but i really want to just stay home

After a busy week of getting things done, I really wanted to just stay home and rest yesterday. But noooo says the Hubster.  He had ordered these tickets for a Formula 1 Expo at the convention center.  I found myself wishing I hadn't agreed to go because I was just TIRED!  But off we trekked.  It was enjoyable for what it was, but it was not what we expected for the price we had paid for the tickets. In other words, we felt it had been really misrepresented.  It mentioned there would be live music from local musicians, which we saw no evidence of in the time we were there.  It also said there would be "famous and well known" Formula 1 drivers, which we saw no evidence of.  One of the vendors pointed out one fellow dressed in racing attire and said to me "he's famous"  but it was not someone I recognized and she did not know his name.  HaHa.  There were only 3 food vendors which didn't seem like enough for the crowds they had predicted.

It was also so bright and glaring in the Exhibition Hall that photos were not good, at least with my little camera.  But if we had not gone, we would have imagined it to be much grander than it was. It was mainly to promote the new Formula 1 track that opens here in November and to get people to purchase tickets. YAY!!!  I already got one for Hubby for his birthday earlier this month.   However, we had two day passes, and when we got home, Hub immediately called a friend who was very happy to have the passes for today.  Besides, I am of the opinion that what you get is usually based on what you EXPECT to get.  We made our expectations based on the price of the ticket, therefore our expectations were a bit too high.  It was not bad for what it was.  I did hear a few people say "This is it????  What a rip-off.  Guess they expected way more than we did.

Here are some photos...

The Orange Lamborghini

Hubby with the Orange Lotus

 Cute ladies.  The one on the left was Vendor for the collectible race prints from many of the Grand Prix races over the years.  The one on the right was the Ferrari rep.  She tried to convince me I too COULD walk in those shoes!
                                
We talked about Cars, Fashion, and Nail Polish colors.  tee hee


I was also drawn to a booth were this guy http://www.mark-dickens.com/ was selling prints of his original collages he had done using ephemera from the races all over the world.  He had very large pieces that at first appeared to be "encaustic"...well of course I had to talk to him about it.  He said it was resin that he had brushed on. They were pretty interesting. He was selling only boxed sets of the prints.dThe piece I thought was pretty cool was a collaborative piece where a very long roll of paper was printed on with tires, with signatures of the race car drivers and people who had participated.

When we left there were quite a few people just coming in, so we may have just been there too early, before things got jumping.  Since we had paid $10.00 for parking we decided to just stay downtown for awhile.  We stopped at the little Crepe cafe for a Cappucino and it was so crowded we had to sit outside.  Thankfully, it was ONLY 90 by this time and the table was on the shady side. We talked each other into sharing a crepe, and it was pretty good. The savory ones sounded really good, but we opted for the sweet one with ice cream...Outside in 90degree weather...yeah that was a good decision.  HaHa.

We had the Crunchy Camille, it sure was tasty, especially with an iced Americano.  Since this place is 1/2 block from the Convention Center, there were a lot of people who had come from the EXPO.  We met a lovely lady from Italy with her son Lorenzo, who told us he was going to be a Formula1 Driver and his car would be the RED one.  I think he may have been about 5.  He was so cute when he ordered his own crepe and he said "I'd like the tomatoes and Mozzarella on the side, please". He and the Mother spoke Italian to one another, but once in awhile he would speak English to us when she reminded him.  She told us he had very particular culinary tastes!

We walked a bit downtown, then came home and I took a long NAP!

paper or plastic

When given the choice I always say paper. I read that it takes more energy to produce them than the plastic. But the plastic has now been recycled so many times and is so thin it tears apart before you even get home with it. When it comes to the grocery bags, before you can even get to the car sometimes. Besides, the plastic ones just irritate the heck out of me.  They seem to be a blight on our landscape. They are blowing around and stuck in trees everywhere. I don't think I've ever seen a paper one hanging from trees or blowing down the street.  You can at least use the paper ones quite a few times, and then still cut them up and paint on them if you wish!    Truth is, it takes an incredible amount of energy to produce both kinds, and both are bad for the environment.  So what are we to do?

   Most times I carry my own canvas bags with me, but there are times I'd like a paper bag from a particular store. Yesterday that was the case, with all three places I went. I really love paper bags.. Kraft brown is one of my favorite colors anyhow.

Sunday shopping with the hubster.  It was his birthday, so I took him to Denny's for his free Grand Slam.  I think it's one of the few places that still gives you breakfast on your birthday.  It's kind of a kick...and about the only time of year we actually eat at Denny's.  Then we went a few places we hadn't been in awhile.  Central Mkt, Anthropologie, Big Red Sun.    Just strolling, mostly.                       

Here's what came in the bags we brought home.

Hub wonders if I can keep this little air plant alive.  I killed the last one with a little too much misting.

Bowl of succulents, they need dappled sun and not much water.

Woody Harrelson is a very funny guy.  Uppercase is an amazing publication.  Too bad it is $18.00!

In the afternoon, the Birthday Boy went golfing.  I read the new Mags and took a long nap.  A Perfectly Fine Sunday.

no-one was harmed in the making of this art

I'd been wanting to experiment with some encaustics for  awhile, but it hadn't been at the top of my priority list. Besides, I like to do a little research when I'm going to learn something new.  When Hubster decided HE wanted to give it a try, well it was full speed ahead. We bought a kit of expensive wax, we had to have more expensive stuff to go with the kit...we did find an electric skillet at the Goodwill though, so did not have to buy the expensive enxcaustic palette that was recommended.  We set up a work area in the garage. Of course we each had different ideas of how this was going to go! Typical when men and women work together.  Even in 90 degree weather, melted wax hardens pretty quickly!  We didn't have enough pans to melt all the colors of wax, so only worked with a few.  That's why everything is the same color scheme!  Just getting a feel for the materials. We both thought flinging hot wax was fun, so there will be more to come.

This is play, and this seems like CRAFT.  Maybe after a lot more play we can call it ART.


Hubs squares



My very first encaustic on cardboard



The three I did.  One on left needs more.