Bell Peppers; I bought, I roasted, I cooked

I took the week of Thanksgiving off and while I worked a bit (I can't seem to help myself) I did do things that I really like. Mostly roasting, painting and cooking; cooking, painting, and roasting. I was a vegetable roasting fool. It was like a mission I was on or something. 

I can safely say that if it can be roasted, I roasedt it.

Potatoes - done

Garlic - done

Carrots - done

pumpkins - done

red peppers - done. twice

I roasted peppers on Sunday then again on Wednesday. Out of those, I made two batches of red pepper hummus, one batch of red pepper fettuccine, used it to top poached eggs, spread it on sandwiches, and mixed it with cheese. 

top left to right; red pepper puree, hummus, pasta dough. Just the beginnings of my roasted red pepper madness

The hummus turned out great. JR and I ate all the first batch of hummus before the kids could get a taste. I felt bad (heh) so I made another batch. Just for them. *snort*. It's now gone. I found the mostly empty container still in the fridge. What is up with that? If it is empty take it out! If there is only 2 teaspoons take it out, eat it, then put the dang dish in the sink.

roasted red pepper fettuccine is yummo with spinach pesto.

I, then, roasted a whole other set of red peppers. With this batch I started with a cream of roasted red pepper soup. It was AMAZING! I've been hording just the right amount to make another batch of soup later in the week. I'd post the recipe today but I want to make it one more time before I release it. 

Candace's second bowl of soup. It was determined to be blog worthy then eaten too fast to take pictures. Next batch, I promise.

Have you ever roasted a pepper? 

Do you have an electric oven so assumed that the ability to char the skin was beyond your appliance technology?

Fear no more.
If I learned anything from my mother it was that there is little in this world that couldn't be charred beyond recognition in an electric oven. Gods truth! There is nothing that woman can't burn. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I learned that the bottoms of cookies weren't supposed to be black. It was a revelation. Butter knives became a utensil used to spread butter, not scrape the burnt blackness from the bottoms of cookies. Who Knew!

Let's go through the process:

1. Place peppers on a cookie sheet. Do not attempt this on your racks. Unless, of course, you really like cleaning your oven. If you could see the bottom of my oven you'd know that this was not the case for me.

I started with three then decided that that was just not going to do.

2. Place the oven rack as close to the broiler coils as you can without letting the peppers touch. Touching is bad. Turn on the broiler. You don't need to prep the peppers with oil or anything since there is really no chance of them sticking. If you don't feel safe or you want to decrease cleaning time go right ahead an oil them up. (I don't worry so much since JR does all the clean up. It's a deal we've got going.)

As you can see I didn't stay within the strictly red pepper boundaries. Yep, I'm a rule breaker. I would stay away from the green ones though. I just don't think their flavor is quite as developed but feel free to break some of the rules if you want.

3. Char them up. Electric takes a bit longer so you'll want to wait for 3 or 4 minutes before you flip them.

Keep flipping and charring until you have all the sides burnt. Makes peeling them a whole lot easier if they are burnt on all sides. They get really mushy which in turn makes turning them a challenge. Accept that challenge. Even if it means changing flipping devices, from tongs to a spatula.

Yes, I did leave my cast iron skillet in the oven at the same time. Like me, it love the heat.

4. Take them out of the oven and put them into something where they can hang out. They need to steam a bit to get the skins off. Putting them into something with a pretty good lids works best. I'd suggest a brown paper bag (not plastic). I just didn't have one. We only use those recycled cloth bags for groceries and insulated lunch boxes for, well, lunches. I used a great big pot with a fairly tight lid instead. Oh sure, the brown paper bag would have made clean up easier but see above statement about clean up as to why I don't fret about it.

 (can you say spoiled Princess Michele?)

See, all cozy like.

5. When they are cool enough to handle evacuate them from the paper bag/pot/wherever you stored them. Pull off the stem. Usually, this action will take most of the seeds with it. Start pulling the skins away from the pepper. I tend to like to get every little last bit so I've been know to run them under water while I do this. Also, if you have a sink disposal all these charred bits, seeds and stuff can all go down there. See clean up is half over (only thinking about JR here).

6. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. I used up my first batch of 7 within the first hour. Half of the second batch of 10 is waiting in the fridge for more soup and I'm not sure what. I'll take suggestions. 

Easy, tasty, and good for you. Works for me. 

I'll pass along all the recipes that I made out of these in the coming days or not. I'm in the middle of a conference that I am hosting this week, so like I said on Saturday, posting may be a bit sporadic. And, visiting will surely suffer. 

