I thought you would get a kick out of my new purchase for Gracie. Now before you fall off your seat hysterically laughing, there is actually a method to my madness and I’ll explain in a moment…now stop laughing!!!
CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW TO SEE MORE OF THE PUPPY STROLLER
This model I chose is the AT3 ALL TERRAIN PET STROLLER made by Pet Gear
The reason I decided to get it (Diana gave me the idea initially….blame the friend..hee hee hee) is because I wanted to go for long walks with puppy but no way will, or should, a chow baby go on 2 mile walks on the riverfront in Portland. It’s just too dangerous with all the bikes, skateboards, roller derby wannabes and various other funky other wheeled contraptions on the pedestrian trails….not to mention my bad vision. I’m doing a full video review of this product for Amazon.com so more to come of Gracie in her new wheels!!!
This is Pirrie , the daughter of Scott and Martha Wright of SCOTT PAUL WINES. She loved Gracie and visa versa. This was another highlight of the weekend for Mz Gracie. She got to go Wine Tasting at Scott Paul . They were debuting the new “Audrey” Pinot Noir so we couldn’t miss that for the world.
This was Gracies first real field trip and she was SO GOOD…walked right up to Pirrie as though they were best friends!
BTW , Pirrie is one of the members of our Bai Xue adoption and our only Junior member as well!! We are so excited to have you on board Pirrie!! All the certificates are on their way now from Pandas International so look for yours in the mail!
AND SPEAKING OF PANDAS…………………..
BELOW IS THE NEW PANDAS INTERNATIONAL LOGO I WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN!!
I donated this artwork based on Team Husar Photography’s beautiful panda images . It was such a joy to work with Suzanne and Lisa on this incredible project. The whole thing went so smoothly and I had it done just in time for me to leave for China in February. I’ve kept it a secret all this time which is REALLY hard to do!!
Logo wear will be available directly from PANDAS INTERNATIONAL website soon
AND THE REST OF THE IMAGES ARE FROM SATURDAY ON OUR WINE TASTING DRIVE
The Willlamette Valley in Oregon is one of the most charming places I know outside of France and Italy countryside. This outstanding wine region is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity as a tourist destination but still holding onto it’s small town charm for the most part.
Of course this is always a main stop on our wine tastings
I love this time of year where the trees are just coming into bud. We had a beautiful 65 degree weekend and sunny
What could be more breathtaking than Mt. Hood under a new 2 foot blanket of snow in the spring! I never tire of seeing this majestic beauty no matter how many times I see it.
And last but not least….the Bindi Birds are migrating back to the studio with a bit of a makeover! I’ll be posting more about them this week before I add them to the site!!!! Great little gifts for Moms Day. They always elicit a chuckle wherever you wear them!!
Have a fantastic week my friends!!
Leah…I have been intending to blog about you and your glass work for the longest time but never had the camera at the right moment or you were not at the Portland Saturday Market when we were passing through on our weekend walks. FINALLY I had the chance today to visit Leah Pellegrini of LEAH GLASS and we had such a wonderful time catching up!
Leah and I met a number of years ago when I took a short glass working class at a studio she was working at in downtown Portland. We hit it off right away and discovered we both have a crazy passion for color and movement. Leah’s mobiles are inspired in part by Alexender Calder’s work who we discovered we have a shared passion for as well. My house has always been full of mobiles that move with the slighest breeze from a passing dog ….and of course my head bonking into them all the time in the garden!
I also took a class from Leah on creating components with the torch for adding to my fused glass pendants. I adore Leahs lampworking and wish my eyes would let me experiment more……… but this blind woman, with a loaded torch, NOT the best idea….lol. Too many close calls gave me a healthy respect for you bead artists out there!!
Bryan and I met up with his friend Jenna at the market and they shopped while Leah and I caught up on this first day of the market remodel. OMG it’s so beautiful , perched right on the waterfront now instead of under the bridge. A stunning fountain serves as a “living room” of sorts RIGHT IN FRONT of Leah’s booth.
