A Day for a Drive

It was a gorgeous day for a drive ~ and since I haven't taken a long drive in a while ~ the weather and the destination provided a perfect opportunity. Jerry was doing the Long's Park Art Fair in Lancaster, PA so I went over to watch him do his thing.


The piece in the background is a theater. There's a mini television inside it with a movie playing. I swear, the stuff that guy thinks up...


Jerry was one of the few artists NOT talking on his cell phone while potential buyers milled about. What are these people thinking? Don't they know we're in a recession? Anyway, it's fun to watch Jerry with his customers. His enthusiasm for his work is an infectious and people love talking to him. They were also handing over the cash quite readily. He was having a good show. And by the way, Zak is starting his first semester at Harvard. Yes, university. Astrophysics. I know. Fibonacci that.

Long's Park is a 2-hour scenic drive from Frederick (I had stopped first at the tiny apt to open all the windows). It comes complete with a 3-acre spring fed lake and tree lined hiking trails ~ along which the artist's booths were situated. Apparently, they host the world's largest chicken bbq. I'm not sure if that refers to grill size or poultry carnage but I'm sure it keeps local chickens on their toes. Click here for more pictures of my day.

Closet Case

So, the ceiling is a pain in the ass. Or the shoulders, actually. It's nasty enough to need numerous coats and using a roller at the end of a pole is one of my favorite pastimes, as you know. So, I whittle away at it and pretend it doesn't bother me. Let us turn our attention to the Mini Art Library! The closet is coming along swimmingly. I'll bring all my books on Monday as well as other stuff I can cram in there until the main room is done. This is before ~


And this is during ~

Yes, it's kind of lavender, dammit. I happen to like lavender. Hey, it matches my phone. Okay, and you know how I told Land Lady I'd be using a drop cloth? Since when have I ever used a drop cloth? And masking tape is for sissies. So, again, I go at it free hand. The theme music I have chosen for the entire painting episode is the Woody Allen Film Music collection you downloaded for me. Thank God for children with good taste in music.
Tomorrow I'm going to Lancaster, PA to see my boy Jerry sell some diners. Then, in the early evening, I'll be heading to some pub is see the recently fired Ron play his mandolin. No renovations will occur so I'll post some travel pictures instead.

Staring at the Ceiling

It's my guess that there may have been a fire in this apartment at some point in the past. Either that, or the former tenant was a chimney sweep in his spare time. There's a thin layer of soot that's almost undetectable, that is, until you begin going at it with a wet cloth. Yow!



That came off the window. It's lovely to have big old windows. It's even lovelier to be able to see through them. Somewhere someone mentioned steam cleaning the carpet. I'm pretty sure that didn't happen. So, sitting down is not an option until I can get a chair in there. Or a big rug. Here is my little swatch collection for the tiny apt.



The kitchen will have one or two green walls and the bathroom will be lavender. The main room will be a combination of beiges or grays, I can't decide. All the trim will be off white. Anyhoo, I have to wait for Land Lady to give me the go-ahead on the color choices. Till then, I've turned my attention to the ceiling. The contrast is startling between what used to be white and what white actually is. Second coat goes on today.



The very next task is the renovation of the closet. This once was a stairway to the second floor. Where the shelves are there used to be a doorway to the basement. Soon this spot will start it's new life as my
Mini Art Library Hideout!

Before

Hey March! Though not technically "mine" until this weekend ~ I've been sneaking in with a tape measure and the camera! Here are selected "before" images ~ the rest to be dumped on Flickr so check those out, too.