Long LONG L O N G day ahead

So if it is early November, we know that it is probably Parent/Teacher conferences that I am referring to- or to which I am referring if you want to be grammatically correct.  Or at least grammatically better! Anyway, this is one of those days that will find me at school for 12 grueling hours.  At any given time I may be cleaning my desk, talking to parents, standing in line for Madrigal tickets, putting up some art in the elementary school, working on lesson plans, etc, etc, which is a problem because I have the attention span of a FLEA on such days and probably no task will ever be completed except the talking to the parents and the Madrigal ticket business!

Regardless of where I am, I am going to look GOOD because it is one of the very few days that I get to do some serious DRESS UP and not have stained clothes....  or at least I hope I don't.  I wish I would have remembered to get a new dress 2 weekends ago, but alas, I was doing a lot of this-

It's the Grandgirl!!

I will get home slightly after 8 (I live only about 6 or 7 minutes away from work) (ladies and gentlemen- start your engines) and then low and behold!!!  I get to be back at school by 8.  wah wah WAAAAHHH.  Fortunately, I'll be done at noon and so I can go and immerse my self in the heaven called Triple B and then go for a walk and then I will feel at peace again.

So now you know MY plans for the next few days!

I will say that I am quite thrilled with the art work that my HS kiddos have been doing.  I have given the advanced kids alternating realism and abstract assignments and I sort of secretly love the look on their faces when I do that- that sort of half terror/half twitchy look of either "Icantdrawgood" or "whatthehellamIdoingwhatisthisabstractstuff".  Hehehehehe.  Talk about out of a comfort zone.  Ah, the unexpected joys of teaching.

I'll take pictures of some and post this weekend.  There are some absolutely AMAZING things.

And the elementary kids, well, they are just adorable and have done well too.

Have a great day and give someone some joy today!

Good old Eau Claire

One of the footbridges over the Chippewa River

I recently went to Eau Claire for an art educators convention, and it was one of the best ones I have been to in a long while.  Lots of great ideas and sessions, and of course Eau Claire is fantastic.  I am definitely biased towards Eau Claire, I went to college there and I have a lot of fond memories.  It is a gorgeous town, and definitely good for picture taking with the Chippewa River, the trees, and beautiful buildings, etc.  OH, and of course it is a shopping Mecca for those of us miles and miles and MILES away from the nearest Target/Kohls/mall/etc.

The second day of the convention I took a little time out (I didn't listen to the keynote speaker) and went to get some really great coffee at a local coffee shop and then went for a walk.  I initially started off to see the sculpture walk that was moved to Water Street for this year.  It usually is downtown, but they had some renovations of the streets and so moved it to my old stomping grounds.

I only photographed a few sculptures, my attention turned elsewhere!

I lived for 2 years just off Water Street** and let me tell you things have changed a bit since I last lived there.  It was a pleasant journey through the past I took as I walked from the Fine Arts Building and down water street.  I did see a few of the sculptures, but found the change in buildings were the most interesting.  I don't recall everything, but I know the old McDonalds is now a Mexican place.  Right next door there is a Taco Johns.  Many of the old bars are gone, but there are many that are still there.  I began my love affair with dark beer after drinking it at "The Joynt" with one of my profs from the art department.  The grocery store "Kerm's" is a bunch of smaller places, and interestingly the old liquor store I think was a bar!!

The entrance to the Fine Arts Building at UWEC

When I walked by the place where I used to live, I am still surprised to see that it is a parking lot.  Now that place was a dump, so I am not surprised that it was torn down, but it is kind of strange to see.  I had that song by Joni Mitchell going through my head- they paved paradise and they put up a parking lot - though it was far FAR from paradise.

My house was on the corner- there were 3 apartments.  I see they tore down the house next door where the motorcycle guys lived, too. 

After I decided I needed to get back to the convention location, I walked back and ended up going on the path along the Chippewa.  The leaves were beautiful and the weather was perfect.

I discovered that as a sort of weird extension of my fear of heights that I HATE walking across bridges.  It gives me huge HUGE anxiety.  Especially when I have a camera in my hand, I think of it falling to its untimely death right out of my hands, though with the death grip I have on it, that is unlikely to happen.  It gives me the willies just thinking of it.  Anyway, I crossed two different bridges, and I far preferred the bike and foot bridge (not the campus bridge, the one closer to down town) to the bridge with the cars shaking it.  ugh.  But the thing is that the best pix are taken on the bridge, so out on the bridge I was!  I like it when I face a fear and then scurry to the other side like a ghost is chasing me.  HAHAHA!!

This was such a pleasant walk, I wish I could have spent more time, but I had another great session to attend.  Nothing makes an art teacher happier (other than students cleaning up after themselves) than having time to do a little art work of their own!  

And then I got to go see Ella, so life was good!  And of course a joy.....

**Water street back in the late 70's- when the drinking age was 18- was quite the place to be..... that is an understatement.  If you hear stories, I will deny them!  :)

Frosty fotos and other autumn beauty

As much as I whine and complain about winter, I do find such beauty in all times of the year.  Well, unless it is winter in May, then I am just humorless about the whole thing.  I have been crazy busy lately and I revisited some of my pictures that were mostly unattended to for a while. But with my flagging energies today, I have been looking at them and finding some cool shots.