See you next week when I surface. I've got a cool idea for a candelabra from a store bought wreath. Nothing like last years epic how-to on making your own garland but totally respectable.

Love,

M

Can't stop to post much, painting all day

Can't stop to post much. I've got to get a large portion of a large picture done this weekend. I'm hosting a conference at the library next week so painting and posting will be slim until next weekend. Hopefully, all this activity will keep me from carb loading like I did yesterday (most awesome roasted garlic mashed potatoes ever!).

I've put the family on alert that food will not be presented at the table at any time. They are on their own. I suspect that's going to cost me $$ and the fast food joints will need to put on more help. Maybe, I should have had the courtesy to warn them. Let's call it my surprise Christmas gift to Whataburger and Pizza Hut.

Love,

M

Happy Thanksgiving

May your bird be golden

May your dressing be moist

and your day be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving 

 Everyone!

Love,

M

WW - My favorite photograph from Chicago

Love,

M

Something they don't let you do anymore

One of the things that we liked to do as teenagers was to board a ferry to one of the San Juan Islands just to fly kites. The Washington State Ferry System no longer lets you fly kites off the back of the ferries. Which is a real shame. It was a lot of fun and kept us out of trouble. 

Well, most of the time.

 

Dratted grown ups 

spoiling all the good clean fun.

Love,
M

I'm so random I can't even put together a whole random post.

 Keely and gang post random stuff here

This sign.

It taunts me

Check back later in the day, more random to come.

Love,
M

Thanksgiving menu - holy crap I need a menu?

Jan posted her Thanksgiving menu on Friday and I have to say that I admire the hell out of her. She kept with a few of her traditional dishes for her children, reworked a few to fit her new lifestyle and add some new things that fit her perfectly. It was inspirational. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. I mean that in a "Damn! I've got to get myself together" kind of way because she works full time, has a teenager at home, and is creative and everything, so I should be much more together than I am. Then I look at the almost finished painting on my easel and think; "I'll get to food tomorrow".

About Thanksgiving......

I've got nothing. 

Zip. 

Zero. 

Nada.

I have tons ingredients and I know my family's preference so you would think that this would be a no brainer. I've been in charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the last 27 years. One year I hosted 57 people for gawds sakes. I should be able to do this with my eyes closed. Yay, uh, not going to happen but here's what I've got so far.

Candace likes green bean casserole.You know the kind. With cream of mushroom soup and those fried onion things. I would have said precised name  but I've never bought them in my entire life so I don't know if they come in a can, box, or jar. Anyway, I'm going to pull this one out old school. I have all the makings for mushroom soup. I have fresh green beans, and I have onions. I'm sure I'll be fine on this one.

JR just wants turkey. You would think that I never make meat. I do, just very rarely but I'm not totally adverse. So JR is getting turkey. A whole one. With legs, and wings, and all that icky stuff in the middle. I bought the turkey on Saturday; all 8.63 pounds of it. Hey, don't laugh. There are only three people eating it. I paid all of .50 cents for it. Not .50 cents a pound. .50 cents for all 8.63 pounds. I think there was a mistake. Anyway, I'll brine this baby overnight on Wednesday, stuff a mixture of olives and herbs de Provence between the meat and the skin, and roast it on a bed of onions, celery, carrots and broth. I've done this before and the guys liked it so I'll do a repeat performance.

The Boy likes himself some deviled eggs. Since, I can do eggs a thousand different ways this will be the easiest of the dishes. The hardest part will be making the mustard. I may even make the mayonnaise.

I'm a mashed potato kind of gal so these will be done with roasted garlic and herbed chevre cheese. I may as well spread them on my thighs now and get it over with.

We'll have mixed bread dressing. What I mean by this is that I've been saving bits of bread from various types of bread for the last couple of months in the freezer for just this occasion. I'll get them out a couple of days before to toast. I'll mix this up with some veggie chorizo, onion, celery, carrots, peppers, seasonings, butter, and an embarrassing amount of white wine. 

You can't have mashed potatoes, no matter how good, without gravy. I could go with simple sage gravy but really how fancy is that? No, I think I'll pull out all the stops. I plan (right, like I plan, HA!) to make a mushroom bourbon gravy.  I've made this before and it is a meal in itself.

I've got some rolls in the freezer that I'll bake with rosemary butter because JR is a meat, potato, and bread kind of guy. I blame his Irish heritage. Vince, feel free to call me on this one but his granddaddy came over from Ireland in the late 1800s and wouldn't sit down to dinner without bread.

