Sunday’s Oregonian had an article about two artists who decided to have some fun when the Google Street View van came around. They set up “scenes ranging from a parade and a marathon, to a garage band practice, a seventeenth century sword fight, a heroic rescue and much more…”

There have been some interesting moments accidentally captured by the van’s cameras but I guess this was the first time anyone deliberately planted images for it. There’s more info on their website. What a cool idea.

Sometime around the end of September I lost track of Project 365. I have six weeks’ worth of backlogged photos. My rate of taking pictures has slowed down, too. I’m a little burned out on daily challenges. Maybe I’ll change it to getting the rest of those photos edited and posted by the time my 365 days are over!

Here’s one from September 13.

Aidan’s toy cars where he left them when he and Christian flew off to Germany that morning.

Christian and the boys went out to excavate the ancient woodpile that was in the yard when we bought our house. They were startled to see this peeking out at them.

I don’t know if he was sleeping until spring or just until evening, but he had quite a cozy nest of leaves built up around him.

When they pulled the tarp back farther he bumbled deeper into the pile and then finally took refuge under the deck. I don’t think he could see well in the daylight. He kept bumping into things. Poor guy. What a rude awakening.

I’m sure this charming little movie will be all over the place soon, if it isn’t already.

A few hundred strangers gathered in Chicago one August night to “make something” with Amy Krouse Rosenthal after seeing her short video 17 Things I Made on Youtube.

I just love seeing people come together for spontaneous fun.

I usually sew in the mornings with movies or tv on in the background. The other day I finished watching the last of Ballykissangel. That series kept me busy for quite a while. Today I didn’t feel like sewing–sinus headaches have been sapping my motivation the past few days–so I decided just to watch a video. Good thing, since the movie I had was Moliere and it’s subtitled. It’s about the 17th century French playwright. I enjoyed it. Lovely costumes, a period of history that doesn’t get much attention, baroque furnishings, trickery and silliness and intrigue…what’s not to like?

Saturday we went to Tualatin’s Giant Pumpkin Regatta. The pumpkins weigh several hundred pounds each and are carved out so the racer can kneel, sit or stand inside. Then they do their best to paddle the pumpkin boat like a kayak. Lots of participants wore costumes. This cowboy had his pumpkin rocking back and forth so I thought he might spill out at any minute but he managed to stay in the saddle.

Some weren’t so lucky.

This poor guy landed in the water around the quarter way mark but refused to give up. He swam and pushed/towed his pumpkin all the way to the finish line. The crowd appreciated his spirit.

Things were confusing at the start of each race, with pumpkins going backwards, around in circles, or taking on water.

Go Elvis, go! The King was a big crowd favorite.

I almost forgot the band!

They’re called Back Porch Revival (you can see their sign on the lower right, looking like a PBR label). Their bluegrass/folksy sound was perfect for the event.

We’ve been having a great time getting out and about while the nice weather lasts. It was gorgeous on Saturday! But the result is that I’m totally behind on blog posts. They’re stacking up in my mind. I have photos from the second weekend of Open Studios that I’ll post soon.

This little piece is my favorite thing I’ve made recently. It just put itself together in that magical way that sometimes things just work from the idea to the finish. It’s an ACEO so it’s very small, just 2.5 by 3.5 inches. I have a growing obsession with using natural materials in my work so I was happy to be able to incorporate the tiny twigs here. Some of the fabric is from a batch of black that I discharged last fall. The other pieces are commercial fabric that I’d cut up in the process of making something else, and when I put them together I knew what I wanted to do.

Yesterday I had a bunch of shop stuff to do so I took photos for my daily art. It turned out to be a good day for that. A dense fog made my neighborhood feel eerie and silent. This is a picture of one of my favorite houses in the area. It’s on the National Registry, I think, but I haven’t ventured onto their porch to read the plaque.

The front yard is big and peaceful feeling, with grass and fruit trees. The back of the house has a pumphouse for water and a couple of picturesque weathered sheds. I’ve taken photos of this house in all seasons but this is one of my favorites.

Last weekend in addition to visiting some artists’ studios we went to a Cyclocross race. These are crosscountry events with a “go for it” kind of spirit. The riders have to cross barriers by jumping or by hopping off their bikes and carrying them. They also have to dismount for the “run-ups” which are steep hills. They carry their bikes on their shoulders or, when they’re getting tired, push them up, then jump back on and pedal away. Some poor participants had flats or other problems and had to jog the course carrying their bikes, but it’s all in the spirit of the event.

There were a lot of photographers there. I was wishing I’d brought my Nikon instead of just the point-and-shoot, but I got a few decent shots.

Next month there’s an event at the Washington County Fairgrounds and we’ll definitely check it out. Maybe we can get our cowbells first and cheer the racers on properly!

I added a bunch of photos to the various galleries but I’ll need to replace a lot of them asap. As my skills improve, the quality of the older pictures really bothers me. Some of the cat toy pictures on Etsy are weak, too. It’s just hard to motivate myself to retake and process a long list of photos, especially when there are always new ones to work on!