Senior's 44th Birthday

Senior is Elliott's dad. We call him Senior because he is also named Elliott. Usually we call Elliott EO, short for Elliott Oliver...I don't think anyone ever calls him Jr. The birthday party was a lot of fun! We camped outside on Senior's property both Friday and Saturday night...weekend before last.

There were tales of a panther that the locals have been seeing, and Senior was telling me I might not want to go off into the woods alone to pitch camp...I did anyway. I was hoping to see a panther, but never did. Of course I take that story with a grain of salt.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures taken at the party at Senior's place.

Senior

Senior sitting in my lap

Senior's new bird house...a present

EO
My new hammock. My sister sent this to me for my birthday. I tried it out at Senior's place during his birthday weekend. There are plenty of things to like about this hammock, but there are some things not so preferable as well.

The good news is that it's lightweight and will be perfect for hot summer camping. The bad news is it doesn't give a level sleeping surface...so a bit hard to stretch out. The good news, it makes a great chair to relax in and a great place to put stuff out of sight since it's camo. If I want to leave my camp sight for instance and go exploring, I can throw my gear in the hammock and tie it up in the trees somewhere out of sight. The bad news, it won't do for winter.

So, all in all I think it's a practical gadget for summer. 12 oz is way better than lugging a heavy 5lb tent around in the hot summer. However, I intend to save my money and buy a really well thought out and more expensive hammock sleep system that I can use year round. I will keep this one though for a partner or just to put stuff in or use as a chair.

Great Family Time

Here are the first of several pictures. These are the little girls Ben met on our camping trip. They are all sitting on a downed cypress tree...the thing is huge! Ben had a blast crawling all over it during our stay at Krause Springs.


Three not so small bumps on a log


I will be back a little later this evening to post more...

A Couple of Weekend Events

Weekend before last I went to my friend's birthday bash and camped out. I have a hammock review to post, and pictures of course from that event. Then last weekend I took my son Ben camping with me to Krause Springs. We met up with some of my friends and both Ben and I had a great time. He made some new friends at the camp out and enjoyed the camp fire. It was great watching him discover things out in nature too.

There are stories to tell with pictures. Yet I'm pressed for time right now, and regretably so. I would love to post the photos now...but you know the drill. :)

My Car from Hell

Ugh I'm so pissed at my car. It's just a disaster...I constantly have to have it fixed. Something always happens to it...either some ass hole runs into me, or I get hailed on! Windshield broken, light fixture broken out, dents all over the new hood I just bought, ARGGGGGGGHHHHH what the hell universe? I need this car to run somewhat peacefully for the next year at least while I try to save money for a good used car.

I'm not sure what the problem is this time, but it over heated and is being looked at now by a friend of mine who is a mechanic. Shade tree mechanic...if you've got a good one, they are worth their weight in gold because they have very flexible hours. Ah, speaking of...my car is back!
Now THAT is service! I didn't have to lift a finger. I called my mechanic and said "I have a car 911 I need you", and he came right away to get the car, took it away to fix it, and then brought it back. Done in three hours. WOW! If anyone wants his name and number please do let me know...

...Ok, so it turns out that the wreck cracked the radiator and the thermostat was messed up too. Lucky thing though, he said the engine does not appear to have suffered. Woo hoo good news! Total dollars spent...350 smackaroos. I hope this is it with bad car luck for a while.

Other than that bit of misfortune, I am doing well and looking forward to the weekend camping. I plan on trying out my new back packing hammock! I'm spending two...count 'em...TWO glorious nights outside starting Friday. I can't wait! I should have camping pictures up in the future to show off my hammock. SWEET!

A few of My Favorite Things

My Skull Candy Bandanna I got at SWSW...the were chunking these out a window to the crowd

My colorful rainbow of dannas

My cat Lola...she loves to play with straws

An art book and my Rembrandt oil pastels

Oil Pastels...my sister brought these to me from Germany a long time ago

Pure Pigment Pencils

Paint Brushes and Acrylic Paint

My Drum Sticks

A New Painting I'm working on...this is a close up, it's going to be lichen on a rock

Another close view...this is a large painting...acrylic on canvas

Another Painting in the Works...just a small one