A Decision About Gustav

Unless Hurricane Gustav takes a turn before landfall, we'll be riding it out here at home. This picture shows where we live compared to the current (as of Sat. afternoon,) NOAA forcasted landfall. According to this (& barring any changes,) the closest the storm will come to our house is about 150 miles away. I doubt we'll get much flooding & even if we do, the house is far enough above ground to stay dry. Our biggest threat comes from the 100' tall pine forest all around. Most of the post-Katrina dead wood has blown down in lesser storms since then, so here's hoping the rest of the trees are hale, hearty & flexible enough to stay off of our house & cars.

The Birdhouse & Gustav

As part of our process of getting things in order at the house in case we have to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav, we were outside this evening. The eagle-eyed Charles noticed this gray tree frog hanging out in our birdhouse. It wasn't until I downloaded the photos to the computer that I also saw the spider & her eggs in there. I love the frog's casual pose (click for larger image.) Birds don't use the birdhouse, but other critters certainly do. (Update; This photo was featured on the front page of the St. Tammany News, Jul. 27, 2009.)
On the other side of the circle of life, I noticed this pile of dove feathers in the yard (the 2nd such pile in a week.) I wondered what would happen to "our" birds if we had to evacuate. We could still leave them seed (although the raccoons would certainly avail themselves of it,) but how would they weather the storm? I know I can't worry about such things, ultimately, but sometimes it can't be helped.
As of right now Gustav's tracking far enough west that we shouldn't have to leave. I hope it stays that way. We're making a formal, final decision on the matter tomorrow afternoon.

Sky Watch

Skies around my home, Aug. 25, 2008;






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Recent Random Images

Macro shot of tiny white flowers in our yard.

A juvenile cardinal & juvenile eastern towhee (finally got a decent shot of the latter!)

Yellow flowers in our yard.

Early sunset, Aug. 22, 2008.

I'm still working on identifying the flowers. Any help/input would be appreciated.

Skywatch

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Print Sale (Updated)

Most of these are from my past art history. Normally $10 each + shipping, they're currently available for $8 each or 2 for $15 (including ground shipping in the continental US,) while supplies last. Click for larger versions. The prints are unframed & vary slightly in size, but none are larger than 11x17". Please leave me a comment if you're interested or need more information.
I also recently lowered the prices on all of my other products at Dream Graphics.

Beauty & the Beast

Flight
(Update; Featured on the front page of Alternatives magazine, Jan. 15 to Feb. 15, 2005. Volume 16, No. 1.)

Epona

Rock Dragon

Great Blue Heron (sold out)

Long Road Home

Hawlizard

Reflecting

(Update; As of Oct. 1st, the sale is over. Most prints are still available at the regular price, however.)

Birds in the Rain

Our feeding area yesterday, toward the end of some wicked thunderstorms...


FYI, now that my blog friend, Christine, has rec'd my version of the painting we traded, I've uploaded it to the post below.

Photography as Art

Today I had another photo published on the front page of the local newspaper. It doesn't pay, but the exposure & appreciation's pretty cool. NOTE; The image shown here is not the one that was published (which is linked up above for your perusal.) This is a strip mall parking lot at sunset. We were out for dinner & I just happened to have my camera on me. Normally neither strip malls nor parking lots are part of my normal photographic millieu.
Partly because of my recent successes with the local newspaper, I've been considering doing more with my photography in an "art" sense. That is, perhaps getting some prints done, matting &/or framing them nicely & entering them into local contests, events & markets. I hate to say it'd be easier than painting, but that's probably because the truth hurts.
That's not to say I'd be giving painting up, however. I still enjoy that very much. As with everything, there are benefits & drawbacks to both media. My paintings are largely a reflection of things you won't see in the natural world (even my nature scenes are portrayed in unnatural ways.) My photographs capture what I have seen in the natural world. I think the two would probably balance one another nicely (not to mention that the two, combined, would virtually double my recent, available works overnight, allowing for more flexibility, overall.)
Okay. I've just talked myself into it. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Random Stuff & a Shout Out

I just happened to be at the kitchen window when this great egret landed at the end of my driveway.
I've been dreaming lately about submitting art to events, being judged, etc., which is right in line with all of the work I'd recently put into the business side of things.
More recently I've been focusing on the creative side (only partly to distract myself from Charles' noticeable absence.) I've finished a painting, put in quality time on another & have also been considering what to do next (there's no shortage of ideas, fortunately.)

Shout Out to My Peeps
A little while ago one of my blog friends, Christine came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested that we paint the same image & send each other our paintings. I received hers (which is just beautiful,) & recently sent mine. It was challenging, fun & now we have a piece of each others' work.

The Birdfreak Team; FYI, I can't open any of your pages--I keep getting "operation aborted" errors & my browser goes to a "cannot display this page" window.

August 2nd Dream; Airport Problems

I was in England with D.D. & at least one other man. We came upon an apparently abandoned room. There were art supplies there & since I needed some, I took some. Soon we had to leave to catch our flight home, which included one layover. We got to the airport, where there was some problem with the first leg of our flight (which was on British Airways.) A female representative for the airline was trying to help us, but it appeared we were going to miss our connecting flight, regardless. We ended up stuck in the airport for quite a while. A couple of times I went down a darkened hallway that opened onto another room that was supposed to be off limits, but no one confronted me. Finally I went outside, where the other guy I was with stood near a cart full of someone else’s luggage. It slowly dawned on me that they were boarding our plane NOW & we hadn’t even checked our stuff yet! I told the man to hurry up & get our stuff together, but I think some of it wasn’t even in the airport, but in our car out in the parking lot. I doubted we were going to make it.