ABOVE: BRYANS FRIEND JENNA
Her location is absolute perfection and her booth is an instant draw with it’s brilliant colors, tastefully suspended under a stark white tent. The shadows play on the white and colors reflect all over the display
Leah and I were discussing that this piece above would convert well into a “rain chain” I want to be the first to buy one Leah!!! I have just the place for it in front of my studio window with water piped to the top, dripping down in my raised pond. It will be backlit too!!
This is Leahs earring display. Just as I was photographing the little cuties, another litte cutie stepped into the reflection of the mirror..HI LEAH!!! Love this shot!!!
Here the earrings are in focus. Very cute and lightweight too. The black ear wires really add to them!
You can see why mobiles look as good outside as they do indoors. I love the play of light
I have never met anyone with a smile like Leah has!! It is electric and so open and kind!!! This photo will always be a fave of mine!!
This was a HUGE mobile in red and black. I need one of these too… to hang under my pergola!!! This photo shows off the shadows so nicely
I need, I want, I need I want!!!
ABOVE: BRYAN ,LEAH AND AND JENNA CHATTING…BRY’S FIANCE KATE WAS THERE TOO IN A WAY..ON THE PHONE
Leah…thank you for taking the time to chat and catch up. I know your days at the market are busy ones and you have no idea how nice it was to see you again. I need to come down to the market more often!!! Your work, as always is a CLASS ACT!!!! Thank you for the continued inspiration Leah…… through your art , artistry and friendship!! Check out Leahs website at http://leahglass.com
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And below click the arrow on the video to see the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (PDX TOP 10 Destinations) as Bryan and I saw it on Thursday. It was a picture perfect day and we had such a relaxing time. I noticed in the video all the kids playing with the ducks were little boys with their mothers……it seemed so appropriate since this is the last visit my son will have with his mom before he is married. sniff
See the photo of his wedding band below. Bry had a custom band made with a rare mahogony type of wood and an inlaid core of a fine metal (can’t remember what it was offhand)
Day at the Rhodie Garden, Portland Oregon 8/20/09 from Sandra Miller on Vimeo.
BRYAN TOOK THESE TWO IMAGES WITH MY CAMERA
Ohhhhh….I am really stoked about this latest Chow design I just released this morning in my ZAZZLE gallery. The postage stamp is the only item not listed yet as USPS takes 24 hours to approve the design so it will be up by tomorrow morning for sure
Fine art Greeting cards as well as postcards are available. If you would like this design on any other Zazzle merchandise just let me know and I’ll add it to the gallery if I can.
PURCHASE THIS ARTWORK AS A FINE ART PRINT OR CANVAS AT MY IMAGEKIND STORE BELOW
And yesterday as I had written in my previous blog post, Steve and Bling and I were wandering around McMinnville Oregon after a wine tasting and I happened to have my camera in hand when we strolled by the Marchant Dance Academy window (which was closed on Sunday).
This cat melted my heart as he/she “kneaded” the air with it’s paw, and then put it’s paw up on the window as we walked away. I would still be taking photos if my battery hadnt’ gone dead
More pix from our wine day in the next blog post!!!! I need to get outside and take pendant pix too. It’s 100 or so degrees out today (unheard of in PDX) and I’ll wait till it cools down this evening for photographing. I can’t wait to show you all the fun freeform pendants I’ve been working on .
There is nothing that makes me happier than the earliest harvest from my garden from which I can create an impromptu dinner from. Steve hit the beer festival today and I was on my own, so VEGGIES it will be for dinner.
I had a perfectly ripened avocado sitting here so I wandered out into the garden and picked the first ripe cherry tomatos off the vine!! I adore these golden orange varieties with their high sugar/low acid content. YUMMMMMMY they are like eating candy off the vine!!
