Photo Friday...

These photos are of my maternal grandparents. The top picture is a scan of the original, which was very worn from being carried in my grandfather's wallet for decades. It was very thin and torn, and my mom wanted a copy of it. She doesn't really know what I can do with Photoshop, so I scanned and restored it, and the bottom image is the result. I'm thinking of offering my photo-restorative services as a sideline business. Does anyone have any comments? Please let me know what you think.

By the way, that white line running through my grandfather's head isn't a mistake, it's a power line or clothesline, and I only wanted to restore, not change the picture.

Photo Friday...

This picture is of an angel tombstone in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The weekend that hubby and I went to inn-sit, we took the ghost tours given through the General Lewis Inn, and one of the tales revolved around this statue. According to legend, the tombstone was erected for the first little girl to die in an influenze epedemic, and her little cousins, who loved and missed her dearly, kissed its cheeks. Soon after, both died. Others have kissed it since, only to also die suddenly and unexpectedly. I'm not superstitious, I just took the picture because I thought the angel was beautiful. By the way, I learned the angel is male, not female, though technically I would assume that angels have no gender. What do I know?

Photo Friday...

Okay, this picture isn't one of my art pics, but these are two of my babies, and they're way more important than anything artsy-fartsy. The orange tabby with white on the left is Nigel, and the orange on the right is Baxter, who is a Manx. They're both seven-years-old. Nigel is absolutely in love with Hubby, and can stare at him for hours. He's obsessed! Baxter is always looking for a warm lap and a hand to rub his face and ears. He's a real sweetheart and never causes fights like the other three kitties. Now I just have to post a picture of Jiggs, a.k.a. Sammy. I have a beautiful shot of him that I'll have to scan.

By the way, Nigel has a tri-colored nose, so please don't think there's something wrong with it. My mom asked me what happened to him, thinking it was bleeding or sore or something. He came that way, I promise!

Big slacker...

I haven't been posting in a couple of weeks, though not for any legitimate reason. Have I been busy at work? Yes, but not that busy. Have I been surfing the net? Yes, so I've been wasting valuable blog time. Have I found interesting articles that I should pass on to others? Yes...and no. Nothing has really jumped out at me, what with all the Hurricane Katrina overload. And I doubted anyone wanted me to post links to that. It's everywhere as it is anyway.

So what have I been doing? Well, hubby and I went to the South Charleston Mound Festival, which was really hot in the sun, but nice under the trees. I succeeded in not buying anything (yea for me!). I'm trying really hard to save money for our B&B, but I'm starting to get depressed thinking it will never happen.

This weekend we're going to a B&B in White Sulphur Springs (West Virginia), but not as guests...we're inn-sitting! It's like a free weekend. The owner is going to a quilt show in Baltimore, and she needed someone to watch the place and take care of her cat, so she made the offer to us. We've been staying there since 1999, so she says we're like extended family. I'm looking forward to the getaway, as it's always nice to stay in a clean house--unlike mine!

Photo Friday...

Some of the blogs I like are for illustrators, and they do something called "Illustration Friday." Since I'm not an illustrator (but would like to try that out, too), I thought I'd post pics on Fridays.

This image is of some type of fungus on a log in Twin Falls State Park, in Mullens, WV. I took it years ago, and have always loved the colors. Doesn't it evoke the feeling of autumn?

Sick of the whining...

I'm already sick of the whining about the gas prices. Yesterday, the regular unleaded price jumped from $2.53 to $3.09, so everyone in the office griped about the evil Middle East, refineries, gas companies, gas station owners, politicians, etc. It's everyone's fault but their own. Hey, why don't you stop driving your gas guzzlers? And you knew you'd be driving 100 miles a day round-trip when you moved an hour from town! Stop complaining about it!

They should count their blessings that they and their families are alive and they have houses. Potentially thousands dead, a million homeless, 25 BILLION in damages...be grateful you're not in New Orleans...and pray for those who are.

By golly, I'll show you...

A Richie County woman shot her husband in the stomach with a .22 rifle on Tuesday because she believed he contracted a venereal disease from a neighbor. Now, I know I'd be mad, but that's a little harsh, don't you think? The husband is in critical condition, and the wife is in the hospital, too, after complaining of chest pains. I'd be having chest pains if I were in that situation, heartbreak over the thought of a cheating spouse, heartbreak over the knowledge of my actions, and fear of the potential jail time I might have to serve.