My Birthday Road Trip with my Daughter 3-21

Gracie and I set out on the road at 2pm. We got a late start. We were on a Birthday (mine) Road Trip to Mt. Vernon and then Deception Pass. We didn't get lost and we only made one pitstop along the way. The bridge is so high above the water and the cars drive so close to you while you are walking on the bridge, that Gracie freaked out a little bit. We crossed the bridge by going under it and came up on the other side. She wasn't as nervous on the other side. She even managed to take a few pictures with her camera. We spit our gum over the side and it took a long time to hit the water.

We really had a good time and got quite a few good photos. I'm about to share a few before I go to bed. Let me know what you thnk.

The first PAID vacation

I earned a two weeks paid vacation for being with the company for 2 years. I only took a week, but what a week it was. I flew for the very first time (puked terribly on the way down) to Pennsylvania. My sister took her vacation at the same time. We drove over 1100 miles and took 566 photos. We went to Lancaster which is where a lot of Amish folks are. I will add more photos of the trip later. We went to Atlantic City, New Jersey to the boardwalk and casinos. It was cool, but my sister had been there during the summer and said that it is much better during that time because of the sun, people, vendors and color. I didn't mind it tho. It was very nice. She took me to the Gettysburg battlefield. We drove around and checked it out most of the day. It was absolutely amazing. The fields went on forever and the monuments were everywhere. My sister was hoping to see ghosts. With her...everything pertains to finding a ghost.
We visited the Hershey Chocolate World and took a tour. The town smells like chocolate and the street lights were the shape of chocolate kisses. The theme park wasn't opened, but it was cool looking all the same.
I stayed with my sister and her family for 7 full days and sure had a good time. I wouldn't mind going back.

This is actually the same tree as below. It isn't white really - it's camouflage. I have never seen anything like it.

This was entering part of the Gettysburg battle field. The white trees were my favorite. They only looked white from far away.

This house is grey-green. I fell in love with it.

A cemetery on one of our road trips.

A cabin in the woods. Looks so inviting.

Flower Photos

I hope people don't get mad at me for taking photos of their flowers and yards. I just drive around and when I see something I like...I snap a photo. I'm not selling them - I'm admiring them and sharing them. I simply can't get enough of the beautiful colors.
I don't know the official names of all the flowers and trees either, but I give it my best shot. If I don't have a clue...I just give them a name. It works for me.







Dahlia

Black-eyed Susans

Daisy Buttons

California Poppies

Purpley Pom Poms

The Dang Camera Bug

I say Dang Camera Bug....cause boy oh boy am I infected.

I started out with a Olympus Camera with 3.1 megapixels. I took a lot of pictures here and there. I liked taking pictures, but I wasn't getting enough from my camera. In February of 2008, I decided that a new camera was my focus. At tax time I purchased a Sony camera with 8.1 megapixels and 15x optical zoom. I have been so happy with it. The clarity is awesome.
I took a few pictures and got completely sucked in. I take pictures of flowers, people, trees, bugs, scenery, just everything. I especially loved the summer with all the beautiful colors. I got to the point that now I never leave home without my camera. Mt. Rainier is one of my most favorite subjects, along with the moon. It's weird how two things, that don't do a lot of changing, always look different and need a new photo. The sky obviously plays a big part in the photos and here in Washington the sky is always changing.

Mount Rainier from the jobsite on North Fort Lewis.

The cherry tree is in my neighbor's backyard. This limb full of cherries was in my yard.

I thought this scenery was looking like it was on fire. I was on 94th Avenue looking toward Rogers High School.

The moon was perfect.

This is a beautiful home in Graham.

Painting bug continued

Wood is my most favorite medium to paint on, but my friend Jamie had been painting on canvas one day at my house and I thought I would give it a try. I like the texture and size. But when I paint on wood, it's usually more reasonably priced. The canvas can get a little spendy. But loved loved loved the results.
I seem to go in spurts of wanting to paint. Once I start painting it's hard for me to put the brush down, but when I'm not painting...I have to get so into the flow before I get started. It's just that you have to get so much together to prepare. And having the room for everything is another thing to take into effect. Do I want to take up the space and will I have to put it all away to do anything else.
I will never get rid of my painting supplies...because that is definitely a bug that returns.

My landlord's mom wanted this one. I don't know if it was for a gift or for herself, but she just had to have it.

I showed this to my friend Leilani and she loved it. It is now on her wall.

I painted this on a kitchen cupboard door for one of my friends.

A brand new saw blade I painted and my boss at the time asked if he could have it to hang in his garage.

This one I kept for myself. LOVE IT

The Tole Painting Bug

Then I learned tole painting. (painting on wood). I got so into the tole painting that I went out and bought myself a scroll saw so that I could cut my own wood how and when I wanted it. I created works of art to sell at craft bazaar's. I made a few dollars, but nothing to live on by any means. I painted a lot of things and gave them away. I enjoy giving my art away as gifts more than making money from them. I eventually got bigger patterns, bigger wood and more supplies.
I stocked up on paint. I went to the local craft store and bough one bottle of every color in my favorite brand of paint. I bought a huge assortment of paint brushes, a painting pallet, a paint brush caddy, a paint organizer, water buckets for cleaning the brushes and an apron.





I cut the wood, painted it and glued plastic plug covers on the back. They hid the receptacles.

Some blocks I painted

Advent Calendar with removable pieces

An Eastery Gift for a friend

I gave this to good friend, Jamie. She has it displayed in her Kitchen window.

A Few Bugs

I've got the bug! Actually a few bugs, to be honest with you. I have a writing bug, a painting bug, a photography bug and even a love bug.

By bugs - I'm referring to a contagious itch kinda bug. For instance, I go through a period of wanting to write something. I sit down and write letters (that I never send), I write notes to my kids, I right in journals and sometimes doodle. I just get the bug to have a pen in my hand and to write.

A few years ago I caught the writing bug and I found out that I could write poetry. I wrote about everything. I wrote about my kids, my friends, holidays, growing up, legos, love, home school,...you name it...I wrote a poem about it. My style of writing was rhyming. I would write one line and the next line would have to rhyme. I would take the word and stroll through the alphabet until I came up with something that would pertain to what I was writing. I really enjoyed it. My nephew sent me a book called "Rhyming Dictionary". It was such a good tool. I no longer had to think up the words. I just looked up the root word and it listed rhyming words.
Feel free to check out some of my poetry at http://www.poetry.com/ type in my first name: Fonda and Last name: Nelson.
Okay...So I'm writing and writing and writing poetry. Then one day ...a brick wall!! I would start writing and just couldn't get focused so I gave up and moved on to something else. I'm sure the writing bug will eventually come back to me, but for now....it's blocked.
I moved on to something else. A different kind of bug. I taught myself how to paint using fabric paint. I don't free hand unfortunately, but I would trace patterns onto material (aprons, t-shirts, curtains, hoops, banners or whatever) and then paint them like you would in a coloring book.

My model is my son that is now 18.

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