Quickie update: I went to Colorado, car didn't break down, weather was gorgeous, scenery was magnificent, cool nights, fog, fireplace, vandalism and eerie noises from wild animals; Sara competed in the National State Games (or something like that, I'm no good at remembering titles); got home safely.

Body painting parties, wiffle ball game, working on several art projects that I don't like to show until they're complete. Here's a hint though - one (maybe two) is an entry for a show designed for the visually impaired, no color allowed! Now that's a challenge.
Last Monday night, just as she was leaving to hang with her pals, Sara knocked on the door and presented me with the wee beast you see below. Said it was wandering around in the street, in the dark, just asking to get knocked over. Beast is a girl, soft, scruffy, skinny, sweet as can be. And still here, obviously.

In the mail; I worked out my budget to allow for a replacement of the Canon Rebel, and even found a silver-bodied one on Ebay, silver being hard to find, and more expensive on the rare occasion it does turn up. Package arrived today - hooray! So these pics may be the last you see for a while, taken with the Sony. I have to refamiliarize myself with the Canon, of course, but that will be a pleasure.
The other week, the most charming, sweet little surprise arrived in the post - this delightful eensy Trollflings snail! Isn't it the bee's knees?

Not Lost...

...just doing stuff. And experiencing camera issues. I originally chalked it up to one bad disc, but as the unpredictability continued - unpredictably - I had to conclude it's either the camera itself, or the new breed of mini cds available. It's not always a big deal, but when 20 teens have gathered in a secret secluded castle of a home, all eager for creative prom night photos, and more than half of them mysteriously vanish (photos, not teens), one realizes just how disappointing it is for a piece of technology to malfunction. As someone who relies in more ways than one on visual stimulation and expression, I accepted it was time to bite the budget bullet and purchase a new camera. After a bit of research, I went with Abe's of Maine (cleverly located in New Jersey), for quick service and free shipping. The Rebel Xsi was ordered Monday, and arrived on my doorstep Thursday. I have much exploring to do, which will be more a pleasure than a chore.
One of the first photo ops came this morning; at the gate of my 7:30 client, I reached out the car window to punch in the entry code, and noticed a pale green fluttering in the pansies. Could it be an elusive luna moth? I left the car to investigate and that's just what it was. But so sad - frantically scrambling, awkward, damaged, unable to fly. So beautiful, so doomed. I collected it and laid it in the passenger seat, hoping it would calm down (or die, to be honest, since I didn't want the dilemna of considering a mercy kill). It settled in the shade of a magazine, where I hoped it would stay while I spent an hour with the client. After that hour, I peeked carefully into the makeshift grotto of the car seat, to discover the moth was gone. Checked that I hadn't sat on it, or that it wasn't about to be crushed on the floor, but it was nowhere in sight. Now there's not a chance it would have flown away, with an entire hind wing missing (bird attack, I presume), so I drove away, figuring I'd give the car a thorough search when I got home. A few blocks down 23rd street I cleverly avoided an accident when I turned my head to the right and caught a startling glimpse of big green moth wing perched on the headrest. Yikes! It stayed there while I shopped for groceries, carried on home, went inside to fetch the shiny new camera (I opted for a silver body 'cos I think it looks classy and camera-like; Tony says it looks cheap), returned to the car, stopped Booger climbing in, and took a few photos.

Later I played with roly polies on mica.


Last Sunday was Dr. Sketchy again. I only attempted a few photos with the old camera, most of which seemed a bit unsatisfactory. This pose is one of my favorites, an not just because I covet the corset.


The moth is still hanging out in my car and I don't know what to do with it, poor thing.