An Eye for Art?

Last week I had a rare opportunity. Patrick stayed home from work and I took a day (okay, morning) out to myself to get some much-needed shopping done. This was also my big chance for some much-needed downtime.

I like to get my Christmas shopping done early, especially since I have lots of boxes to mail, so I set out with my list and some ideas about what I wanted to get.

I headed to the Cheltenham High Street and went into the Regency Arcade (Arcade would be the English term for mall, but I use the term 'mall' lightly). I was headed to The Body Shop to get my new favorite Olive Oil body butter, but before I got there, I saw a big sign that said 'Local Artists, Potters, and Crafters - See Their Art Here.' And there was a big arrow pointing up the stairs.

So of course, up I went!
I love looking at things people have made. I love pottery and art and just enjoying the beauty of it.

I wasn't really intending on buying anything - okay, maybe a piece of pottery or two.

But then I saw this:


I don't know that my photo of this painting does the piece justice. I don't think it does. There's nothing like seeing it up close and personal.

This was painted by a local artist. I have her card. I almost want to e-mail her or call her just to tell her how much I love her work.

The only painting I've ever bought was on the streets of Paris. And I didn't buy that art because I loved it. I bought it because we were on the streets of Paris and I just thought it was totally cool to buy art there!

But this painting, I kept coming back to look at it. It kept drawing me in. I had to buy it. And so I did. Now it's hanging in my living room. And I love it. I have sat down and just looked at it. And I don't know if it's anything special, really. I just know that I love it.

Time With the Bolines

We spent a few fun-filled days in Minnesota with the Bolines before we flew back to England. Sadly, I forgot the camera the day we spent at the Mall of America. The children had a great time there and rode ride after ride on the indoor Nickelodeon theme park rides.

We spent some wonderful times with so many of Patrick's family. The kids were so sad to leave.
Gillian and Grandpa playing piano together
Erin and Ron hanging out with the dog
Baking with Grandma and Aunt Susie
Hanging out with the fam at David's and playing on the Wii
I caught Uncle David doing one of the things he loves to do best - taking pictures of the family!
Nickel-nickel!!!


Uncle David and Aidan

I Miss My Family

We had such a good time in Colorado with Blythe, Aaron and Marmee. I'm so sad we're not there even now.

We enjoyed several wonderful meals in Marmee's new apartment dining room. And played some mean dominoes games afterwards in her apartment.

Blythe - ever the fun-loving aunt - bought the children these fun "disguises" while we were there. We experienced some great meowing, quacking, and old-manning that evening ...

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

I MUST catch up on my blogging. I wouldn't normally blog about a zoo visit, but the pictures we got from our visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were too good NOT to blog about. Enjoy!

Fun at the Flying W

One of our most favorite things to do every time we visit Colorado Springs is take a night out at the Flying W. This is a non-working ranch where you can do a little shopping, learn a little history, and see some Indians dancing. You can also do a little hiking.

Dinner is served on tin plates - complete with BBQ, applesauce, beans, biscuits and spice cake. Lemonade or coffee are the drink offerings.

Then you relax at your assigned wobbly picnic table and are forced to make conversation with whomever you've been seated with and eat your dinner before the show.

Then come the Flying W Wranglers (the second oldest cowboy band in the country) who put on a great show.

We went out there with Blythe and Aaron and had an all around great time. We sat at a table with a farming couple from Pennsylvania, and an elderly couple with their German friend. It never fails that Patrick can find someone with whom to speak a foreign language with when we go on these outings ...

It was an all-around great evening.


We watched the "old" (she was 40) Indian dancer do her thing with her hoops. Can you tell it was Old People night at the Flying W?
You can really get the full effect of Aidan's "trim" in this photo. This was before we took him to Cost Cutters to get it a little more evened out.

Only in America ...

We were driving one day in Colorado Springs on our way somewhere, and I happened to look out my car window and notice a big sign taped to a light pole at the intersection at which we were sitting.


When I told Aaron and Blythe about it, Aaron wanted to know if we had driven over there to find out how much they wanted for their "Big A**."

Only in England ...

This past Friday I walked with the children to our local corner grocer. We needed a baguette and yogurt for dinner.

About 1/2 a block away from the grocer, I heard "beeep - beeeeeep!" and then heard a crash. I watched as an illegally parked small English car backed into the rear bumper of an illegally parked VW van.

There was a man sitting in the driver's seat of the VW, and he sat there looking out through his side-view mirror at the little car. The driver of the little car pulled forward out of the illegal parking spot and drove away. I noticed that the rear right corner of the little car was completely dented in.

Only THEN did the driver of the VW get out of his car to assess the damage to his bumper. There was a broken taillight on the van, and the man just brushed the bits and pieces away then got back in his car.

Apparently, the English hate confrontation so much that it was perfectly acceptable for both drivers to essentially ignore they had just been in an accident and drive away.

I can only imagine a similar scene in America ... no wonder our American confrontational attitudes are so affronting to the English.