I am not thinking of). Smooth Beth, really smooth.

See, I often need to remind myself about this kind of stuff...and why I think it's important.

It's all about these guys.

My little friends.    

Illustration Friday: Wise

This week's subject made me think about the eyes of our closest relative. How can one look into the eyes of a chimpanzee and not see the deep and profound wisdom and emotion they posess? 

This drawing was inspired by a photo of Moja, a beautiful being who was once part of CHCI, the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University.

I drew it a few years ago, hoping a friend of mine would want to use it as the logo for the chimpanzee sanctuary he was about to start...one day I just blurted out, "I dreamed your logo last night...can I draw it?" and fortunately for me, he indulged me, and it is their logo.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is an amazing organization. Since this past June, it has been home for 7 beautiful souls who suffered in captivity in labs for most of their lives. You may have seen their story on ABC News with Charlie Gibson last month.

I admit, even when I don't have time to keep up with my friends' art blogs, I start every day peeking at the chimps' blog to see pictures and videos of the "Cle Elum Seven" as they are now called. In a few short months the changes in their appearance and demeanor has changed dramatically; now in a home where they are finally able to nest, play, swing, see the sunshine for the first time, their true personalities are blossoming. And that deep, intelligent look in their eyes...where before there was pain and fear, you can now see peace. It's so cool.

I hope you check out their website and blog to see what great work they're doing, there are all sorts of links and info and cool stuff...and if you are able to consider making a donation there are many different ways to do so. There are fun and cool fundraisers and "Shop for a Cause" where all you have to do is shop (how hard is that, you were already going to, right?) and a portion of the profits will go to CSNW. And they just started a pretty neato thing called the Chimpanzee Pal program, where you can make a donation (spread out into several payments throughout the year if you like) and you'll receive a magnetic-framed photo of your chosen chimp, postcards to share, and a certificate...what a great gift idea.

These amazing creatures, our closest cousins, are wise...just look into those eyes.

Why Not?

Why wouldn't bears be fishing from a shiny red canoe, cooking their catch over the campfire?

And who's to say that in the evenings they don't retire to a rustic, cozy little cabin, perhaps playing cards by flickering lamplight and sharing frightening tales of seeing people, yes actual people, on the trail? 

When summer is over and you're back here at home, who can tell me in all certainty that they're not living it up in high-style back there in the woods?       

I'm not going to tell you they're not; in fact, I'm going to show you exactly what it looks like when you're not there. 

You may have seen these designs before as birthday cards by Leanin Tree, but now these actual real-life depictions of life in the forest are available as 10 x 10" and 10 x 20" prints in my Etsy store. Enjoy!

We Could All Use a Little More Grace.

This one's dedicated to an amazing, sweet soul. Someone who had an incredible impact on so many lives.

Grace.   Yes, I'm talking about a goose. But not your average goose. A domestic Graylag goose rescued from salty Puget Sound 3 and a half years ago. That in itself made a pretty good story, but no one knew then just how special she really was, and how much she would contribute toward the rescue of other geese. This was one cool goose, you should read why here. A real-life Mother Goose, sans silly hat and spectacles.

Sadly, a few weeks ago, Grace lost her life to a bobcat attack. Just doing what bobcats do, hunting to survive...how was a wild cat to know the difference between the nicest-goose-ever and any other delicious looking feather-covered meal? Stealthy and swift, even in the daylight, no one even had a chance to stop him.

The bobcat didn't know better. Still, it feels unfair and wrong, and those humans whose lives were touched by Grace are left feeling angry, sad, and just sort of ripped-off. Because really, the world could use a little more Grace.

I've got prints of my drawing of Grace available at my Etsy store. All profits from these sales will be donated to the PAWS Wildlife Center, so Grace can continue to give back to the kind folks who originally saved her and found her the home that she loved...and where she was loved, and considered "the Matriarch of the Pond".

Things That Make Me Smile IV

Alright, suddenly I feel sort of lame.

I've been blogging for 10 months now and, really? This is only the 4th edition of Things That Make Me Smile? Totally lame.

I mean, that's what this whole thing should be about, sharing a little positive stuff, right? I guess we all get caught up in day-to-day worries and stress...sometimes we need a little kick in the behind as a reminder to appreciate little, happy things. And sometimes even when we get those gentle little reminders, we still plod along in our own little worlds. Alright, maybe that doesn't describe you, but it certainly does me. Seemingly oblivious to the rest of the universe whirling around out there most of the time, plod plod plod.

About 2 months ago I received this sweet award from my ever-thoughtful and positive blogging friend, Diane Knott. It is the "Tree of Happiness".

"You have just received the tree of happiness...plant it on your heart, water it with smiles and kindness, feel the aroma of its flowers, savour the sweetness of its fruits and protection under its shade with whom you love." Pretty awesome, huh?  Now this is where I should probably (finally) just give in and throw a blanket apology out there to all my more considerate blogging friends for appearing to be a terrible humbug of a blog-game-ignorer, when in fact, when I see them I think, "oh that looks like fun, how nice of them to think of me...I'll get to that right after I finish (this one thing, whatever it is)..." Plod, plod, plod.

