Hard Light

There's something about the hard light in the late afternoon of early fall that I love. I have a difficult time capturing the feel in photos. It has to do with the contrast between the bright light and the crisp shadows. A few shots on the back deck.

HandMade Nation

I just watched the mini-preview for the movie HandMade Nation by filmmaker Fayth Levine. I love this kind of stuff! It's great to see DIY arts and crafts making such a big comeback.

I'm not sure how to embed the YouTube video here so you'll have to click on the HandMade Nation link to watch it.

Exploring

It was just too nice of a day to not get out in the convertible with the 'Big Camera'. Temps in the 70s, I scooted north on I-575 towards the mountains. First stop was breakfast, where I glanced over the EOS Digital Rebel manual and enjoyed a cup of coffee until my breakfast arrived.

I love getting out and not knowing where I am going. That's how most of our best trips begin: "You want to try to go get lost?" Except this time it was just me and my Richard Petty straw cowboy hat with feathers while my husband was on the other side of the planet.

I saw a sign with grape clusters and an arrow pointing left off of the highway so I made the turn. Hmmm, nice day to check out a small vineyard. The turn was worth it when I crested a hill and saw beautiful green pastures and an old farm down below. About 5 miles down the curvy country road, I found the Sharp Mountain Vineyards. Pulled in and went inside for a t-tiny tasting of two different bottles of their wines. Both were good so I picked 4 different bottles and made my purchase.

Back on the road, let's see, where to go next? I drove another 20 miles or so and took the turn to Talking Rock, GA (population 49, no joke). We've been there before and I knew there were lots of cool little antique shops. I pulled into the first one I saw and looked around. Not much in the shopping mood, I got back in the car, hair up in hat, sunglasses on, top down and music up, I ventured up Hwy 136. I just kept following the signs not knowing where it would take me. That's the thrill of exploring.

What a nice surprise when I drove up to this beautiful scenic view.



I stayed a while as a few other explorers stopped, snapped photos, breathed in the fresh air, soaked in the sun and then went on their way. Just as I was getting ready to leave, a woman in a van pulled up by herself. When she got out she exclaimed "I had no idea I was up this high!" I could tell in her voice that she was very excited to find such a great stop. We got to chatting and she'd just moved from out west. She's been around mountains all her life and needed this communing with nature to set her mind right. I totally understood.

I asked her if she knew where the road went that we were on (still not having looked at a map once) and she told me that she thought it went to Amicalola Falls. We talked about it being near the trail head of the Appalachian Trail and how we both would like to section hike the AT. Then we talked about travels, and both having lived in Montana and California, etc... I'm not sure what it's called when you happen upon someone like that but we both enjoyed the chance meeting and exchanged emails.

A little further up the road there was another scenic stop. When I got out, I looked far ahead but was reminded of what stood right at my feet as I could smell the sweet grape-like blossom of the invasive kudzu vine. I mentioned it to another couple who was standing there and they'd both said that they had never known what that wonderful smell was until now.

Back on the road, with the wind in my face and the cool air of the mountains all around me, I ventured on. I guess it was about 20 or 30 minutes more and I started seeing signs for Amicalola Falls State Park. Right before I got to one of the entrances of the park, I saw this HUGE pumpkin farm. It was just too tempting to not stop. I was thinking it would be a great photo opportunity.



So in I went to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. Amongst some of the largest pumpkins I have ever seen, sunlight dancing all around, the smell of fresh baked pumpkin bread was driving me crazy. I could barely concentrate. I started taking pictures, snap here, snap there, bending and stretching to get just the right shot. Wondering if I should take a break and get some of that pumpkin bread or wait until I was done I noticed the message. The tiny little message on the LED screen that I had obviously been ignoring up until this point. NO CF CARD. No card. Nothing. Nada. Not one photo was captured from the entire time I left the house. Nothing.

Oh well, it happens. I had neglected to put the card back in the camera after I took the rainbow photo the night before. No one to blame but myself. Perfect time to take a break. I went back to the car, got the card out of the camera bag, placed it in the camera and went back for my pumpkin bread and "more" photos. It was a great day in spite of my oversight.







Granted my foot is only size 6, but here's one for size comparison.

The light.

We finally got rain. A good rain. The soak you to the skin when running from the house to the car kind of rain. I heard it fall all night long on the roof while sleeping upstairs and then again all day today.

