Sunny Days...

catnapping

the glow

biting the fox 

headshot

Owl play

at the vet's

home from the vet

mousing

Lotsa Art Openings!

Wow, there were a lot of art openings last weekend! This is typical for Philadelphia which has a tradition of "First Fridays", the first Friday of every month being when most galleries tend to open their exhibitions. It can be a lot of fun, and it's a handy way to take in a lot of openings in one evening, but First Friday is not really the best day for the serious viewing of art. There's an almost carnivale flavor to FF, crowds of good times or bust people swarming in and out of the galleries and up and down the streets...it's more  party than arty. Fortunately some galleries, including my own, have an additional reception on that first Sunday which is still festive but less frenetic. You can actually see the art instead of peering around clumps of determined celebrators, and talk with the artists instead of shouting banal congratulations to them over the roar of the crowd. Anyway...

Me in front of my four pieces in the Still Life Invitational at Artists' House Gallery

I ran into a whole bunch of other artists also showing

Yet more artist friends hanging out in the great art-filled atmosphere

Richard Rosenfeld stopped by, and he gave my work the thumbs up..woo hoo!

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Actually at The Rosenfeld Gallery around the corner my friend Tremain Smith was showing her work

More friends in a gallery clinch

My young friend Hazel was inspired by all the art she was seeing

Ken Hamilton and Fred Danziger are showing together at Rodger LaPelle Galleries

I also went to a thought-provoking  multi-media exhibit called It's Your Funeral at Pterodactyl

                                          
                         
     This is artist and co-curator Dr. K. Malcolm Richards introducing the work at the reception on Saturday. There's something for every taste in Philly, from the mundane to the macabre!

First Race of the Season!

Belmont Plateau was looking its best!

That's my guy! (I'm holding his glasses.)

Coming up the hill...

Dramatic skies as they cross the ridge...

Spreading out

The Hay Bale at the finish...H's long legs made it no obstacle

A good start and a strong finish! Well done!

The entire team did well overall...a happy day!

Outlook: Sunny

No weight to this post, just more photos of our new kitten, Sunny. ;-)

KITTEN DELIVERY!

YEOWR!

So, friends of ours had a kitten emergency. They adopted a cat from a shelter, and although this shelter requires that the cats they give out be neutered or spayed before they will relinquish the cat, and in fact they make the adopting people pay for this process...someone at the shelter or vet's office made a mistake. My friends payed to adopt a spayed cat, especially important as they wanted an indoor/outdoor cat. The cat became pregnant about 5 minutes after they got it home. Oh dear!

The cat had five kittens, too, and well, son H begged and begged and we caved. Today was Kitten Delivery Day!

Smiles and tears from the nice family giving the kitty to us...

H gets to know his new pet a little

"Whatchu lookin' at?"  Attitude already at 10 weeks...!

Learning how to hold a squirming kitten...not as easy as you'd think! But fun. :-)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Something to be glad about: 84 Big Ones! ♡ Yay for William D. Miller !

Mom was glad too! 

Dad still hast the sharpest eye in the art business. He wanted me to take a look at a very well-done portrait, and it turned out to be a  piece by William F. Draper!

We had a successful board meeting, I mean, fun family party!

A grateful kind of day! ♡♡♡

We Have A Winner (yawn!)

Well, even if nobody else cares, I was pretty excited to win the weekly Trader Joe's drawing! ;-)  I've been filing in those little raffle tickets (for bringing my own bags) once or twice a week for several years now. I might have been suspicious that nobody ever wins except that my friend Carol Peterson won once, back when the store in our neighborhood was new. She won like $50 and had her picture on a poster. It was all very exciting!

But now, years on, and hundreds of weekly winners later, nobody cares and it is only a $20 gift card.  They barely bothered to make eye contact today at the store's service desk, had to root around for the Winner Cards in a drawer, started chatting amongst themselves even as they were sliding the card across the counter to me and basically were pretty yawn about the whole thing. However, I got great props from another customer waiting in line at the desk who exclaimed and congratulated and said Wow! People actually win this thing? No way! That's so great!  and etc. Thanks, dear unknown shopper lady, for making my win more festive for me.  ;-)

In fact, despite the Trader Joe's managers' lack of enthusiasm, I was pretty thrilled. Ironically, they'd called to tell me I won on the same day last week that I had rotator cuff surgery! When I'd gotten home after a day in the hospital and was lying upstairs groggily (on my bed of pain...violins please) my son H told me the good news, with a pleased smile on his face, and you know, that was really a sweet little thing to hear! Something nice, some random stroke of virtue rewarded, that's always going to be kind of nice, however small. A quiet yay! 

Friend Friday

I have three amazing friends showing their work in a four person show opening this weekend at Haynes Gallery in Thomaston, Maine! The show,  Four Figurative Artists, features the works of three of my favorite artists and people: Ellen Cooper, Renee Foulks and Lea Colie Wight (Ryan S. Brown, whom I do not know, is also exhibiting.)


Four Figurative Artists

August 3 to August 28. 

Reception: August 3, 6 to 8 p.m.

The Haynes Galleries
91 Main Street
Thomaston, ME 

Jenn  Lea Colie Wight

Charnée  Renee Foulks

Cup and Vessel  Ellen Cooper

Congratulations on Your Surgery!

Message from a child, as yet unaware of the "get well soon" protocol! :-D

I can still type, thank heavens! photo: Sarah Barr

Rotator Cuff Surgery Yesterday!

In my gown and tiara, all dressed up and ready for the surgery soiree!

Typical after the operation ball "hangover!"

Intentionally not letting photos be taken today. But three sweet friends braved it and came to visit me...stars shall be in their crowns! ~♡♡♡~