A Closer Twist

 
Gnarlier

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Twisted

 
Gnarled

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Not Only for Flamingos

This fellow made his presence known at the pond, too.

Such determination.

 
I'm A-comin' for YOU

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Still, at the Flamingo Pond

 
Fla-Mingling

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At the Flamingo Pond

Tuck In

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Another Teaser

Who is that dark man? Here's another clue!

For the definitive answer, 

pop on over to our art blog, Aural Artitsts.

.

Studio Time!

I spent four hours in my Studio today 

and managed to finish four small projects. 

Well, three small and one more sizable project. 

More photos to follow ... but here's a teaser.

 

Any guesses?

Fiddle Me This

 
Strings

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My Whiskered Fella

Black-Eyed Curly

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Sunbathing

 
Hangin' With My Friends

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Back at the Children's Pool

The baby seals put on a show.

The Acrobat

Ain't he a cutie?

Stepping Out

 
Me and My Shadow

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At the Children's Beach

You can get up close and personal with the seals

People Watching

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Come Here, Little Birdie

The Flock Makes Themselves at Home

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This photo was mostly a exercise in photo editing. I was able to delete a trash can and picnic table that made the photo overly cluttered.

Ocean Meets Metal

 
Sea Spray

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For the Birds

 
Pigeon in the Park

Holiday Cards

Before Christmas, I embroidered some cards 

for a few special people in my life.

The photos I took didn't turn out very well, 

so my daughter Jodie took these nice pictures for me.

This is a completely relaxing activity for me.

I enjoy working with the sparkly fibers, 

beads and specialty papers.

After the holidays, the embroidery can be cut 

from the front of the card 

and used for a gift tag or tree ornament.

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Under the Sea

Nautilus

La Valencia Hotel

 
Lush View

Love this photo. Straight out of the camera. 

Cropped, but otherwise not edited.

It really was that pretty.

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Doo Doo Doo ....

At least seven inches this mornin' 

Lookin' Out My Back Door

A little Creedence anyone?

Pinterest Weekend

My daughter Jodie and I both enjoy wandering around Pinterest and gathering tutorials for crafts to make and ideas that will improve our lives. Unfortunately, most of our pins get looked at, but not acted upon.

So we've decided that twice a month, we'll have a Pinterest Day. We each pick a pin (we are not required to both do the same pin), and try it out. Then we'll blog about the activity. So yesterday I picked a pin about a home made jewelry cleaning solution.

I chose to clean a bracelet made of jump rings and several rings, including our wedding bands, my engagement ring, and a silver spoon ring.

Next, I gathered the ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon dish detergent
• 1 cup hot water
• aluminum foil

Heat the water in the microwave. Line a dish with the aluminum foil. Pour in the hot water. Add the other ingredients. Mix.

Add the jewelry. Set a timer for 10 minutes as the jewelry soaks.

Rinse and dry the jewelry thoroughly.

My conclusion? It didn't work that great. The silver spoon ring was the most improved. But other jewelry cleaners I've used left my diamond ring with a high sparkle. This did not. The items were a bit cleaner. A bit of tarnish was removed from the bracelet. But mostly, my husband and I didn't notice much change.

Guess it was worth a try, though. I understand some crafters swear by this solution. I won't bother with this one again.

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Taking a Leap

 
On Your Mark

I Can See for Miles and Miles

 
Sunset View

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Nothing Says Southern California

... quite like the palms 

 
La Jolla Palms

A Warmer Day

There is much to do today to keep me inside. That's OK by me, because when I opened the blinds this morning, all I saw was cold and snow and flat grey skies - meaning more snow. So today, I'll post an image from my town from warmer days.

 This bridge crosses the Spokane River just below the falls. It will be another three months before I see this view again.

Santa Visited! Santa Visited!

I saw him drink some milk and eat the cookies!

 
Midnight Visitor