Art Journals, Traffic Jams, and more Bicycles

I talked to my friend Pam Carriker the other day and we started talking about art journals. The conversation re-energized my journaling bug and last night I was able to do a little work in mine. I really admire the people who can carry their art journal around with them and sketch in pictures and thoughts daily - if not hourly. I am definitely not one of those people. Call me the Intermittant Journaler. I don't have carefully prepared backgrounds, or even sloppily prepared backgrounds! I've got blank, white paper...for the most part. Lately I've taken to writing on pages that I've already done something on, i.e. writing or collaging or sketching. I like that full, busy look. In my heart, I aspire to be the Teesha Moore of the journaling world...hah! Fat chance. It's all I can do to post here once a week or so. Most of the time I forget my journal at home when I go somewhere and forget where I've put it when I'm at home!

Still, I do think it is a useful tool - when I use it. Sometimes I actually journal in it, but mostly I use it as a sketch book and sounding board (so to speak) for ideas.

What do you do?

The Vintage Bicycle Concours, Done at Last!

(Fair warning: long story follows)

The Vintage Bicycle Concours is over!!! What a journey that was... In the end it was a nice event - beautiful setting - 65 or so beautifully designed vintage bicycles............we only had the downpour towards the end, while we were trying to take the formal photographs! I got completely drenched while frantically covering vintage leather seats with garbage bags and wheeling bicycles in and out of the photo setting. And that was at the end of the 2nd day. The previous 36 hours had been crazy...

On set-up day my poor DH was running terribly behind and stressing about it the whole time. An angelic friend drove the 52 miles down to the venue and set up a little table all by herself so that someone would be there to greet the collectors as they arrived. We finally got the enormous rented truck packed up with DH's and two other people's bicycles - about 10 in all - plus all the paraphernalia for the concours and the competition. The truck was bigger than we'd anticipated and the bicycles are rare and worth a lot of money in some cases so DH was really nervous about driving it.

Well he seemed to get down there okay and he called me when he arrived. Two hours later he called me again because the police had just come up and tried to arrest him! Apparently he'd brushed up against the back corner of a pickup when he turned into a left turn lane near the venue; what with all the noise the truck makes and things scarily shifting around in the back he didnt' even notice. The woman driving the truck followed him honking and waving and says she even made eye contact with him and he kept going. Well, my poor DH with his autistic tendencies doesn't notice people at all a lot of the time (much like Rexy!) and we've had good friends waving at him like crazy outside of their house and he still didn't think they were waving at him. To me it's no surprise at all that he didn't notice anyone. Luckily my poor, most-benign-person-in-the-world husband was recognized as such by the policeman. It was clear that my DH was shocked beyond belief by the whole situation and the fact that he'd parked the truck in plain sight in an area crowded with people made it obvious that he wasn't trying to hide anything. He did get a ticket, though. I think it's the only one he's ever gotten (I haven't been able to say that since I was 17!).

Then, the next day, it was my turn. I stayed up until 4am finishing up the trophy (DH made most of it, I just glued some things) and a few other signs and things. (I was so tired I fell asleep with my glasses on and bent them all to heck. I have to take them back to Eyes on Fremont to get repaired just a few months after the last time! Now I'm wearing the alternates.) Then I had to get up early the next morning, get the car loaded with all the Concours stuff plus all the toddler-related stuff (the bigger pile), get Rexy up and ready and myself ready and head out.

(Could hardly get a single picture of her standing still - I think the spirit is there, though.)

Well, about halfway there the traffic came to a complete stop. We stopped and crawled for about 5 miles before being turned around at a Police u-turn point and shunted into traffic going the other direction (the freeway was completely closed - terrible accident right before we arrived) and then we went back 5 miles to the previous exit. The whole 10 mile round trip took TWO HOURS! Add that to the 45 minutes we'd already been on the road and the addtional 15-20 minutes it took to get to a place with a restroom and that adds up to disaster for my sweet potty-training girl. Outfit #1 was history before we even got to our destination. So, with the potty stop and the surface route we had to take for another 1/4 of the distance it ended up taking us Four Hours to get there. Did I mention that DH's cell phone had gone dead and he'd forgotten the charger? Or that he doesn't have my cell number memorized yet? Or that the friend who I'd hoped would get there before me who could put his mind at ease was stuck in spillover traffic from the accident? Or that my sister who I'd hoped would get there before me and could put his mind at ease was running late? Oh, boy...

My poor DH was frantic - frantic! - by the time my sister got there (just 30 minutes before we did). He'd heard there had been a big accident and of course couldn't help being terrified that we'd been in it. I felt worse for him than I did for myself!

(Best in Show Award winner)

Rexy had a high old time. During the awards ceremony she was just beside herself with joy when everyone was clapping. I think she thought everyone was clapping for her! (That going-potty-in-the-potty thing is really appreciated!)

(The pictures are blurry but they still exemplify her delight at all the clapping. )

For her, the rain was the icing on the cake! My sister took her out for a walk and while they were gone the downpour started. One of Rexy's favorite things is jumping in puddles and she was with her adoring aunt. Hence the demise of Outfit #2.

The picture was strangely focused so I just enhanced it in a different way...I kind of like the effect. You can't tell just how wet and muddy she is in this picture unless you look closely at her socks and realize they're not supposed to be that shade of gray.

Must go to bed.

Gratitude:

1. Peanut Butter 2. Dry Erase Markers 3. EZ-up Canopies 4. Sleep 5. Coverse Chuck Taylors