Wow what is it?

Juris, my husband, and I were working in the yard today and I saw this cloud formation.  Really those are the colors!! Like a rainbow, but in the clouds.   We have never seen any thing like it.  So pretty, anyone know what is happening?  

Borneo Rainforest

We just returned from  Borneo.  Wow it was so much fun and beautiful.  It is a rain forest, 6 degrees off of the equator.  That means it is hot!!!! you only have to stand still and you are perspiring.  We visited an Orang-utang rehabilitate center .  They assisted orang-utangs that were injured or orphaned etc.  Borneo is the only place these animals live besides Africa.  We also visited Turtle Island, we they helped Green Turtles and Hawk Bill Turtles to survive.  Being a rain forest it rained a lot, Oh and there were leeches!!  We found two different kinds on us!!  One was a tiger leech and the other I have not looked up yet. The one on Juris's boot is the other one.  If I am a "good" girl I will add more to the blog in the future.

Discovery landed

I watched the shuttle land yesterday.  148 million miles it had traveled, the sad part was the people at NASSA thought is could have gone further.  We have no space program now!! Lots of those people are out of jobs.  Kind sad.  But that is not why I put the picture in.  Back in the 60's? , my mom took a picture of the first walk on the moon.  It was taken on our "old" T.V. with the round small screen.  So in memory of  my mom's love of space, I took this picture off of my "BIG" screen tv.  

Golden Buprestid Beetle, a golden jewel!

Found this Golden Buprestid Beetle in the house this morning.  His family is named for " a golden jewel"  !  You see the connection to jewelry, thus making this an appropriate topic for a jewelry blog!! (tee hee).    Here is some information about her?  Interesting part, her larva can live 40yrs.!!  And she could be a conversation piece???  Anyway, I put her outside.

The female golden Buprestid beetle lays her eggs in the bark of fir and pine trees, usually in a scar or break in the bark of a live tree or a freshly cut log. The egg hatches into a white grub that feeds on the wood, chewing increasingly larger tunnels as it grows. The larva grows slowly, especially if the wood is dry as in lumber. There are records of larvae taking as long as 40 years to complete their life cycle and emerge from the wood as adults. So do not be surprised if these beetles show up in your house many years after it is built. Fortunately, the female beetle will not lay eggs on wood that is smooth and painted or varnished, so once the beetles emerge, just fill up the holes and keep the pretty beetle to show your friends as a conversation piece.

Display case

Excited to go to St. Louis, Mo. and see my girlfriend, Dianna.  Also excited when she took my to a quint little area of St. Charles to see jewelry.  Love looking at jewelry anytime!!   But what caught my attention was the display cases.  Got the Gorge Artists Open Studio show on the 13-15th of April, and was not going to use this case.  I have hailed this thing across the U.S.A.!    But did not think it would work to display jewelry in.  Too low!   Well this is just like what they were using in St. Charles!!   So excited a simple modification and I am set!!  Hope to see some of you at the show!!

Bingen Skate Park Fundraiser, buy tickets now.

This sounds like fun, hope to see someone I know here.

Bingen Skate Park Fundraiser - Tickets Available Now

The Bingen Skate Park is a huge draw for both youth and adults of Bingen, White Salmon, and Hood River, and is recognized as a destination for extreme skating athletes throughout the Northwest. With the "Gorge Out! Skate Park Dinner & Auction" Bingen is raising funds to help complete the community Skate Park, including adding a series of skate bowls for different ability levels.  

The Gorge Out! event on March 24th at Bingen School Inn begins at 5:00pm with a social hour and time to view and bid on silent auction items.  Some of the fantastic live and silent auctions items include: flight instruction, private wine tastings, fine artwork, furniture, rafting trips, weekend getaways, scenic & adventure flights, golf packages, tools, and gift baskets for the gardener, coffee lover, wine connoisseur, car fanatic...the list goes on.

The evening also features live music by Jack Bone Dixie and food and drink from local restaurants, breweries and wineries including: Angel's Bakery, AniChe Cellars, Beneventi's Pizza, Cor Cellars, Domain Pouillon, El Rinconcito, Everybody's Brewing, Henni's Kitchen & Bar, Katina's, Los Reyes, Springhouse Cellars, Solstice, Subway, Sweet Things by Julie, Syncline Winery Wind River Cellars, Zieglar Vineyards, and more.  If your business is not on this list we would be delighted add you to the list!

