24 February 2008

Another Sunday drive to Waxahachie.  Another beautiful day.  I drove down to be there at lunchtime to meet with a few of my folks—a fitting for Steve, a fabric check for Arta, and the return of her skirts to Brittney.  All is well, and I was back at home in time to enjoy some time with Kyle as we walked the dogs, and then went to a favourite Tex Mex restaurant for dinner. 

My photo is of the construction site that is/was/will be again the Eagle Crossing Bridge at Scarborough Renaissance Festival.  The bridge was nearly as old as the faire itself, and was in dire need of a major overhaul.  So, it seems the festival decided to completely rebuild it!  Right now, there is no bridge! 

This calls to mind the history lesson to be learned about bridges in the Renaissance.  A bridge was a rare and very expensive thing—not to be taken for granted.  The fact that our village of Scarborough (actually, more correctly a full-fledged town in Renaissance England) had two bridges, would have been a matter of much pride and a symbol of wealth and affluence.  The roads in England in 1533 were built by the Romans 500-1000 years earlier!  A good road and a bridge was a very special combination!  So, we will live in hope, and trust that our illustrious grounds crew at Scarborough, will indeed get our beloved bridge rebuilt, so that once again we may cross the bridge, and kiss its posts as we pass by!

~MB

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23 February 2008

Kelly should feel proud, and Melanie should be delighted!  Melanie’s fitting went rather perfectly today!  My photo is (although taken quickly, and not fully in focus) of a rosette on the side of her skirts.  Kelly worked very hard all week to be ready for this fitting today.  Not only did the skirts fit and work absolutely perfectly, but the bodice mock-up required only the modifications that Kelly had expected, and will require very little modification to make it perfect as well!  Not that I ever doubted Kelly’s ability, but, nonetheless, I am impressed!  And grateful!

~MB

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23 February 2008

Kelly should feel proud, and Melanie should be delighted!  Melanie’s fitting went rather perfectly today!  My photo is (although taken quickly, and not fully in focus) of a rosette on the side of her skirts.  Kelly worked very hard all week to be ready for this fitting today.  Not only did the skirts fit and work absolutely perfectly, but the bodice mock-up required only the modifications that Kelly had expected, and will require very little modification to make it perfect as well!  Not that I ever doubted Kelly’s ability, but, nonetheless, I am impressed!  And grateful!

~MB

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22 February 2008

It is a fact that I like sparkly things.  I like jewelry, and glassware and lamplight—all sparkly.  I wrote, not too long ago, about loving the sparkles in Sherrie’s hair.  I love to apply beads to costuming to give it extra . . . sparkle.  And tonight, I wore this pair of sparkly shoes!

 I bought these shoes on sale (that’s my normal technique of shoe shopping) last summer, and I hadn’t had an occasion to wear them.  I knew I wouldn’t want to be on my feet for an extended period of time wearing them, so I wore something less sparkly on New Year’s Eve.  But, tonight, we were going to the theatre, and I had a new skirt my mama bought me in Florida that was perfect with these shoes, so voila!  Decision made. 

After two false attempts at pairing the skirt (and matching scarf) with a top, I finally settled on a turquoise top that is a great colour for me, and did wonders to brighten up the outfit, and keep it from being too black.  It took two tries on getting the jewelry right, too, but by the time Kyle got home from work, I was pretty much ready to go.  We were meeting Ken and Denise at the Sanders Theatre (a place I can’t believe I’d never been) in Fort Worth for a fun little production by the Stolen Shakespeare Guild.   Had I realized better the nature of the production and the theatre itself, I would most certainly have dressed more casually.  But, those who know me know I need very little excuse to dress up, so dress up I did.  After all it’s always better to be a bit overdressed than to ever be underdressed, right? <grin>

The show was fun, and notable especially for the fact that it introduced me to my first ever performance (although condensed) of a Ben Johnson play!  This company’s rendition of Volpone was energetic, well-edited, and engaging.  We said our goodbyes (Denise was headed home for a quick rest before a five a.m. flight!) and stopped at Taco Bell for a snack on the way home.  Upon arriving home, Kyle discovered a frustrating little virus on his computer, and while he dealt with that, I decided to capture in a photo the pretty shoes I wore—especially since I may very rarely, if ever, wear them again!

Sparkly, and very pretty—sexy even, I think.  But not too comfortable!  <sigh>

~MB

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21 February 2008

Another day of work in the workshop.  Many loads of fabric/laundry—preparing all the fabric for use on various orders.  Cutting bias strips.  Flatlining.  It is really wonderful to have Kelly’s company in my workshop.  It makes the hours in there go so much faster.

Melanie’s wedding dress is coming along beautifully.  By tomorrow night, the skirts should be done, and Kelly will have the bodice mock-up ready for a fitting on Saturday.

My photo is of the fabrics and trims for Tommy’s noble outfit.  Interestingly, of all my orders for faire folk this year, he is my only nobleman!  Tomorrow I plan to get the skirt of his doublet done, between helping Kelly with Melanie’s stuff.

