tils and ols..

ok - so i'm still working on these guys...i like ollie better but tillie's still not quite there...she's very angular and i don't have things the way i need them to be...more work tomorrow...meanwhile, linda callahan came by yesterday and made a cd of several paintings to show her client...hopefully we can find a fit! - and the best part:...a huge box arrived today from jerry's artarama!!! yeah@!!!!!

starting tillie and a bit more of ollie...

spent some time in my studio this morning because this afternoon holds nothing but sports! - hoosiers play at 3 and then the playoffs so i needed to get crackin!! i'm liking ollie a bit better - i softened and shortened his chin and that helped a lot. starting on tillie - they both have very angular faces, tillie in particular.. and it's tricky to capture the chin, the nose, all the angles - without making them look too old...i'm really working on getting the right drawing, shapes, proportions...color is a sidenote in these studies...ok - so off to the ballgames!

today i wanted to do a study using a lot of paint and not a lot of blending. this is a painting of my grandson ollie - i'm thinking this is what he'll look like in a few years. it's hard with kids not to get too angular and that's what's happening here...i'll work more on this tomorrow - i have a whole bunch of paint out and it's fun...can't wait to get back up there!!.....i want to give kudos to my daughter boogie. she participated in the "bop to the top" this morning! the "bop" is an annual RUN/WALK/CRAWL up 37 flights of stairs in the AUL building in indianpolis. boogs did this 2 years ago and really wanted to beat her time from then..and she did! - by a good margin!! - she's been training for this for weeks and she's so happy it's over! - it's very hard on the lungs, not to mention the rest of the body. so we are very proud of her!!! way to go, boogs!~!!!!

no painting today...

in keeping with my new year's resolution of doing something art-related every day...i spent a whole bunch of time ordering from jerry's this afternoon. plus i'm getting ready to finish a video i'm in the middle of...but most importantly...i spent some time gathering images. my friend linda callahan has a client who wants to hang several of my pieces in a hallway overlooking a stairway i think...anyway..she's only choosing giclees (digital prints, most likely on canvas) so she can get the most bang for her buck. linda's coming over tomorrow to take several for her to choose from. i'm excited and hopeful at the same time!!

sneaking up...

i'm sneaking up on them...i would love to stage a scene like this, using my kids and grandkids - and give it a go! actually all of my grands are too old to stage this - bummer! - anyway - i'm having a lot of fun, trying to mimic her brushstrokes and color ..it's been a long time since i saw this in person at the chicago art museum so i can't really remember..but i think she painted rather thickly - i think the underpainting of cool color worked as i painted over in warm flesh tones..there is so much color in her skintones..remarkable!! anyway - i'll let this rest for a day or two and go back and see what else i need to do. i have a couple other cassatt images i may tackle. NEWSFLASH: i just found out i'll be doing the last one-person show at bob anderson's stillframes gallery - that will be in april and i have much to do to prepare. i have enough pieces right now to hang a show but i sure want to do some new work especially for this opening. should be good incentive!

breakfast in bed..by mary cassatt...in progress...

so this is what i've been doing this afternoon...it's always such a good thing to copy the old masters because you learn so much...remember the vangogh sunflowers i did? - and actually i've done "breakfast in bed" before which i sold.....but that was several years ago and i'm thinking i'd like another crack at it! - mary cassatt was such a fabulous artist - i'm not sure if she started off with cool colors under her skin tones but that's what i'm doing here. the first image is her painting..then my start - getting the drawing in and starting the darks...then the cool undertones of the skin...may work, may not...but i'm thinking it will...i'm rather sneaking up on this and i'm having a lot of fun!!!..the reason it looks so strange is i completely lost track of time...(davey says i do that a lot..)...and i had to quit very abruptly so their faces are so unfinished...be patient...i'm hoping tomorrow will be good...!!

