Rainbow of Another Sort and an Overdue Share

This was the sunset last night.  It had all the colors if you include the green of the trees and grasses which are still visible in the fading sunlight.  It's so hard to try to edit this kind of picture.  Ideally I would like to get rid of that halo of pink and have it blend more as it did in real life.  But when I look at the computer screen, the intensity of the colors changes as I tilt my laptop screen forward and backward so I'm never really sure what others will be seeing on their computer.  This was untouched with all it's pixels too.   And even when I look at the preview screen, the intensity does change when I tilt the screen, so if it looks washed out, tilt your screen back or look at it from below because it definitely was not a pastel moment but one of vibrant intensity.

As I switch gears - Looking back as I was clearing off my camera card, I realized that I had not shared this card that I made for my blogging friend Sabrina.  Her birthday was in April and I think I was waiting to make sure that she received it before I actually posted it.  Well, I knew some time ago that she did receive it and I was so happy that she loved it.  In actuality, she had sent me the Pig Brothers birdhouse stamp for my birthday and it's perfect for a bird lover AND a flying pig lover!  I just had so much fun coloring that image.  Then I went to town with my embossing folders and dies and even some more stamps to make the little scene to surround those bird houses.  I like to think that the birds (or flying pigs) that take up residence there would be very happy.

Just thinking that I would love to send birthday cards to any of my followers, so if you do follow my blog (see that followers area over on the right) send me your birth date and your address and I'll put you on my card list.  

Okay, on with the weekend activities.  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Someone's Getting Married Today

The youngest daughter of friends of ours is getting married this afternoon.  I'm posting this early because we'll be getting ready to join the festivities at our traditional Table 7.  You might think that the card is a little different for a wedding card, but if you look at the invitation below you'll see why I put it together this way.  

You see the tractor there amongst the flowers, but it is not a farm wedding.  The groom happens to like tractors and I was lucky enough to have a tractor stamp that I got from PictureShow Stamps a while back.  I colored it green and yellow and I do know that it's not exactly a John Deere like the one on the invitation, but I think it'll do.  I first stamped some wheat in the background with Hero Arts Tall Wheat.  The sentiment is from SU's Word Play.  The daisy was die cut and I added the MS micro beads to the center.  I also added a sticky rhinestone for the ring.  The doily is an SU die cut and the embossed panels in the background are SU also.  (If you need to know the names, drop me an e-mail and I'll get back to you on it.)

On the inside I added a sentiment from another SU set and the silhouetted flowers from Upsy Daisy.  I used the window frames die for that - die cut the white and traced the outer side for the black frame.  

Did you see what I wrote on the tractor?   I'm pretty pleased with this as my creativity has been at a low ebb lately and I do like the way this came out.  Hope they do!

Now, I'm off to get beautiful ----- well, presentable will do.  It's going to be a hot, but fun afternoon and evening.

A Card? Did I Make a Card?

Yes, I did.  It was overdue for a friend's birthday, but I just got a chance to meet with her earlier this week and didn't want to post it before she got it.  Can you tell that her favorite color is purple?  The stamp set used was Summer Silhouettes and I purposely added those punched flowers off-center in the dots.  We had a nice, but quick lunch together as we both had to get back to work.  We don't make a habit of it, but since we can't get out during the school year to meet up with friends, the summer is a little easier.  

HWNSNBP brought me this feather that he found outside the back door one night earlier this week.  We were trying to guess what bird it could have come from.  Given the color, brown and tan with a yellow shaft, we were kind of thinking it might be a hawk.  Boy were we wrong!

I used that feature - the yellow shaft - to google it and we were surprised to find out that it was a wing feather from a Northern Flicker.  Click on the link and you will see a beautiful photograph of a flicker in flight by Kevin T. Karlson.  Having never been that close to one in flight I never would have guessed that the wing feathers were so detailed.  This bird appears to have polka-dots on it's chest when you see it.  

The other surprise of the week, though I was thinking that this would be what we would find because of the activity that I noticed from my work station, was four bluebird eggs in the nesting box at school.  Since this was taken on Monday there might even be another one in there.  I haven't wanted to open the box again this week because it's been so hot (feels like over 100º everyday for the last four days). I didn't want to add to the jeopardy the eggs already face in light of the heat.  Let's just say, that mama blue has not had to spend much time in there during the day.  

Hopefully these babies will hatch next week when the temps are supposed to come back down to nearer normal for this time of year.

Keep your fingers crossed!

It's a Bird, It's a Boop

I am intrigued by this congregation of glossy ibises. They clump so close together when they're searching for whatever it is they're finding in the muck.  They appear early in the morning and then vanish before noon.  And they always seem to be in the shallowest of the water.  

The purple martin house and birds below was down in Cape May a couple of weeks ago.  There is a stretch of poles with these houses on them along one side of the parking lot near the lighthouse.  We were watching as some of the birds entered the gourds, presumably feeding their young.  They will start to migrate soon and we may be traveling to one of the places we were told they gather before they move southward.  (Keeping my fingers crossed for that.)  

Now, the picture below........ on our bike ride Sunday morning I saw this from across the road.  On the way back I thought it was quite unusual that the bird was still in the same place but I stopped and told HWNSNBP that I wanted to take a picture.  "Of what?" he said.  "The bird." said I.  "What bird?"  Clearly by now, with my camera in hand and the lens zoomed in as close as I could get it, I realized that it was not a bird at all, but a flower or part of the plant.  I guess it was wishful thinking.