I admit, I am a serial procrastinator. And I suppose I have trouble following rules. But I'll give this a shot anyway: to play the Tree of Happiness game I'm supposed to name 6 things that make me happy, so here goes...totally random happy thoughts, in no particular order:

1. Fall. Yeah I know I've been whining and moaning about the changing of seasons this past month, but really, fall has always been my favorite month and just this week it's been knocking on my brain and reminding me of that fact. I love the colors, the smell of it, the crunch of dry leaves (really, sometimes we do have those here in soggy Seattle). It feels like a fresh start...even more so than spring for me.

2. Garden-fresh tomatoes.  My absolute favorite food. Wipe off the bugs and eat them right in the garden, warmed from the sun, on a summer day. Or, as is often the case around here, begin to harvest the early varieties in September, and ultimately pick the rest while still green to ripen indoors, before they crack from the heavy rains. Either way, there's nothing that compares, absolutely nothing.

3. Flossie's snore. Every now and then, here in the office, the only sounds are the low hum of the computer and the soft little whistle of her tiny pink nose pressed into her furry bed.

4. Crows. That one just popped into my head because I can hear one outside my window. They're hilarious, and I love them.

5. Bright green. Hmmm, I think I need to repaint this room...

6. Walking Molly. It doesn't matter how I feel before we walk, this one is always a mood-lifter. I just can't help it. I may be thinking, but I'm busy. But I need to finish this first. But it's raining. It's too cold. It's too hot. I'm grouchy, what if a neighbor says "hi" and wants to chat? I haven't showered, what if a neighbor says "hi" or looks at me? I'm tired. I don't feel like it. Why now? But only a few steps out the door, her happy little prancing just shifts the mood upward, no matter what. It doesn't matter if it's a squirrel-chasing romp at the park or a quick trot around the block. There's joy in her every step, her every sniff...she even stops and sniffs flowers. That one always gets me. How can you not think that's cute? Lifts a front paw in a graceful curl and sniffs a single blossom. It's greeting-card precious. I say "let's turn here and go down this street." She bounces as if to say, "hey that's a great idea! Why, I hadn't thought of that!" I say "let's cross the street here." and again, I've surprised her with the best idea she's ever imagined. It just always makes me a little happier.

So, there you go. 6 little happy thoughts. If you feel like playing along, share 6 happy little thoughts of your own with me, I'd love to hear them. Or simply think about them, and your smile and positive energy is sure to spread these little trees of happiness and eventually grow a vast forest...ahhh, can you imagine? A whole forest of happiness? Here's wishing you that. 

Still Thinking About the Beach.

Following are excerpts from ramblings written in my notebook last Thursday...time? I don't know, it was about 2 inches above sunset.

Gumption Meter Reads 1.67

After a slight jump up to 1.8 to step inside and pick up this notebook and a pencil, it's lowering again. 1.68, reach for mug, sip, back down to 1.66.

The Pacific Ocean's gumption seems to be similarly low: a giant, flat piece of sparkly blue seersucker fabric, only slightly ruffled and white at the edges. A tame, quiet, lovely little surf. Beyond, only smooth and blue, and it could only remain this flat, blue, and calm all the way to Japan. There's no way it could be different beyond the horizon. Just flat. Just quiet. The sky above similarly calm, blue...the sun following westward, bright stripe on the ocean quietly moving along below it.

The dog's gumption level is low also. She is content to lie on my feet, soaking in the evening sun, to smell the air and simply think about running on the beach, rather than actually doing it.

Fortunately, husband's gumption meter is reading high enough to pick up the 12-string and strum softly while the surf plays backup.

I sat and wrote a while longer, but then had to stop to watch my favorite show:

I should mention, though, I do realize that while my little corner of the ocean was calm and flat, while my sheltered perception of the world around me was completely at peace (no TV or internet), that so many others experienced the complete opposite last week.

My heart goes out to those hit by the recent storms; lives, entire worlds turned upside down, pulled out from under those left behind. Staring into a calm surf with a slight breeze, we all understand logically and distantly what it's capable of...it breaks my heart to think of those who now know this personally, who have lost homes, communities, and loved ones. They are in my prayers and good thoughts.

Cats at the Beach!

Alright, here's something that I figure is only amusing to me, but it is (amusing to me, that is) so I had to share it with you anyway.

Timing is everything.

Look what just arrived, my samples and first look at the finished Cats at the Beach stickerbook by Dover Publications. Here's a little sample of more of what you'll find inside: Amusing to me since this last week was Flossie's first visit to the beach (and she loved it, just like Dover says cats do in the little blurb about my stickers!). I haven't even finished unpacking yet (yeah I know, that's lame) and I'll still be finding sand around the house for a long time, I'm sure. The beach theme continues around here...

