Hey!

It’s still Monday! Not for long, close to 30 minutes left, but it’s still Monday! Sorry about being so late! I have been extremely busy, I’ll make an “update post” soon!

I’ve also been extremely busy with Help-Portrait, t-minus 5 days!

So, todays quote is by Joe McNally. Joe McNally is a professional photographer, who has been shooting for National Geographic since 1987. His work is amazing, go check out his site at www.joemcnally.com. He also has an amazing blog.

“The umbrella approach (appropriate for some instances, absolutely) scatter light everywhere. It’s indiscriminate, kind of like carpet-bombing.”

That’s from his book “The Moment it Clicks”, which is an amazing book, go check it out!

But he’s right, umbrellas scatter light everywhere. They gie you a great mix of soft light, control and efficiency, not to mention they are significantly cheaper then softboxes. Softboxes offer more control, the intensity and the beam/trajectory of light.

I use both, and I like softboxes more, because they give you a softer, nicer light; but they are more expensive. Also, umbrellas are very useful when lighting large areas that don’t need to be necessarily light differently.

So good night! Sorry about being so late!

Thanks, and until next time! Check out McNally, he’s an amazing, very talented photographer, also check us out on twitter: http://twitter.com/FatherlyFilms

Become a fan on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fatherly-Films/185657081457?ref=ts#/pages/Fatherly-Films/185657081457?v=wall&ref=ts

Website: www.fatherlyfilms.com

Having a summer wedding outdoors? Heck, depending on what part of the world you live in, you might have to deal with this year round. What is it that I’m talking about you ask?

The sun! Oh so pretty when you wake up with the blue skies and pretty shadow pictures that I’ve swooned over so many times. But what are the disadvantages that the rain brides don’t have to deal with? There’s the squinty eyes, the sweating, and the sunburns. This past summer, I attended my cousin’s beautiful beach wedding. Even though she had a shade hut that we all sat under during the ceremony, all the walking around afterwards to hang out got me utterly sunburned. I’m actually now sitting in Chicago with the temperature about 30 degrees outside, and I STILL have the tan lines to prove it! It’s December!

What could save your guests? SHADE! Let’s explore your options.

At least there are the programs. Talk about multi-use paper products!

Well, what if you provide one shade umbrella and a couple parasols? You get this…

source: In The Clouds Events

Shading everyone. Might be more expensive, but definitely more fair and might look better in photos.

source: Caroline Tran

or pretty parasols… some light still gets through. Is it enough to get burned though? This may be an expensive option, but at least you can re-sell the parasols after the wedding. Will people use them? Will men feel like they’re not allowed to use them? Will they get in the way of people’s line of sight?

Brilliant Event Planning

Wedding Planning Plus

What do you think? Are there other options to shading that I haven’t considered?

]]> http://imageryoflight.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/rimini-sky/ Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:02:34 +0000 Sheila Creighton http://imageryoflight.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/rimini-sky/

Colourful umbrellas dot Rimini's 15 km of fine sandy beach.

Rimini is a popular Italian resort on the Adriatic Sea. It is also a a centre for art and history. Famous director Frederico Fellini was from Rimini and set some of his movies here, including Amarcord.

© S. Creighton 2009

I found this AMAZING website called Polyvore.

It lets you unleash your inner stylist by creating  fashion sets, mixing and matching images. So cool. You can also look at other members sets and get some inspiration.  Information on where to purchase and prices are all included too. I can just imagine myself spending hours of this site!

My profile is available HERE

Brett, Jan.  The umbrella.  New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004.

Summary: “Carlos goes into the cloud forest to look for animals, but he manages to miss seeing them even though they have an adventure with his umbrella.”

Just like ships we

float through each

other’s lives,

through the waters of

beauty and grace.

Originally posted Sept 9, 2009

I’m looking out my window on a gloomy Wednesday morning in September and the high summer days of a few weeks ago seem to have ended as abruptly as my glorious beach vacation.  Cue a somber grey world and another workday.  Happily, events are in full swing.   This upcoming weekend is our busiest of 2009 and I spent yesterday phoning all our brides, emailing with coordinators and prepping the shoot teams.   I also spent quite a lot of time yesterday telling brides that rain won’t ruin a wedding day.

Not something anyone working in special events wants to be saying to their clients in the days preceding their very big, very public, very expensive event.   I never deign to say, “it’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day,” but I can honestly report, rain will not ruin your wedding video.  And here’s why.

