First Place Blue Ribbon.

Hooray!  I received a first place in the 2012 Iowa Area Artists Show.  Now I move on to state!

Jane Battles the Storm.

I don't know what I was thinking...perhaps it was something like, "I'll just drive home Saturday night so I'll have all of Sunday to relax and drink a light beer of some sort." I knew there was a storm headed for South Central Iowa and I knew that the meteorologists were predicting a doozy.  Maybe it's good that I have no sense of impending doom but I'm pretty sure that it's not.  To drive or not to drive?

Ok.  Getting the story started.  I left the party in Darien at about 6:30 which would put me at my house in Iowa around 11:45pm, give or take a bathroom break or two.  I hopped in the Honda, took a glug of coffee, and was on my merry way.  My mother called two hours into the drive to tell me about the big storm.  The point she tried to drive home?

"get a hotel you idiot.  i've heard there's hail."

Of course I didn't listen, she's my mother.  But I was getting close to the World's Largest Truck Stop and decided to pull over to hear what all the truck drivers were talking about.  Once again, I'm an idiot...real truck drivers don't go to tourist traps, they go to the Flying J.  I had to ask the 17 year old in charge of the cigarettes for her thoughts on the storm.  Yeah, bad idea.  I received a vacant stare followed by a "I haven't heard a thing."

That was good enough for me.  I ran to the smashed penny machine and was delighted to find out that the tourist trap had two new designs.  Way to be, Iowa Truck Stop.  Then I left...unafraid of the impending storm.

 

 I should have been afraid as I drove west on I-80 and into the lighting.  I should have been afraid when I heard the thunder clapping after 1-mississippi, 2- Mississippi.  And I should have been especially afraid when I realized there were only a handful of us idiots left driving on the road.  The sky opened up.  I've never seen anything like it in my life...sheets of rain, nothing but rain.  I lost any kind of visual besides wavy red lights in front of me.  Then hazard lights.  Then lights pulling off to the side of the road...and I'm one of those lights.  

I put my car into park and prepared to hunker down.  Before I could figure out what was going on I went blind and deaf.  Lighting struck the middle of the road half a mile in front of me.  Then the thunder clapped above my head and it felt like I was punched in the chest.  I tried to recover but was blinded again, this time closer and to my right.  Lightning was hitting left and right, thunder booming, booming, booming.  I was in shock. 

If I wrote about everything that happened this post would be far too long to keep your interest.  I'm shocked if you're still reading.  I got out safe.  The storm only lasted about 30 minutes but caused devastation throughout Iowa.  75 % of a town was damaged and there were a few tornadoes.  I was so fuzzy from the storm I drove 25 miles in the wrong direction and tacked an hour onto my trip.  I was home by 1:30 am.  Moral of the story:  When your mother tells you to get a hotel room DO IT!  Don't think you're more clever then nature, damnit.  You'll lose every time.

Mudd. Doggy age progression.

This is the day we brought Mudd home.  Approximately one year ago, today. 2011

Mudd when his ears were still floppy but were about to stand up.  2011

Mudd as a confidant, young man.  2012.

Isn't it amazing?  Look how big ol' Mudd has gotten in one year. 

pyrite in iowa. fool's gold.

 1.  I've been finding a lot of Fool's gold. The camp ground I frequent has been freshly paved with limestone rocks. Most limestone contain sand and other substances like as quartz, pyrite and clay minerals (source, ehow.com).  So, you find limestone...you might find fool's gold.

 2.    I'm enjoying the structure of  pyrite, it's very cube-like. Here's an image pulled from the net that exemplifies its cube-like quality .  This is the kind of F.G  I'd like to find.

3.  But this is what I always find.  I just have to figure out a way to dissolve the limestone so I can see what the structure of the pyrite looks like.  I'll bet vinegar would do the trick.

So, keep your eyes peeled, folks.  Pyrite is easily found...not to mention satisfying to find.  Just look for a neighbor that has a limestone driveway.  When they're not looking, dig through the rocks and you just might find some worthless/yet totally cool minerals. 

fossil find.

I was very happy to have a three day weekend.  I feel it was well deserved.  So, what did I do with all my extra time?  I took some naps, I painted for over 12 hours (all together, whoopee!), and I managed to get some exercise.

I also found a few things.  I found a couple broken artifacts (they didn't photograph well so I won't be blessing your eyes with their presence), they were pretty cool but also very broken.

