Abortion, Visual Art, Weaving Coasters

Some babies die by accident, none should die by choice. Wake up, abortion supporters in this country...let's not kill our youngest! Life is a miraculous gift and there are so many couples who cannot concieve. Let's encourage and support pregnant women so they follow through, carry their babies to term and give them up for adoption...bless the lives of couples who are suffering heartbreak and heartache and emptiness for want of a child. Give the gift of live to them!

Another topic: school starts soon and that means new art will be created by lots of kids. I'm excited to get my students started! We will start on Sept. 14 - I just can't decide if I want to start with some basic color theory or the principles of design. Actually, we'll probably review the art elements first and then go from there. I have lots of returning students and a few new ones, too. It is always fun to have new students as the group dynamics change and that is fun for all.

I've got a set of coasters on my table top loom...plan to get those off the loom this week and knot up or sew the edges, depending on how my time goes the rest of the week...my 'list' is long! I really want to get a denim rug woven on my floor loom, too but it needs warping first and that is SUCH a big job! I almost feel too old to get down on my hands and knees to get it done. I wonder if I can pay someone to warp it?

Last night when I was walking the ice cream truck came down the street. It had the music blaring to alert the kids that it was in their neighborhood. The not-so-seasonally appropriate song it was playing? Silent Night!

Our rabbit trap has not been successful all summer...but our window well was. Eric found the fur and skeleton of a dead rabbit in the window well last week. One down, 10,000+ to go!

How to travel 3,600+ miles in 9 days, Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, Pennsylvania's attractions

How can you travel over 3,600 miles in 9 days? Sit in your vehicle and drive like madmen for over 12 hours every day for 3 days! Stop to pee, grab a DQ blizzard and burger and get right back in your car. Drop lots of money at the toll booths. Arrive at your destination. Take 3 days off (go shopping, head to the beach). Drop off your Uhaul trailer - if you've had the non-joy of pulling one for the first 1,800 miles. Then get up and head back towards home, repeating the process. This whole business is easier if you have made hotel reservations each day before arriving at your rest stop. It is definitely not fun to drive around looking for a hotel after you've already been in the car for 12 hours. Have GPS or a AAA TripTik so you know where you are going. Have a bottle of Ibuprofen handy because your head and back and butt will ache like never before. Carry a TENS (muscle stimulator) unit with you so you can use it at night in your hotel room. Carry lots of Butterfingers to satisfy your sweet tooth and lots of sunflower seeds to help you stay awake!

We just returned home from a grueling drive out to the East coast to move our youngest daughter to New Bedford, MA for graduate school in ceramics. The U of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, has a good program that she will begin this fall. It was fun to get her settled and acquainted in this former whaling town...now in a large metro area, including Fall River and Taunton.

On our way home we took a detour south and stopped for an afternoon in Gettysburg to do a Battlefield Tour and to see Eisenhower's farm, situated right next to the Gettysburg battlefield. Both were well worth the extra driving time... The next day we stopped at the Kaufman vacation home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Kaufmans founded a department store chain, headquartered in Pittsburgh. This home was almost unbelievable. I'm still marveling at the beauty of the home in its natural setting over the water falls, as well as the cool design features that Wright included. All the furniture was built in as the home was built. There are multiple decks, in the sun or the shade, so everyone could be happy!

We loved Pennsylvania - there is so much to see and do, that we'd love to go back for a 2 week vacation some time. We had no time to see Amish land, Hershey, Pittsburgh or any of the historical attractions in Philadelphia. Driving through the tree covered mountains, in misty fog, and crossing multiple bridges was relaxing and so picturesque! We want to go back!

We had a painter working inside our home while we were gone so it was fun to get home and see the changes...now new flooring and some new furniture and this old home will be spiffed up and ready for a new school year.