Rain brings with it an element of romance.  Think Paris, misty streets and love under an umbrella.  Think of huddling under an awning with your lover’s arms wrapped around you.  Think of crackling fires and whispered declarations of love.  Rain has a way of relaxing the masses.  Its maternal voice hums a soft lullaby and creates a natural din one can fold oneself into.  We have captured some spectacular footage over the years of brides under umbrellas, puddles looping outwards in raindrop symphony, and guests peering out windows and enjoying a moment with what seems a solitary world outdoors.  True, an outdoor ceremony moved indoors may not be as gorgeous on film as the original garden might have been, but other beautiful shots will find their way into the piece, compliments of rain.

If you don’t believe me, check out this gorgeous wedding we filmed last year on a rainy day:

And if that clip didn’t convince you, maybe this will.  On my own wedding day the forecast was for thunderstorms.  Everything was scheduled to be outside; the ceremony, photos, tented reception…the whole shebang!  It turned out to be hotter than Hades and the air was as thick as pea soup, but it never rained a drop.

Reason to want rain? Yeah well most people want sunny days and blue skies. And others who are obsessed with pictures (I speak of myself again of course) want cool pictures with umbrellas. I totally understand the hassle and tension that having a rainy day might bring, but I think this set of pictures should ease your concerns a little. Make the most of your day regardless of the weather. You may miss the sunny day pictures, but you’ll covet these rainy day pictures that sunny day brides cannot have.

Anika London

Hanssie Trainor Photography

and more umbrellas

Two Suez Photography

or how about cloudy skies where you’re lucky enough to get a break in the clouds for your outdoor ceremony. Talk about adding suspense to your day.

Melissa Mcclure

Are you worried about rain on your big day?

We all got jobs we need to do. We all give it an honest effort.

So why does the umbrella decide when it wants to play fair. While walking in the pouring rain today, I’m talking buckets being thrown in ones direction. My umbrella decides the winds just a little too much for the flimsy piece of s@$* and reversed on me. Arriving at my meeting looking like a wet dog. I explained my umbrella fiasco to many people, who had a good laugh at my expense. Shoes still making squishing sounds I left my meeting only to see blue skies and no rain. “Son of a Bitch!!”. lol.

Topshop e24

New Look e10

cath kidson 24.65

“We are now well into the second week of probably the worst flood to have affected Ireland in hundreds of years, and there is still no let-up for many people.” – Irish independent.

Being born on an island where on average 225 days a year it rains you think we would have listened to Rihanna when she sang…under my umbrella ella ella. However despite being capable of keeping the frizz at bay from our barnots it seems when it comes to owning a durable umbrella that will sustain the winter weather we are all not akin.  So heres my pick of my favourite three styles. No golf brolleys here- you can still look effortlessly chic as you prance around in puddles in your wellies (ok maybe not wellies then). My ultimate choice would have to be the clear dome style from Topshop, you can see out and people can see in all the while being protected from the treacherous downfalls. New Look and Cath Kidson also have some lovely prints such as dogtooth and floral to choose from. Its time we invested in an umbrella ladies.

While living in Central America!

With 4 more day left in Honduras, so many things are flashing before our eyes. We are trying to take it all it and enjoy every moment like it is our last! So we can not leave you with the images from our “Things We Won’t Miss About Honduras” post. So along with the 2 previous “Things We Will Never Tire of…” (click to read that post) and “More things We Will Never Tire of…” (Click to read that post) we are adding even more things we love and will miss about our second home, Honduras.

PEOPLE WEARING AMERICAN T-SHIRTS!
They wear high school, college, professional sport teams, 5k runs and just some whacky tee-shirts that make sense in the States but not here…like the old dude wearing a “I love mullets” T-Shirt! The same with the baseball caps too!

From Juayua Food Fest!

GETTING OFF THE BUS IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE!
People getting off the bus in the middle of no where with no houses around, just disappearing into the woods on some tiny trail on the side of the highway. It is like they live in a secret Narnia land!

MACHETES!
Can’t help it, but we love them. They are an every day tool here: need something cut no matter how small, whip out the machete; your kids wants to cut open a coconut, give them a machete; or your grass needs a mow, do it with a machete!

From Perquin

From Perquin

LOS GALLOS!
Central Americans love the Rooster, not only for a food source, but for advertising! We had a love for the Rooster before we came to Honduras, and now we love them even more! We will miss roosters and chickens walking the streets, under your feet and crowing at any and all times of the day and night!

