Here We Go -- Again

Spring must be arriving because we're hitting the art show circuit!

This coming weekend is the ArtSmart Conference here at the Lake of the Ozarks. This is the annual "meeting" for all Missouri artists and artisans who are members of, or just want more information about, the Best of Missouri Hands. After that, Terrie and I are presenting a community education class on hummingbirds.

The following weekend we'll be at Artscape at the Dallas Arboretum. From there we'll go the the Spring Festival at Oak Alley Plantation. Then we'll head over to Art in the Pass. In April we'll be at the Stillwater Art Festival.

Sometime during that time span our little hummingbirds will return here to their summertime home and we'll once again be entertained by them. That will be the SURE sign of Spring!

Hummingbird fact for today: Dot the landscape, especially the area near your feeder, with fluttery red ribbons or bows to entice returning hummingbirds to stay in your area for the summer.

California Road Trip

Yes, we drove from Missouri to California and back again. I was honored to be included in the Southwest Arts Festival in Indio this year. What an amazing array of talent! The art show in Palm Springs was blown away the previous weekend - literally! However, the weather gods smiled on us in Indio and we met some wonderful new customers.

Terrie's mom lives less than an hour from Indio, so of course we hung around in sunny California for a week. Terrie and her mom took a road trip to Los Angeles and sat in on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and a taping of Hot in Cleveland AND took the Warner Brothers Studio tour. On the way home we stopped off to see an old school friend of Terrie's and dropped a bunch of money on beads in New Mexico.

Now we are back in c-o-l-d Missouri and getting prepared for the next round of shows in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Looking forward to warmer weather!

Hummingbird fact for today: A female hummer will lay 1-3 eggs. Young will hatch in 13-22 days.

Non Traditional Student Graduates with Honors

For the past few years I've watched my wife Terrie sweat bullets over mid-terms, finals, and APA research papers. I've seen her determination and focus as this non-traditional on-line student never lost sight of her goal, despite being "on the road" most weeks to art shows and festivals all over the country. This past weekend her journey culminated when she graduated from Columbia College with her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services Magna cum Laude and I couldn't be prouder!

Our 2012 show schedule is beginning to fill in. In January we'll be at the Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, CA. A side benefit of doing this show is that we'll visit Terrie's mom and her husband in Yucca Valley. In March we'll head south into Louisiana for the Oak Alley Plantation spring festival. In April we'll return to the Stillwater (OK) Arts Festival. We'll be heading off to Sedona, AZ, in August for the Hummingbird Society's Festival. And we'll be back at Silver Dollar City in September and October. We're both excited to return to some excellent shows and to try out some new shows. More dates will fill in as shows complete their jurying process.

Hummingbird fact for today: Blossom shape can be a determining factor to flowers that are visited by hummingbirds. Nectar contained in a long, tubular blossom is easily extracted by a hummingbird, whose tongue can extend a distance roughly equal to its beak length and reach where most insects cannot.

Whew! Stop the merry-go-round!

The nearly eight weeks at Silver Dollar City in Branson is definitely a fun gig, but it sure leaves us out of touch at home - yard unmowed, leaves unraked, etc. We had some construction work going on while we were gone, and we've still not got the house back together from that. After we got home we have to completely shift gears, from the 1890's to indoor holiday art shopping. In early October, Terrie went to the Wild Bird Expo in Mexico, MO, and we had several good orders from that. They've all been created and shipped out. Plus Terrie is mid-way through her FINAL term at Columbia College (graduation is Dec. 17) and that takes a lot of time. It just seems that the hurried-er we go, the behind-er we get.

I'd like to devote more time and energy to the Best of Missouri Hands and the Lake Arts Council. Being on the road so much, I feel I'm doing a disservice to these organizations in my position as a board member, yet the LAC made me Vice President of Visual Arts. The amount of talent at the Lake of the Ozarks is really amazing.