grand canyon study

6x8 oil on canvas panel

so i started the edgar payne book...it will be fantastical!!! - just getting started and so much to cram in my head - i feel like i'm in school again!...anyway - i wanted to get to the studio this morning because of the games today so i started another study of the girl from yesterday. i worked for a while and then took a break for lunch and when the bears game appeared to be a blowout, i trotted back up there to finish the piece. but....it was not working so i wiped it!!!decided to do a landscape piece instead because that's what i've been reading about...so i searched through some photos and found several from many years ago. we visited the grand canyon with our good friends tim and katie and i took lots of pics! - i did this small study..of the grand canyon...oxymoron?...i quite like how it turned out and i think i may do a larger piece one of these days for the gallery. fun day - now to the jets - patriots game which has already started AND to a glass of wine!!

study...

6x6 oil on panel
so yesterday was a very good day!!...first of all, i wanted to do a portrait study...i have so many images around and not having the luxury of a live model to work with..( by far the best scenario)...i looked through my stuff and found this exotic looking gal from an old anthology catalogue. she has a very unique look and i may just paint her over and over to see what happens. also, my edgar payne book "composition of outdoor painting" arrived yesterday..and i've really been anxious to get into that. it was written in 1941 and i can tell i'm going to absolutely love it! i have so much to learn and the principles of outdoor painting apply to every other type of painting and so i'll dive in soon!...also we went to a delicious dinner with good friends before the IU game - and we finally got a win!!!!! - they played great defense and pruduced enough offense to pull it out. the best part was that they withstood michigan's late rally and in past games they just faded...couldn't get over the hump. now they know they can and we're looking forward to the next game!!...and then, to top things off, when we got home there was a check in the mail from midland in carmel. i sold "missed opportunity", my painting of the lady in the hat. it's bitter-sweet because we were about to bring that one home and hang it over the fireplace cause davey loved it so much. ah well - at least it's found a good home and someone else is hanging it...perhaps over their fireplace?...... plus, i forgot, the pack won!!! my hubby's a happy boy!!! - looking forward to today's games - after i've painted of course!!! ("christmas vacation", anybody?)

first project

mountain stream study 6x6 oil on panel

today i tried three things: i wanted to practice tonal painting so i started with 3 values (or tones)- darkish, medium and lightish - hopefully it shows that in the first photo ( for some reason my photos are a bit glary!)..and then i wanted to maintain those values throughout the painting. i also used a limited palette: light red, yellow ochre and cobalt blue - plus black. i found a big tube of zinc white which i don't think i've ever used so i wanted to experiment with that. not so sure about the zinc white! - not so crazy about the consistency.... not wanting things to go to waste, however..(remember the starving children in china?)...i may just try it again. i'm planning to go through a lot of paint this year so maybe i need to use that up to get rid of it! (waste not want not...) i could work on this more this afternoon but i think i got out of the exercise what i needed and i may go on to something else! we're kind of snowed in today so i may just head back up there! - finished my quang ho dvd and i must say he is something - i love his philosophy and he has so much to offer!

i forgot to mention..

i plan to keep a diary of the journey i'm on - so i'll try and post as many of the practice pieces i can...sort of like starting over with my daily painting series - only with a more purposeful intention! i'm sure there will be some real losers but that will be fun too - wish me luck!

i'm getting excited....

i've decided this will be the year i get better!!..and to that end, i've spent the last several days reading, studying, ...yesterday and today i've been viewing my new video by Quang Ho..one of the artist's recommended by david slonim...boy is he good!! i am so excited to get started - but i think i need to order some student grade paint to use for practice - i really don't know if this would be a good thing - they always say " use the best quality paints and brushes you can afford"..but i intend to go through a lot of paint in this next year and i may have to think about the frugality of things...ive been through kevin macpherson's new book and he lays out a bunch of exercises - more grist for my mill...i'm thinking if i'm just doing practice exercises and not intending to sell the pieces, i might as well use student grade paint, right? but sometimes wonderful things happen along the way so would it be fair to use lesser grade paint? im at a loss! i'm posting a couple studies i did last week - they need work but they were fun to do..this one above is a ballerina tying her shoe - very loose...but fun

will and lucy...