My find of the weekend was this creepy fossil rock.  Something about it reminds me of a spooky beehive.  If you look inside the rock holes you can see that some of the holes have other fossilized materials inside.  My guess, a very river worn piece of coral.

Any other guesses?  I'll probably send the image to the fossil forum website.  They'll know what it is.

house sparrow?

A small bird is making a nest inside the skull cavity of my cow skull.  It's fun to watch him and his girlfriend feverishly gather dried grass to make a baby bird cradle.  Very impressive, birds.  Keep up the good work.

a good weekend for hunting!

 1.  I found a bunch of broken Native American Pottery.  If you look close at the pieces on the right you can make out ornamentation.

 2.  Look at all these flint chips.  By the end of the summer I'll have enough to tile my bathroom floor.  Or make a mosaic.

 3.  Here's a few of the broken pieces we found.  Notice the nap marks on each piece.

4.  And the best part of the day?  I found a perfect turtle back scraper.  Not too shabby for 5 hours of hunting.

a beautiful weekend.

1. Mudd has turned into quite the little seeing eye dog. He spots animals in the grass on a regular basis and Friday was no exception. We were taking a leisurely walk in tick infested grass when I noticed the dog pawing at a patch of earth. I walked over to the area and spied a scaled tail. I tugged on it and a ridiculously long garter snake started to unwind from the grass. I grabbed the beast behind the neck and went to grab my camera for a few shots. After our photo session she was released at the same spot we found her.
2. We tried to find an arrowhead this weekend. Not successful. But the field we were in had a lot of beautiful flint chips. Pink, red, grey, black, orange...all shiny and sharp as glass. Where you find flint chips there is a chance you'll find an arrowhead. So, it was worth a shot. At least the rocks look pretty.
3. It was a froggy weekend. All my amphibious friends have come out to enjoy an early spring. We took Mudd to the pond to Frolic. that clever dog has figured out that if he walks along the edge of the pond and smashes algae...frogs will jump out. Once the frogs jump out of the algae Mudd chases them along the pond's edge. It was pretty darn cute. What wasn't cute, though? The ubiquitous TICKS!!! We headed back to the truck after our pond jaunt and checked the dog for ticks. HE HAD THREE! I began to freak out and began to check myself, I had ticks crawling up my pants! I picked them off and thought I was in the clear. Nope. We begin the drive home, I let out a huge SCREAM because there was a tick crawling up my arm. I looked at my pant legs and there were two more! The ticks crawled off the dog and onto me. Needless to say, I hopped out of the truck, screamed, and flailed about for awhile. Think the story is over?...nope. I went to bed that night and picked two more ticks off of Mudd. TERRIBLE!

Saturday was spent outside.

1. On Saturday I met Cody. He's a registered Quarter Horse and was born in Hawaii. Yup, born in Hawaii and sent to Iowa. Mudd didn't know what to make of him at first (just a tiny bark or two) but I figure its best to get the dog used to horses. It lessens the chances of a brutal horse stomping.
2. Another day another fossil. Not to mention a very nice circular stone with a symmetrical hole in the center and flattened on the bottom.....my best guess, Native American bead. But, who knows...it's my rock. Other then that: some horned coral, some dead clams, the center of a geode, and a rock that looks like a bird standing on a stick.

Comissioned Piece.

My buddy, Andrew, is starting a business. He asked me to put together a potential logo/drawing for his website. Seeing as it's a roof sealing business he wanted sharks and seals as a prominant part of the design. So, here's design #1. Happy Friday, jerks.

another painting.

Click on the image for a better view

Untitled (as of yet)
roughly 24 x 13
gouache on paper.

Here's another painting I recently finished. The photo quality is sub par but you get the idea. I just need to get a bit more accurate with the photoshop burn/dodge tool. I am pretty pleased with the bottom part of this painting. So, onward and upward, friends.

Finished Painting.

Click on the image for a better view

"Untitled (for now)"
approx 24 x 16
gouache on paper

As you guys now know, I collected a lot of pins at the Potentates Ball (if you don't know this, its two blog posts down). As unfortunate as it sounds, I wasn't able to collect them all while I was attending the formal event.
I recieved a letter in the mail yesterday. This doesn't happen often and I was curious...who sent me this letter? Then I remembered. I ran into a woman at the Potentates ball and she was pin-laden. I asked her how she got all of them and she told me,

"just by existing."