From 2009 – Feb. Dogs and Roosters

From Roosters for Kris!

HONDURAS Y FUTBOL!
It is just so awesome to see a whole country cheering all for the same thing! All and any differences are shoved aside in order for all their energy to go towards another National Win! Our energy will be with Honduras in their World Cup 2010 matches!

From On the Street After World Cup Qualifying Games

From On the Street After World Cup Qualifying Games

HONDURAN COWBOYS!
We love to see campesinos/vaqueros riding through small towns on their horses for a few reasons. 1) Everyone loves a cowboy, a real cowboy. 2) In Honduras the horse may be that cowboys only source of transportation. 3) Some cowboys teach their horses to prance. And 4) The saddles are wonderful, whether a fancy leather one, a worn old one or a wood one!

From The People of Honduras – A and T's Trip

From The People of Honduras – A and T's Trip

THE GREAT LIGHT SHOWS!
What we are talking about is the awesome lightening and thunder storms. We have never, especially West Coast Jim, heard thunder so loud and close before in our lives. And the rain that comes with it, it is so hard and thick it is like a cleansing blanket that covers the dry dust covered city.

From Austino and Turnito's Trip Start to End

OUR BOYS!
We mentioned children in general in one of our other posts about things we will never tire of here, but in particular we would never tire of spending time with our boys at the Casa Del Nino orphanage. Even if we do not feel good or are super tired, we still have a blast with them and come out happy. We will miss them so intensely that we KNOW we will be back.

From Jim's B-day 2009

MOVIES FOR $2.00 – $3.00
We often go to movies every weekend watching whatever movie they have…some silly teen movies and even a horror movie once and I do not even like them. But in a town where there is not a lot to do and the movie is cheap, why not. And it is the only place I can get popcorn here!

OVERWEIGHT WOMEN!
Most Honduran women have meat on their bones…and it is okay.

From Gurifuna Fest – Corozal Honduras

From Carnival – El Sauce – May 09

THE TWO ON A BIKE MADE FOR ONE RIDE
First someone sits on the seat, and another person sits kind of side saddle on the bar that goes in between the seat and the handlebars. Okay, that might be do-able, but the person sitting on the seat is peddling with their hands on the shoulders of the bar sitter. The bar sitter steers the bike. I have totally wanted to try this with Jim, but I know we would break our necks!

OLD GARIFUNA WOMEN
In their old style cotton long dresses and head scarf, I often think that if I sat and talked with them, that I would get Maya Angelou type wisdoms. Hmmmm…maybe this is where Maya gets all her great quotes!

From Gurifuna Fest – Corozal Honduras

From Gurifuna Fest – Corozal Honduras

OUR WONDERFUL SUPER HONDO UMBRELLAS
I am sure you have heard me mention our umbrellas before….but we do so love them. They are super large, double paneled and double spoked. Forget the fancy super fold down Totes variety…the Super Hondo Umbrella is the way to go. We even bought two new ones to bring home with us…Jim’s is a sassy yet masculine lime green and dark green striped number, my new one is…rrrooooar…tiger striped (I heard that animal print is still in…please say it is so).

From Brullys & boots

From Brullys & boots

From Brullys & boots

THE NICKNAMES THE BOYS AT CASA DEL NINO USE FOR EACH OTHER!
Mono (Monkey) for little Andres who loves to climb on things. Siete Mundos (Seven Worlds) for Marcos who has a big head. Timba (big belly) for little Isreal that has a belly that grows when he eats! Vaca (Cow) for Walter, because they say he is heavy (he actually looks like normal teen – not skinny like the rest of the kids). And El Tunclo (Loud person) is Jonathon’s nickname because he makes this ear piercing whistle noise! El Diablo for Julio because he’s a bit of a trouble maker. And Jefe (boss) for Jan Carlos because he used to make crank calls saying he was the boss of a local gang. Ay Ay Ay! Some are mean…but the kids do not mind for some reason. Check out the album below with all the nicknames AND the nicknames they have for us!

Los apodos de los niños en Casa Del Niño (Nicknames of the boys at Casa Del Nino)

FLOUR TORTILLAS
Honduras make the best flour tortillas hands down!