...
here is my rendition of will and lucy at the beach...i had to work a bit because for some reason lucy was looking more like my daughter jen than her own self! she's better now! we're welcoming in the new year rather quietly - didn't even stay up to see that ball drop..but then again, we almost never do@! easing into 2011 but i have big plans for getting back to painting on a more regular basis - i've just ordered a couple dvds and books - hope it won't be information overload! happy new year!

happy new year...almost...

we have had quite the time!!!...first the prep...pounding, flattening, rolling up and otherwise preparing chicken breasts...and then the feast.....imagine seven adults, five children and three golden retrievers...all gathered on sunday to celebrate christmas. of course the kids had to open their gifts right off the bat...keeping the dogs at bay as best we could. they had a high old time and then went off to play and wreak havoc on the house...this time the flat screen in the basement was spared!!) the colts game started at 4 so we decided to do our presents at half time and then eat dinner after the game...more time for rummykub for the girls, of course....so it was COLD!!! - and the guys were snuggled on the porch, smoking cigars and drinking beer and scotch and wrapped in hats, coats and blankets..what a hoot! when it came time to start up the deep fryer, the guys realized we hadn't thawed the peanut oil left over from thanksgiving (did i mention it was cold?)...and things were just not working! - water and oil don't mix, after all...so the girls ran out to get more oil and we poured out the old and started over. we sat down (quite late) to our chicken kiev..our christmas dinner tradition...what a wonderful feast with all the trimmings and the dishes and pots and pans that go with. i always use my good china at christmas...hand washable......so we wake up monday morning - and after the dogs come in from their morning ablutions in the back yard, we notice ruby's not acting quite right...drinking lots of water and nuzzling me even more than usual. then i smelled her breath. the tell-tale scent of peanut oil with just a hint of kiev told me all i needed to know! - what on earth?...then we found a pan of oil on the ground - part of the first batch that had been poured out and she apparently helped herself! - think about how good a greasy meal is going down and then how bad your tummy can feel later...times twenty five, i'm thinking!!! i won't go into the gorey details but she threw up in the family room - BIG time - and then had continual little grease burps all over the kitchen, where i decided to contain her. then she had huge outside explosions..from both ends...and i finally called the vet. davey had gone off to work of course and i had the whole aftermath of the feast to deal with...a task i usually relish because i take my time and remember all the fun...but with a sick doggie?? - thank heavens she's all right and back to her wild and raucous self, dragging things around...and i'm cutting this short (*short?) because she's at this moment trying to climb up in my chair with me. i'm going to start posting the kids pics. the one above is baby joey - from their christmas card. and as an after thought i 've added some pics of my grands from our thanksgiving gathering...the first is their thoughtful pose and the second their normal pose....here's to a happy and healthy 2011!!!

been a while..

i have been sick, sick, sick!!! it's been so long since i really caught something and this time the zycam didn't work. i think if i'd gotten up in the middle of the night about 10 days ago to take a dose i might have warded it off ....but i didn't want to wake ruby...my bad! - but i have managed to get some stuff done - i'm almost finished with my kids' paintings - i don't want to post anything til after sunday and i need to tweak the one of will and lucy - almost done with everything else...and looking forward to gathering!!

party time!!!

heading to the annual couples' christmas party tonight...we've been doing this so long and it's always the best time!!...it started very small in the 70's and back then the hosts did all the cooking..a very special meal because you only had to do it every five years!..over the years we've added folks and lost folks and along the way we got smart and started to have it...TA DA...catered!!!!! very smart!! but we still dress up and bring gifts and share an evening with wonderful friends at this special time of year!!....i am hoping i can fire up a bit...i really worked hard today - i stretched 5 giclees of my santa - hard on my back and on my hands but it had to be done - i need to get those embellished and into the hands of the new owners soon. getting ready to watch IU play the evil kentucky...wouldn't a miracle be nice???

now..on to christmas!!

this is where my snow painting was placed for the event. i really love this frame!

