MISS SENIOR NEVADA PAGEANT 2006!

Went to the Ms. Senior Nevada pageant wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas! I was with my friends and we had a blast!! Women are great! These seniors were kicking up a storm and the contestants ranged from 60 to 78...they also had dancers that ranged from 60 to 91!!! I loved all the energy they projected, the charm, the wit, the TALENT!!! There were 15 contestants, there was not one dull moment! I might run next year.....why not...Im cute, and talented, right!! ha ha ha..LOL!!!...

 

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!
 

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! 

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

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...




 

Whas Up ????

learning yo blog!!!! Love, Papa Jim

 

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!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU DARLING LIZ!! I AGREE WITH ALL SAID ABOUT YOU, you are the bionic Mom, and beautifil too!!..I wish will all lived in a commune, where we would all have dysfunctional hoidays together, with the kids, the Aunts, the grand babies, the Uncles and all our friends, the Nanas. I think of you often, and alas, ahve to love you long distance!! love, carol

Happppy Birthday LIZ!!!
I love liz because she's famous..........You are my fabulous beautiful, hardworking, crazy and extremely lovable sister and I miss you so much!! You are the cutest mom of two adorable children, and pull it off with such style and fun.

Happy birthday, and You will get something in the mail very soon, I know you'll love it.

Have a happy day,
LOVE EVA, and all your family.....we're all so proud of you....

GET BETTER REALLY SOON AUNT PHYLLIS!!!

I LOVE YOU!! PLEASE DO EVERYTHING THE DOCTOR SAYS TO DO!! I AM SENDING YOU A BIG HUG AND KISS, AND I MISS YOU SO MUCH..LOVE CAROL.

A passion for photography

These are grape leaves but no grapes - go figure. They are very common near the ocean here in Florida. This is like a nature lesson...ha It has pretty red veins in it and the green is very warm. The things you find at the beach on a day when you just want to have fun with your camera! Hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed taking them -  

Beach pipe

Yes, this is an old rusty pipe that I thought had GREAT texture and some push and pull in it that gave it a dynamic look. This was in the parking lot at the beach. What do you think? 

Enjoying the Beach on Sunday!

Even though this is not a photo of people we all know, just thought I would share some "pretty" pix that I took yesterday when I went on a photoshoot just for fun. This is Satellite Beach on the East coast of Florida and it was a GREAT day. I have not done any manipulation (photoshop) to any of these (yet) Learning about my new Nikon D70 SLR camera. And yes it is HOT here too! Plus we have that humidity thing going... 

Eva and Fred's

Eva and Fred's

here are those pictures from before, hopefully they work this time!!




taken by eli himself in intensive care after leaving his cell phone with him! he has no memory of this event
:-p






[Hi it's me..Lois...so...it ain't pretty but we thought we would share....just so you know...he is much better now.....started driving a little today...taking only tylenol for pain......getting out in the sun a bit.....thanks to all of you for all your support and love.........]


love,

Lois, Eli and Hannah

Seu Jorge Concert

Hi everyone!!
So my man went out and got a bunch of front row tickets for a group of us to see seu jorge, a brazilian singer/songwriter who was the black guy with the guitar on The Life Aquatic- Steve Zissou. It was a total blast, they were fantastic, drummers, etc. It was me and Tom, his son and fiance, and some other friends.

Virginia City NEVADA, SATURDAY 6/08/06

This is Justin, his Father Wally, and me enyoying a reunion in Virginia City, where we met 32yrs, ago! We went back to the Cabin in the Sky, where we met each other. I was a cocktail waitress, and he was a new bartender from Nashville, Tn. What a pair, well ,between the Southern acen't and the New England one, it was a riot. It seems like only yesterday. We had a lot of fun times up there, and wonder how we ever made it out alive! Happy we did, as we have Justin and a wonderful grand son, Jacob and a beautiful daughter-in law. It was a fabulous and bittersweet trip down memory lane.


 

HAPPY 4TH IN THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS!!

THIS IS ME,DON,BARBARA (MISS SENIOR NEVADA) AND DODY IN GENOA, NEVADA! We are enjoying "POPS" in the park. Silent auction for ART, etc. brought a picnic basket with wine, chicken and all the stuff for a wonderful celebration in the mountains! STROLLING VIOLINIST'S beautiful inspiring music, truly an ALL American 4th! Meet me there next year, ok!!!


 

Leslie and lightning!!

Leslie has had a computer malfunction, as lightning hit her area,
and "kapoof" it hit her system and it now is in the computer hospital in Key West for repairs!..She actually has had a breakdown of sorts as she is having withdrawel pains from not being able to BLOG!!!! Haha, so she will be back soon with more interesting pix and news soon!!! Thanx!!

THE CONTESSA...aka as Aunt Carol, and Nana

Also I have more pix to publish, but having a time with Picassa..it must be me, I am sure!!!

Oh yes, here is the shuttle shot I promised - if you have xray eyes you can see it behind the clouds - Kind of awesome really to have seen it on TV and the successful launch that took place. WE always hold our breath here that everything turns out ok - If the clouds weren't there, we would have seen a bright star in the daytime, making its way across the sky and the smoke trails when the main engine (or whatever it is) falls off. I am constantly amazed by this whole thing and have seen a number of launches, both in the day and the night (most dramatic) -  

WEll this was FOURTH of JULY at Gloria's - The lady on the left is Kay - she is 92 and so full of energy she put us all to shame! The belly dancer is Jackie - she is a teacher (like a real public school type teacher who is going for her doctorate in English Literature -) and she was teaching us to belly dance! It's great exercise --- the photographer, MOI, took the pictures! (So I am not in any of them. ) The party was on the Fourth, fireworks all around us in Orlando, FL. The lady on the right in the pink is Gloria whose house we were at. It was a blast to say the least! 

Eva and Fred's

hey everyone, here is a picture of eli the day of his surgery in intensive care








love you all

Eva and Fred's

Eva and Fred'sHappy FOURTH of JULY!!!

From DelRio in Florida to all of you all over the USA!
Have fun and don't eat too much - I"m going over to my friend Gloria's house for a BBQ and watching fireworks from Disney -
ALso going to watch for the shuttle launch which we can see from the yard as it goes up. I"ll take photos....