Holiday plans are made. We'll go to Kirksville, MO, Thanksgiving week so we can finally meet the twin grandsons who were born in March. Over Christmas we'll go to Maryville, TN, to see family and visit with Lt. Cmdr. Sean before he and Kate and the twin grandsons head off to Japan for 3 years. Somewhere in between we'd like to see the 3 other grandsons in Smithville, MO. Guess getting the house back together can wait until January......... Unless, of course, we're called off the waitlist for the Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, CA!

The application process has begun for 2012 shows. It seems that the deadlines keep getting earlier. And most of them want you to send a check for the booth space, which they will hold for the 3-6 months until the jury process either approves or disapproves your inclusion in the show. Wouldn't it make more sense to request the booth fee UPON acceptance into the show? And of course we don't know what we will be doing in 2012 until the shows make their decisions.

The Hummingbird Society is planning a Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, AZ, in August. Yep, we plan to be there.

Networking with my fellow artists at SDC gave me insight into some new techniques that I'm anxious to try out over the winter. I also want to create some new items. Just need more hours in a day.........

Hummingbird fact for today: Even though hummingbirds are extremely resilient, they do face problems: 31 of the 331 known species have been designated at risk of extinction.

Hard at work at Silver Dollar City

I am awed and humbled to be in the company of such amazing Best of Missouri Hands Juried Artists! Our new location inside the Frisco Freight Barn seems to be beneficial, especially when it is raining outside and we don't have to worry about getting wet! We're in our third weekend and we're having a blast. We have jewelers, photographers, painters, woodworkers, potters, and mixed media artists. Some have been here and gone only to be replaced by other high caliber creative people. A few more will change out this week. In addition to being able to see how talented my fellow artists are, I am also learning a few things from them that I plan to use in my work in the future. This is undoubtedly THE best time of the year to visit Silver Dollar City!

When we went home last week we noticed that our hummer population is down. It seems that all the males have headed back to the tropics, with females and juveniles soon to follow. Thank goodness our neighbor Steve is taking care of our hummers because we will spend the winter looking forward to their April return.

Hummmingbird fact for today: Hummers migrate individually, with this year's juveniles the last to head south. They instinctively know when to leave and where they are going.

New Item - A Hummingbird ONEsie

This is without a doubt the handiest little hummingbird feeder I've created. The copper coil holds one nectar tube and attaches to any window. I always test my ideas for functionality and these pictures are proof positive that hummers have no trouble finding the feeders and are delighted with them. I put a couple of these on the doors of the studio and hummers found them within just a few minutes. The hummers don't even seem to be bothered as we move around inside. These little feeders provide an opportunity for great close-up photos, too. Feeder activity is especially busy as they are trying to double their body weight before heading south. We sure will miss them!

We've been trying to get new carpet in for over two years - ever since the trees fell into the house and we had the roof and ceiling re-done. Now that we finally have all of Ozarklake's "stuff" moved to the studio, this project is moving along. What a hassle! Especially since we're having all the floors repaired as we go so they won't squeak anymore (the sub-flooring was originally installed wrong). After the great job they did on the studio, we're having Powell Construction do this project for us, too. We've been with these guys so much for so long that they feel like part of the family!

Heading off to Branson soon to set up shop at Silver Dollar City. We've lined up some holiday season shows for November and December. Then we'll spend some time just recuperating from a very busy summer.

Hummingbird fact for today: The drought in Texas may affect the hummingbird migration.

Mission Accomplished!

Terrie and I have now driven to 49 states together! Plus the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces. This trip completed the states (with the exception of Hawaii) and we've done all of this traveling in less than 14 years together.

Terrible show and terrible weather for the show in Binghamton, NY. But excellent show, excellent weather, and an excellent show in Bar Harbor, ME. We always meet so many wonderful people. Heading home so we can get ready for the National Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds can be found in 49 states at some point throughout the year. The only state they do not visit is Hawaii.