TREK FEST

This sign points down a narrow space between 2 buildings, behind which is the site of Kirk's future birthplace.

The site of the future farmstead of James T. Kirk's parents.

George Takei, Michelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig were at Trek Fest today to speak and sign autographs. Isn't the longevity of this franchise amazing?

Today, Paul and I went to the new Star Trek movie. Yes, I am that geeky. I really like the whole Star Trek thing and Paul is a huge fan, so it's really surprising that we hadn't gone when it first came out. I was actually afraid that I was going to hate it, since it was a prequel set when the Enterprise crew were really young and no one from the original show was in it, except for Leonard Nimoy. I was wrong! It was so good. It was very entertaining.

Ironically, the the annual Trek Fest in Riverside, Iowa is going on this weekend. Riverside (12 miles south of Iowa City) is the future birthplace of James T. Kirk. They even mention it in the movie. In 1985, Riverside was trying to come up with a new theme for their annual summer festival when one city council member remembered reading in a book by Gene Roddenberry, that Kirk is going to be born in a small town in Iowa in 2228. The council wrote to Roddenberry for permission to be that small town, and he agreed. I guess sometimes all you've gotta do is ask!

ACIDIC FUN

Marie got some great colors on her hammered copper discs using the torch.

Sheree's dragonfly brass piece turned out really cute.  Of course, I always like dragonflies.

Pauline's etched pieces.  I like her nickel silver flower.  

I had another acid etching class tonight at Bead Haven.  We had fun, as always, but this group was more rambunctious that usual!  They wore me out.  Actually, they were great, as they were all really eager to learn and to laugh.  Thanks to Sheree, Pauline and Marie.

SUMMER SOLSTICE

This photo is from KGRG TV taken by on of their weather spotters.  I'm not sure exactly where in eastern Iowa it was taken, but tonight, it could have been almost anywhere in our area.

This is what our summer solstice was like this evening.  There were bad storms all around us and for quite a while we thought we were going to have to go to the basement.  The tornado sirens blew for a while, but then it all just kind of lost it's steam.   I guess we dodged another bullet.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Happy Father's Day !

My Dad.

ARTFUL DECREPITUDE

Sister's Garden, south of Iowa City.

Bloom, a new old house at Sister's Garden.

An old column and some barbed wire.

That same day, I found this tattered body of a moth, beautiful, even in death.

The view from Sister's of the woods and a cornfield.  A quintessential, summer scene from here in Iowa.

Yesterday afternoon I went on a little road trip with a friend a little south of where I live.  There is a little shop out in the country near Kalona, Iowa, called Sister's Garden.  Sister's consists of an decrepit old farm house and another house that is new, but was built to look old.  It's quite a unique place with garden art, antiques, new things that look antique and bits of architectural salvage that are really pieces of art in their own right.  Going there got me to thinking about the beauty that's to be found in decay.  Have you ever walked or driven down a country road and come upon a an old abandoned house that just called out to you to step inside?  That's sort of what I'm talking about.  When my sister's and I were kids, there was an old house down the road from us like that.  We called it the Haunted House, not so much because it was scary, but I think because we wanted it to be haunted.  It was on this bit of property that once was probably really well-tended, but by then was full of nettles and brambly raspberries (that we really enjoyed!).  There were old fallen in sheds and rusting old farm implements.  I loved this place.  It captured my imagination.  What is it about places like that?  Is it that little bit of sadness that places like that conjure up in us?  Is it that people long ago lived lives there and were hopefully happy there?  Or is it the thought that all things end up in decay, and that as unimaginable as it seems, so will we?

WISE OWLS

Here's a Barred Owl in the eaves of my neighbor's house.  Do you think maybe they should clean their gutters?  

A better photo of a Barred Owl.  I can't seem to get my owls to pose so well.

I know I've posted about these guys before (don't worry, no owl barf pictures today, but see my March 24th 2009 post, if you dare!), but I just can't get over how amazing they are.  They've been really active again lately.  We must have a new population of rabbits or mice in the yard.  Lately two owls are hanging out on the north side of my house, sitting on either the downspouts or the eave brackets close together.  Every time I venture to that side of my yard, they fly off, up into a tree or to the neighbor's downspout.  I hope they will start to get used to me, like they did last year and let me get close enough to get some good pictures of them.  You should hear them call to each other through the woods.  There are quite a few of them in the area, judging by how many calls I hear.  To hear what they sound like, click here.  

STUDIO CLASS

Ann and me.  I wish I'd gotten a photo of Mary too.

Mary's water-etched piece, in progress.

Ann's Keum-Boo (layered gold) pendant and her molded charm with a amethyst-colored cz.  Ann got such a great patina on her Keum-Boo piece.

Mary's ginko leaf, Keum-Boo pendant.  I like how she layered gold on only one leaf.

All of Mary and Ann's finished pieces.  Not a bad day's work.

Today, I had two students in the studio for a private class.  They were really good students, but also good-hearted and lots of fun.  It was especially fun for me, because they just wanted to learn a lot of techniques, and weren't so interested in making, for example a bracelet, start to finish.  I love that.  Not that it isn't fun to see a project through to the end, it is, but it's also great when you can just explore a series of techniques.  It was a full day.  We worked on water-etching, silicone mold making, firing stones in place, Keum-Boo, and joining pieces together with nail rivets.  That's a lot of information in one day and they handled it beautifully.  Thanks for coming such a long way to spend the day with me, ladies!