I seem to do a fair bit of traveling in my dreams, most often to Europe (& England, in particular.) When it comes to flights, though, I'm always pressed for time--about to miss my flight, can't find the gate, locked out of the area, etc., etc. If I'm at an airport to see someone else off everything's fine, if not downright leisurely--it's only when I have to fly that there's a problem.
Some say that this may indicate a sense of missed opportunity. Although I haven't missed many opportunities lately, I had been in a rush to meet some art-related deadlines (represented by the "art supplies,") around this time. I'd only heard about some of the art opportunities at the last minute & I think that's reflected clearly in this dream, with the long hours waiting in the airport (going nowhere, in a sense,) ending in a panicked rush to get our stuff together & on the plane (getting art mailings together & out in the mail.)
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The sunset picture is from far away & long ago.

Speaking of which, the sunset picture I recently had in the finals of that online contest didn't win. Thanks to those who voted for me, anyway!

Sky Watch

Another lovely sunset, August 4, 2008...






Sky Watch is the brainchild of Tom Wigley.

Needs Meme

I pinched this meme from Travis' blog because I don't mind a simple meme now & again. I don't tag anymore, however. If you want to do it, it's up to you.

The Rules; Google your first name with the word "needs" after it and post the results. Don't forget to tag (only if that's your thing!)

Google says Lana needs 3,050 things. Unfortunately most of them have to do with the character on Smallville, but it makes for some interesting entries, anyway;
Lana needs...to stop!
Lana needs...to go.
Lana needs...another hole in her hand!
Lana needs...hip replacement surgery. (This Lana is an Australian Shepherd dog, fyi.)
Lana needs...to leave Lex and be with Clark.
Lana needs...to be on Smallville.
Lana needs...to come podding with me again (oh the joys of podding to michael jackson!) (I SWEAR I've never "podded," & if I did, it would've been to FLOYD!)
Lana needs...TO DIE!!!!!
Lana needs...1950 calories each day. (YES! Bring on the ice cream!)
Lana needs...some kissin' and huggin'. (Much better than "TO DIE!!!!!")
Lana needs...to go on the Big Gay Creek. (I don't even WANT to know...)
Lana needs...a life-saving operation. (What happened to the simple hip replacement surgery?)
Lana needs...to grow up, and stop being so naive.
Lana needs...to come up with a way to ensure that Darlene does not try to sell them a drink. (That evil, NASTY Darlene!)
Lana needs...a miscarrage. (Damn! We've come a long way from hip replacement surgery!)
Lana needs...a little reality check.
Lana needs...a baby. (Um, no...She's quite happy with houseplants, thanks!)
Lana needs...a home where someone is around most of the time. (Another dog one.)
Lana needs...to go away FOREVER. (Still better than "TO DIE!!!!!")
Lana needs...to acknowledge her own existing moral issues. (Bite my shiny, metal @$$!)
Lana needs...a makeover!
Lana needs...a metaphorical slap in the face.
Lana needs...a secure fence if left by herself long, but OK with a companion. (Just ask Charles.)
Lana needs...to go back to China or something.
Lana needs...to eat something--a tad anorexic here. (1950 calories a day isn't ENOUGH?)
Lana needs...a big serving of STFU.
Lana needs...to get laid by a man. (Check!)
Lana needs...someone who has time to love her and to teach her how to be a good dog. (Are THAT many dogs named "Lana," really???)
Lana needs...some reassurance from Kirk Douglas.
Lana needs...to meet Weng-Weng, the Impossible Kid.
Lana needs...a machine to do her thinking. (Niiiiiiice computer, yes...We loveses the precious!)
Lana needs...to GFTO and stay out.
Lana needs...to be beaten to death with a shoe.
Lana needs...a bigger cup size. (Um, no...BELIEVE me she doesn't.)
Lana needs...a holiday. (Wow, I DO have a friend in the world!)
Lana needs...to grow up and realize the world and everyone else does not revolve around her vapid head. (I rescind my last comment.)

Astronomically Speaking...

Fri., Aug. 8; 1st quarter moon.
Mon., Aug. 11 to Tues., Aug. 12; PERSEID METEOR SHOWER (Summer's best--don't miss it if you can help it!)
Wed., Aug. 13; Jupiter conjoined with the Moon. Venus conjoined with Saturn.
Fri., Aug. 15; Mercury conjoined with Saturn. Neptune at opposition.
Sat., Aug. 16; Neptune conjoined with the Full Moon.

For those in Southern Louisiana, the Highland Road Park Observatory in Baton Rouge is hosting Friday Night Astronomics Friday evenings in August, from 7:30-9:30pm.
On Saturdays, from noon to 1pm, they are open for solar viewing & then at 7:30-9:30pm, they host family nighttime sky viewings.
Note that ALL of these events are FREE.

Some Recent Visitors

As usual, click for larger images...

Mama raccoon is no longer wholly nocturnal these days, probably because there's more competition for food at night. She'll only bring her 2 youngsters under cover of darkness, however.
In other, mammalian news, mama brown rat's getting so fat & contented she may make a nice snack for a local hawk or snake one of these days.

One of 6 blue jays, 4 of 10-15 mourning doves, a cardinal chick, a male red-bellied woodpecker & one of his two chicks.

3 young cardinals, red-headed woodpecker & brown thrasher (the latter two also have two chicks each, at least, although they're not pictured here.)

When I go out to feed the birds first thing in the morning, it appears to rain cardinals for a while. They are so numerous now as to be past the point of even remotely accurate counting. It's quite surreal.

Feeding Time