Then she asked for my address. She said she'd send me a few pins. I thought nothing more of the interaction. But, damnit, that wonderful woman sent me two pins in the mail. I was tickled. What a nice gesture from a lovely lady. =

Sometimes I'm impressed by people's kindness.

painting in process.

About a year ago I saw a chupacabra. We all know that the chupacabra is a legend...a mythical monster that sucks the blood out of goats. They even made an X-Files episode focus on that very subject. Anyhoo, while driving i spotted a grey, hairless, sickly, animal trying very hard to hobble across a cornfield. When it comes down to it, the "chupacabra" we saw was just a mangy fox or coyote stumbling off into the great unknown to die in a bush somewhere.
The drawing you see up top is a study for a beautiful painting I'm about to start. It comemorates the day I saw my first "mythical" beast...in Iowa of all places. Chupacabras always have giant bat ears so I'm using my lil' Mudd as a model. Isn't he handsome? We'll see how the painting goes. Wish me luck.

The Potentates Ball.

http://www.zagazigshrine.org/Potes_Ball.htm

I don't even know where to begin this post.

It was a formal event. There were a lot of fancy/boozy drinks, there were fezzes and formal wear, there were a bunch of clowns running around. It was the 2012 Potentates Ball.

Most of us are aware that Shriners exist. We've gone to their circuses and we've seen them parade in their tiny cars. Some people aren't aware that the money they raise from those events go to fund the Shriner's Hospital for children. When a child goes to that place for rehabilitation their costs are fully covered. Which is pretty amazing if you think about it.

Well, we went to the annual Shriner's Potentate's Ball in Des Moines (money raised at the event goes towards funding the hospitals). It was a hoot. Ever heard of a hospitality room? Me neither. Hospitality rooms are filled with free food and booze! And there were about 30 of them! Each room was hosted by a different group of Shriners from a different part of Iowa or Missouri. After hitting several of these rooms I began to notice that all of the Shriners were covered in enameled pins. I coveted their pins and ached for one. After a few beers I got bold. We were out smoking and I grabbed one of the pin-laden fellows by the arm and asked him,

"How do I get my hands on one of those fancy pins, fine sir?"

He responded,

"all ya gotta do is ask, Sweetheart."

And he pinned three pins on my shirt! A tiny car, a gold one with mushrooms, and a horse. I was in heaven! Pins to add to my ever growing collection of knick knacks. For the next few hours I was a pin-askin' for fool. But, everyone was super nice and helped me out. I was even able to land the elusive St.Joesph Missouri pin. Take that!

All in all. The shriners are a blast to party with. Everyone was hospitable, friendly, dancy, and wonderful. We listened to live bands, wandered around the facilities, watched middle aged people wrestle in a hotel room and enjoyed general merriment. Good times.

This story has a happy ending.

This is my Ryder-Dog. He's been my best friend since I was 13. Last night I called my mother to have a chat and when she answered her "hello" sounded shaky and panicked. I asked her if everything was OK and she gave me the run down of the day.

"Ryder has disappeared. We've searched the house three times over and he isn't anywhere. I left for work and he was on the couch. George called me at 3 and told me the dog was MIA. We have no idea where he is. We think that someone may have opened the door at some point during the day and Ryder escaped."

My first reaction was to freak out. I tried to remain calm and told my mom that people love cocker spaniels. Anyone would stop their car and try to save the lil' guy. Don't freak out until day three...then you're allowed to freak out. We spoke for ten minutes and figured out a game plan. Then I hung up the phone and proceeded to freak out.

Ryder is 16 years old. Although he's pretty darn healthy he is deaf. I began to worry about the cars, weather, bad people...all sorts of stuff. Terrible thoughts ran through my head and I worried that I would never see my best friend again. I was worried that we would never know what happened to him, that we'd all have to live with a horrible mystery.

I cried myself to sleep.

Then morning came. I called my mother and we voiced our insecurities about the situation. We spoke about how amazing Ryder is and how we knew we'd find him. My mother said goodbye and started her day of flyering and shelter visiting.

Two hours later I called my mother to find out how the search was going.

" WE FOUND HIM!"

