Molten Blue

Today I do it right and work outside in the garden in the heat under the blue sky instead of,  say,  cleaning the toilet in the semi dark.  I clean up after the builders who put on a new roof and dormer, perform the annual papyrus cull, cut back all the vines climbing the peach tree,  pull up grass and weeds in the flower bed looking to see what if anything has survived unattended,  trim lavender, sweep the patio, plan next steps, so the afternoon passes.  Which seem to entail a glass of wine and a cigar under the Big Dipper as the evening deepens.

Ma Petite Jolie (Mach 2)

Ok.  Backing off the Picasso just a tad and bringing in the Matisse.  Glorious afternoon.

Illyrian Atelia

Ma Petite Jolie (Mach 2)

Gratitude

A huge thank you to Slavko and Nada,  who not only picked me up at the airport,  ( a big

deal!), but let me stay two nights with them in their house on the mainland in Solin as I adjusted to being here! 

Good, good friends!

Milna

In Milna,  safe and sound and scarcely worse for wear.   Now in for a few days cleaning before I start some wall painting and minor renovations. The new concrete patio looks nice,  all one level instead of three, so we can have a table and chairs out more easily,  and it is safer after a couple glasses of wine! (Ahem.)

The verdict is out on new roof.  I must check a couple of things out.  Our new dormer reminds me of a little  pre-Romanesque church,  so I like it. 

Art studio is set up, paint layed out,  canvas ready!

Slavko Writes: Sad News

You'll be in the air during the Equinox, nice view!!

Trying to finish the concrete, but it pours down, with the sun on the other part, just crazy!!

And the sad news, there won't be any vine this season, grape is so damaged, and rotten I wouldn't make a vine out of it. Imagine that. Only on the best locations, slopes, porous soil, south facing it will be fine, all from the leveled fields is destroyed from the rain.

See you tomorrow at Kastela Airport, me and Nada will pick you up. . .

Slavko

(Ed.:  That is difficult to imagine in Croatia.  Mum's the word on climate change.)

Amir and Inela: Changes

Our "baby came on September 10. Her name is Lejla. We are being quite busy these first days :). And we are getting used to new member. Same with Mak - we are trying to keep as much of his old routine.

Luckily also our moms are helping -- Inela's mom on the weekends and mine on workdays.  I am also taking 10 work days off, as I have not used vacation days during the summer.  Regarding school, I will freeze one school year but meanwhile I will be working on my research topic."

Amir

(Ed.:  Amir and Inela and Mak and Lejla just purchased and moved into their newly constructed flat in the historic Ilidza district of Sarajevo.)

Just Some Deer Crossing Eliot and Kyra's Back Yard

Happy 12th Anniversary to Eliot and Kyra!

Logging 2

Logging!

Yesterday, we spend the warm day cutting up and yarding out those big trees I had cut down last Winter.  These things were big!  And heavy!  Eliot does the really hard work, the cutting and the lifting, I stumble around with chokers and cables, and our neighbor Steve operates his backhoe.  Future firewood for Kyra and Eliot.  Still a lot of bucking to be done!

Dirt bike track

Eliot and Eason dirt tracking . . .

Puebla Paintings

Cityscape inspiration, with volcano but I forgot the snow on top.
.

Tiled wall, in work.

Here's two paintings inspired by our time Puebla, Mexico.  The hard-edge cityscape is pretty well complete, but the tiled fountain wall is still in work.

The cityscape looks pretty nice as a painting but,  I say"It really isn't evocative of Puebla."

Julia says, "Of course not.  Puebla isn't hard-edged."

I say, "Oh."

Hay

A beautiful weekend and Lori and John bring in more hay.  Fourth cutting of the year!  Customers lined up!  Julia picks veggies and flowers.
(Actually this was last weekend, 9/7, but they are at it again this weekend.)

Eason's First Day of Kindergarten

Kyra writes:  Busy, happy guy today! Made lots of new friends. He told us a story about a new buddy, Rafael. Eason asked him if he spoke English and he said "no", then Eason said "Dude, you're speaking English right now!"  Eason was excited because Rafael spoke to him in Spanish. Eason asked him if he would teach him Spanish and at first he wasn't sure, and then he got excited and said yes.  When I asked Eason how he thought Rafael might have felt when he asked him to teach him Spanish Eason said "Good, like he has a special skill and talent."  Very proud of my boy on his first day of Kindergarten!