...linda and i in front of the fireplace and this gives you an idea of the scale of my santa. the event was lots of fun - they had over 100 people there - got to meet some new people and catch up with old friends...there was a warm tent set up for desserts and drinks and chef gregory's hors d'oeurves were passed throughout the evening. all the creches and my santa were up for silent auction and i think we made a nice amount for the united way, even though the final tally was a bit less than they had hoped. sign of the times, i'm sure. john and susan nash purchased my santa and i hope to go over and see him when he joins their other santas. all in all, it was an exciting time and hopefully a profitable night for the united way. and now...on to christmas!!! - i'm doing some things for my family and so i can't post here until after they open their presents...probably a day or so after christmas when we all gather. if i don't have a chance to do any more posting, i want to wish eveyone a very happy and holy christmas!!!

tonight's the night....

this is the first creche that zinnia miller found...the one that started it all....a very small piece but probably valuable in it's distinction of going first.

another of the many creches to be auctioned off tonight. some folks haven't heard of the word creche before...actually i think it's from the russion and it means manger scene so there is much variety in the pieces to be found. each of the decorator's rooms holds three of creches and there will be a silent auction starting at 7:30 tonight. i have my eye on one or two but the bidding may get to be a bit steep...we'll have to see...

this is where my santa hangs. claudia's florabunda helped and i love how they've decorated the mantel - including little peacock feathers - the room is gorgeous - linda has such a good eye - i must mention that connie skyrme is also participating with her painted furniture... anyway - i forgot to take a picture of my winter garden piece as it hangs on the wall but if you're facing the fireplace it's behind and to the left of where you stand, on the wall the faces the street. i'll try and remember to photograph it when i get there. i'm a bit nervous...but it should be fun - and of course i'm hoping the bidding for my santa ALSO gets a bit steep!

getting close...

18x24 oil on canvas

so here's the irwin house on a snowy day...straight out of my imagination because for one thing, the regular folk are never allowed back there...the gates are usually locked...this place has the most wonderful gardens and folks flock there to get married, take pictures, just browse or whatever...but only during the hours it's been open. now this wonderful old home has been turned into a bed and breakfast and i'm not really sure what the deal is with the garden but the inside is gorgeous...and several decorators are doing up the rooms royally...just in time for santa and christmas and the coming of baby Jesus...there will be creches available friday night at auction along with pieces donated by local artists...(moi included...)...so this will be fun - i'll try and take pics of the event to post later...the photo above is a bit glarey (and a bit lopsided i fear)but i hope it says "winter"!

coming along...

it's coming along...i can't decide whether i want to make it a blustery snowstorm or just a quiet winter day...i'm hoping i can get it finished tomorrow...still have lots to do...

starting the new project...

here's the beginning of the painting of the inn at irwin gardens...i don't have much time so i need to get at it! - the problem will be that i'm using a lot of white...snow scene...so i'm not sure it will be completely dry when i have to deliver it on friday. i dropped off my santa at bob anderson's stillframes this morning and hopefully he'll get it photographed in time to drop it off for decorating tomorrow sometime. i'm weary! - don't know whether it's the tennis or the long hours of painting...and i still have so many decorations to bring up from the basement. ah well - i guess it's better than sitting around on my bahdoon....

my united way santa...

