“Great minds have purposes, little minds have wishes.”
– Washington Irving
About Washington Irving
Washington Irving, known for such stories as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” is considered by many the father of the American short story. He was born in New York in 1783. Although he ultimately returned to New York, he lived in Europe for 17 years, working for the US Embassy. His extensive travels through the southern and western United States led to books about his tours. He took many years to recover from the death of his fiancee in 1809 and never married. He died in 1859.

Running Free 16 x 20 x .8 $75

“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.”
– Stephen Hawking
About Stephen Hawking
British scientist Stephen Hawking, best known for his book A Brief History of Time, which did much to popularize physics, is a leading theoretical physicist who used Einstein’s general theory of relativity to prove the big bang theory. He was born in 1942 in Oxford. He was diagnosed with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 21 and was not expected to live more than three years. Over time he has become more disabled, but he continues to lecture, speaking through a computer-controlled voice box.

Twenty three years ago I bought my husband a ticket to hear Stephen lecture, on my Military salary I could only afford one ticket so I drove him out to Seattle Center we had a bite to eat and then I gave him the ticket. When he came out side he was excited to tell me all about his experience and he the question he has asked Mr Hawking.

“Defensive strategy never has produced ultimate victory.”
– General Douglas MacArthur
About General Douglas MacArthur
General Douglas MacArthur, the American war hero who led forces in both World Wars, is perhaps best known for his leadership during the Korean War, when his forces pushed back the North Koreans and Chinese to their prewar boundary. He was born on January 26, 1880 to Major General Arthur MacArthur and his wife; his earliest memory was the sound of a bugle. During World War II, he was responsible for losing and retaking the Philippines. President Truman fired him in 1951 for insubordination. He died on April 5, 1964.

Lights of War, are made out of old WWII howitzer missile container cases and car parts

This past week started out pretty crappy. I got off work at 2PM and decided to go get estimates for some paint repair on my van as the rear bumper is all scrapped up. After stopping at 2 places my shop landlord told me where to go for a good deal and quality work. he told me who to ask for, and I was told to tell them Joe sent me and to give me an awesome deal. The owner offer me an awesome deal and on the way out of his parking lot I hit an effing fire hydrant! The hydrant is okay but my front bumper now needs to be replaced. The front bumper will be more than the highest estimate for the rear bumper. ;-( I am wishing I had traded the van in when I bought the truck.pretty good note.

On a happy note two more paintings have gone off to live in Federal Way WA.

Yesterday on my way into to my day job I spotted some Super Heroes outside the Issaquah Court house! What a perfect way to end the work week!

Today’s Quote
“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.”
– Herman Melville
About Herman Melville
American author Herman Melville is best known for his epic whaling novel, Moby-Dick, which wasn’t recognized as a masterpiece until after his death. He was born in New York on August 1, 1819. At age 20, he went to sea on a whaling ship. His seafaring adventures included time with cannibals in the Marquesas Islands, the basis for his successful novel Typee. His later, more philosophical, novels were not as well received as his early adventure yarns, and he died in obscurity on September 28, 1891.

I work at the Issaquah Municipal Court House 10-20 hours a week as a security guard. The people I interact with throughout the day are often homeless people, criminals & drug addicts. I smile and say hello to each one as they enter the building and as they leave I wish them a good day. I can make sure the courtroom is safe while being pleasant at the same time. A week ago my boss came into check on me and she brought a guard to give me a break so that we could go chat privately. I was told,” We have had complaints that you are nice to these people. They are criminals,homeless and drug addicts, and did you really share girl scout cookies with them?” you are not to be nice, you are not to smile, you are not to be friendly!”
In response to this counseling I said, ” I will continue to be kind , understanding and friendly as my job description does not say I have to wear a frown and be rude, it says I will check each person to make sure that they are not bringing any weapons into the courtroom. I can do this without making these people feel any worse than they already feel. These people are at court for Christ sake and they are trying to turn their lives around why not try to lift them up instead of pushing them down.” I will admit it does feel nice to have people thank me for being kind.

Today a small group of drug addicts, criminals and homeless people invited me to have lunch with them in the park. They had gone to the food bank and picked up some snacks and so joined them in the grass and listened to their stories. After work I came home and picked up a tent that has been sitting in our garage for 10 years I went back downtown to meet one of the young families I had lunch with to give them the tent that I had told them they could have. John Ingram from Homeless Outreach was with them and was then able to transport them to the Tent City in Redmond.