Ryder did escape from the house. That 16 year old cocker spaniel wandered across several busy intersections and ended up on the other side of town....THREE MILES AWAY! I couldn't believe my ears. Apparently, people called the local shelter and told them about the Ryder sightings. An officer was sent out to pick up my wayward pooch and he was taken to the Oak Park Animal Care League Shelter. I am going to send them a 50 dollar donation today as a huge thank you for saving my best friend.

I couldn't have asked for a better ending. I'm so thankful for all the people who worked together to find Ryder. I wish I could hug all of them. So, people...don't take your dog for granted. Get your dog micro-chipped. Take your dog for its annual vet visit. Hug your dog daily and try to be the person your dog thinks you are.

Thank you universe for bringing Ryder home.

treasure hunt!

Its been a good week for treasure hunting. First the fossils, then these geodes and finally........
A 1948 wheat penny! I found it in the take a penny leave a penny tray at Kum and Go (the most hilarious name for a gas station...ever).

Happy hunting, people.

sunday fossil hunt!

Sunday was pretty nice. The sky was blue and cloudless... sunshine made the air warm, no wind was present, and there wasn't a lot of snow to speak of. Sunday was perfection.

A perfect day is easily wasted and I didn't feel like doing that. Mudd, Kyle, and I hopped into the truck and drove towards my new favorite ditch. This is what we found.
Overall, pretty damn successful. We even found a new kind of fossil. In the top photo you'll see some fossils that look like branched coral...yup, I'm pretty sure those are branched coral. Its always cool to find a new specimen for my collection.

Another cool thing...THIS IS A GEODE DITCH!!! I found evidence of geodes. More on that tomorrow.

Happy Valentines Day.

To celebrate this unnecessary holiday I will share my favorite Valentines Day story.

There once was a kid named Jaime, Jaime went to my high school. He was a nice boy. He always sported a dapper middle part and a well pressed nine inch nails shirt... I didn't know the guy too well but I did know that he was permanently attached to his girlfriend. And Valentines day was coming up.

What to buy, what to buy for a girl that has everything? Jaime decided to hop on the bus and hit Spencers at the mall. There he would procure a pair of edible undies for his lady friend. For those of you who don't know, edible underpants are essentially fruit roll ups shaped like a g-sting.

Jaime thought he hit it out of the ballpark. The gift was sexy, romantic, and totally cheap. What lady wouldn't like a gift from Spencers? Jaime took the bus home, yanked on the "let me out!" chord, and hopped off. Gift in hand he walked up the stairs to his lady's apartment.

But Jaime wasn't greeted with a Valentines Day kiss from his pretty lil' gf. He was greeted with a hearty,

"I think we need to see other people."

Despondent and totally hungry, Jaime got back onto the bus, rode it home, went into his room, and proceeded to eat the pair of Valentines Day edible underpants on his twin bed all by his lonesome. Poor guy. I'll bet they tasted terrible.

bat wreath

click on the image for a better view.

weekend bobcat.

click on the image for a better view.

Pileated Woodpecker landmass.

click on the image for a better view.

they don't get thaaat big.

I'm growing dinosaurs in a mason jar.

sickly weekend drawin'. I have a cold.

click on image for a better view.

The dog almost caught a deer.

Trevor, Mudd, and I went for a walk through the fields yesterday. We walked around the muck and snow, we looked at old/lightning struck trees, and followed turkey tracks.

Suddenly, there was a crashing sound in the timber and a male whitetail deer (antlers and all) came crashing out from the trees. The deer was scared but the dog wasn't. Mudd perked up his ears, growled, and took off full bore after the gigantic beast.

"Mudd! Stop!" I yelled this over and over but the deer was out of sight.

I heard some more crashing and the deer came running from the other side of the field. Mudd was still behind him, running as fast as he could. Eventually, I was able to get to a high point and see my little pooch. He was panting and excited. But, really, what would he have done if the deer decided to stop? I dunno. A kick. A deer kick. All I know is my dog wanted to eat this deer.

Really, this was all my fault. I take him to see deer all the time. Watch the video. I'm just glad the dog is ok.

