heat

From the point where

two furry bodies touch

emanates a heat

like no other.

fur times two

 

return

Atlantic City. What an odd town. Granted, it is January and AC is somewhat of a ghost town but still, I found it a very weird place. And the Trump Taj Mahal is even weirder. I have never stayed in a casino resort and since I don’t gamble, I was very confused as to the whole gambling mentality.

The Taj Mahal is a a juxtaposition of opulence and seedy.  Enormous, beautiful chandeliers hang from huge swathes ceilings. Thick carpets or marble adorn the floors. And yet if you look hard enough, the glitz is just a thin veneer, hiding the shabby, aging infrastructure.

Sensory input is limited to the smell of cigarette smoke and the sounds of bells chiming when a winner is announced. Life becomes timeless. You can wander around for hours and never see a window. I realized that the only time I saw the outdoors was when I took a break from my conference and sat on the floor in my room in from of the window.  It was very disconcerting for someone who spends a good part of her day outdoors, even when it’s freezing cold. 

the view from my room

the room faced north-ish

The conference itself was great, lots of landscape architects and engineers stopped by my booth to learn about my artwork and I felt like I made some wonderful new contacts.

my “booth”

Of course now I have to be patient and see if anybody can use my creations in the future. (Not my strong suit.) I also learned some really important things, both about the profession and about specific things like dry stone walling…but I’ll share more about that the next time. All in all, I’m glad I went. And I’m glad to have returned home again. As always.

hidden

I am off to the wilds of Atlantic City, New Jersey tomorrow to make some new friends at the Landscape Architects’ conference. It is a new venue for me and thus a bit scary. It’s been a long time since I have taken myself and my sculptures out into the professional arena. I am looking forward to getting some really good feedback and even some orders for sculptures! Keep your fingers crossed. (If you are interested in this conference or any other information from the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, check out this website.)

Even though I am super busy packing up the truck and finishing the last minute details today, I couldn’t help but post these pix of the beasts…

One cat, yes. Two?

Max and…

Oh, there she is!!!

there she is!

And finally…has anyone seen Ginger?

Who is that waaaaay down at the bottom of the hill?

See you next week!

 

 

 

 

 

snow zippers

snow zippers

Prayers

Cold

very cold

and windy too

snow blowing on the newly shoveled path

dog fur flying

nose hairs crinkling

Latch the door

hold onto your hat

cover your face

Better yet

stay inside

sit in a sunny window

and watch the prayer flags

send out blessings

with force

and determination

prayer flags seen from my studio window

snow day

I am THRILLED!!! Why? Because it is snowing and I am actually HOME!. I am not stuck in Connecticut or Chicago or Seattle or Kalamazoo. I am home safe and sound with my honey and my four beasts. Add some snow boots to that, a sled, some grand kids and it is going to be a lovely day. I do like snow, I don’t seem to get cold (much) and I love to go running around and being silly with the dogs. I even like to shovel, and will do it several times during the day to keep it down to a dull roar.

snow queen

What ARE you doing?

hanging out with mom

are ya gonna throw it? are ya are ya are ya?

happy

The dogs also love snow (duh). Even Ginger will go a little crazy and actually (gasp) RUN. It is a powdery snow, good for slipping and sliding, not so good for snow men and forts and snowball fights. Easier to shovel, harder to keep it where you want it due to the wind. Shoveling tip #1…don’t shovel if you are downwind. Stay upwind and shovel to the downwind side of the sidewalk. Or better yet, snowplow it with the shovel.

Wheeeeeeeeeee! I love snow!

cat

Before I get to today’s post, an addendum to yesterday’s picture of the hawk. I claimed that I couldn’t see the hawk for the fog. However, my dear followers fozziemum and Gallivanta have disagreed (politely) with my assertion. They both think that there is a hawk showing up leaning next to the tree that is to the left of the center one. I have spent some time with the original and blew it up as much as I could and the the results are…inconclusive. So for those of you who see a hawk…GREAT! I think I will say there is a hawk there and be done with it…it’s more exciting that way!

hawk???

close up…can you see it?

So, on to today’s post. I thought I would bring the sunshine back into your life. And I can definitely see the cat in these pictures.

warm

this is a good place for me.