36x36 mixed media on stretched canvas NFS

so this is the finished piece. my friend linda callahan (www.lcodesigns.com) just asked me to bring it down to the irwin house to see how it would look over the fireplace in the parlor. and it works!! what she didn't tell me was that reporters from the republic were going to be there taking pictures...yikes...hopefully they can find one picture they can use! and now it's on to the next event. linda wants me to paint the irwin house as it would look in mid-winter...snow-covered and cozy looking. so that's my next job...and it needs to be done before friday! gotta get crackin!

too tired....

well, we had a big day!!! we had all the babies for a sleepover last night...wild!! - and we had tillie and ollie the night before so all in all ...along with finishing the pots and pans and clean up...we are bushed! - (i decided to finish my santa tomorrow...just can't do it today!) .... anyway, i had the bright idea to have the kids eat their pancakes at the big table in the dining room this morning...with grape juice.....not a good plan....but who cares??? - it was so much fun to all be together..and after one of them asked whether we could have a whirlpool, and it wasn't ready...all of a sudden, papper worked on it this afternoon and it will be ready for our christmas gathering. and we're heading out there in a few moments to have a soak our own selves. we did have a huge bonfire in back last night...complete with smores...and stories...and then this morning, my friend leland came to show me the frame he and shirley picked out for the painting i did for their grandson...beautiful...i was humbled and i was again reminded of how lucky we all are to have each other and to have our health. all my prayers go out to my friend shirley as she struggles through this bad time. ...anyway...another thanksgiving has passed and i'm hoping to keep the spirit of thanks and gratitude alive all year through...

happy thanksgiving!

we've been busy taking care of a puppy with a bad tummy...she's on the mend but it's been a struggle..meanwhile i'm working away at my united way project...and LOVING it!!... i haven't been posting much as i've gone along - can't decide if i should or not - i'm at the point where i'm adding some collage aspects and it's tricky going..once they're down, they're down...(i think...i haven't tried to remove any of them)...i'm using acrylic gloss medium to attach things.. and then those things actually become a part of the total piece. exciting...and scary!!!!....we aren't celebrating thanksgiving until saturday so i have tomorrow to work on my house and my project..i think i may do a painting of the irwin gardens home for the show on the 3rd as well...more for me to do in the next week - but what could be more fun????? happy thanksgiving to all!!

getting started...

ok - i'm getting very excited about this project! it's larger than i usually work but i still managed to balance it on my easel. since this is acrylic and mixed media, my process will be a bit different. i plan to get all the local color blocked in - doesn't matter if i place my darks first. the fun thing about acrylic is you can keep going back in and painting over things...i did find that the copper paint i was using wasn't covering the lines of my drawing so i had to go back in with a more opaque paint and then i can go back over with the copper later. there's a lot to do on this -it's going to be "mixed" media...meaning i'm going to try a few things...and most of the work will be in the bag of toys but i wanted to post a bit of the work in progress. i meant to put the drawing first and then the start of the toy bag and then the last one..i still don't have the hang of this blogging stuff!

back home again...

i haven't been able to post for a while...we ran out of our wifi hours in georgia and i couldn't quite get the i phone...it was very hard to type in the right spot! - ..so we left the island on monday...drove about 8 hours and stopped in our favorite doggie motel in murfreesboro tennessee. ruby did well, altho i was frantically following her around so she wouldn't have an accident. we ordered our usual pizza and hit the sack fairly early....and the rain had started...in the morning, as we drove into nashville, we had memories of all the flooding last spring. we almost didn't make it home then - and we almost didn't make it home this time...but not because of the flooding...but yes, because of the rain. we drove through torrential rain - cars were spun out on the side of the road, we hydroplaned several times... we wound our way through an accident that had just happened, marveling that had we been there a few seconds or a few minutes earlier, it may have been us...i am a very careful driver - i like to drive fast but not in bad weather and i really believe in DISTANCE!!!! - and thank GOD! -i could have been turning to talk to davey..i could have wound back the audio book we were listening to...both of which i did often...but for some reason i was staring ahead of me at the road..bad visibility, lots of rain and there in my lane directly ahead was a fed-ex truck - jack-knifed and on it's side - IN MY LANE!!!! and another car between us and the truck and i could not slam on my brakes because of the weather! - i don't know how we managed to stop! - obviously i have things to do here yet on earth because i could so easily have been chatting or looking away for even the briefest of seconds - so we drove on - grateful to be alive - cherishing every moment -GOD is indeed good and our guardian angels were definitely working overtime!!!............so now we have finally re-entered - bills, papers, unpacking, laundry, ruby's first appointment and we find she has parasites...then today all hell broke loose when the neighbor's dogs broke through the fence...sons-a-bitchin bumpuses!!!! tomorrow i start on a huge project. i think i mentioned that linda callahan asked me to do a special santa painting for the room she's decorating at the inn at irwin gardens. there will be a silent auction of 30 pieces of mrs. xenia miller's famous creche collection and all proceeds will go to the united way. my painting will also be up for auction - it's going to be very different and i'm really excited about it - when i finally get to post it - just picture it as 3 feet by 3 feet - BIG!! - and, per linda's request, quite different colors - gotta dash - ruby's calling!

