Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Gates to Nowhere



Maybe I'm nosey....or maybe I just don't have enough to occupy my time but every now and again I come across something that catches my attention. Once it's caught it doesn't let go easily. I'm a terribly curious person.

Just off the highway, on my way home in the middle of nowhere, I pass these beautiful gates with elaborate urns and white picket fences that seem to go on and on. You can't turn into these gates. Maybe you can tell from the pic that there's quite a large ditch in front of them so if you mistook this as some one's driveway and turned in, you'd wind up stuck in a ditch. And what drives me even crazier is that there is no house behind them....anywhere. You can tell they were built some time ago. There are even a few of the leftover bricks stacked next to the gate that are growing moss. If you could drive into these gates, behind them you'd find pine trees, a pond and nothing else.

Perhaps this wouldn't even register on a normal person's radar but, for me, every time I pass them I wonder where the gates to nowhere are going....

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Home of $270 Million Dollar Lotto Ticket!

When my sister-in-law called me Saturday morning as I'd just rolled out of the bed and asked me "Did you win the lottery?", I did what any non-morning person would do. I rolled my eyes and asked her 'What in the world are you talking about?'. She then told me that the $270 Million Dollar Mega Millions Lotto ticket had been sold in my hometown of Portal, Georgia - Population 597! Needless to say, I was wide awake at this point and desperately praying that my husband had, indeed, purchased a ticket and neglected to mention it. We are not consistent lottery ticket purchasers. But I held out hope and I immediately called him at work. It confirmed my worst fear.....we did not win.

The couple who did win, local residents of this small town with just a caution light, had purchased the ticket just 3.9 miles from my house. The ticket was purchased at Clyde's Market #70, at the aforementioned caution light intersection, where I turn to go home. They used their grandchildren's birthdays to come up with the winning numbers.

As thrilled as I am for this derserving couple, I can't help but be disappointed. It was so close I could have reached out and touched it! And like my husband pointed out, what are the odds of it ever happening here again? Guess I'll have to buy my lotto tickets somewhere else!


Monday, February 25, 2008

Total Lunar Eclipse



If you missed it, you won't see it again until December 2010. Of course, I'm no professional photographer but I'm excited about how it turned out.

The eclipse occured on Saturday, Feb. 21st, 2008. It lasted for 51 minutes and was visible from the Central Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa.

I learned a new word when I googled this information. Umbral Magnitude - is the fraction of the Moon's diameter obscured by Earth's Umbra. For total eclipses, the umbral magnitude is always greater than or equal to 1. This particular eclipse's umbral magnitude was 1.111. If you are a faithful blog reader of mine, you will know that, for me, this is significant.


Until the next time.....




Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Painting Again

Painting is stragely therapeutic. Too bad it can't cure brochitis or the common cold. Bronchitis is such a benign little word. You'd never guess that you'd feel so close to actually taking your last breath! I have been sick for 3 weeks so far and I still don't feel good. I don't ever recall being this sick my whole life!

Hoping maybe I'm on an upswing so I can get back into the studio this week. Just wanted to pop in quickly and share my new piece for TDIPT's February 15th release. I've painted children's wall murals for years. This is my first painting piece available for sale. I love all things whimsical and am truly pleased with the way this turned out. I look forward to offering future pieces available exclusively on my blog. Thanks for taking a peek. I hope to be back with more productive news this weekend. Until then, I bid you adieu!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Rest in Peace....


I can't say exactly why the death of Heath Ledger has bothered me so much. I didn't know him nor is it likely that I ever would have. But I was a fan. He was a great actor and it was obvious he always put his heart and soul into his work. As an artist, I get, and very much appreciate that.

It has been said that too much attention has been paid to the sad ending of a talented young life. I suppose it's true but only in the sense of the paparazzi and from what I understand of this man, he'd have felt that way, too. Who can really enjoy such a media circus, especially when it generates such hateful and disrespectful content?

But I was surprised by comments that the mourning of Heath Ledger was "enough already" and "no great tragedy". The world lost a son, a brother, a friend and a father. And that IS a tragedy whether you decide to grieve over it or not....

May God and his loving mercy and peace be with his family, friends and fans!
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