I have some mixed nuts that I spiced the other day and froze that will make a wonderful pie. Think sort of pecan style. I'm not a big pie crust maker but will pull out my favorite pin just for the occasion.

There will be some other types of veggies and I may smoke some tofu for myself.

I think that is enough carnage for one day. I'll tell you all what worked and what didn't. I'd try all this ahead of time but I'm starting a new painting tomorrow that I'm really excited about and can't be bothered with food. 

Did I just type that I can't be bothered with food? 

What was I thinking? 

I must be pretty excited about this new painting. I even bought 2 new small round sable brushes. I'd show you the progress but it is a Christmas gift so progress pictures will be sent to the person who consigned it only. That sounds so professional. After Christmas, I'll post pictures, if it is okay with the owner. After Thanksgiving I'll post recipes.

Love,

M

Auguste Rodin sculptures

I love Rodin sculptures. 

I love Rodin because when I lived in Los Angeles in 1979/1980, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Rodin sculpture garden was my sanctuary. I was more than a thousand miles from home. I didn't know anyone. I was very young. I was from a small town. I felt stranded, physically and emotionally (we are not going to go there), in a big city. The sculpture garden got me through.

I took refuge in the garden. 

It was where I found peace.

 I would walk among the sculptures and feel like I was surrounded by people.

Those sculptures were so lifelike.

I would walk up to them just to assure myself that they were bronze.

 The line of muscle.

The expression on faces.

The sense of movement. 

The emotion that each piece invoked.

I loved it all. 

I felt alive.

I felt inspired.

I felt like I belonged.

Belonged in that one place in that huge city.

As you can see, this time out of time spent with these lovely, emotional and sometimes disturbing pieces had and still have a profound effect on me. 

Every chance I get to be among his work I take it.

It may be silly but it feels very spiritual to me.

Okay, I promised that I had posted the last of the Philadelphia photographs but I just had to share these. And, since it is Sunday very few people will see them. So I can totally cheat.
The white sculptures are the casts. The dark ones are the finished bronzes. 

Love,

M

Last of the pictures from my Philadelphia trip. I promise

I was going through my Philly trip photographs culling out what I thought might be paintable, what could be printed then glued to canvas, and what was crap. I was performing the basic librarian function called weeding. Some libraries weed through their collections pulling out duplicates, older additions of currently held materials, and books that are falling apart that will need to either be re-purchased or tossed depending on circulation statistics.
I KNOW!
Fascinating 
And, all fantastic information for you on a Friday morning.
My day is complete;
I have imparted information.
The End.

No, wait, the last of the photos.

Have you been to Philadelphia? I hadn't until now so was like a kid in a candy store. Hello.....historian/librarian + historic Philadelphia = Michele's got to see and take pictures of EVERYTHING!

Off we go into the wild blue yonder:

Went to the famous local market to get food. Was distracted by this:

And this:

But, finally got some of this. Loved my veggie Philly sandwich.

Went on a guided trolley tour of the sites. Saw the Rodin museum. I love me some Rodin.

Saw Dragonflies on a stick.
 

Saw the Philadelphia art museum. Choose not to embarrass myself and frighten other passengers by running up the stairs then bouncing around while fist punching the air.
 

Saw Camden, New Jersey. Did not have time to take the train over there. So sad. I hear they have a great aquarium.

Ate good food.

Stood on Benjamin Franklin's grave. Don't worry, I think he would have wanted me to.

Fell in love with Christ's Church. They buried people in the floor. Sat in George Washington's pew. Don't worry, I think he would have wanted me to.

After harrowing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (thank you for that one Jan. It sums it up perfectly) I flew to Charleston, South Carolina. Gave a speech. Proving that I could put words together to form real sentences.

Saw funny art. Thought immediately of my blog friends amusement. Surreptitiously took photographs. I've titled this "Lurking Cherry".
 

Inner 12 year old rears its ugly head as I giggled at the name of this restaurant.

Ate awesome food. Licked plate. Contemplated ordering another one. Check extra belly roll. Decided against it. Still not sure if it was the right decision.

Flew home. Snapped horrid picture from 35,000 feet of the Mighty Mississippi. Determined that spring cleaning of airplane does not include windows. Thought about my own windows. Decided that it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Did not call airlines to make a fuss.

The End

Love,
M

What's the first thing that comes to mind

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at this picture?

Here are my first thoughts.

Are her eyes as crazy as they look?

