Wednesday, August 16, 2006
MY Chef has finally made it home Leslie!
WELL, as you an see Leslie, the Chef now has her permanent home, and before she left, Dolores put the final touches on the wall. This is over my kitchen counter, and I love her so much, and I think of you, and Key West, everytime I look at her! Thanks my dear cousin! Carol The Contessa!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Summer in Barrington
I had Nolan take some pictures of me to use in my dating search. I had just had my hair done and I didn't want to waste my beauty! It worked! I have been dating since my new pix went up on Match.com!Nolan and I are heading to Disney World this week. We are making a pit stop in West Palm so I can see my parents. My Mom is very lonely. She has been such a good sport about the study. It means staying in Florida through the summer and not seeing all of us in Rhode Island, but it is so worth the trouble. So, I just have to stop by and give her a big hug!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Purplebabydaddies has landed in Ann Arbor
We made it and we are on step 19 of the 26 steps that it will take for us to be completely settled into our new place in Ann Arbor. We have been shuttling between our friend's farm in the country and Liz and Dylan's in Ann Arbor. Our friends Ireta and Eric live near East Lansing. We have set up a temporary work space in their corn crib and we are staying in their queen-sized camper that they set up for us, complete with windchimes, outside dining area, and twinkly lights, before we arrived. It has been lovely, wonderful, sleeping weather in the 50's-60's and the corn crib is sheltered, breezy, wonderful. The dogs are in heaven.
On the weekends we come to Liz and Dylan's and take care of the kids from Sunday evening to Monday early afternoon. I am in heaven of course, feeling so much better and you've heard that saying...."If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!!!" Couldn't be truer. As much as we loved the Keys, it just isn't fun if no one is around to enjoy it with. We are both very happy to be back up here. Ann Arbor is a very cool town. I feel as though we are back in civilization. We aren't done with Florida. We'll probably try to do a winter (January- April) in Florida and the rest of the time in Ann Arbor when we figure out how to do it. For the next couple of years it will probably involve some kind of camping where we can work set-up, but we want to be closer to everyone in the Jupiter- Stuart- West Palm area, 1-3 hours away, as opposed to 5-6 hours away from everyone.
For now though we are waiting to move into a house that won't be available till the middle-to-late September which is a 5 minute drive to Liz's, 30 minute walk, and 2 blocks from downtown Ann Arbor, which is an exciting, thriving city that we love. We will be renting the downstairs of an old Victorian and having our art studio in a stone barn on the same property, which was built in the 1870's. The barn has a big wood furnace. We are psyching ourselves up for a chilly winter....but you can all laugh at me....we are looking forward to it. I quess I have more north in me than I thought, I am actually looking forward to the change of the seasons....and with menopause in full swing, the cool fall is welcome to come on.
Moving out of our house in the Keys was a bit of a nightmare. It was so hot and so buggy and there were so many details, plus we were finishing work for the shows we had scheduled up here and for our wholesale accounts. It was not fun (at all), but we managed to make it. We drove straight through- 32 hours, in a 17 foot U-Haul, pulling our car, with our three dogs and Pippin who is my friends dog (because we were delivering him to his mistress in Michigan). AAAArgh! Those are 3 weeks of packing, traveling and unpacking that I will be happy to block out.
We've done our two shows, one the weekend of the 4th and 5th that was a stinker and one last weekend in northern Michigan that was as good as usual....thank goodness.
Mom and Dad and our close family friends Gay and Bill Browne came to the show and we went out to dinner and roared with laughter throughout the dinner and generally disrupted the restaurant with the non-stop humor at our table. I am happy to report that my mother is as feisty and willing to get into the raucous humor as ever. God, she scared the hell out of all of us.
So now we are back in Ann Arbor. We had a sitting night last night with the kids and I am on the computer for the first time in forever, since my computer has been zapped by lightning and I haven't had a chance to have it fixed. Liz is taking Michael to Cedar Point on Thursday and we will take care of Juniper and then next Monday we are all going to our favorite camping place on Lake Michigan. Doug and his family are going to join us, Mom and Dad will rent a hotel room nearby, and with any luck Lynne who is coming to visit for her birthday will be able to come for a night or two. We wish Mary and her family could come too, but they can't make it, unfortunately.
I will post pics as soon as Liz wakes up. I have some pics of the camping set-up we have at our friend's house and some of the art fair this last weekend.
I feel as though we have recovered from the past year. We are still bruised by our failure, but have regained our stamina and hope. We are going forward, taking the lessons from the failures and successes we have had, and re-inventing what we are doing in a more effective way. We hope to have at least another 20 years to make things right and continue to grow as artists and a business.
By the way, it was so good to hear the news about Aunt Margie, just wonderful. And Carol, that mural is teriffic and the pics of Jake....what a doll! I've missed being able to do this and I'm happy to be back on the blog.....love you all- leslie
On the weekends we come to Liz and Dylan's and take care of the kids from Sunday evening to Monday early afternoon. I am in heaven of course, feeling so much better and you've heard that saying...."If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!!!" Couldn't be truer. As much as we loved the Keys, it just isn't fun if no one is around to enjoy it with. We are both very happy to be back up here. Ann Arbor is a very cool town. I feel as though we are back in civilization. We aren't done with Florida. We'll probably try to do a winter (January- April) in Florida and the rest of the time in Ann Arbor when we figure out how to do it. For the next couple of years it will probably involve some kind of camping where we can work set-up, but we want to be closer to everyone in the Jupiter- Stuart- West Palm area, 1-3 hours away, as opposed to 5-6 hours away from everyone.
