This isn't to say we haven't been busy. I got a good start on assembling a new dress for Julia, in a burgundy tapestry fabric. Poor Julia, she needs a new dress. She prefers the ones I make her to the ones we get through mail order which are frequently not long enough and of shoddy material that gains holes easily. She wears the ones I make her even when they are all worn out. Friday, she raised her arm to reveal pale patches of pink skin peeking through a torn armhole. To be honest, she did wear that old brown dress because it was her hair coloring day, and she didn't want to chance staining a newer dress. Still, I'll be glad to see her in the new dress, almost as much as she will.

Julia also got ambitious today and organized our food shelves. She did good with that reorganization. But as she was doing it, I was amused by various comments she made along the way:

"When I realize how much tea I've amassed, I begin to question my sanity..."

Yes, it IS a massive amount of tea. Now it's all on one larger shelf. In the hidden regions, she found many things she didn't even know she had:

"I have lots of lentils I forgot I had, and look here, even more lentils, oh my gosh!"

"You know, I can do something really radical, I can turn the spice jars so I can read the labels. What a radical concept!"

Yes, it is so neat and clean now and easy to find things.

While she was doing that, I was doing the last bit of BOL closure, assembling all the various things I'd already made public onto one page. It is hard to imagine that I've already had three Summer sessions with this very useful process of self examination.

Perhaps as a nice closure to the end of this day, I will include this picture I grabbed of the last sunlight on some curios:

I love the way the sunlight illuminated my mandala. But I find myself frustrated at the smallness of this picture. I am wanting a larger version. Unfortunately, there is only one way to be able to GET a larger version. My circa 1998 camera has served me well over the years, but can only produce 640x480 pixels worth of a picture. After necessary cropping, it gets even smaller. Will I do the extravagant and get a new camera?

As a ironic feature, that photo under the 'circa 1998' link features Julia wearing that brown dress that is now so tattered. Maybe purchase of a new camera wouldn't be outrageously extravagant?

Sunday, July 23, 2006

"?"
10:37pm

I m not even trying to explain this weirdie......

Julia saw totally different things than what I thought I saw. And then in the morning, I saw it differently than I did just after creating it. So I'm not going to bother.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 A

"Sketch One"
6:58am

What can I say? He was talking, and that's why his mouth and nose looks 'off'. Okay, I'm blaming it on the talking. However he and I both agree, the body and the moving hand look good. I did get the cleft in his chin and tried to capture the closely cropped hair. It's not bad for being such a quick capture, and maybe if you use your imagination, you can see he's talking. I have another quick sketch from last night's gathering, but I'll scan it later. I gotta get ready for work.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 B

"Sketch Two"
5:15pm

Actually, this was 'sketch one', as I drew it first. Let's just say it was warm up for the one you see first. When I showed the subject his sketch, he was rendered speechless. I've even since done a bit of digital fix, as my rendering of his shoulder was at first very narrow. He looked a bit of a bobble head. I don't know how I managed to get his basic features, but still have it look very little like the subject. I need much more practice with live subjects.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 C

"Sketch Three"
7:07pm

While I may need practice with live subjects, this is at least practice with a photograph. As you can see if you follow the link under the word photograph, it isn't a very good picture. The Mensa newsletter editor was wanting photographic evidence of Yuma Mensan activities. That sad photo will have to do. (Just another reason why I'm craving a new camera.) Also the guy in "sketch one" isn't there not because he was taking the picture. He showed up too late to be in this group photo. We got a passerby to help us.)

As I look at this result, I apologize for messing up everyone's mouths so badly....