Chapters in metal #5, blowing kisses

Cooking my State Fair piece - Star #3 going in the kiln, Star #2 just out. Thankfully, no Lottie was hurt in the cooking of the glass. Enough about that.

Just got back from another Just Let Lynn Do It’s fabulous estate sale. You know I have a phobia about driving 6 miles out of my comfort zone, so Andie picked me up in Mad Cow. A great big garbage truck pulled up next to my side at the red light. Andie hit the MOOOOOOOO button and the guy driving was laughing so hard I could see teeth missing. I rolled down the window and blew him a kiss. He caught it and put it in his pocket. Then he said, “Ya’ll must be from Oklahoma.” I said indignantly, ‘NO.” He replies, “Then Arkansas.” I said, "NO, Cajun Country, New Iberia, Louisiana.”

The light turned green, he took my kiss out of his pocket and blew it back to me and roared off with all of us laughing. Is this the greatest country with the greatest people?

Don’t miss a “Just Let Lynn Do It” estate sale. You never know who will catch your kiss and put it in their pocket.

Chapters in Metal, #4

East Dallas Art Gardens should have something about gardens once in a blue moon. When I weld I have a kitchen timer with me. I set it for 15 minutes, put a hose on low flow and water a plant at a time. Then hopefully I won’t be grinding or welding when the timer dings. If I don‘t hear the ding, I forget. Can’t hear the drowning plants screaming either. Should weld some metal plants. Rust in bloom is all the rage.


Spent most of the week welding more stars. Today took the redone star out of the kiln. Thank you Virginia, this one came out great. Cut tons of glass shards and put another star in to bake, no welding. If I plug my hair dryer into a certain outlet the house lights blink, so I’m scared to run the welder and the kiln at the same time.

I’m scared of so many things. Took me years, but this summer I got brave enough to turn on the torch without calling Cynthia. We now know her cell phone works in elevators, hiking in Santa Fe and road trips to Oklahoma. But yesterday, I needed my oxygen tank refilled. Couldn’t bring myself to take the gauge off without calling her. Mental picture of me blowing up the back yard. So I called, she walked me through it. Embarrassing to be afraid of the tanks and fire.

Cynthia says as I’m hanging up, “Would you pick up some mig wire for me when you exchange your tank?” Sure. Did Cynthia say, “And you might check your mig and see if you’re running low on wire.” I thought of it when I was nearly home with the oxygen tank rolling around in my trunk and her box of wire on my front seat. Back to GWS next week.

Like I say every year, “Next year I’m starting my State Fair pieces in December”. Sure.

Oops! Left the water on.

Go back and revisit the BF_F's or read for the first time:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-15499-Dallas-Gardening-Humor-Examiner~y2010m7d20-Debut-of-the-BFF-girlfriends

The BF_F's are here

Here's just two of the BF_F's. See and read about all at:

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-15499-Dallas-Gardening-Humor-Examiner~y2010m7d20-Debut-of-the-BFF-girlfriends

Chapters in Metal #3

Chapters in Welding, Chapter Three

Mobile for State Fair, continued

Finished putting the stuff that’s like a cast on the football armature and then slathered thinset slip on top. Messy, messy, but I feel like a baker mixing the thinset and water. Then I wrap it in a black trash bag, like tin foil on a turkey? All I lack is the cool chef outfit and hat.

Back to welding. Cut up some metal rods and welded them into a star, sweet. Stuffed glass inside the star and stuck it in the kiln. Forgot to put fiber paper between the metal and glass. OOOOPS! Think of a blown up cake in the oven, but glassy looking. Maybe it’s time to quit looking for parallels between cooking glass and cooking food.

Cleaned the kiln, cleaned the star, stuffed yet more glass in it and it’s in the kiln. Won’t be welding until the star’s cooked. When I plug in my hair dryer the lights in the house flicker. I worry what would happen if I welded while the kiln’s cooking. Probably blow up the back yard. Messy, messy.

Ronnie, Bonnie and LuLu

Saw Ronnie, Bonnie and LuLu tonight when Bob and I took BlackJack on his walk. They are sooooooo cute. Ronnie feels comfortable enough with BlackJack now not to pick up LuLu.

Ronnie is our human neighbor, Bonnie his dog and LuLu is Bonnie's goose. LuLu follows Bonnie anywhere. Bonnie follows Ronnie and off they go in the opposite direction for their walk. We are talking cute. I'm going to interview them for the next neighborhood newsletter. I'd like to try to make a video of them walking single file down our street and post it on the Forest Hills website.

Do we live in the coolest neighborhood with the best neighbors or what? And I include Barbaree in my neighborhood even tho I live on the wrong side of the tracks.

More parade pictures

Fabulous Forest Hills webmaster Sharon is going to post all my pictures along with other neighbors on www.ForestHillsDallas.org. I think it will run as a slide show. In the meantime here's more of my pictures. Cute neighbors, huh? (I'm posting these because I did nothing on my State Fair pieces today. Well, I did go to King Architectural Metal to buy some metal, maybe that counts? The weather is so delightful, who wouldn't want to bundle up and go out in the back yard and play with fire? I plan to get up really really early in the morning. Stop laughing! Enjoy the pictures. Hopefully Chapters in Metal tomorrow.