For now though we are waiting to move into a house that won't be available till the middle-to-late September which is a 5 minute drive to Liz's, 30 minute walk, and 2 blocks from downtown Ann Arbor, which is an exciting, thriving city that we love. We will be renting the downstairs of an old Victorian and having our art studio in a stone barn on the same property, which was built in the 1870's. The barn has a big wood furnace. We are psyching ourselves up for a chilly winter....but you can all laugh at me....we are looking forward to it. I quess I have more north in me than I thought, I am actually looking forward to the change of the seasons....and with menopause in full swing, the cool fall is welcome to come on.
Moving out of our house in the Keys was a bit of a nightmare. It was so hot and so buggy and there were so many details, plus we were finishing work for the shows we had scheduled up here and for our wholesale accounts. It was not fun (at all), but we managed to make it. We drove straight through- 32 hours, in a 17 foot U-Haul, pulling our car, with our three dogs and Pippin who is my friends dog (because we were delivering him to his mistress in Michigan). AAAArgh! Those are 3 weeks of packing, traveling and unpacking that I will be happy to block out.
We've done our two shows, one the weekend of the 4th and 5th that was a stinker and one last weekend in northern Michigan that was as good as usual....thank goodness.
Mom and Dad and our close family friends Gay and Bill Browne came to the show and we went out to dinner and roared with laughter throughout the dinner and generally disrupted the restaurant with the non-stop humor at our table. I am happy to report that my mother is as feisty and willing to get into the raucous humor as ever. God, she scared the hell out of all of us.
So now we are back in Ann Arbor. We had a sitting night last night with the kids and I am on the computer for the first time in forever, since my computer has been zapped by lightning and I haven't had a chance to have it fixed. Liz is taking Michael to Cedar Point on Thursday and we will take care of Juniper and then next Monday we are all going to our favorite camping place on Lake Michigan. Doug and his family are going to join us, Mom and Dad will rent a hotel room nearby, and with any luck Lynne who is coming to visit for her birthday will be able to come for a night or two. We wish Mary and her family could come too, but they can't make it, unfortunately.
I will post pics as soon as Liz wakes up. I have some pics of the camping set-up we have at our friend's house and some of the art fair this last weekend.
I feel as though we have recovered from the past year. We are still bruised by our failure, but have regained our stamina and hope. We are going forward, taking the lessons from the failures and successes we have had, and re-inventing what we are doing in a more effective way. We hope to have at least another 20 years to make things right and continue to grow as artists and a business.
By the way, it was so good to hear the news about Aunt Margie, just wonderful. And Carol, that mural is teriffic and the pics of Jake....what a doll! I've missed being able to do this and I'm happy to be back on the blog.....love you all- leslie
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Sex in the City Girls,PETER MAX on the wall,Jake
Night on the town with Carol,Sharon,Dolores and Polly! Eating dinner at the Atlantis Casino, I had a full comp, we had the works, drinks,appetisers,wine,steak and lobster, dessert...doggie bags!! Guess who Samatha is!!!!!..............................
Polly had me and Dolores do a mural behind her fireplace to match her signed Peter Max picture, so we all got the paint out, Polly did all the background, and Dolores and I designed it, and sketched it, and had it completed in two nights, with a little help from Kendall Jackson!
Went to Sacramento to see the kids, and Aunt Dolores met Jake for the first time, and look at those photos!! Is is growning like a weed or what..and he sure looks like his Dad at that age...gives me chills...
Polly had me and Dolores do a mural behind her fireplace to match her signed Peter Max picture, so we all got the paint out, Polly did all the background, and Dolores and I designed it, and sketched it, and had it completed in two nights, with a little help from Kendall Jackson!
Went to Sacramento to see the kids, and Aunt Dolores met Jake for the first time, and look at those photos!! Is is growning like a weed or what..and he sure looks like his Dad at that age...gives me chills...
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Aunt Margie Has been Accepted!
We have good news to report.
Our Mom has been accepted into an Alzheimer's study called, Brain Matters. The study is going on nationwide, and Mom is the only person accepted from the Florida area. She had to pass a battery of tests, both mental and physical, to be considered. They are thrilled that she is in such good shape. (as are all the Balsers!) The study uses a vaccine that helps remove the sticky plaque that has built up in her brain. They have seen some patients actually regain some function! We are not expecting a miracle, only hoping to slow the progression. Mom will be getting the vaccination on August 14. Please say prayers, keep fingers crossed, do a brain dance or anything else you do! We need lots of good vibes going out to Mom!
Our Mom has been accepted into an Alzheimer's study called, Brain Matters. The study is going on nationwide, and Mom is the only person accepted from the Florida area. She had to pass a battery of tests, both mental and physical, to be considered. They are thrilled that she is in such good shape. (as are all the Balsers!) The study uses a vaccine that helps remove the sticky plaque that has built up in her brain. They have seen some patients actually regain some function! We are not expecting a miracle, only hoping to slow the progression. Mom will be getting the vaccination on August 14. Please say prayers, keep fingers crossed, do a brain dance or anything else you do! We need lots of good vibes going out to Mom!
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