It is the day of my birth. My birthday, if you will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fxmX230bzc&feature=related

1. Victoria surprised me with a whole batch of melted snowman cookies as a birthday present! Such a treat. Victoria also introduced me to a new word awhile ago. In Chicago, we'll call a sprinkle a "sprinkle"...in Phili they call them "jimmies". These snowmen have marshmallow heads and jimmies for noses. What a great birthday present! I won't even tell you guys what everyone did to my desk to celebrate. Let's just say I filled up a whole garbage can with packing peanuts by the time I was done cleaning up. Thanks guys!
2. On Saturday a group of us went to Zombie Burger to celebrate my 29th. We had a damn fine time...except for the snotty bartender that made me feel like a dummy. I ordered a "redneck" burger. What was on that?: bologna patte, chicken friend bacon, mayo, and I can't remember the rest because I stroked out before I was done eating it. So much fun.
3. here is my birthday horoscope and the surprise 50 dollar bill my mom sent to me today. She hid it inside of a new sketchbook. I'm a lucky girl.

4. Here's a photo of me, kyle, and two girls from Fong's pizza. We went there on Saturday to try a kamikaze shot...they make you wear the helmets, not my choice. The nice woman on the right offered to take our photo and I told her I had no camera. She whipped out her cell phone, sent me the photos to my gmail, and saved the day. Smart phones are incredible...kind of like my birthday. Its not even over yet.

Northern Cardinal.

Cardinalidae

moon dog.

I thought this was beautiful. I was a lucky witness.

Vulpes Vulpes

Vulpes Vulpes

Birding.

A tree full of bald eagles.
Trumpeter Swans!? Well, I'm pretty sure these big white birds are trumpeter swans. I saw them floating in the Des Moines River last Saturday and they peaked my interest. I've only seen swans in ponds, never in a river. I did some research and read that the Midwest is working on restoration projects to reintroduce these FORTY POUND birds back into the ecosystem. Looks like it may be working.

December Fossil Hunters!

(horned coral, bivalve fossils, flint, and various rocks)

Unseasonable warmth made for a good day of fossil hunting. I'm completely happy because I found well over 20 fossils on December 31st. Kyle found an arrowhead and we found out that the dog can leap off ten foot cliffs. A good start to a new year.

Here's a very distracted video of me and Mudd finding a horned coral fossil. I found four horned corals in one hour. Sidenote: when I yell "Whoa, Dog!"...its because he just jumped off a ten foot cliff. That terrier is a stuntman.

holiday. day 3 and 4.

1. I woke up at 7 am on December 23rd to visit my pal, Leksi. Of course, she wasn't awake...who would be on a vacation day? So, I tooled around Oak Park, walked the dogs, drank way too much coffee, and waited for the hours to pass. Which they did quickly. Before I knew it I was at Leksi's house drinking more coffee. She told me she had a surprise and we walked onto her roof. Leksi had urban chickens! I was excited. My favorite chicken was the grey, fluffy headed lady. But Ol' fluffy-head chicken had a spinal deformity and couldn't lay eggs. Even though she was completely useless as a chicken she was good for a laugh. What a ridiculous animal. And a lucky one. Leksi and I went to eat at Lula cafe (delicious) and once we were done it was time to get home and get ready for my mother's party.
2. (Friday) At 7pm my mother celebrated her 60th birthday at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Illinois. Fitzgeralds is a well established music joint/bar and the band American English was playing. We got to the place at 7:45...whoops, fashionably late. 50 of my mother's closest friends were there by 8:15. I barely had time to talk with mom because she was so sought after socially. This didn't bother me, I had three of my closest friends to hang out with that night. Virginia, Ali, and Juice...not to mention Dean, Kate, Nick, Vince, all my brothers (cept' paul who isn't 21), my step mom, neighbors, and the list goes on. We drank, danced, smoked (in the COLD, Cold outdoors. I should quit smoking), and chatted the night away. American English had three set changes, each with a costume change, and they did a damn fine job. Eventually, I asked Virginia, Vince, Nick, Ali, and juice if they were hungry. It was midnight and we went on a munchy run to Wendy's then left the party and chilled at my mom's. I couldn't have asked for a better visit with my closest friends and family. Hell, I actually felt festive.
3. (Saturday) Something that is not so cool? Waking up at 8 am when you went to bed at 3am. I am no longer 18 and that is no longer "fun". But I did it. My brothers (all strapping and shown above) and I went to Rush Street to visit my dad and his wife, Cheryl. And although the Weber Grill overcooked three of the five ordered steaks, I didn't let it ruin my time. I was with my brothers. Who can be pissed when they're around?

Overall, an amazing holiday. I saw all of my closest friends and family, I got to see my dogs, the city, Dekalb. I was able to have an honest to goodness balls to the walls road trip. i couldn't have asked for a better holiday.