 Enjoy your Sunday, your extra hour of sleep day, your "oh wow it's only 11:30 day", as it rocks!  Even if you are sort of sickish.  And find your joy!

Febrile musings

Sometimes, I think we should just quit doing everything that we usually do, just to have a mental break.  No cooking, cleaning, tasks and chores.....  Yeah, well that doesn't happen much.  I hate having things hanging over my head- of which I have plenty today, but it doesn't appear a lot will be the finished at this rate.  Le Sigh.

Bleh

I am whining today, because I am feeling under the weather.  Nothing hideous, but a fever, body aches sort of thing.  My stomach isn't upset, but it doesn't really want food either.  It's fairly mild, but annoying and draining.  I had to leave the house to do a few things- specifically get some horse feed and a new toaster.  I should never be allowed to make decisions when I am out of it.  The toaster I came home with is gigantic.  And when one doesn't have a ton of counter space, that is a bit of a problem.  I moved it to another place in the kitchen and I think it will work ok.  I- in spite of the fact that there are only 2 of us- wanted and needed a 4 slice toaster.  Don't ask why, I told you I am out of it and I will either be nastily sarcastic or cry.....  Lol, such is the way of the infirmed.

At any rate, I was going to get a good deal accomplished on the madrigal costume I am making, but I am going to be lucky if I get the parts cut out.  And, in fact, that should be my singular goal!  Well, that and a few naps.  I am also not enjoying my solitude today.  Maybe because I can't keep myself on one task for too long before being overcome with fatigue.  This seems pretty early in the season to be wishing the MA was done with his stint at the wreath and Christmas tree place.  I'll chalk it up to the virus.

I have a lot of photos to edit from my trip to Eau Claire for the art convention and then down to Janesville to see the grandgirl!  That might be the next thing I do, that can't take too much energy, right?? I have some more posts that need to be written, so that will be part of my plan.  See now, there is already more than one thing on the list, whatever am I going to do with myself??

On a positive note, I am looking forward to tomorrow!  In my opinion, tomorrow is one of the very bestestest days of the year.  And that day would be the end of daylight savings time!  I LOVE the extra hour, the leisurely feel of the day, and I refuse to plan anything except for perhaps a nice walk, if I am feeling better.  There is a possibility of SUN tomorrow and even if I am not at 100%, I will be outside for at least a while.  I need to soak up some rays!  This dreary, misty, cloudy weather is getting to me.  OH HEY!  My friend from New Jersey is running the NYCM and so I shall plan to watch parts of that!!  GO SAMARATHON!!!

So until later, when you could possibly be showered with Ella pictures (I was there for a first!!  You will see!) and other febrile musings, I will leave you for the comfort of a cool pillow.

And until then, find some joy and pass it on!! 

June Wrap Up - The Art Institute of Chicago

So I found this unpublished post tonight!  I wanna go back!  This was at the Art Institute in Chicago, I went with my sweet friend Cheri during that fabulous trip to The Windy City in June.  I think these pictures are totally worth posting 6  months later.  

Marc Chagall Windows

Greek mosaic

Georgia O'Keefe

American Gothic byGrant Wood

Egyptian Vase

Georgia O'keefe clouds

I believe this is a Rauschenberg

Cezanne 

Cezanne (love Cezanne)

Monet Haystacks!

Jackson Pollock- and NO your kindergartener cannot do this

Toulouse-Latrec

Debi and the Haystacks

Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles

Van Gogh Self Portrait

Hope you enjoy these- I know I sure did!

Trip to Rib Mountain!

A few weekends ago I took a shopping trip to Wausau and after a morning of perusing the fabric department of Joann's, I met my friend Adam, the Mad-English Teacher, over at Rib Mountain.  For those of you who are not from central or northern WI, you might not know that Rib Mountain is a ski hill and recreation site in the Wausau area.  I have never gone down hill skiing, so I had never been there in that capacity.  So when it was suggested that I might go there for a nice hike up the side of the mountain, well, I was all over it!  I am pretty sure it was during one of my email exchanges with Justin at Channel 9 that he suggested that I go there for photography opportunities.  I occasionally have pictures on the early morning weather segments, so emails are exchanged.  I appreciate the tip, let me tell you. It was a wonderful day!

The weather was perfect, cool and sunny.  We had a great walk over to the ski lift and then up the hill and over to an old rock quarry.  Along the paths there was plenty of reminders why it is called Granite Peak Ski Hill.  Kind of a rocky path, but it was quite navigable.  We went around the quarry, and then into it.  A very good hike indeed!

ski lift

Animal residence?  Fairy house?

View from atop the Quarry

Adam taking pix

Pink maple leaves

In the Quarry looking up

To the side of the Quarry 

The change of seasons is about to occur

Ski lift

Rocky path

Gorgeous cobalt blue skies

Such a great day!  Absolutely worth the trip- I want to return to see more and walk up the ski hill sometime soon. Or maybe next spring....  Whenever it is, it is sure to be another joyful day!