Are those horns on her head?

Belly dancing pants? 

Really?

Is that the best look for your yearbook picture?

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you look at this photograph?

Love,

M

Airport shuttle adventure

If I can't take public transportation to or from the airport when I'm traveling I depend on shuttle services. This is usually a boring ride in a 7 seat van with a driver that doesn't really engage with his/her passengers. Little did I know that when I stepped into the vehicle with an older (I'm saying in his 70s) gray haired gentleman that I was in for a wild ride. He just looked so harmless grandfatherly. I was deceived by his short scrappy body in a blue button-up shirt.
 
Part way through I started to send updates to my facebook page. I didn't post half of the things that this idiot did. I couldn't because I was either calming the woman sitting next to me, squealing from terror, or clutching the seat in front of me until my knuckles turned white. 
 
In bold are the posts that I was actually able to type up. The other text is what I would have posted if my fingers gripping the seat in order to stay in my seat. 
 
Scariest shuttle driver EVER. Tried to take on a city bus. Eek!

OMG! He just crossed 4 lanes of traffic to make a u-turn. Clipped the curb. Yells at person on the radio.
 
Making it to the airport is in doubt.
 
He only has 2 speeds. High speed and full stop. I'd worry about bumping my head on the seat in front of me at the next stop light except that he doesn't stop at them.
 
Had to remind shuttle driver to shut the back doors before he took off.
 
Stone street are no deterrent to speed. Shuttle company must spend a fortune in suppension work. I may need dental work soon. I think I just broke a tooth. 
 
Taking on new passengers. Should I warn them?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.
 
Now he's telling jokes. Ala Rodney Dangerfield

Tempted to ask him what his wife's phone number is. I doubt if she would apprieciate his last comment about her. 
 
Cut across 3 lanes of traffic to make the airport exit all the while saying "I get no respect".

I'd say he gets no respect by the finger the guy behind us just flipped him.


Yikes! I hope the driver in the blue car has an extra set of underwear.


Last rider that got into the front seat is mumbling to himself. Sounds vaguely like praying. Can't blame him.

Came to a screaming halt in front of the us airways terminal. Not sure if that was the brakes or the passengers.

I got out of the van and resisted the urge to kiss the ground or the skycap. As I made my way to the gate I worked on calming my breathing. By the time I got on the plane I was much less of a wreck.

Is it sad that I was dissapointed that the shuttle drive from the Charleston airport to the hotel was uneventful?




Love,
M

RTT - wrapping up the craziness in one weekend.

I know what you are saying to yourself. What no pictures? Yeah, well suck it up. I'm leaving those for later in the week. Want pics? Click on the little button above. Keely's got a whole post full of post-it notes. Awesome idea bty, which I will from now on try to honor. I did say honor because stealing just sounds so naughty.

Levels of my crazy:

Not all that crazy - We have cement floors. Yeah, trendy but also a pain in the butt. Our furniture wanders all over the living room. It's crazy and it is making me crazy. Not really all that hard to do on any given day considering that I am post-menopausal. Then Sunday while looking for mollies (not sure I got the spelling on that one right. These are those little plaster doohickeys that hold screws into the wall) to rehang my magnetic knife bar (which I love bty. If you don't have one go get one today. Your knifes will thank you for it.) I found these non-furniture slip pads. At $2.99 they were all mine. JR was kind enough to lift the big chair and the love seat (the worst wandering offenders) while I got down to place these on the bottoms of the feet. JR also felt the need to make all kinds of references/comments that are not really appropriate in this venue. Guess what? These things work great! Everyone in our household will now be much better off and go on to fulfill rewarding lives because I'm not as crazy and our furniture stays where you put it.

Crazy -

I went to a football game. Think about it for a minute.

I was pretty stunned also.

I didn't understand anything that was going on out on the field but since I was offered the tickets by one of the deans I felt compelled to go. This made my usual form of entertainment while watching any sporting event, reading a book and ignoring the game out of the question. I did have my phone so texting with MaryAnne was a lifesaver. Did I mention that it was like 48 degrees? No? Well, it was. Which makes it flipping freezing for those of us from Houston and making my sacrifice even more amazing. Where is my metal? And, it better be pretty and shiny. I like pretty and shiny.

Crazy/borderline insane - 

If you haven't read my facebook status from Saturday then you don't know that I did something incredibly stupid. I signed up for a competitive 5k run. That's right....run. Is that not the dumbest thing you ever heard? Me? Running? I am the same woman that swore that I would only run when chased by a knife wielding maniac and I was on fire. 