From 2009-02-12 The Art of Baleadas

OUR BIG BLACK RAIN BOOTS
Although not attractive at all, I feel like a kid ready to jump into puddles when I have them on. Actually that is what they are for as the streets flood regularly in the rainy season…so bring on the puddles, uh, mini rivers is more like it!

From Brullys & boots

SNORKLEING
Although I have been a diver for along time and Jim became one at the start of this year away…we have both come to love snorkeling. Maybe that is so because the water is so clear off the islands you do not need to dive down deep to see a lot of great underwater life!

From Panama – San Blas Islands – March 2009

From Panama – San Blas Islands – March 2009

$1.00 TAXI RIDES
Especially if we move to any city in the U.S. of A. So long cheap ride home after a few cervesas!

OLD SIRENS FROM THE BANANA REPUBLIC DAYS
La Ceiba was a company town, Vaccaro Brothers’ Standard Fruit Company from New Orleans started up the banana business here. Everyone that lived here worked for the fruit company. Sirens still go off to mark certain times of the day for current day citizens. But back in the day here was their daily schedule; sirens go off at 6am for a wake up call, then at 7pm for work, again at 11am for lunch, back to work at 12noon and the day is done at 4pm! There is something homey about the sirens. Here is a link to United Fruit Company which is the current fruit company doing business out of La Ceiba for a history of their company, which does involve the above mentioned Vaccar Brothers.

I am sure more things will pop up after a couple of weeks back in the states. We love Honduras and I am sure we will be back sooner or later, if not because we need a baleada fix, but for sure to see “Our Boys” again.
————————————————————————————————————————————————-

An international crackdown on the use of woods from the world’s rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar ’s manufacturing plant, but no arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Webb said the search warrant was obtained based on information in a sealed affidavit outlining the investigation.

Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson’s Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.

Some hardwoods traditionally used in making premium guitars, such as rosewood from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil, have been banned from commercial trade because of environmental concerns under a recently revised federal law.

Under the U.S. Lacey Act, trading in such banned woods is a federal offense, punishable by civil and criminal penalties or the seizure of property. Last year, the U.S. Congress amended a turn-of-the-century wildlife protection law (the Lacey Act) to extend its reach to endangered timber species and plants. See the next post Where Were You When Wood Became A Felony?

The following is a excerpt from the Classical Values Blog. It is very interesting and I highly recommend you read the entire article at http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2009/10/where_were_you_2.html

The 2008 Farm Bill (also known as the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, aka Public Law 110-246).

This amendment [to the Lacey Act] deals with illegal plants — the primary thrust being illegal wood. Henceforth, all wood is to be a federally regulated, suspect substance. Either raw wood, lumber, or anything made of wood, from tables and chairs, to flooring, siding, particle board, to handles on knives, baskets, chopsticks, or even toothpicks has to have a label naming the genus and species of the tree that it came from and the country of origin. Incorrect labeling becomes a federal felony, and the law does not just apply to wood newly entering the country, but any wood that is in interstate commerce within the country. Here are some excerpts from a summary:

The Lacey Act now makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken in violation of the laws of a U.S. State, or any foreign law that protects plants. The Lacey Act also makes it unlawful to make or submit any false record, account or label for, or any false identification of, any plant.

The definition of the term “plant” includes “any wild member of the plant kingdom, including roots, seeds, parts, and products thereof, and including trees from either natural or planted forest stands.”

[...]

Anyone who imports into the United States, or exports out of the United States, illegally harvested plants or products made from illegally harvested plants, including timber, as well as anyone who exports, transports, sells, receives, acquires or purchases such products in the United States, may be prosecuted. In any prosecution under the Lacey Act, the burden of proof of a violation rests on the government.

[...]

Violations of Lacey Act provisions for timber and other plant products, as well as fish and wildlife, may be prosecuted through either civil or criminal enforcement actions. Regardless of any prosecution, the tainted plants may be seized and forfeited.

Everyone means everyone, which includes every reader of this blog.

Obviously, this means that in the future, the Fish and Game guys will be able to accompany SWAT Team raiders to check all wood in homes and businesses for possible violations. Even if they’re wrong in their suspicions about the wood, it can still be confiscated. (Might that be a goal? To beef up employment at Fish and Game?)

