Love That Dirty Water...

 

Spring break, wonderful weather, so daughter Shann and I headed into the city yesterday to see some butterflies at the Museum of Science.

The Butterfly Garden is a beautiful place; especially after a long, dreary winter.  A virtual kaleidoscope of color and pattern greets you as you enter the room.  Green, blue, pink, orange, yellow - nearly all of the colors of the rainbow are there.  The Garden room is small, warm and steamy; just the way the butterflies like it.  As they meander from flower to foliage, they flutter around you and bump into you - a truly amazing experience.   Sometimes the butterflies like to land and hitch a ride; visitors are advised to check for hitchhikers as they leave the room.  Photographs are encouraged, and if I'd spent a little more time, I probably could have shot hundreds of photos.  But, it got a little warm for me in there, so I did reluctantly leave after fifteen minutes or so.  Even so, I'm glad I brought my camera as I was able to get in a few good shots:

This blue one kept eluding me, until it finally landed

The patterns are astonishingly beautiful

This one is very Savoir Faire!

No trip to the museum is complete without visiting the dinosaurs!

A view of the Charles River from the museum

Faneuil Hall

And finally, for just a little slice of history (and some window shopping!), we paid a visit to historic Faneuil Hall.  I had a really fun day; the city is an interesting place, and the butterflies were a real joy.  Thanks, Shann!

Emerging From Hibernation!

Well, here I am, back again after a much needed time out.  Bandit's death did take the wind out of my sails just a bit.  Well, okay, more than just a bit, but I can console myself by knowing that my old friend is not suffering anymore.  Poor Sunny was so sad and missing him, that we decided to find another pal for her.  So please allow me to introduce Sunny's new pal, Boone.  Boone arrived here this past Sunday, so we are all still adjusting to one another, (this may take a while!), but he seems like a nice boy, overall, and I think everything will be okay soon.

In the meantime, I spotted my first Robin out in the yard this morning, and a funny little Chickadee hopping around on the deck rail - a sure sign that Spring is on its way!  Soon, I hope!


I have been very busy in the studio, creating some new chain maille designs, and experimenting with some new materials.  Ed brought home a whole bag of empty shell cases (spent bullets for those of you who, like me, don't know much about guns and things), and after tumble polishing them to get all of the yucky stuff off, I have been trying to incorporate them into some jewelry designs.  I used the larger shell cases as end caps in a chunky bracelet (probably more suitable for a man?), pictured here:

In addition to the bracelet, I used a smaller, nickel plated brass case as a pendant to hang from a stainless steel Jens Pind chain.

 

I'm working on some other designs that will incorporate shell cases, but don't have anything else finished just yet.

I have also discovered Aluminum!  What an excellent material this is:  strong, tarnish free, colorful and ultra lightweight!  Take a look at these:

 I have lots of new things planned for the coming months.  Now that the sun is starting to shine, and the daylight is lasting a little longer, I am getting the urge to create again.  Check back often to see what's new!