On the Palette


Brilliant Purple: I'm heading out to Myrtle Beach again tomorrow morning. This time there will be no weather worries since the Summer Craftsmen's Classic takes place at the convention center. I'm not even going to mention the only possible weather phenomenon that could interrupt our show.

Best thing about this show is that the family will join me Friday to spend an extra few days afterwards on a mini-vacation. Next best thing is many of my artist friends who attended the recent Banner Elk show will also be down there with their families. In the immortal words of Robert Earl Keen, "The road goes on forever, the party never ends."

Raw Sienna: The new puppy is making himself at home. We're all still amazed at Blaze's obedience. Even Layla the cat has grown fond of the new "kitten" with short hair. I think I mentioned that the puppy is already potty trained and most definitely paper trained when we don't catch the obvious signs that it's time to drop the kids off by the pool...er...on the lawn. Ben's changing pads have proved quite useful in this regard. The problem is that when we forget to replace the pad Blaze searches for another piece of paper to do his business upon. Today I found my application to the Greer (SC) Ocktoberfest "partially filled out." Since this is the only show I'm doing in my local area I'm hoping Blaze doesn't also turn out to have abilities as an art critic.

Emerald Green: I can't believe how quickly summer is passing. The kids start school in less than three weeks! While I know most parents are already chomping at the bit to get the young ones back in class I'm not. I truly enjoy these days with Jessie in particular hanging around the house. She's such a great child with a genuine happy personality. Just as infectious as Ben's smile, Jessie's attitude permeates the household. I'm sure much of Ben's joyous personality is due to having such a great big sister.