running out of wifi

i'm going to try and use our i phone for future posts - may not work - if so i'll be back next week!

a leisurely read....

da

so here's the start and maybe the finish of this painting of my beach lady. i saw this woman reading on the beach a couple years ago and have been wanting to paint her ever since. we had a nice day on the golf course...once again ceebs and i tied for most improved!! -can't wait to get back out there!! - i plan on doing one more painting and then i'm done for the trip!

shelling....

this is a (maybe) finished painting of my granddaughter tillie on the beach here on the island. she's reaching for a little shell - holding on to her hat in the wind! the shot above is mid-painting - to show a bit of my process. golfed today..the weather was glorious and we drove over to jekyl island to check out their course. we were joined by our friends karl and katie and it was a great day! - complete with 3 alligators and at least 15 deer, some with actual antler racks!!!

taking a break...

i've done and actually sold this painting before...it's of two of my daughter's friend's three little boys...not quite finished with this but took a break to take the dogs to the beach. ruby's not too sure yet....

how i start...

generally speaking...i try and begin my paintings by putting in the darks - often i'll use a colored ground..in this case a warm orange tone...and i like to let a bit of it show through on my finished painting. i'm heading back up to paint while ruby (and davey) are napping!!

lazy morning...

8x10 oil on stretched canvas
this is a cropped image of my magnolia painting. i can't tell if there's a glare on the screen or whether i need to take another look at this painting...it's too cold up there right now to even be outside so i'll wait til it warms up a bit and then check it out and most likely start one of the other paintings i'm planning. it's so nice to be away from home and not have so many obligations and just be able to paint a bit.

and here's ruby - snoozing in her crate...even she's being lazy today and it looks like it may stay that way since it's very COLD!!! - sunny but windy and not even a good day (yet) for painting upstairs on the balcony. we're just relaxing after a night out with friends - a wonderful dinner in a condo overlooking the ocean...beautiful food and good conversation..and a good bit of wine...

am i finished?

just home from a very windy golf day!..my buddy cb and i were vying for most improved on the back...we always do that - and we were so neck and neck the whole way...as it turned out we each improved 5 strokes so it was a tie!!!! we were both thrilled considering the conditions - probably a 3 club wind for most of the day and very cold. my hubby and i didn't really pack for cold -no turtlenecks - it's usually nice here and will be back in the high 70s and maybe 80s by midweek. BUT - i had a fabulous idea strike me and at the turn i grabbed a whole slew of potty paper and wrapped it around my neck - i looked a bit like katherine hepburn in her later years but boy was i warm!!!!!..cheapest scarf i ever had! and good for lots of laughs! not sure about golf tomorrow - it may be windier than today - but it's so protected up on the porch upstairs i'm sure i'll be able to do some more painting. and i can properly photograph my magnolias and post that tomorrow.

a work in progress...