Just think about the law enforcement possibilities alone. After kicking through and impounding your illegal wooden door, a federalized army of government termites could literally strip all wood paneling and flooring from every raided house as suspicious contraband, and haul away all the furniture, wood carvings, picture frames, tools, musical instruments! I can’t think of a better harassment tool. The list of potentially regulated items is mind-boggling:

the scope of products that will require a declaration under the Lacey Act is broad and includes certain live plants, plant parts, lumber, wood pulp, paper and paperboard, and products containing certain plant material or products, which may include certain furniture, tools, umbrellas, sporting goods, printed matter, musical instruments, products manufactured from plant-based resins, and textiles.

[...]

After September 30, 2009, based on experience with the implementation of the electronic system for declaration data collection, we will phase in enforcement of the declaration requirements for additional chapters containing plants and plant products covered by the Lacey Act, including (but not limited to) Ch. 12 (oil seeds, misc. grain, seed, fruit, plant, etc.), Ch. 13 (gums, lacs, resins, vegetable saps, extracts, etc.), Ch. 14 (vegetable plaiting materials and products not elsewhere specified or included), Ch. 45 (cork and articles of), Ch. 46 (basket ware and wickerwork), Ch. 66 (umbrellas, walking sticks, riding crops), Ch. 82 (tools), Ch. 93 (guns), Ch. 95 (toys, games and sporting equipment), Ch. 96 (brooms, pencils, and buttons), and Ch. 97 (works of art). We will announce a specific phase-in schedule for those chapters in a subsequent Federal Register notice.

Did they mention shipping pallets and cargo braces? Wood is not only in stuff, it’s in the stuff that the stuff comes in! Nearly everything is regulated.

Oh, and you firearm owners out there, let’s not forget gun handles!

Ch. 93 Headings (arms and ammunition).
9302 — Revolvers and pistols.
93051020 –Parts and accessories for revolvers and pistols.
Ch. 94 Headings (furniture, etc.).
940169 — Seats with wood frames.
Ch. 95 Headings (toys, games, & sporting equipment).
950420 — Articles and accessories for billiards.
Ch. 97 Headings (works of art).
9703 — Sculptures.

Glad I don’t own an art gallery, but my picture frames are not labeled, which means there are probably multiple potential felonies in progress in my home. (Perhaps I should be more careful about what I say.)

And while the NRA might not have noticed the impending crackdown on gun handles, at least IKEA is starting to speak up.

Between Wood Control and the Consumer Product Safety Nazis, I pity anyone in the secondhand business, including all Ebay and Craigslist sellers as well as people holding garage or yard sales.

In short, I pity the American people. This is not their fault, though, for no one has any control over what is going on. Not even the despicable fools we call “legislators” who cannot read the “laws” they pass because they are not meant to be read. As to the enforcers, they are only doing their job. They have to earn a living. And we are supposed to respect them, because they lay their lives on the line, “protecting” the public! From felonious wood!

Obviously, the full implications of this dramatic loss of freedom are beyond the capacity of a single post. After all, I am just one blogger, doing this by myself, without the kind of access to data that media organizations and think tanks might have. So, I cannot possibly hope to analyze everything. As things stand, I became exhausted last night just reading through the Lacey Act Amendment stuff pertaining to wood — and that was one mere fraction of an execrable, unreadable monstrosity. I don’t mean to whine, but slogging through such horrors is not exactly my idea of Saturday night fun. But who the hell else is going to do it? Flooring and furniture industry blogs? Who the hell reads them except people in the business? They’re all greedy tree haters and have no credibility. Besides, all big business is the enemy right now. We need to stand up not only against Big Cereal, but now Big Flooring! Big Siding! Big Furniture! (Is there such an industry as Big Chopstick?)

To read the entire article please go to: http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2009/10/where_were_you_2.html

In the spirit of the recent rain, here is a beautiful umbrella that acts both as a parasol and an umbrella. Instead of your run of the mill black golf umbrella or miniature that you stash in your purse, the frills on this are a great compliment to a wedding.

Raindrops|Umbrellas:Adult Guy de Jean Can Can Ivory Umbrella.

On four different occasions during the seven-minute walk from the Dart to the office today I had to step over the remains of a dead umbrella, lying sprawled on the footpath like a drunken daddy-long-legs in a kilt.

Each of them had obviously belonged to an owner who didn’t know how to use an umbrella in bad weather, which was unfortunate since it is during bad weather that umbrellas are supposed to find their true purpose in life.

The umbrella does have a cousin in the brollus putupus family which thrives best in a sunnier climate. This is the parasol, which is not indiginous to these shores. The parasol’s natural habitat is the deep south of the US, where it is utilised by ladies who say things like “oh, Ashleh”, and whose house gets burned to the ground by “those damned Yankehs”.

