A Couple Things...

I snatched this photo off the web of my daughter Rachael and her boyfriend Eric on a New Year's hike in Oregon. I thought the originality of the photo was just breathtaking...and striking!

Along with that, I thought you might like to see my latest artistic creation for my living room wall. Marc managed to stop and pick up some birch bark for me on one of his forays to the Upper Penninsula of MI in Marquette, where he has a project. The drive takes him through hours of thick forest. Earlier I had picked up this framed art at Goodwill because I liked the frame, figuring it appeared to be wood (it's not) and rustic enough that somewhere along the line I'd be able to put it to good use, matting and all. So I started playing around with the birch bark and decided I could trace out a Northwood's animal. I initially tried a moose but it was just too intricate for the bark being cut with utility scissors, so I ended up with the bear. From a distance it is hard to tell it's a bear; it looks merely abstract and one has to study it up close to get the nuances. I rather like it like that.

Marc has been away a couple days at a work conference in Wisconsin Dells and then had to also check on his Madison project, so it will be late tonight when he arrives back. He's still working on his happy place in the basement as he has time. There's just not a lot new to report from this snow covered tundra.