It's My Birthday and I'll Post What I Want To . . .

Well, at least it was my birthday when these pictures were taken.

Several sweet members of my family (and some equally sweet friends) journeyed here for a milestone birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise, but (thank goodness) I got a warning. (You know you all appreciated sleeping on clean sheets.)Gosh, did we laugh. This is my mother and my aunt cutting up rough.

The ladies didn't just drop in; they threw a party on my behalf. I'm sorry I didn't have the presence of mind to take more pictures. This is one of many my father tried to take of some of the "girls" that night. He took several shots, and someone always seemed to have their eyes closed. FORGIVE ME LADIES, but this one is just too funny.Our instructions were to "KEEP OUR EYES OPEN this time."So here I am, still later, after I won at cards. I remembered to keep my eyes open, but I forgot to tuck my chin(s).

Alaska Continued

Juneau

A salmon flower in Homestead, taken on a photography excursion.

Abandoned building in Treadwell -- a burned out and abandoned gold mining community.

Tuesday's Tim Holtz workshop -- necklace made from Idea*ology pieces

Skagway

White Pass Railway train in a May snowstorm

Glacier Bay

An "iced" glacier

Thursday's workshop -- mirror made from painted strips of Grungeboard - reminiscent of the boardwalks and colorful buildings in our previous port of SkagwayAnd there were whales -- Orcas. It was so difficult to capture a good picture, but I hope you can appreciate this one of the single surfacing whale (must have been 50 of them) and all the blows around it. Oh, and the birds feeding on the stuff that floated up after this feeding frenzy. Such a magical exit from the bay. (As with all my photos, you can see better if you click on the image to enlarge it.)

Ketchikan

I took a boat excursion in Ketchikan (my favorite port) to view eagles, totems and lighthouses. Oh my!

Friday's project -- small book made from transparencies and Paintables, colored with alcohol inks

Saturday's workshop -- photo frame

Victoria, British Columbia

B.C. Parliament buildings in Victoria

Oh, what a wonderful combination -- Alaska's awesome scenery and art with Tim Holtz!

Cruise to Alaska with Tim Holtz - Day One

These days I have been doing quite a bit of wandering, and most recently I wandered around the Norwegian Cruise Line's Pearl -- a good place to ramble about and also a good vessel on which to cruise around Alaska' Inner Passage.Our first day was spent at sea -- an unfortunately rainy, windy and rough day on the Pearl. The highlight of my day was a 2.5 hour workshop with Tim Holtz. The fruit of this workshop was an adorable little journal in which to collect our photos and thoughts from this adventure.I loved working with Tim's Grungeboard and crackle paints; and the Heidi Swapp papers he supplied were beautiful and perfect for this project! Eventually I will process the rest of my photos and add them to little gem.

I will post more soon, but you see, tomorrow is my birthday, and I have "surprise" guests arriving from out of town in an hour, and a "surprise" party tomorrow night. (So glad I got a heads-up on this one!)

Watching for that post?

Watchful dogs in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Photo by Lee Slocum

Keep checking. I will get to those pictures.

Still Soaring . . .

I just flew back from a week of artful adventure in Alaska with Tim Holtz. More soon!

I found my Art & Soul in Virginia . . .

e.b.'s suitcase and self-portrait

I really had no idea what to expect from my first Art & Soul when Elizabeth and I packed the car last Wednesday morning. I brought absolutely everything that I thought I might "need." I didn't use a tenth of the stuff I packed, but just having it there made me feel good.I am glad that I signed up for the Hampton "Fatbook." I was in the second book (only 28 pages), and I love the finished product. People amaze me with their ideas and interpretations! An ample motel-supplied breakfast fired me right through most lunch hours, but seven and a half hours still wasn't enough time to finish most projects -- at least for me. I think my favorite class was Michael de Meng's Morpheus Box, though mine (above) is far from finished.

I also loved my Nature Journal class with Tracie Lyn and Marilyn Huskamp, and I actually finished this project!

Karen, e.b., and Jerri

Perhaps most of all I enjoyed the sense of community I shared in Hampton with old friends and new.

Back row - Dede and Keli

Front row - me, e.b., Denise

Many folks might look at our week of "art camp" as a vacation, but it was exhausting.
And what becomes of the "broken arted" after too much beer?
Toilet paper art. That's what.