(I’ve just read the opening sentence again. It is clear that it’s the umbrella and not me that’s sprawled on the path, isn’t it?)

As with any pet-owners, people who buy umbrellas should learn some of the basic rules about caring for them before adopting one. Fortunately, there is only one basic rule – an umbrella likes to face into the wind. Facing the other way causes the wind to rush up the brolly’s skirt, and they will be quick to tell you that this is not nearly as much fun as Marilyn Monroe made it look in The Seven Year Itch (you just know I’m going to show the picture, don’t you?). Such an event turns the umbrella quickly into a wind-bag, and this can be fatal to umbrellas, though not apparently to politicians (or indeed, certain part-metal bloggers).

One of the saddest things was observing how the umbrellas, after many, well, minutes of devoted service, had simply been left on the street by their owners, who hadn’t even had the decency to give them a decent burial in a nearby litter-bin.

Please remember – an umbrella is for life, not just for drizzle.

Original digital painting of two young women taking a leisurely walk in the rain.

a leisurely walk
nowhere in particular
in the wet of day

Color is an obsession. It taunts me as a daily painter. My need to bring color to form; to bring beauty to color is what transforms the brushes into strokes of passion. Two women walking in the rain isn’t just that — it’s about the kind of friendship that enjoys conversation and togetherness even on a rainy day. No hurry to be somehwere. Simply, a day of pleasure.

– genece hamby, contemporary artist
To purchase A Walk in the Rain, http://www.shibuistudio.com/awalkintherain.html

Check out the online gift shop of original fine art prints, Genece’s book, notecards, and more.
http://www.shibuistudio.com/giftshop.html

the only thing i can draw that’s even slightly recognizable is an umbrella… so i paint a lot of those. when i am dead and a clerical oversight (and/or bribery scandal) results in my work being admitted into some art museum, the tour guides will scathingly note that my whole life was devoted to an “umbrella period.”

umbrellas in watercolor. and sharpie.

It dawned on me while watching Wedding Crashers that this stuff really does apply to daily life.

The following are directly from the rules of Wedding Crashers, I think they apply to first date situations, perhaps even beyond the first date. If you listen, you won’t fail a first date, I swear it. Unless you really just suck.

Here we go [annotated with my thoughts]:

Rule #6 – Do not sit in the corner and sulk. It draws attention in a negative way. Draw attention to yourself, but on your own terms.

Rule #8 – Be the life of the party. [...but not the drunk of the party.]

Rule #11 - Sensitive is good. [...but not too sensitive, you don't want to come across as a pussy.]

Rule #15 - Fight the urge to tell the truth. [...I don't mean lie, maybe just refrain from oversharing.]

Rule #21 - Definitely make sure she’s 18. [...or he for that matter.]

Rule #24 – If you get outted, leave calmly. Do not run. [...if it's clearly not going anywhere, be gracious, not a dick... end it nicely and move on.]

Rule #37 – At the reception, one hard drink or two beers max. A drunk crasher is a sloppy crasher. [...okay, not the reception but this should apply to the date, keep it classy.]

Rule #51 - Always pull out in time. [...not sexually. Pull out from the entire situation. Don't get sucked into dating a dud.]

Rule #54 – Avoid virgins. They’re too clingy. [truth]

Rule #60 - No “chicken dancing” – no exceptions. [another truth]

Rule #63 – Bring an extra umbrella when it rains. Courtesy opens more legs than charm. [...this could not be more accurate. Open doors too! Requirement!]

Rule #64 – Always save room for cake. [...or a night cap.]

Rule #66 - Smile! You’re having the time of your life. [...takes more muscles to frown.]

Rule #72 - Studies have shown that women have a more developed sense of smell. Breath mints – small cost, big yield. [... tic tac it.]

Rule #76 - No excuses. Play like a champion. [...always.]

Rule #77 - Carry extra protection at ALL times.

Rule #80 - Stop, look, listen. At weddings. In life.

Rule #82 - Always think ahead but always stay in the moment. Reconcile this paradox and you’ll not only get the girl, you might also get peace of mind.

Rule #86 - Shoes say a lot about the man. [...don't wear reeboks.]

Rule #94 - Deep down, most people hate themselves. This knowledge is the key to most bedroom doors.

