Finally!

This wraps up today's blog entries as I must dash about like a mad woman and get ready for our annual bead shop sale. I hope everyone's spirits are lifted after the election and that they will shop with joy and abandon. Much love, Lois This is the delightful Ms. Cox who was my neighbor in Portland. I wish we had more time to get to know each other because she was terrific even if we did covet her table! We really liked her beads and I hope we are next to each other sometime soon.
Peter and kelly from San Francisco Arts & Crafts have been in the business just a shade longer than me and we have a great time yacking at the shows. It is amazing to me how well you can get to know people when your conversations are limited to a few moments between customers.
Carol from Montana Reflections has the best nose for finding really cool beads considering she is pretty much in the middle of nowhere!
Donna Ballard and her husband, Leonard from Not Just Beads at the same show. Donna does amazing lampworked beads and I am pleased to carry them in my shop. I can't say too much right now though as it could spoil Christmas gifts for friends!
THis is my friend Ed from Empyrean Beads at the Portland show. I just love spending time with him and talking about beads and business. He has a great sense of humor!
I do not know if it is just me or this damn dinosaur of a laptop but it has taken me nearly an hour to sign into this account! Why oh why, does a comapny that provides a service like this blog, not make it easy to contact them for help? I would even pay if I could get the necessary advice. Oh well, on that bitter and sour note I begin this blog a new with todya's post!

A NEW DAY FOR AMERICA!

I am hopeful and smiling and dreaming and praying for a better day, a better life for America and all her citizens. I feel good that Obama won the presidency this day and after listening to his inspiring speech tonight, I can't help but feel that I am listening to my generation's John F. Kennedy. I will move into tomorrow with a lighter heart, a happier soul and hope for my family, the country, the world and our precious environment. God bless us all! Tomorrow IS a new day!

Here in Portland

We made it to Portland and I need to say I was very glad that someone else was driving in the pouring rain as between the rain on the windshield and the spray from the big trucks; I could not see a thing! Jacob kept himself busy by watching his portable DVD player and for the umpteemth time, watching Jurassic Park. Remember when you were a kid and the only thing you could do on a 4 hour car trip was look at scenery and count license plates?

The weather is beautiful here in Portland though and I had a great turkey burger at Besaw's tonight, a local restaurant in a small vintage service station. Phil had chicken and waffles with maple syrup from Vermont. He had never heard of eating fried chicken and waffles together. I told him it was a wonderful old souther treat! I managed a bite or two and it was great!

Gotta run, evidentally taking Jake to Powell's huge book store was not enough to keep him from bugging me right now. He HAS to check his emails now, my Mr. Popularity! Goodnight from the Rose City, Lois

Around Here

this is one of my silver charm necklaces that Andrea and Phil were experimenting with taking pictures of. They were trying to capture the silver charms in great detail and I think it looks pretty good. Now I just need to buy all the fancy stuff to become the photographer that my famous college photography teacher said I would never become! Oh, if he could only have seen into the future of cameras and the digital explosion! Now, I am off to Portland, Oregon early in the morning for the Portland Bead Society show and sale. We are leaving extra early so Jacob can get to Powell's Bookstore and their acres of new and used books. His list is a long one! Good Night! xo, Lois


Then of course, here are more trees in their autumn splendor. This time from Bainbridge Island. They are magnificent in their firey colors. ( Here's also to my friend Gina who spent many youthful summers with her grandparents on this island she refers to as BRAINDEAD Island. ) Makes me laugh!
This is the mess of new beads on my studio floor. I love dumping them in a pile and carefully walking around them for a few days or longer as they " age ". After the appropriate time passes, only then can I begin to sort them for the shop or shows or jewelry or the web site. It is great fun and for a while I feel bead rich with my pirate's plunder!

I like this picture, too. Lois

Something to Crow About!

No not really. I just found these little thumbnail sketches of crows and thought that I would add them to my blog. I can already feel new drawings of a certain black bird percolating in me! Best of all ... I voted today!!!! The power held in the palm of my hand by a basic black pen! I hope everyone that can votes this election. It is such a privilege to be able to do so and I mean to exercise my right to vote every single time an election comes along! Power to the people! Lois

Some of us in this world just can not give a birthday gift on time to save our very lives and I am one of them! Andrea's b-day was in September and even though I had purchased terrific crow buttons for her all the way back in March; it wasn't until last week that I found them and finally put her gift together and actually drove over and gave it to her! She was surprised, I think and this is her picture with the big plastic crow I found. Won't he look great in a garden or flower pot? Happy Birthday andrea and many more, Love, Lois