I thinly sliced a whole jalapeno and Thai chile from the garden , a garlic clove …also from my beds, a bit of basil julienned, a half of a lemon squeezed in, and all 12 cherry tomatoes I picked no more than 5 minutes before I took this first photo
The house now smells like a garlic and basil factory and I’m in culinary heaven!!! I pre mushed up the avocado with the lemon juice, added a pinch of seasalt, then gently folded in the quartered tomatos , peppers and basil
The final step. I grilled 2 white corn tortillas on a griddle covered in grated cheddar (goat cheese is yummy too) Then I topped the one tortilla with the guacamole, topped with the second tortilla, used a pizza cutter to cut…….then CHOW TIME was here!!!!!! I feel like Snoopy!! IT’S SUPPERTIME SUPPERTIME OH ITS SUPPERTIME!! LOL
Oh…and before I forget…my friend Bill Buell is a master at making the hottest habanero sauce on the planet and has hooked me up with a supply whenever I run out. I spread a thin layer of Bills NUCLEAR WASTE, on the tortillas before I sprinked on the cheese. My tummy is comfortable numb as I write as well as my mouth!!! THANKS BILL!! I love that stuff!!
Above are the peppers on the vine this evening before I picked a few
Here is the Cherry tomato after I plucked off the ripe ones tonite. This is the yellow pear variety
So that concludes PART ONE. of your CHOW TIME blog update!!!!
PART TWO is quite different from above. The photo below only tells part of the story. In May 2009, a Chow Rescue Facility in Pennsylvania was shut down and 92 Chows were seized by the authorities. You can find out much more at the website Christine Farnell and I put together to try to fundraise 4000.00 to help with the vet bills to keep these dogs on the healing path.
I know a few of you may have seen this on my WORLDCHOW MAGAZINE already but I didn’t want to miss anyone who might have an interest in helping us help these beautiful chows.
CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO GO TO THE WEBSITE TO LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION
Many of the dogs were suffering from various ailments including but not limited to parasites, heartworm, skin and ear infections and one was said to have been picked up by this rescue person with injuries suffered from a vehicle collision.
Vets and shelters have provided emergency care for these dogs but the time has come where they need to be adopted to their forever homes and the bills for their recovery have to be paid.
The way we look at it, a goal of $4000 U.S. will settle most of the current vet bills, several have already been paid for by generous guarantors.
ONLY 10.00 EACH FROM 400 PEOPLE AND WE CAN QUICKLY REACH OUR GOAL!! We reached the $1000.00 mark today in only 3 days of fundraising but we need your help to ultimately reach the 4000.00 goal.
An auction will also be set up with many really impressive and ‘in demand’ artists’ pieces being offered.
We will keep you posted on the auction progress as it happens.
Today we plead with you to help those who have helped these suffering animals. We ask you to take whatever you can afford and pledge it toward the rehab and repair of these poor little Chows who were left abandoned and forgotten.
Hello my friends!! Did you all have a super weekend? Steve and I and Bling took some time out and hit a Brews and Blues Festival in Washington State which was sooooooo much fun. Small locally owned micro breweries were featured which are VERY abundant in the Pacific NW. Notice how Bling and I enjoy our beer?????? YES THATS RIGHT…with a glass of wine!! As much as I love good microbrews…..they don’t get along with my wheat allergy.
We had a blast and the day was perfection. 80 degrees, sunny and the mountain was out as you will see in the photos!!
CLICK HERE OR THE ARROW BELOW TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW FROM SATURDAY
Now for some exciting ZAZZLE NEWS…I opened a second ZAZZLE STORE to market my photography only, which is called GRAFFITIMAGERY (same name as my photography portfolio site). The store is in the process of being filled with products featuring my travel, garden, and animal photography.
I put together a FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS page to describe both stores and all your fun options
CLICK HERE TO SEE MY ZAZZLE FAQ PAGE AND ACCESS THE STORES
PLUS …now is the time to buy!!! FREE SHIPPING. Anywhere on the planet. Orders of $25 or more. 2 DAYS LEFT! Use Code: FREESHIPON25
AND MORE BINDI BIRDS ON THE WAY THIS WEEK!!! I HAVE A FLOCK OF THOSE CUTIES WAITING FOR FANCY TAILS!!