The Cats at the Beach designs also make me giggle for other reasons I will spare you (it's a long sordid tale, these cats' amazing 8-year adventure...but with a happy ending) so maybe I'm just prone to amusement when it comes to the whole thing.

I hope that, for whatever reasons you may find, they make you smile too.

Not Quite Ready Yet...

...to say goodbye to summer, that is.

Now if I were someone who was on top of my blogging (not to mention PR) duties, I may have shared these with you months ago, perhaps in preparation for summer, rather than when the rest of the hemisphere is putting away their outdoor furniture and pulling sweaters out of storage.

But that's not how I roll.
  So, here I am, better-late-than-never-Beth...just now getting around to showing you some very summery garden flags that were offered this (I mean last, sigh) season by Toland Home Garden.
  Why am I just now finally getting around to blogging about these, even thinking about them at all?

Well...it's not just me who gets around to things later-than-most. Here in the Pacific Northwest, spring and summer took their sweet time in finally getting around to us. It feels as if summer just got here recently, and I'm not ready to let it go yet.

Also, having just returned from a lovely and quiet week out at the coast to celebrate my birthday, I am so excited to have seen pelicans on our beach for the first time.
Now, I should clarify it's my first time seeing them, not their first time here. I guess they've been here for a year or two, but I have spent far too little time out there in My Favorite Spot on the Face of the Earth. When painting my "Fresh Catch" design, I was really thinking about Southern (Eastern) beaches. But now, here on my own Northwestern beach, in all their magnificently-beaky glory (it holds more than their beli-can, you know) they are here.

I suspect their move here has more to do with the not-so-pleasant circumstances of global warming, reductions in fish populations, pollution, and decreasing habitat than it does entertaining northern coastal birdwatchers like me; but wildlife-geek that I am, I'll enjoy their presence just the same.
Molly didn't seem quite as impressed with them as she was the abundance of deliciously marinated salty sticks on the beach.
But then have you ever known a dog who didn't like the beach? I haven't.
In addition to beach-frolicking, there was also plenty of lounging and dilly-dallying to do around the cabin. Before leaving home I bought a bunch of acrylic paints and brushes that live at the cabin now for everyone to enjoy. Painting on driftwood and rocks with acrylics is something I loved as a kid, and before this last week I hadn't done it in years.

Again, a thoughtful blogger on top of her game would have also taken pictures of the finished product (featuring Molly, Flossie, and the wild roses in bloom all summer along the coast) but no. I left the little painting in the windowsill, no final shots, but I suppose the blogworld will keep on turning just as before without seeing it until next time I see it again.

Still a work-in-progress, our place has recently been thoughtfully and lovingly rebuilt by my amazingly talented and hardworking brother (other members the family lending hands when possible). The original shelter, literally built from scrap-wood, driftwood, and building-salvage by my creative, nutty, visionary Granddad, had been rotting from the inside for almost 40 years...and barely stood upright any more.

Now that it's mostly-finished, old pieces from the original shelter are coming out of storage and finding homes in the new structure.
  I was pleasantly surprised to see that since my last visit my brother has hung the old kitchen cupboard doors I had painted...one in 1980, and one in 1985.
And in one of the many photo albums in which my dear uncle has lovingly (and entertainingly) archived every detail of the history of the place, I found a photo of me painting the second door.
In another (even older) album, there are photos of a talented cousin of mine carving the totem you see in the background of the above shot...from a driftwood log right on the beach.

Pretty neato.

My favorite chair on the face of the earth (yes, part of an old broken chair atop a very heavy rusty can) made it to the new cabin. Favorite, but never really very comfortable, I thought it could use a little help from one of my Halloween pillows Windham Weavers produced a few years ago.
The old outhouse still stands, but is now a tool-shed. We don't need to go into any more history on that one, use your imagination.

Thankful to live in such a beatuful part of the earth (for those of you who can't see the detail or don't recognize the second flag, that's our Washington State seal) and blessed with a family that, as varied and odd group as we are, completely different from one another in so many ways, shares some pretty basic values which include preserving our history...I returned home refreshed, grateful, ready to get back to work...but still not willing to give up the last few breaths of summer.

It looks as if I still have a couple more days.

NOTE: a few days after posting this, I asked our Naturalist at the Wildlife Center where I volunteer about the pelican situation. It seems there's not a situation at all! He believes there have always been brown pelicans on Washington's coastal beaches. I had seen them now and then on the more southern-WA beaches but never up here...why, we're not sure. Maybe my beach wasn't "good fishin'" before now, maybe it's a time-of-year thing (as in I hadn't been out there at the right times of year). I will look into this further! Anyway, whatever it is, I'm still a little surprised I'd never seen them before, and am just happy to enjoy their beak-iful presence now.