Chapters in Metal #2

Got tired of welding miniature chairs and decided to start on my second piece for the State Fair. Hopefully this will be a mobile to compliment "Stadium Seating". One football (misshapen) along with odd shaped stars. My idea of a tribute to football and the Dallas Cowboys.

Here's the beginning of "misshapen". Welding takes a nano second; cutting and wiring the hardware cloth to fit takes decades (in Lottie time) and cuts up my hands. Everyone asks me if we have a new kitten who hates me. Drew Perez taught a class at CAC years ago that had nothing to do with making armatures, but she graciously let me take her mosaic class and taught me how to make an armature. Then Karen taught me another way and I'm combining the two. "Misshapen" football will be covered in that stuff you make bandages out of then a cement type slip. Hey, I'm starting to like the name "Misshapen", but I don't think others would appreciate that as the name of the mobile. Most people do not have the wonderful gift for names I do.

Our blue Australian Shepard was named "Blue", our calico cat named "Calico" and of course our darling all black chow and Belgium Shepard - "BlackJack". See how I have that naming gift? Guess our son should be glad his name isn't "Son".

Virginia, PegasiusArt.com found special orange stain glass for me, thank you Virginia. The glass will be in Friday, so mosaicing in over 100 degree heat, here I come.

Nan, our webmaster at Texas Sculpture Association redid my web page. She did a really nice job. You might want to take a look at it. Click right here: TSA, for my member page. Lots of State Fair artists are members of TSA, you can check them, too.

Chapters in Metal

I read about an author in the Dallas Morning News. When he finished a chapter of his novel, he posted it on his website. Pretty interesting. I think I'll post chapters of my State Fair pieces in progress.

Chapter One.

The first piece is "Stadium Seating". Tribute to next year's superbowl.

I love making chairs, regular size and miniature. Decided to make miniature chairs and display them at different heights. This is a chance to make chairs my imagination dreamed of. Here's 4 finished and powdercoated and 4 rusty ones going to the powdercoater today. The second 4 will be powdercoated black. Didn't realize until Bob told me, but the Dallas Cowboys have 4 colors; black, white, navy blue and silver. So making 16 chairs with 4 in each color. They will be displayed in one of the gardens at the Fair.

Big Announcement: I don't think I've told you this before, but 2nd Avenue at the Fair will be listed on the map as Sculptors' Way. Pretty cool, huh? We have 65 artists bringing 1 to 3 pieces, so Sculptors' Way will be lined with beautiful sculptures. You wouldn't believe how many people still say to me, "Where are the sculptures?" Special thanks to Errol McKoy, President of the State Fair of Texas for this wonderful tribute to all the Friends of Lottie artists.


More Chapters in Metal to come.

More cutie pies in the parade

We're hoping to have my pictures along with other neighbors pictures on the Forest Hills website soon. Keep clicking on: www.foresthillsdallas.org and find you or your neighbor's picture. Here's another sneak preview.

PS - all our computers are working and have been for a couple of days. No more whining, I promise.

Judy and Lucy

More pictures and a little commentary

We continue with the 4th of July parade in Forest Hills. I sent my Examiner.com article to White Rock Lake Weekly along with some parade pictures. They generously put in the picture of Judy and Lucy with our favorite patrol car and the wonderful poster the girls made for it. My article was in the middle of some other other article that started with Lakehill news. Please, as much money as Bob and I gave Lakehill for our son's 13 years there, well - do I have to share article space with them? Whatever. No the child didn't flunk a grade, he went to kindergarten there, too. I want credit for paying the full 13 years. Looking back isn't an education overrated? But I digress. Also wanted to mention I got no bi line either. But check it out, the girls are too cute.

Yes, a bit cranky tonight. More computer problems. Our modem died as it does every year at this time. Love complaining to the AT&T people who replied, "yes, the modems last about a year." Swell. Got it installed and still problems. Bob and I have always said we need a wife, someone to cook, clean and buy groceries. Forget that - we need a live in computer tech, well maybe a 3 hour a day computer tech and then then he/she goes away.

More 4th of July pictures

More 4th of July pictures

If anyone recognizes the pretty lady taking pictures, please let me know who she is. We'd love to get copies of her pictures.

More pics tomorrow.

Double click on for my parade article:

http://www.examiner.com/x-15499-Dallas-Gardening-Humor-Examiner~y2010m7d6-Forest-Hills-4th-of-July-Parade

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Kudos to Tamela and Shelly and their band of volunteers for putting together yet another wonderful 4th of July parade and picnic for Forest Hills. Attendance beat last year which beat the year before that. And a good time was had by all.

I must tell you Barb turned to me while riding we were riding in the Cow Car and said, "Isn't it wondeful we have neighbors from Little Forest Hills and Casa Linda?" We both think it's because of the garden tour where the 3 neighborhoods come together. Max and Denise (co Presidents of Little Forest Hills) won the GRAND PRIZE for the float. We were delighted Sharon and Bob (Garden Tour Grand Czar and Czarina) were here for us. If we could have we'd have been at the LFH parade yesterday, won't miss it next year.

Is this the best place to live? Yup. Enjoy today's and many future days of parade pictures.

Art and Lemon Bars

Someone asked if the lemon bar thief was caught. Nope! Read all about it:

http://www.examiner.com/x-15499-Dallas-Gardening-Humor-Examiner~y2010m6d30-Art-and-Lemon-Bars