No computers were harmed in the taking of this photo!

I was just trying to act on a recommendation by my local tech and this is how things ended up - I think it is a hilarious picture.

NEWEST ART GALLERY IN THE WORLD OPENED THURSDAY!!!!

Cute and creative, a shiny new art gallery in an old log workshop, this shop really raises the bar in North Fork, Idaho. A great opening was had Thursday night through Saturday afternoon - lots of guests, hot apple cider laced with butterscotch schanpps, cheese and crackers..oh, yes and art, LOTS OF ART by Jerry Neale - both prints and originals, as well as other beautiful things like a handcrafted wedding quilt, glass fairy balls, and Dave Hanson's fine woodcrafts for sale. Take a look around...





I've been working on this fun 'little project' since late June and am very pleased with the initial attendance and sales. I am now a shopkeeper and gallery owner....how cool is that? As of today I am also very pooped out!

There is little tourist traffic in this valley from now til April, just a few steelhead fishers and random hunters. Why did we decide to open now? It would have been a month or two earlier but inspections, handicap regulations etc. slowed things down. This past weekend was a yearly event in the valley called the 'High Country Christmas Gift Trail' ; 6 businesses participate spanning about 10 miles of valley - it is the area Christmas shopping kick off. I had to be voted into the club :)

Three of the shops - including the valley's only restaurant - close for the season next week, two shops stay open year round...I may be decide to be open on Saturdays til Christmas and then be closed til April. I'll decide tomorrow after a loooong sleep.......





These art pieces represent a small sampling of Jerry Neale's prodigous output. Come see what we have on display in the gallery or check out his website at www.firelobe.com


I'd love to hear your comments on the gallery as well as your suggestions and ideas for improvements and displays.

My New York Minute

I'm in Albany, New York visiting Thom and Rebecca! it seems so weird that one day you can be in one place and the next day you can be on the opposite ocean and you still feel like the same person!

Today we drove to Vermont to check out the fall colors, it was a bit early but the scenery was still beautiful and it was a gloriously sunny day. We had a picnic under this beautiful tree.

We stopped at one of many roadside stands selling pumpkins and potted mums and found these great specimens - tomorrow we plan to turn them into scary jack-o-lanterns.

We visited a monument to the Battle of Bennington and went 300 ft. up into the tower - see where the skinny windows are? The four sides of the tower look out onto three states: New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Some of the houses hiding amongst these trees were built prior to the Revolutionary War -

they are still in use as residences to this day. Imagine the history that would be whispering through your walls if you lived there!

My Lovely Sister, Carolyn,

was married two weeks ago, in a garden on a ranch in West Texas.

We didn't get to attend but we are enjoying the pictures.

Her husband's name is James R. Smith, and he is an eminent artist in the area, always showing his works in one venue or another. Carolyn is seldom home anymore, always gallavanting off with her dashing Texas Knight.




If you'd like to see some of his work, click here: www.JR-art.com

If you would like to see more wedding pictures click here and scroll to Sept 2: http://www.orionherefords.com/BLOG/blogging.htm

Welcome to the family, J.R. We can't wait to meet the man who has brought our sister such joy - why not come to Idaho for Thanksgiving?!

A Lovely Weekend

We had the unexpected pleasure of seeing Matt and Monika and Eli yesterday - we drove to Boise to meet them and got to spend nearly the whole day together; it was a rare treat!

We were interested to see if Matt would seem different now that he has been 'doctoring' for a few months; but no, he is the same wonderful, laid back Matthew.

Monika is more beautiful than ever; being the mom of three seems to agree with her...here we are being sunglass models.

Elija prefered Grampa to anyone else most of the day and that suited Dave just fine :) They spent hours walking around and gabbling to each other.

I got him for a few quiet minutes when he was unaware who was holding him...

County Fair

Yes, I did it - I entered some home-canned items into the county fair!

What an old fashioned idea; but what fun it turned out to be! Preparing the perfect jar of perfectly overlapping peaching; cramming the most beautiful cucumbers (they squeak as they are stuffed in next to their neighbors) tightly into the jar and arranging the sprigs of fresh dill and slices of onions. I also entered some green beans and Dad's applesauce.

In the end I only won white ribbons - there were things I didn't know about entering canned goods for judging.

DAD, on the other hand won a blue ribbon AND a Grand Champion ribbon for this wood vases.

BROJER also won two blue ribbons, Grand Champion, and Judges Choice for his art work. I haven't figure out how to take a good picture of his work with frame and glass (which took THREE ribbons), but here is the Blue Ribbon winning Oil Painting:

There was some good natured dissent among the Art Department Officials and the Judges. One woman working in the art department thought THIS painting should have been the winner of the Judges Choice award. She loves it so much it is now hanging in her Two Rivers gift shop in North Fork, Idaho. She secretly hopes no one buys it so she can keep it all to herself!

If you'd like to see more of Jerry's beautiful (and sometimes bizarre) art click on this link: http://www.firelobe.com/

MY New Baby

Dave told you about his new girl, now here is mine!

She is what is called a 'Tortie' - a tortoise shell colored kitty. She is a foundling - which is a little odd up here in the forest, someone must have dropped her off. She keeps us giggling with her hilarious kitty antics and she is soooo sweet and cuddly.

What a funny little monkey face she has...there is a tiny pink spot showing right on her nose, so we call her 'Rose'.