The Artful Dodger

1974 MGB GT

My husband's birthday is late November and mine is early December, so this year we decided to get ourselves a very big toy.  I've always wanted an MG or Triumph and my husband has always wanted to restore an old classic car.  So we got this 1974 MGB GT:

The top picture is what it looked like when we first saw it.  A friend's husband had bought it to restore, but passed away not long afterward. It sat in a garage gathering dust for a few years, so we got it for a very good price.  The middle picture is what it currently looks like in our garage awaiting restoration.  The bottom picture is the final state we are aiming for.  We're hoping to get it mostly restored and drivable in 2012, even though everyone else is predicting it will take 5 years.  I don't think I can give up my garage for 5 years.  So, wish me luck.

The Second Largest Aquarium in the World

 

I came across this amazing and awe inspiring video when 'Stumbling' around the web.  I never get tired of looking at it.  And the soulful music - Please Don't Go by Barcelona - adds a touch of melancholy.  It reminds me of all the endangered species we may have to say goodbye to one day.

Here's a Beautiful Video of the Aurora Borealis

The Aurora from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

 

I'm Back from Outerspace

Well, I haven't blogged in months, and it isn't like I haven't been doing any crafts.  The problem has been (besides being out of town a great deal) that this winter has been extremely dreary and not amenable to outside photography and I always like to include photos.  I think I'm going to have to break down and build a light box, so I can take photos inside.  I saw one somewhere on the web, while I was 'Stumbling' about, made from a large cardboard box.  I'll have to give it a shot. 

I'm gearing up to start blogging 2 or 3 times a week, so check in later this week to see the latest thing I've been working on - reusable grocery bags for the entire neighborhood. Go Green!

7 Weeks on the Road

Next week will be my 7th week out of town and then I should be home for a couple of weeks. Hurrah! Maybe I can get a lot of my swaps premade and ready to go.  I've also started a new scarf for the Special Olympics in 2012.  This year they are made out of Red Heart Soft Navy and Cherry Red Super Saver yarn.  You can learn more about this project at scarvesforspecialolympics.org. I also hope to get my pillowcases finished for the Million Pillowcase Challenge at www.allpeoplesew.com.  So many projects, so little time!

San Antonio Texas

I'm in San Antonio for the week, having been struck down by stomach flu last week in Las Vegas.  Quelle dommage! All my projects, except work of course, are on hold while I attempt to return to the land of the living.  More news when I'm feeling up to it.

California - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is further up the coast from Santa Barbara.  The mission is right in the middle of town.  It has a wonderful garden.  The yucca was in bloom.

So were the roses.

 

There were grapes growing on a trellis.

 

And angel trumpets next to the bells.
 

The mission is surrounded by interesting shops and restaurants and is on a small river that runs through and under the town.

California - Santa Barbara

I was able to get some shots in California.  Here are the ones from Santa Barbara:

This is a view from the pier.  Brett forgot his sun glasses, otherwise he'd be smiling. 

A friendly seagull, resting on a pylon.

 

The harbor at Santa Barbara.

Redwoods at the Santa Barbara Arboretum.

 

Santa Barbara was lovely.  We ate at a restaurant on the beachfront called 'Sambo's'  supposedly named after a combination of the original owner's names.  The food was great.  Everything came with avocado on the side at no extra charge.  Santa Barbara is located in the center of the area were avocados are raised in California.

 

 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

 

My posts will be very thin on the ground for the next several weeks.  I leave tomorrow for 2 weeks in Los Angeles, then on to Las Vegas, Nv, San Antonio, Tx, back to Vegas, then Charlotte, NC and San Diego, CA and points unknown.  I won't be home again for more than a few Saturdays until Halloween weekend, when I hope for some down time.  I've had to drop from most of the swap-bot swaps I'd signed up for and only stayed in the ones whose deadlines I knew I could meet.  I've got several of the items ready, just no addresses yet to send them to.  If I remember to bring my camera along and I get the chance to use it, I'll try and post some picture from my travels.

Bargin Bin Swap

 
I got this great package from Nora Grudis in a profile based bargin bin swap.  In my swap-bot profile I mention that I love hedgehogs and all things garden.  So she sent me this cute stuffed hedgehog, a new pair of gardening gloves and a great gardening tool.  The hedgehog is a large squeak toy about 9 inches tall.  He has joined my other hedgehogs on their display shelf.

JOB.RU Postcard

 

I had to share this postcard I received yesterday.  If it looks a bit beat up it's because Natalia sent it to me all the way from St Petersburg, Russia.  It's an ad for a Russian job site JOB.RU.  The caption says "Find your job before it's too late".  Though I have to say, I travel a lot and since they can no longer discriminate based on age, many of the stewardesses are starting to look like this.

My New Car - 2011 Chevy Cruze

 

My lease was expiring on my Malibu, so this weekend we turned it in and got a new Cruze.  Instead of the white I always get I broke down and got silver this time.  I'm all legs and no upper body and I can easily see over the hood of this car.  In the Malibu I had to raise the seat to it's highest position and this one is fine just as it is.  It has a trunk big enough to hold all of Brett's video camera equipment, though he prefers to drive his Smart ForTwo.  If he puts the passenger seat down, he can just get his equipment in the Smart, but no passenger and no luggage.

My Flying Pig from Mexico

 

I have driven past the shop on Westheimer that has these metal pigs lining the sidewalk countless times in the past year, but never stopped.  It was raining, or too hot, or I was too much in a hurry.  I finally stopped and picked this green one to set in my garden.  Since everything is withering in the drought, I haven't decided on a permanent place for him yet.  The pigs come in 2 sizes.  This is the smaller one and he's 13 inches tall.  I already have a concrete turtle and a hedgehog in the garden, and he's more in keeping with their size, so he seemed ideal.

The Roses are Blooming

My hardy antique roses are blooming despite the hot dry spell we are currently enduring here in Houston.  It hasn't rained nor have I watered them in weeks.  The grass is dying and the magnolia is drooping and we are under voluntary water rationing.  Since we're only 50 miles from the coast, the rationing usually stays west of us in Austin and San Antonio.  They are currently breaking out in wild fires.  But hurricane season has begun, so soon the torrential downpours should arrive and everything will turn green again.

Mail, Mail, Mail

 
I participate in a lot of swap-bot swaps and to do so you have to love snail mail.  I wanted to share a card I got from Lorena Soto-Puckett when she sent me two Poochie bags.  (I showed them off July 12, 2010.) It's very simple, just some cloth triangles sewn to a white card.  You can't tell in the picture, but they are sewn down with variegated thread.  I'm going to make a few for myself.

The postcard is on its way to Finland.  The swap called for a postcard with a photo of an animal in its habitat and since the Texas Longhorn belongs in Texas, I'd say he's in his habitat, pictured in front of the Lone Star flag.