Bingen Mayor Betty Barnes says, "Thanks to tremendous local support, we have been steadily raising funds for this project.  It has been incredible to see the generous spirit of local residents and businesses who have chosen to make this park a priority for our community."  Sponsors include Chips Bar & Grill, Columbia State Bank, Dickey Farms, Pilot Knob, Spaeth Creative, and The Enterprise, and Bingen is also the only city in the WA to receive a highly competitive grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, primarily because of its focus on providing a healthy play space.

So help us finish the Skate Park.  Reserve the evening of SATURDAY, MARCH 24th for a great night of food, drink, music, auctions, and fantastic community spirit.  Gorge Out! tickets are $15 each or 2 for $25, including admission, dinner, a cash bar, and a mystery prize raffle ticket.

Purchase tickets at Bingen City Hall, Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce, Postal Connections, Solstice Wood Fire Cafe, Dickey Farms Fruit Stand, or at the door of Bingen School Inn, (Frankln at Cedar)   If you have any questions check out BingenEvents.com, or contact the City of Bingen at 509-493-2122, or visit Bingen Skate Park on Facebook .

6th Annual Gorge Artist Open Studio

I was excited to add my jewelry display at The Pines winery and art gallery located in downtown Hood River, Or.  last week end.  There will be a preview show of the up coming Gorge Artists Open Studios held this Friday (1st Friday) at The Pines.  There will be appertizers and wine to purchase.  It will be a preview of the artist that will be on the tour the 13-15th of April.  Maps will be available for purchase for $10.00.  Great buy, because they can be used year round to see the various artist by appointment.

Wonderful color for enameling ideas

Wonderful color for enameling ideas I received some really wonderful photography pictures from an email today.  I am just posting a few because they were numerous.  I picked these because of the colors.  I am thinking about how I can use the color combinations in enameling.

Rainbows

Yesterday morning it was  lightly raining, the sun was out and the most beautiful rainbow was stretched across the mountains. (If you look you can see it is a double rainbow.)   I really love living  here in Washington state.  The beauty of the terrain is just amazing and never ending.  We took a trip to The Dalles, to go to Home Depot.  The trip took us along the Columbia river gorge area, which  was in part created by volcanic eruptions.  The rocky walls along the gorge are so fantastic.  They were formed when the lava cooled, some faster then other areas.    Eye candy all the way.  

more snow, but so pretty

Wow, we got another 16-18 inches of snow yesterday and of coarse my husband has to plow it.  His reasons are all very logical, but I think he just thinks its fun!  Which it is, till you are soaked and freezing.  But the cool thing was the beautiful blue in the snow as the light hit it.  When we were in Alaska  the ice bergs were  blue like this.   This is the same effect, only a lot smaller.  I found it on the internet, what causes this, but of coarse I have forgot.

The color made me think of a jewelry design.  Using a blue topaz stone for the focal point and white enamel with the blue streaks peeking through.  I would have to use silver for the base to get the right effect, I think.  I did some designing this morning.  We will see if this ever makes to reality.  In my mind, I liked it.  

First Blog

I make jewelry.  Actually  I am a silversmith, an enamelist and a lapidarian.

 I moved to White Salmon, Wa. in June and my husband who just retired in December just finished setting up my shop for me this week.  YEA!!

In order to establish myself here in White Salmon, I joined the White Salmon Art Council (WSAC).  They put on a Wine and Fusion art festival every summer.  I was also invited to participate in the Sixth Annual Gorge Artist Open Studios Tour , April 13, 14 & 15,  2012.  This is a self-directed tour of artist studios in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

At the meeting that I attended they encouraged us to set up a blog and a face book page.  This is my 1st day! "of the rest of my life"?  We will see!

Oh My!  We are having our first snow of the year.  Lamenting no snow since Thanksgiving.  We have 10 inches so far and expect up to 19 inches!!  Be careful what you wish for!!  I LOVE IT!

1st snow of year 2012