I'm not telling Nessa, though. She is already a serious taskmaster when it comes to our weekly runs. If she knew that I needed to train for a simple 3.1 mile run she'd have my sorry butt out at the park every.damn.day. Oh wait....she already does.

Just plain insane - 

I want to get a good nights sleep soon. Night sweats are keeping me up all night. Here is a preview of many if not all of my nights.

First I'm too hot....throw off the sheet and blanket (quilt, comforters, and bedspreads are banned on our bed and have been for quite some time.).

Then, I'm too cold......pull back blanket.

Then, I'm too hot......throw off the blanket.

Then, my shoulder's are too cold but my feet are too hot....pull blanket over just my shoulders leaving feet uncovered.

Then, dog decides to sleep on feet.

Obviously, the ritual "burning of the box of tampons" that I performed last spring has not worked. I'm open to suggestions.

Jan turned me on to CookEatShare website to share my recipes.  Today will be my first stab at this. I'm going to share my Green Tomato Parmesan recipe. Which I made again last night and was once again AWESOME!!!

Okay, that does it for me. Please leave a comment so I know you've visited and I can come by and say hi at your place.

Go visit Keely and some her gang. 

Love,

M

 

Vegetarian friendly restaurants, how to know where to go.

I know that I've talked about vegetarian traveling and dining out before but that was before I got my smart phone. (Oh smart phone how I love you) Before the SP I had to do my research online, ask the hotel staff, ask wait staff and chefs of restaurants I happened into. All very labor intensive and frustrating, for me and the people around me. 

A free app made all the difference in the world for me on this last trip. Food Finder was very helpful. Combined with the GPS feature this app searches for restaurants nearby or by type. One of the types is vegetarian. Booyah! A few others are farmers markets, health food stores, Indian restaurants, organic food, tofu restaurants, and wine bars (you knew I had to add the last one)  If I'm going out with friends or vendors I can search for something that is vegetarian friendly. Oh yeah! I'm one happy traveler now.

We don't normally let my culinary idiosyncrasies get in the way of eating out but how do I know what type of restaurant is typically veggie friendly? That is just a matter of experience. Years of searching for restaurants that offer choices for vegetarians and omnivores at the same time has made me somewhat of an expert. Let me pass along a bit of that experience.

I have 3 main criteria - usually safe; must ask; and run away

Here are some beyond the obvious vegetarian choices:

Italian: This is usually a safe bet. Even if you are vegan you may be able to find some things to eat at an Italian place. Ask about the use of meat broths in soups and sauces right away. Saves you the hassle of ordering something then sending it back. Chefs hate that. Not to mention the waiters.

It is always a good idea to stay away from the caesar salad dressing because a lot of places put anchovies in it. I usually stick with marinara or pomodoro sauce. If you are ever in Charleston, South Carolina you really must go to Mercato on Market street. The wild mushroom risotto is epic. I would say more about this dish if I wasn't completely speechless.  If you want to see what it looks like when it hits your table you'll have to look back at last years post about Charleston. This year, well, I couldn't wait to take a picture before I gorged myself on it's yummy creamy goodness.

Indian: (usually safe) Vegetarianism is very common in India so eating at an Indian restaurant is a safe bet for us.  We have a favorite here in Houston that conveniently is about 3 miles from our house. If you are not a big fan of spicy food then you'll want to stay away from the curry dishes. We happen to love our food nose runny spicy so this is not a problem for us. 

Vietnamese: (usually safe) I adore the sandwiches at Vietnamese restaurants. I do take the pepper off because while I like spicy I don't like to burn off my taste buds before I get to the chunk of grilled tofu on the bottom because that is the money piece.

Mexican:  (must ask) You would think that Mexican food would be safe. Well, guess again. These restaurants qualify as a "must ask" variety because of the sneaky way that the rice, beans, and tortillas are made. All are seemingly innocent foods but are not always safe, especially here in the south. Take rice for instance....it is usually made with chicken stock. Beans? = lard. You get the idea.

American: (must ask) Sometimes they'll have one of two vegetarian items on the menu, such as veggie burgers or wraps. Watch out for the salads. Seems that a lot of places feel that bacon bits are a necessity on a simple salad. My favorite conversation goes something like this:
Me: I'm a vegetarian could you please take off the bacon?
Wait staff: Sure. Would you like chicken on it?