~MB

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20 February 2008
Marita Beth called while I was still working and asked if I had plans. I did not, so she made plans for herself.  She, Ginger & Kelly got together for some girl time. I love the fact that these three girls have this opportunity at the moment to spend so much time together. They’re sisters of different mothers and seem to love each other as much as any family members ever could.  So, I got home to a quiet, empty house. I let the dogs out, then went back out myself to marvel at the moon. Braced against the wall of the house, I took a series of Ms. Luna through the gnarled branches of the Black Oaks in the front yard. I like this one best:
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I’d intended to take more photos during the eclipse, but cloud cover settled in and I couldn’t see it, so no photos of that. And, since the moon has been a constant, if somewhat inconsistent, companion through my entire life no matter where I’ve lived; and she’s always been there me to yell at, marvel at, howl at; and she will always be there, I’m using her as my Mini-Challenge entry. The moon is one of my oldest friends and companions.
Cheers.

~KR (22 February 2008)

Listening to:
The Only One by Morphine
from Good

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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19 February 2008
Tuesday night which means trivia with friends at No Frills Grill. We got there a little later than normal and found Brett with three trivia boxes trying to keep all three boxes in the game. Jill & Smiley (her daughter) had been there but Jill took Smiley home, so Brett kept their games active until we got there and took over for Smiley. Smiley immediately became crzy. Photo of the day? Partially consumed bottle of beer. My wife drinks Corona Light and this is that bottle:

Why, oh why couldn’t the Mini-Challenge this week be “bottles?”
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 21 February 2008)

Listening to:
The Whiskey Never Lies by Sligo Rags
from The Whiskey Never Lies

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.3 sec (3/10)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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20 February 2008

Artemis has been intrigued by this teddy bear since I first brought him home from a thrift store and washed him.  He has spent most of his time in my workshop, making me smile, but during the holidays this year, I put him out on the front porch as part of the Yule decoration.  He wore a top hat for Hogmanay, and held the rhyme sign, and then for Mardi Gras we added purple and green and gold beads.  For Valentine’s Day he donned a red sweater and a heart necklace and soon, I expect we’ll put a green bowtie on him and something Irish-looking.  But, right now, he’s sitting on a bar stool in a corner of our living room.  A tall, but tiny little barstool that he pretty much fills. 

But, this morning, as I was dealing with some email and drinking coffee, I looked over and there was Artemis, big as life, right between his legs on that same little stool.  I was immediately charmed and grabbed the camera to capture the moment.  I took quite a few shots, some showing better the small space the cat chose to sit upon.  But, this close-up, with her eyes so yellow/green and squinty seemed to best represent her typical personality.  She looks to me like she’s daring anyone to mess with the bear!  Or, perhaps, as Kelly first stated when she saw the picture, she’s feeling protected by the bear!  I suspect that she’s just enjoying a few moments on a relatively high spot—above the dogs.  But, then again, she has always rather enjoyed the company of plush animals–some of my earliest pictures of her as a tiny kitten are of her sleeping in a gathering of stuffed animals and looking so peaceful that you have to look twice to see the real cat!  It was a regular spot for her.  And there’s always the cute pics of her laying on my dashboard as we travel in the summertime.   Whatever her motivation, as my photo history will prove, she has never had any problem striking cute poses.  And I’m sure that after a few weeks on the front porch the bear smells even more interesting to her feline nose than ever before!

Right this minute, as I write this—she is actually sitting on my lap.  As I told someone just the other day, I have waited nearly seven years, but I finally have a cat that will occasionally seek out my lap as a resting place.  She is mellowing a bit as she ages—but then, aren’t we all?

~MB

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20 February 2008

Artemis has been intrigued by this teddy bear since I first brought him home from a thrift store and washed him.  He has spent most of his time in my workshop, making me smile, but during the holidays this year, I put him out on the front porch as part of the Yule decoration.  He wore a top hat for Hogmanay, and held the rhyme sign, and then for Mardi Gras we added purple and green and gold beads.  For Valentine’s Day he donned a red sweater and a heart necklace and soon, I expect we’ll put a green bowtie on him and something Irish-looking.  But, right now, he’s sitting on a bar stool in a corner of our living room.  A tall, but tiny little barstool that he pretty much fills. 

But, this morning, as I was dealing with some email and drinking coffee, I looked over and there was Artemis, big as life, right between his legs on that same little stool.  I was immediately charmed and grabbed the camera to capture the moment.  I took quite a few shots, some showing better the small space the cat chose to sit upon.  But, this close-up, with her eyes so yellow/green and squinty seemed to best represent her typical personality.  She looks to me like she’s daring anyone to mess with the bear!  Or, perhaps, as Kelly first stated when she saw the picture, she’s feeling protected by the bear!  I suspect that she’s just enjoying a few moments on a relatively high spot—above the dogs.  But, then again, she has always rather enjoyed the company of plush animals–some of my earliest pictures of her as a tiny kitten are of her sleeping in a gathering of stuffed animals and looking so peaceful that you have to look twice to see the real cat!  It was a regular spot for her.  And there’s always the cute pics of her laying on my dashboard as we travel in the summertime.   Whatever her motivation, as my photo history will prove, she has never had any problem striking cute poses.  And I’m sure that after a few weeks on the front porch the bear smells even more interesting to her feline nose than ever before!

Right this minute, as I write this—she is actually sitting on my lap.  As I told someone just the other day, I have waited nearly seven years, but I finally have a cat that will occasionally seek out my lap as a resting place.  She is mellowing a bit as she ages—but then, aren’t we all?

~MB

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19 February 2008

Lacking inspiration for photography, and realizing I’ve been long-winded recently in my writings . . . I’ll be succinct.  Here’s a cool little photo of my wooden hairstick, laying on the table at NFG, with a cool blue reflection from a neon sign.  There was a long day of work, followed by some bar food and some Corona Light.  It was a day . . .

~MB

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