On Saturday, we did some errands and had lunch at the Stewart's in Tuckerton.  This Stewart's (of the Stewart's Root Beer) is so colorful and fun to eat at.  

We were being watched by Betty Boop as we ate our lunch at one of the checkered tablecloth covered picnic tables under the outside awning.  All the while the oldies were playing in the background.  They're not on roller skates, but the waiters and waitresses will serve you at your car.  It's a little too hot for sitting in a car.

Although, if you look inside this car that was parked behind us.  You might see a couple of mannequins dressed up in the front seat.  Don't you just love the color!!!!

And finally.......  the lifeguard had packed it in for the day at the bay beach.  But there were still people there and I think this seagull was contemplating taking over as the lookout.  

And how was your weekend?

More Cheater Thank You's and the First Crabs of the Season

One of the casualties of our recent home projects was my natural light floor lamp.  We thought it was just the bulb that blew, but apparently it was not.  So I need to apologize for the crummy pictures taken on the kitchen table under the ceiling light.  I'm still putting things away and have the dining room table covered, trying to decide what stays and what goes, so I haven't set up my photo tent yet.  

The first picture above shows the notecards that I picked up at Mike's some time ago in the $1 bin (or it could have been after they changed the $1 bin to the $1.50 bin, I forget now).  I bought three packs, one in each color, and the packs had 6 notecards in them.  They are actually trifold cards.

I used one of the new stamp sets Polka-Dot Pieces for the flower and butterfly, punched them out and popped them up.

I had a combination of yellow or blue flowers on the yellow or blue cards and the peach butterflies on the green or blue cards.  It's so nice to be thought of as making a difference in the office whether it's to the parents, students, or staff.  I am always touched by their thoughtfulness.

And here's where I take a left turn.  The stage was set on July 4th for the first official crabbing endeavor.  I was not present for this event as I chose to sleep in that morning.  But HWNSNBP was up on the almost-finished dock with his crabbing gear and was joined by a few of our other friends.  They managed to get 7 crabs that morning.  Just enough for crab nachos later in the day.

The crabs are really big for this time of year.  

And just one more thing.  HWNSNBP noticed this cluster of insect eggs on the door when we returned home on Sunday.  I haven't the slightest idea what insect they belong to.  I'm just hoping it's not spiders.  I don't do spiders!

July 4th - Firemen to the Rescue

Sometime last night the American flag, the 8' American flag that stands tall and proud at the central dock in Barnegat was cut down and stolen.  It was quite sad to think that there would be no American flag flying there on Independence Day.  Well, thanks to the Barnegat Fire Department a flag flies again to help celebrate our nation's birthday.

After taking these pictures I walked over and thanked and shook the hands of the firemen who took care of this today.  I told them I was sorry that they had to do it, but they said proudly "It's our job and our honor."

Happy Birthday America!

What I Did Last Week

Sounds like the beginning of a child's journal entry doesn't it?  Well, Friday, June 21 was the last day of school for the teachers and students and the beginning of my first whole week of vacation for the summer.  It was back to work today, but I do have some pictures to share.  

Let's start with a rainbow........

We've had so much rain here in the month of June, it was almost inevitable that there would be a rainbow at some time.  

After attending the shower (see previous post) HWNSNBP and I headed down to the condo for a few days.  The birds were there having already starting the party - well it kinda looks like a party.  They're playing "Capture the Island", one of those pirate games that birds sometimes play.  Wonder if there's buried treasure there?

These glossy ibises seem to have the fix on where the treasure is.  Of course their treasure is not a pirate's booty, but sustenance.  They stayed together in that area for quite some time.  

Later that evening (or maybe it was the next day) the sun left a fireball reflection in the water. (Maybe that's the real treasure?)

One day we took our bikes over to the island for a ride near the lighthouse.  They've been working on this water tower there.  Until recently the scaffolding was covered and from across the bay it appeared that this was some new high rise building.  However, we realized on our last trip to the lighthouse a few weeks ago that they were merely doing work on the water tower.  It was fascinating to see those construction workers working so high up. 

We had a brief trip to Cape May one of the days and returned home in the middle of the week to take care of some business.   It rained almost every afternoon and it's been steamy and uncomfortable.  Like HWNSNBP said, "the triple H brothers have returned - Hazy, Hot, and Humid" and it's only the first full week of summer.  

On our 7-mile bike ride Saturday morning we spotted this guy.  He also spotted us and didn't like the fact that we had stopped our bikes for me to take his picture.  The son-of-a-gun kept moving and as I straddled my bike and tried to move along with him, my bike started to fall and boy, do I have a nasty bruise on my thigh.  But the picture was worth it.  (I like that little bit of Monet-like reflection in the water.)

So today, the first of July was back to work day.  We'll start our summer hours next week, working four 10-hour days and Fridays off until mid-August.  

I've got lot's of catching up to do this month.  I realized that I haven't posted my May tangles yet and it's already July.  (I actually have to finish my June one's this week.)  I really had good intentions to do this daily, but all these "house" projects have really kept me busy as of late.  I hope I will have some energy at the end of those 10-hour days to get some creative things done.  

Happy July!