I've put on quite a few miles this week. We were driving back from Kansas and feeling a bit down because we were missing all July 4th activities, but we passed trhough Bozeman, Montana right as dusk and saw a fabulous fireworks show. Montana doesn't have the rigid verboten laws, and the town was alight with fireworks. We dropped into the valley and drove for at least 20 minutes with fireworks exploding in every direction. A wonderful experience. I guess Montanans believe that adults can play with matches, and if you blow yourself up it's your own fault. Ah, out comes the Libertarian.

Anyway, got back home and immediately repacked and headed for California for Music Camp. Spent an awesome (Yup, it really was AWESOME) week in the Coast Mountains completely emersed in music. I'm socially challenged outside of my little comfort zone, so it was difficult being dropped in with 129 strangers, but it was certainly worth the effort. My banjo picking has improved (Hey Steve, I got the book because of you and the shrew...and thanks for the HTML code. I'll be trying it in a minute), and I have a slight grasp of the mandolin. If any of you have any interest in folk/bluegrass/blues, you should take a look at California Coast Music Camp...and if you're in the Bay area and even remotely thinking about the guitar, check out classes by Carol Maccomb Carol McComb at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto. It is a unique opportunity to become one with your guitar, and Carol is one of the few gems that sparkle in the urban sprawl of Silicon Valley.

I'm now down in Fresno spending a few days with my mother and the boys. No WiFi at the retirement house, so I'm at Starbucks. I'll be leaving Thursday morning for the Grapevine show. MaryKay, Paula, Theresa and I are yarn shopping, then off to the show. Hope to see some of you there.

Linda

Creighton and I are road tripping to Kansas to visit his family and celebrate his folks' 50th wedding anniversary. Geez, I can't imagine being with anyone for 50 years (well, maybe George Clooney would have a chance -- I'd just stand him in the corner and look at him LOL). Fortunately, the pressure is off now, as a 50-year commitment is unlikely for me unless it includes an interim visit to the taxidermist.

I still haven't mastered mobile uploads, so we're going into the Archive. Today we present an old pic of Tigger in a relaxed moment.



I've decided to learn to play the banjo. I recently read that Steven van der Meer, www.meerimage.com/blog is learning the banjo, and since he is my third non-related friend to play one, I took it as a Message From God that I, too, must go forth and do the same, despite the adage "Play a Banjo; Go to Jail". I got the Mel Bay book "You Can Teach Yourself the Banjo", so we'll just see if ol' Mel knows what he's talking about.

BTW, I am incapable of writing the code so Steven's web site is a hot link. I'm close, but no cigar. If anyone would send me that line of code, I'd really appreciate it.

Linda

Hmmmm, Ten days since I last posted. Sure doesn't seen like that long ago. I'm now legally driving, so it's hasta la vista to public transportation. I had to take both the written test AND the driving test -- the first one since I was 17. YIKES! My tester lady was SCARY!! I think that driving testers fall into the same group as property tax collectors. The image of Dudley Dowright's Snidly Whiplash comes to mind. I wonder if those types of jobs just natually appeal to certain personality groups, or they become like that because of the job. Sounds like a potential Sociality Masters' Thesis to me. LOL
In celebration, we called the rest of the day Free Time, and spent it roaming around Spokane. We found this "antique" store stuffed with reproduction cast iron lawn ornaments. This one looks like the animals trying to escape....


I'd like to have a pair of the lions in my driveway.


And this gazebo would look mighty fine in the yard...but this month I think I'll pay the phone bill instead.
Then we had lunch here. Great burger; lousy fries.

and finished the afternoon with a really stupid movie. I won't say which is is...but I thought that John Travolta couldn't be in a dog of a movie. Well, I'm wrong again. It was worth $3.50 for the mindless entertainment (and believe me, I do have shallow taste when it coments to movies/books), but not $8 for an evening ticket.
Off to Orlando in the morning.

Linda

I'm back from Collinsville. It was a good show, but the trip had a few hiccups. MaryKay (StampCamp) was going to haul me around, but she was ill and I ended up on public transportation again. She's better now, and I'm safely home, so no whining...but the night tour of East St. Louis bus and train routes is definately right off the list.
I didn't take any pics, so I'm digging into the archive of stuff that I thought amusing.



This one is a baggage cart taken at the Denver airport.

-Linda

Finally, my Woody Guthrie Memorial pic...
I don't want to say that Springfield was slow...but on Sunday I arranged all my coins in chronological order :-(
I never intended this to be a pet blog, but you've gotta see Kona, Zana's (Stamp Zia) new puppy. Zana brought her to the show. She's SO cute -- very calm for a terrier puppy. She was delighted to be picked up, but raised no ruckus in the booth. Hope to see her at many more shows.