Just as it was starting to get dark, I looked outside and saw the strangest light on the tops of the trees. I ran for the camera. Not in the camera bag. Drats! Not in the cabinet in the living room where we used to keep the camera. Drats! Not on my husband's desk where I thought he might have left it for me. Drats!

Then I looked inside of the cabinets in the lab and found it! But it had no lens. Drats! I grabbed the first lens I could lay my hands on and quickly attached it to the camera body. One quick test shot to see if it had batteries and a card. Click! So I ran outside, in the rain, through the construction debris and the light had moved.

You'll have to take my word for it, it was beautiful. I noticed some of the light still across the road behind Mrs. Neighbor's cow pasture. Just as I was moving around, looking for a shot of the light, a rainbow appeared. It was right in front of me. Just a tiny glimpse of the highlight of my day.

Yes!

My ArtFest check posted/cleared the bank. That means I'm in! I still have no idea what workshops or accommodations I will get but at the very least, I know I'm going.

There will be much singing and dancing about the house today. :-)

Artfest 2008

I just mailed my registration for ARTFEST 2008! It went Priority Mail and I'll have my fingers crossed until I receive confirmation at the end of the month. This will be my very first time to attend. I've dreamed about it for a few years now. All I've been able to think about are Artfest Trades. I'm so excited!

Local Harvest

We joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) last year and have been completely spoiled with the weekly supply of wonderful organic locally grown vegetables. Our CSA is right around the corner. Well, less than 10 miles, which is considered "right around the corner" when you live where we do. I highly recommend visiting LocalHarvest to find organic growers, restaurants and markets in your area.
I have all of these beautiful peppers and need to figure out what to do with them. I think I may string up some of the Habaneros and experiment with drying them for the winter. Perhaps it's time to make another batch of pepper jelly, as well. If you haven't tried pepper jelly, you're missing out on one of my favorite tastes in the world.

We had an amazing dinner last night at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta with a group of friends who had never eaten there before. M and I have been a few times and enjoyed every visit. Chef Touhy pays special attention to what is in season and purchases locally grown organic produce. The menu changes daily - all the more reason to visit often.

I know I won't do the meal justice by trying to explain everything from the vegetable tasting menu but I will tell you that the house made goat milk sorbet and fresh peaches at the end was simply divine.

Music for Heart and Soul

W00-H00! I added a few of my favorite videos down at the bottom of the page. I'd like to have it a little smaller but this will work for now. It's the only code I could generate for a standalone player from YouTube. I feel kind of nerdy but that was fun!

Go check 'em out if you've got a fast 'net connection. If not, you can at least visit their websites: The Be Good Tanyas, Old Crow Medicine Show, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.

Summer Rain

"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you." — Langston Hughes

Sweet Inspiration

I had dinner (Yoon Sushi) with an artist friend of mine tonight who happens to also be my favorite neighbor farm girl. Somehow the summer got away without us seeing each other except in passing on the road going opposite directions, arms waving out the windows and horns honking. I don't know why we waited so long. She's always such an incredible boost of inspiration to me. So full of life, energy, and just general goodness. We talked art, life, animals, travel, work, jewelry making and all that fun stuff. I'm ready to get back into my studio and make some more jewelry.

The photos above are a few of the first pieces I made using silver clay. I was really itching to get my hands into Precious Metal Clay so I took an Introduction to Metal Clay class with Barbara McGuire. The first time I put the clay in my hands I was hooked. I used part of a rubber stamp from Zettiology for the necklace. Since then, I've taken an intensive 2 day class and am now a Certified Metal Clay Artisan. Whatever that means! It basically means that I can now purchase the raw materials at a discount. Time to get back into the studio and fire up the kiln again.

These others are the five pieces I completed for my PMC Level 1 Certification in April of this year. Bad shot but if you click on the photo you can see a hi-res version that shows more detail. I think the ring is my favorite, followed by the amphora which is a hollow vessel. I wear the hollow bead pendant a lot. The other pendant has embedded dichroic glass and lovely little sparkly CZ at bottom. The earrings need a little more love. Maybe a nice bead dangling off the bottom and some silver earwires. I actually learned a lot in that class now that I look back at these pieces. Plus, it was loads of fun!



Visit The PMC Guild for more information on their certification classes. The class I took was taught by Linda Kline at Carol Augustine's old family farmhouse in south GA. Linda was a great teacher and Carol was the perfect host! I'll put together more links in the future for anyone else who might be interested in delving into the world of Precious Metal Clay. I truly love it.