I might get fired for being nice but I can live with that!

A few years ago I was making hearts for people with broken hearts, emotional breaks, functional breaks and just down right broken hearted in this photo you can see one of the hearts ,I put a small turtle on the heart to remind the recipient of the heart to take it easy and recover at a slow pace.

Today’s Quote
“Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
– Ella Fitzgerald
About Ella Fitzgerald
With her three-octave range, a purity of tone, and a wonderfully expressive voice, singer Ella Fitzgerald has been called the voice of American jazz. She was born in 1917 in Virginia and began singing professionally at age 16. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” launched her stardom. Her best known recordings include the Cole Porter and George Gershwin songbooks; she also toured with Duke Ellington’s band. She died in 1996.

. I have been hibernating or being a bit of a hermit for a good part of the past year or so. I have also been avoiding my metal shop as I have found that since I caught myself on fire welding is not as much fun as it once was. I am getting close to wanting to get back in the shop and I want to do a few more projects like some of my early works.

Below are three photos of work I made for a Steam Con Show in 2010 in case you did not guess the theme was the wild wild west. These works are some of my favorites and yes the clock works.

Today’s Quote
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
– William Penn
About William Penn
William Penn is remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania; the democratic government he set up became the model for the United States Constitution. He was born on October 14, 1644 in England. After he was arrested several times for preaching Quaker ideals, he decided to found a settlement in America. He drew up the “Great Treaty” with the Delaware Indians to ensure they were paid fairly for their land and toured Europe marketing the new colony. He died on July 30, 1718.

I really wish I had kept it as it would be awesome to put ice in for our Champagne Tuesdays! The owner sent me a nice photo of it in its new home.

Gears of Wash

Today’s Quote

“Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”
– Igor Stravinsky
About Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, the modernist Russian composer, had a profound influence on classical music with his musical innovations in such pieces as the ballet The Rite of Spring, which shocked contemporary society with the newness of its sound. He was born on June 17, 1882 near St. Petersburg. After briefly considering law, he apprenticed to composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also a virtuosic pianist. He continued composing and touring into his 80’s. He died on April 6, 1971.

I just got this photo of Seasons of Paris, hanging in its new home. While I was at the clients house I walked around and counted 22 pieces of art they have purchased from me over the years.

I was at the clients house I walked around and counted 22 pieces of art they have purchased from me over the years.

I brought my paints and brushes with me and I talked my client into painting a piece of his own. I made him a template and he spent 2.5 hours painting. He calls this, 50 Shades of Paris.

Today’s Quote
“My father used to say to me, ‘Whenever you get into a jam, whenever you get into a crisis or an emergency…become the calmest person in the room and you’ll be able to figure your way out of it.'”
– Rudolph Giuliani
About Rudolph Giuliani
Rudolph Giuliani, the controversial former mayor of New York City, took the national spotlight after the events of September 11th, when he stood strong, pulling the city together, which garnered him the Person of the Year accolade from Time magazine. He was born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1944. As mayor, he presided over a massive urban redevelopment and implemented the “broken windows” policy, which cracks down on small crimes to deter larger ones. After his term as mayor ended, Giuliani founded an investment and consulting company. He remains heavily involved in American politics and ran for president in 2008.

My husband likes to workout at home so we recently purchased an elliptical for the living room. I have used the Elliptical at home a few times but it is just not the same as being at the gym.I prefer working out at the gym because I like to watch the other gyms members. Watching others work out and working out with friends is something that helps to inspire and motivate me.
Group Run 16 x 20 Acrylic $87 includes tax and shipping in the US

Todays Quote

“Inspiration follows aspiration.”
– Rabindranath Tagore
About Rabindranath Tagore
Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, was the first Asian to garner a Nobel Prize, which he won in 1913 for literature. He was born in India on May 7, 1861, the youngest of 13 children. He wrote poetry, stories, travelogues, dramas, essays, and songs. In the West, he was seen as a mystical figure and his fame faded with time, but his legacy lives on in India, where his work has become part of the fabric of the culture. He died on August 7, 1941.