since it was too cold to golf yesterday, i managed to find a little time to start this magnolia painting. this is the land of magnolias, after all, even though they're not blooming at this time of year....during a wakeful part of the night last night, after i took ruby out to go potty, i toyed with the idea of redoing "moon's magnolia", a piece i did several weeks ago...the gallery here really likes magnolia paintings so i'm still undecided..i may finish this one and then do the other and then decide which one i'll frame for the left bank gallery. our plan is for 12:30 golf today...this is such a magical place..i'll try and take some pix from the driving range and the course - the sea island company did a huge and gorgeous overhaul of the cloister and spa..just as the economy went into the tank...and had to file bankruptcy. it's been sold and things should turn out all right for everyone. this is a glorious place and we've been so fortunate to be able to spend time here several times a year....more later...

we've arrived!!!

this is the view from the porch off the master bedroom on the third floor. we'll always have this view because it overlooks the parking lot for the public beach and coast guard station. you can just see the ocean over the trees.

this is the view from the porch off the great room on the second floor. when we bought this home probably 10 years ago, you could see a lot of ocean! - but over time all those houses across the street have spring up - good for the economy, i guess but really bad for the view!!! you can just see a tiny patch of ocean way down at the end of the street. but we love this place - two private pools down there and then the private gate to the beach - we're at the end of the island that's "accreting" - meaning the sand is coming back rather than eroding.

finally!! - it's been maybe 6 months, maybe more, since we've been on our beloved island! - just got in last night after a good trip with the dogs. actually ruby did great in the car for such a long trip - no accidents and slept a lot in her open crate - what a great puppy! - we were planning to golf today but it is mighty cold and even mightier windy!! we may just spend the day settling in and i might even get to do A BIT OF PAINTING...those caps were an accident but actually with that being my focus maybe i'll leave them!

for my friend shirley....

24x18 oil on stretched linen NFS

this is carl - my friend shirley's grandson - playing soccer on his team in plainfield indiana. carl is a stud, as you can see and shirley and her husband leland asked me if i would do a study of him doing what he loves best. years ago, carl's dad rick introduced me to and taught a class in transendental meditation. some time later he taught a class in wine appreciation and then went on to med school - quite a well-balanced career - i'm tickled to be able to do this painting for all of them! we leave in the morning for st. simons. i'm sure hoping to paint while i'm there, but as my friend stephanie (http://www.stephanieberryart.blogspot.com) said: " we see where your time's being spent"..and the sad/happy fact is - yes i'm spending time with my new puppy - i'll reap many rewards later...my painting is suffering a bit but that, too, will pass....

last night...

this is my very fabulous and "ghoul-friendly" hubby...in his own personal get-up

and this is me...you can't really see how awful my hands are...all covered in blood and green skin and black nails.....actually not that different from the every day, now that i think about it.....

well....we almost thought we were over it! - since we haven't been home for maybe 2 out of the last five years, we think some of the folks may have thought we were out of the business of haunting. (in past years, people would drive in from other neighborhoods and then drive off)....as i mentioned, the frenchies were the first ones here and then several other groups - just after 5 - sun shining, birds chirping, the farthest thing from a scary scenario...and then..not much at all for a good long while - we were almost thinking maybe we could hang it up - this monster we've created - but then, things started to happen! - we got lots of kids after dark - one little boy came in and said: "thank heaven's you're back! we missed you!!"...one mom knocked on the door and asked us to turn off the strobe light so her son who has seizures could come up to the house. as they left, we heard her saying" see? now you can go home and tell your dad you went to the witch's house!" a couple of dad's with cameras started howling when the fog machine went off at just the prime moment to scare the bejeezes out of their sons! - i think next year we'll take the camera to the front door so we can get pix of the little goblins like they take pictures of us!!! almost forgot - tillie and ollie came over with their parents for some soup and some haunting... tillie's gotten very brave when she's around the witch but ollie...not so much...he said "gan, i'm not scared of you..i'm scared of the paint!!!"