More on the PMC Conference

One highlight of this meeting was the opportunity to network and meet people from all over the world. I heard about people from Canada, England, Australia, Japan and France. There was a charm swap one night. And although I didn't participate in it....it was fun to see everyone running around swapping charms that they had made. Another highlight was to see the work of other people...not just on their bodies but in the showcases. There was an exhibit of those people who had been in the Annual and chapters were given the opportunity to display pieces in glass showcases. Below Deb, Jen and Mary Ann prepare the chapter showcase. And being the brilliant person that I am...I forgot to take a picture of the showcase once it was done.

There was a rely race one evening. The teams had four people and they had the task of creating and torch firing a spoon out of PMC.

The first person had to make the spoon.

The second person had to dry and finish the spoon.
The third person had to fire the spoon which was difficult in the sunlight.
The forth person had to eat a pint of ice cream with it.
And Patrik is just lovin' his ice cream

For me the conference didn't have enough hands on time (other than the pre-conference class). I'm not sure I would go again unless they make some changes to the format. The best part about the conference was spending time with Cris.......see how much fun she is.......

and so tidy....here she is yelling at me...."don't take that picture". Funny...as I was cropping this photo the image number assigned to this pic is 666....explains alot.

She is going to beat me senseless next time she sees me....which will be soon. Our next adventure is a trip to Tucson the first weekend in August for a play date with Anne. I'm not sure if she is really prepared for us.........

more cat pictures

PMC Conference....

My own private cow patch
So I have to start this blog with my adventure getting to Purdue University. I am usually Sacagawea and study maps and have things all routed out before I go on a trip. This time I decided to let technology guide me and programmed Lou's Tomtom for the trip. It took me pretty much in the direction that I thought I should be going. Somewhere west of Fort Wayne, "Tom" told me to turn off the interstate and took me on the back country roads. I'm thinking this is strange but maybe this is a back route into West Lafayette and I'll come up over a crest and there it'll be. I'm getting closer and closer and "you are here" pops up. I had come to a house in the middle of BF Indiana. I mean it was cute but I didn't think it was the University Plaza Hotel. I coasted up the road a bit trying to find a place to turn around and I looked up to see a herd of dairy cows across the road. WTF....as I'm trying to reprogram Tom, the farmer came out and cleared a path for me to drive through. So nice of him...but I had to turn the car around and get back on the highway. Turns out I was still 70+ miles from Purdue.

When I finally got there, Tom had me driving in circles trying to find the hotel. Not really his fault since the hotel lists their address as being on Northwestern Ave when in fact they are on Cumberland. DUH. My bff Cris came in later that afternoon after her own problems with the shuttle company showing up at the airport. At that point the gab fest began. There is some kind of alchemy that happens when the two of us get together. We talk non-stop and giggle like 12 year olds.

Bronze Clay
Class was amazing for a number of reasons. First, it was being taught by Celie Fago who is by far one of the best teachers I have ever had. Second, it was filled with people who had skills. It was an amazing combination of award winners, artists, and teachers. Third, we had this opportunity to work with the bronze clay. I can't explain the thrill of being able to be amongst the first students to work in a new medium. They haven't figured out all the quirks about the clay yet which is what makes it to exciting. As we work with this we'll be helping to figure out just exactly what this clay is capable of.

Cris in the classroom

Pieces ready to fire

Pieces out of the kiln with just a quick swipe with a high grit polish cloth

The patina is variable depending on the type of carbon used

Lisa Cain playing the cymbals that she made

Unfired and fired pieces show the shrinkage

Celie and Jen strike a pose

The class...Bill Struve, the inventor, is second from the right in the middle row

Off to PU tomorrow :))))

....Perdue Univesity for the PMC conference. I just need to decide if I want to take some tools. Rio said they would provide everything we need in the bronze class but it's hard not to want to take all my own. I will probably end up tossing them in the car. I'll take the computer too. Driving gives me the option to take more....more than I probably need....but more. I still need to pack everything up so I can take off early tomorrw. I want to get there around 1:30PM. I'll take lots of pics to show you

Happy Bastille Day

As my girl Cris reminded me....Happy Bastille Day!!!

Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers. Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens. It marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign Nation, and, eventually, the creation of the (First) Republic, in 1792.

The celebrations begin on the 13th. A number of the fire stations open up for parties.....

Excuse me while I go look for matches...............................

Housebound Today

I was all set to spend the entire day outside in 90 degree weather working the flowers beds in the back year. Almost our entire back yard is bordered with beds of one sort or another. I haven't worked in the beds for 2 years...I can't believe I just admitted that...and they have run amuck. I have a couple of very invasive plants in the bed bordering our fence. One is Sweet Woodruff, a delicate looking green border plant that has little white flowers in the spring.....


and the other is Gooseneck Loosestrife which grows about 12-18 inches tall and in the late summer has a bloom that looks like a goose stretching its head.


They are both wonderful when they bloom but I rip them out by buckets each year. If I let them go they would have taken over the entire backyard and half the house by now. So my plan today was to clean up the length of the fence. I was able to get out for bit. I cut some lower branches off the pine tree near the house and just started down the fence row when it started to rain. I kept working for a while but Lou started to bug me to come in. By the time I had taken a shower, it was just pouring. So I have been stuck in the house for the day. It's not all bad....I managed to take pics of the rest of my lampwork bracelets.

I just can't help myself....

more cat pictures

At times I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy. Which is probably good because Lou has the mentality of a 12 year old boy. Maybe that's why we've been together for 20 years. We get each other.

I have a pile of paperwork about 2 inches thick. Bills, contracts, months worth of bank statements to go over. How did I ever get so behind?? Probably blogging on the internet. Gotta go. I really just wanted to post the cat picture. Go to http://icanhascheezburger.com If you are a cat lover you will enjoy it.

One week away from Bronze.....

Celie Fago's bracelet in bronze metal clay.

Next Monday I go to Perdue University for the PMC guild's meeting. Cris and I are going to take Celie's 2-day bronze class. There are a couple of other classes in bronze clay going on with Hadar Jacobson. We are going to be the first students to work with this new clay. Everybody is buzzing. Since silver has gotten so expensive this provides another medium to work in. It looks so amazing, warm and rich. I'm looking forward to this. Hopefully this week at work will fly by.

July 4th Celebration

We spent the 4th at my brother's house. It's an annual party that he throws for family and friends. Everybody brings something to eat, he grills burgers and dogs. When it gets dark there are fireworks. It's a good time.

His house is on Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes were formed at the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet receded. When this happened, the glaciers left behind a large amount of meltwater which filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes. I've know people that have never seen a Great lake and they were surprised to know that you cannot see across a Great lake.

A couple family pics...My mom and nephew, Matt and Lou.

Vitamin D Deficiency

That is what I have. I had blood drawn for my physical and they found my Vitamin D level extremely low. Who knew?? It causes fragile bones, bone pain, muscle pain, fatigue.....hell....I just thought I was getting old. So I am taking mega Vitamin D for the next 8 weeks and then down to a more normal level after that. We get vitamin D from some fish, fortified milk, and sunlight. I don't eat fish, I only have milk with cereal and that's not very often and I have been referred to as being "fish belly white" as my skin is so pale. I don't get out in the sun very often. I work in an office all day and pretty much crash when I get home. I have to try to get out in the sun for at least 15 minutes a day to see if I can get my levels back up.

I have been working on my Etsy site. It is up and running with 4 bracelets for sale. There will be more added as I get time to photograph and post. The link is over on the right hand side. Click on Moon River Beads in the Etsy box. That was the name for my business when I started. It was the style to have a name other than your own, but in hindsight I should have just used my own name. I am now going by Gail Lannum Designs but I cannot change the name of the Etsy shop.

Nothin' but Pics