Taking Pictures

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Yukon wrecks another one.
Beach glass inspired copper wind chime.
Click here to visit my website and see this wind chime sans dog .

With arts and crafts, the single most important marketing aspect is the picture. You can write all the lovely things you like about a piece, but if the picture sucks, forget the sale.

I've been taking pictures of my work for nearly fourteen years, and I know the best time of day, and the best lighting conditions. Unfortunately, especially as we get into shorter, cloudier days, these moments are not that frequent, nor do they last that long. At the best of times, I have perhaps twenty minutes to take my pictures.

The other day, the sun was very iffy, but given that the forecast was calling for at least several wet, dark cloudy days, I knew I had to take pictures.

As usual, my big golden retriever, who spends almost all day sleeping in the back of the car, had to jump out (he has some sort of sixth sense about when I take pictures) and stand right in the way. Out of the dozen I took of this wind chime, he wrecked the very best one. Man's best friend? Not always.

Bonsai

What does this fellow...

Yukon snoozing after a long hike

Have to do with this Bonsai Chime?

River Driftwood Bonsai Chime

My dog Yukon is great. So what does he have to do with my river driftwood bonsai freestanding chime? Lots.

See, I take Yukon for a long walk every single day. Mostly we head right up the mountain, near our home. He's a golden retriever, which means he wants to jump into any water he can, which means we usually visit a couple of creeks on our hike. And the retriever part means he wants me to throw sticks for him to... retrieve.

Well, that's no problem as there are lots of creeks and lots of sticks. But the other day one of the sticks I picked up was clearly not a fetching stick: What a beautiful, interesting piece of river driftwood! Yukon was extremely unhappy to see me with a stick that I guarded from his chompers, but I knew this was no fetching stick— it was a chime stick.

So there you go. If it wasn't for my water-loving, stick fetching hound, I never would have found this stunning driftwood, and the bonsai chime would never have been made. When I sell it, which I don't think will take too long, I'll consider that to be payment for a few sacks of the pups pricey chow. In a way, he's paying his own way. What a pup.

You can learn more about my bonsai chime at my website (and see another cute picture of Yukon!).

Bears and Sale

A local Big Guy ~ Photo courtesy of Tella
See more of her images at her website, and also
see her husband's amazing artwork there.

For the past year I have gone on a daily hike with my pup, Yukon. Rain or Shine, or Bear(!), we go. Almost daily for the past couple of weeks, we have run into at least one, and sometimes two, bears. Or the bears have run into us!

My theory is that there are not more bears, but that the bears are less afraid. In past years they would hear us coming, or smell us, and take off. Now they just stand there, curious and clearly not afraid at all. That makes me (a little) afraid.

My dog, the most non-aggressive animal imaginable (typically flopping on his back in total submission at the approach of even the smallest toy dog), for some reason goes nuts when it comes to bears, and chases after them like they are chipmunks. When the bear and the dog get in the heavy rain forest where I can't see them, and I only hear a tremendous amount of crashing around, it's pretty freaky.

I'd be more alarmed but a week ago my dog starting charging towards one of these creatures, and the bear didn't feel like moving. The dog stopped quite a distance away, and they had a staring match. The bear somehow got through the dog's thick head that he didn't feel like being chased, and the dog backed off. That was a good thing to see-- that the dog is not totally crazy.

Many days I have kicked myself for not having my camera along. So when my friend Tella showed me her bear pictures from her property, I asked if I could use one. Now you can see what we see everyday.

The introduction of my weekly featured sale wind chime is a success! This week, the wind chime was snatched up within hours. The next sale wind chime will be posted to my website sale page on Thursday late afternoon or early evening (depending on you time zone). Thank you to all those who are visiting my website-- and for all the lovely, positive comments. I'm very happy to see so much activity!

Yukon Pup Turns Five

How is it possible? My pup Yukon is just about to have his fifth birthday. Time flies.

It's been a super five years with this fellow. He has been excellent company, keeping an eye on me as I work all day on my wind chimes, sun catchers and home and garden art. Somehow, he always knows when I am at my toughest moment in a project, the moment that involves both hands and lots of concentration. That's when he gets up, finds his ball, and drops it at my feet. I know some people tease dogs. This dog enjoys teasing me!

Everyday, he reminds me enough is enough~ it's time for a walk. Sometimes it's hard to stop in the middle of a project. But never once have I regretted the time taken to enjoy a hike with Yukon. Most people forget in their stressful work filled days to take that time to smell the roses. Thanks to Yukon, I smell them everyday.

Often I think, 'Okay, I'll take you for a short walk" only to decide at the usual turning back point for a short walk that it would be best to carry on. So we hike on.

Yukon turning five already? Well, may there be many more years of hiking on.