METAL CAMP WITH FRIENDS

It took 6 wks - 2 months to arrange for 3 friends to spend 2 days together at Metal Camp.  We threw our own camp in my studio.  Pam - a multi-media artist, wonderful creatures and innovative garments, she sees her own visions.  Pam was re-purposing before there was the word.  She has a vision and style.  And Vicki - I met Vicki in a Penny Sisto workshop at Asilomar about a hundred years ago.  Vicki once taught quilting and now teaches metals.  Vicki was a sleep over camper and Pam was a local so she commuted but brought pull apart cinnamon buns, day two.  I love all this "verbage", it sounds like camp.

We spent Wednesday and Thursday together.  Vicki brought her metals skills.  Pam and I had taken a tin bird class at "Create" last spring and we had supplies and tools and ideas.  It was a share and what if and what is that tool for.  Pam had a ton of wonderful eyes to glue onto my tin birds.  I had a pile of tin stuff - cookie  tines and tea tins.  Vicki had the tools to make metal discs, stamp out the words on metal, make a mold of and torch stuff.

We are talking of renting a place somewhere and having camp again.  You cannot buy or codger up this type of experience or friends.  photos to follow.  (I think I might get weepy) - long week and wine.

 Vicki and Pam

 the stuff you  bring to camp

 and the tools

 camp in action

 Vicki wanted an anvil.  Pam told her we had room in our car while on vacation.
We found this 17 lb anvil in Idaho and brought it home to Vicki.  It came to visit.

 Pam's angel

A collection of day one.

 Tools

 supplies

 tools and supplies

 A grommet - a little metal thing that holds 2 pieces of metal together and the
tool that made it happen.  Bought the tool at Michaels with a coupon - months ago.  My
first grommet.

 my collection of bird stuff and birds

 Vicki's big grommet maker thingie

 a bird, tin - misc. metal parts and a real doll eye.

Needless to say - it was a great retreat.  Thank you Tom for letting it all happen just under your
nose.  You are the Guy.  lv

Home again

Full moon or darn near, taken in Afton, Wy.

Monument over Highway 89.  Have seen tour buses stop and everyone get 

out for this photo op.

CallAir Museum - fascinating history of airplane company

That is still building planes in Afton, Wy

Probably one of the worlds true wonders in antique/junk

Stores.  Photos cannot do it justice.  She had been burgled

Recently but hard to see what they took, no empty spaces

Starvalley singers preformed, happened to be our last night in Wyoming.  My brother Ed is

In the middle.  He sang "impossible dream".  Karoke has taught him to love to sing.

On way to St. George, Utah.  Spent time with cousin Gail as she waited for husband 

having by-pass surgery.  Dixie Regional Hospital had tons of quilts, under plexi, 

On the walls.  Dan is doing great as of last report.

LAS VEGAS

City Center and Aria Hotel.

Window display - all to show off one handbag.

Larger than life metal rose outside the window.

Window display.

We were at City Center to visit "Akhob", the James Turrell light

Installation  at Louis Vuitton .  Reservations required, it is 

Free,  and includes a tour of the Store and history of Louis

Vuitton.   702-730-3150, google for more info.

Like the dancing water at the Bellagio, this was fun and free.

Hanging butterfly's in the immense lobby of Aria.

Tom with best Las Vegas friends Sandy and Steve.  They were the last stop 

On this wonder adventure.

As we started, no less stuff.  Next time, less stuff.

6 weeks, 3 plus days.  4850 miles.  Next time we buy a car we will pay more

Attention to seat comfort but this Honda CRV is a trouper.

Yellowstone and Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming.

Yellowstone 

Arriving Star Valley Ranch, in the Star Valley, Wyoming

Summer

Back yard, view 1

Back yard, view 2

Found on evening walk -  it would great at home

Tram in Teton Village,  Teton National Park.  We had gone to attend the 

symphony practice.  Amazing music

Playing with camera and newly discovered settings

More camera and old stuff down a country  road

While in Star Valley Ranch, at my brother and sister-laws home,

 we have danced, practiced the ukulele, played 31 (cards)

sang karaoke, attended art fair in town of Swan Valley,

Attended symphony in Teton Village, took dance lessons (cowboy

Two step), met my sister in laws other sister in law, bought an

Anvil for Vicki in Palos Verdes, got my hair cut, picked 

Rasberries, made homemade raspberry scones, played lots of 

Golf, ran smack dab into old friend in art gallery in Jackson - 

her name just popped up after 7 yrs, bought wine at state controlled 

stores or bars, bought Powerball tickets in Idaho ( didn't win), 

Listening to on line course through Coursea, a bride history of

Human Kind -2 wks of 17,  interesting.

BANFF to WHITEFISH

Looking back at the tram ride up, Banff down below.

View from the tram landing.  It was 400 + stairs , up and down.

From pt A to pt B, and back again.

View from the top, impressive in real life.

From Banff to Calgary and back to states.

Cannot pass by an art fair/farmers market.  We bought amazing 

cherries. We had just spent all our Canadian money and of course

 got Canadian change.  

Spent Canadian money on bean/veggie burger.

Spent 4 days with Alice and Dan, dance friends in 

Whitefish, Montana.  A really lovely place, lots of lakes and fishing.

Looks like a great place to live, except for the snow.

Glacier National Park.

Fun stuff

Whitefish, yard totally decorated with prayer flags. House

Under construction.

Poster In train museum in Glacier.

As part of the abandon art project, we left a 5x7 canvas

Art work sitting on outside bench for artist Mia Bloom.

I witnessed a woman picking it up.

Previous art abandonments happened in Revalstoke at the band 

stand on Main Street. The first one was left in front of Stitches, a 

marvelous quilt store on Saltspring Island..

Most amusing wildlife so far

Glacier, baby in back ground.