Greek/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern: (usually safe) There is a lot of choices for a vegetarian at these places. Sure they have meat items on the menu but you can always get falafel, hummus, tabouli and a host of other yummy things. I tried to make all my meetings that are over lunch or dinner at one of these places. It ensures that there is something for everyone.

Japanese/Korean/Indonesian: (must ask) There are veggie choices at these restaurant but they can't be considered usually safe like you would think. If you don't specifically know what the menu item that you want has in it ask. 

Places to "run away" from:
Any place offering South American food such as Argentinian, Brazilian, Cuban, and Peruvian.
Chinese
French
German
Most English, Irish, Scottish place though they might soon get bumped up to the "must ask" places.
Virtually ALL fast food but since you shouldn't be eating it there anyway this is an easy one to avoid
BBQ and buffets - goes without saying
Seafood, soul food, steakhouses, and cajun places

Do not forget to ask about broths, lard and other things that the wait staff may not know is in the food or may not know that these are actually non-veggie items. I was once asked it I would like to try some chicken broth from one of the demo tables at Costco. After I said, "no thank you I don't eat meat" the demo lady said, "oh, this isn't meat. It's broth".

If you are the least bit squeamish about what is in your cheese or wine or where things are made and/or fried in the same place as meat (I sort of am and sort of not. I do have to eat!) then you'll want to stay away from anyplace that is not strictly vegetarian or vegan. Good luck with that when traveling or do your homework.

This is not a comprehensive list by any means. It is just my personal guidelines. I hope you find it helpful.

Love,
M

PS: this might make Meatless Monday a little easier to swallow. Don't want to try your hand at making something. Now you can just go out.

Charleston, South Carolina Farmers Market

 My co-worker Kelli and I were scheduled to give a talk in Charleston on Saturday morning. I packed up my stuff on Friday morning, took a harrowing shuttle ride to the airport (that I will blog about later. I'm still not over the near fatal experience.), and caught a flight from Philly to Charleston. 

After a lovely dinner at Mercato, my favorite restaurant in all of Charleston. (Another blog post for Monday. The mushroom risotto is to die for.) I wandered around Charleston looking for Kelli. She was at some tapas bar on King street. (story for later but let me just say that Coast Guard men when on dry land can't find restaurants any easier then librarians after a couple of glasses of wine)

Saturday morning found Kelli and I at the farmers market. Oh how I love me some farmers and their markets. Let me show you the lovely stuff we can across.

 There was a glass artist that was selling his beautiful work. I couldn't afford the bowls and vases he had on display, (the dude wanted about $3500 for the smallest piece. I'm a librarian not a rock star. If I was a rock star that wasn't washed up I'd have bought the sea blue bowl in the back.), but I did take a picture. I plan to paint this. In fact most of the pics I took that day will becoming a painting of some sort.

 I love the look of cotton still on the stalk. It reminds me of clouds on a stick. Or divinity candy. (Yes, it does always come down to food for me.) Cotton and/or cotton picking has some bad memories for some in the south and rightly so, doesn't make it any less photographic and fluffy. Cotton is very fluffy, like Nessa after a bath. Historical note: South Carolina was more known for their rice crops than their cotton. (you knew I couldn't help myself with the history stuff.)

 Pie

Enuf said.

 I liked the look of the fur? hair? markings? (you can tell I've been around horses a bunch) This is another painting. I can tell you that the horse and the horses owner, not to mention Kelli thought I was a nut case for taking this photo. I like the play of light on each strand of fur? hair? Art is all about the light for me.

 Magnolia trees produce my favorite flower, leaves, and scent. I bought every bottle, bar, and jar of magnolia scented stuff from the homemade soap vendor 6 tents up from the flower vendor where these leaves were. Look at how glossy they are and green on one side and reddish brown on the other, Love it! Sort of reminds me of myself. Kinda staid reddish brown librarian sometimes and vibrant green goofy ball at others. The creamy scented white flowers are just our way of showing off for company.

 Round

Round again

 

And one more time with the round. It is becoming a theme for me.

Hand dyed silk scarfs. My mother is getting one for Christmas. (don't worry, she doesn't read my blog. She doesn't even know how to find my blog. It is bookmarked on her desktop. She still doesn't know how to find it. That's okay. She's pretty great anyway). I have to paint this. I think I'll tilt it to the right just a bit. Or maybe the left. Give it a bit of energy. 

There you have our trip to the Charleston Farmer's Market. We walked across the street to the hotel, gave our presentation then jumped in another airport shuttle, (a much less white knuckle trip then before) and flew home. 

The End

Love,

M