I'm doing some GPS training tomorrow, and heading for Collinsville Friday morning, so won't be back here until next week.

Linda

I'm in Springfield, and still no pics posted. I lost my driving license in Texas, so spent my few hours at home Thursday trying to get a new one. No luck. So I flew ito Boston this morning and had to make my way to Springfield on public transportation. It would have been a fun adventure if I hadn't been dragging 150 pounds of luggage along with me, but I'm here and booth is set up, so can't complain.
I DID get Cosmos to the vet. He got the stitches removed, and said goodbye to his plastic collar. He's a very happy boy again.
By the time I get my Pampa pic posted it will be a bit anti-climatic. It's a small town, but I spotted a sign for the Woody Guthrie Memorial Center. As an old-timey guitar player, I was pretty danged excited, had to make a visit. It was closed the days I was there, but I peered throug the windows and left lots of nose prints. Woody lived there in the 1930"s during his teen years, and worked at a soda shop which was later converted into this memorial center. Pic will go up on Tuesday.
Hope to see some of you at the show tomorrow.

Linda

Here I am in Pampas, TX. Didn't hear from any of you, so I guess there aren't any stampers here. No surprise; there's not much...and flat enough to see the curvature of the earth. I took a couple of pics, but don't know how to do a mobile upload, so they'll have to wait until I get home. I went through Denver this trip. It's always bit of a bump and jiggle because of the mountain thermals, and this time I was in a 16-seat, two-prop plane going through thunderclouds -- way too much of an E ticket ride for me. Two times some sort of beeping alarm sound came from the cockpit (kinda like a school fire alarm), and once there was continuous blaring sound, similar to an evacuation alarm. Whatever they were, I was very glad to be back on terra firma. I fly 100,000+ miles a year, and I still have a panic attack every time the slightest perceived "irregularity" occurs.
I have a few new images this week that I'll post on the www.lost-coast-designs.com New Images page.

Linda

I'm back from Puyullap. It ws my first drive across Washington. I suppose that eventually it will become more mundane, but it was a beautiful and varied drive that surprised me. It started with rolling hills of pine trees west of Spokane, then endless plains through the middle of the state, then sorta like high desert, then across the Columbia River and up past forests and lakes across the Snoqualmie Pass. I intended to take pics on the drive back, but it poured rain most of the trip, and besides, I was like the mule heading for the barn, and focused on getting back home. I'm sure I'll be back again.
I'm glad to say that Cosmos is much better. Here he is expressing displeasure over his fine "elizibethan collar" (LOL),

but he has discovered the joy of pills buried in bits of hot dog. His little brother, Batman

pays VERY close attention to the hot dog bits, and when one (containing the pain pill for an 80 lb. dog) bounced off Cosmos' nose, he grabbed it up like the little snake that he is. He spent most of the day sleeping it off on the couch.
I'm back to wearing my GPS hat. I'll be doing some training in Pampa, Texas next week, so if anyone is near there and wants to get together next Monday evening, beam me an email.
Thanks for the get-well posts. I read them to Cosmos, and he thought they were mighty fine.

Linda

OK, I'm ready to try posting a pic. Today we feature Cosmos Moose because he's had a rough day, and could use some Happy Thoughts sent his way. We have a temporary roommate who unexpectedly brought his dog along -- part pittbull, need I say more? :-( and there was some disagreement over butt sniffing, and poor Cosmos ended up on the short end of the stick. He's happily medicated tonight, but is going to have a few uncomfortable days...and the other dog will be spending the rest of his visit in doggie jail....AND Creighton will be staying home with Cosmos this weekend, so I'll be at Puyullap by myself. Will someone please come by and say Hi?? Ok, enough whining. Hopefully, here's Cosmos on a happier day. See how he's guarding my bins for a stamp show? Such a good dog. VBG

Well, the test page worked, but I can't delete it, so I've forever documented my PC insecurity and lack of dedication to task. I hope God loves a procrastinator. The epiphany was leaving my M-F job of 13 years and moving to Spokane, Washington. It was a hard decision to make, but it feels like we're starting a brand new stage of life....so it seemed a perfect time to start a blog.
This week we've been frantically pressing rubber for the St. Paul, MN and Puyullap, WA shows, and intermittantly painting the living room. I'll be at Puyullap this weekend with my booth and Stamp Camp, and MaryKay (Stamp Camp) will run my booth at St. Paul. Please stop by and say Hi if you're coming to Puyullap, and check in with MaryKay if you're at the St. Paul show. She might like a break or a bit of conversation.
Soon I'll be posting pics of the Lost Coast Design team, the critters, and whatever else I find amusing/intriguing.
Thanks for stopping by.
Linda