Rule #96 – Etiquette isn’t old-fashioned. It’s sexy. [...I think this is the most important one!]

Rule #99 - Be judicious with cologne. Citrus tones are best. [...wait, maybe this one is.]

Rule #102 - No periwinkle colored ties, please.

Rule #103 - Always have an early “appointment” the next morning.

Rule #104 – Be well groomed and well-mannered. [...please brush teeth and have clean nails]

Rule #106 - Eat plentiful, digest your food. You’ll need the energy later.

Rule #107 - Know when to abandon ship if it ain’t floating.

Rule #108 - Know your swing and salsa dancing. Girls love to get twisted around.

Rule #112 – Have FUN! It’s why you’re there!!!

Rule #113 – Don’t look for opportunities; make them.

Yes, the rain is here in Seattle at last. But still, I am painting in springlike tones and the theme I’ve just completed is butterflies. Go figure. My brain yearns for spring even though I am content with fall in Seattle.

At first I am happy to see it, the gray slight drizzle is easy to ignore. You just wear a hat and remind yourself that this year you really need to buy some rubber boots. But so far this year, Seattle has had more heavy rains – what I like to call East Coast rain – and you really need to have an umbrella.

For me that is no problem. I believe I currently have six umbrella’s: Kermit the Frog (Happy 40th Anniversary Sesame Street!), small basic black, even smaller red that fits inside a bag, large long red, fancy decorated one that belonged to my grandmother which she handed me one of the last times I saw her when we were driving away in a truck and loading up things from her garage, and my current favorite glow in the dark flourescent yellow/green (StrideLite with lamp). That last umbrella is my current favorite because it has a lamp. Why don’t all umbrella’s have lamps? This is an ingenious invention that I don’t mind promoting. Not even sure the company is still around.

In any case, I am here in my studio while the sun is setting at 4:31 pm and I am painting butterflies, making some custom picture frames, dreaming of a house with a fireplace which will materialize very soon, and happy knowing that I’ll have a bright umbrella to guide my way home.

I know this is old school, but I think you will enjoy it anyway!

Although I will be touching on some stories of our trip to El Salvador in this post, some are worthy of more detail which I will share with you in my next post.
——————

Bus ride from San Pedro Sula to Santa Rosa de Copan…… 80 Lempiras ($4.00)

Getting the scariest bus “losing-it’s-steering-on-mountain-roads-death-defying-praying-to-all gods-for-our-lives-literally-crying-roller-coaster-like-ride” experience…Priceless!
——————

BY THE WAY – PRICING IS PER PERSON!

——————

Taxi to the bus terminal in La Ceiba…20 Lempiras ($1.00)
Bus to San Pedro Sula…90 Lempiras ($4.50)
Bus to Santa Rosa de Copan…80 Lempiras ($4.00)
Hotel and Food in Santa Rosa de Copan…($22.50)
Bus to El Salvador Boarder…70 L ($3.50)
Bus to La Palma, El Salvador…$1.50
Total….$46.00

Eating a pupusa ($0.35) for the first time IN El Salvador (where they are from)…Priceless!

First El Salva Pupusa

——————-

El Salvador using the American dollar as their money…not interesting at all.

Change actually being worth something again…Priceless!
——————-

Hotel in La Palma…$10.00
Dinner in La Palma…$1.70 (2 pupusas with a beer)
Breakfast in La Palma…$3.70

Seeing one of the most colorful towns in all of Central America…Priceless!

The Colors of La Palma

——————-

Having a 3 hour bus trip turn into 4.5 hours because we took the local bus instead of the the “directo”…1.5 extra hours of our time.

Seeing so many teeny tiny villages and passing out gum to the school kids on the bus…Priceless!

La Palma – Suchitoto Bus Ride

——————-

Having beers at El Necio in Suchitoto…Around $5.00

Meeting Mario a local mason and ex-guerilla (and his boxer dog, Tasha) and hearing his stories of days gone by…Some sad, but definitely Priceless.

From 2009_10_24 – Suchitoto – Juayua

——————-

On a bus from Apopa to Santa Ana seeing a young guy with make-up concealing his poor quality gang face tattoos “selling” Chiclets….Sad.

Finally realizing he wasn’t an ex-Marada like I thought, but a current one extorting the bus worker near where we were sitting…Scary as All Hell.
——————-

Eight hours of bus rides to the Route of Flowers…4 bus changes and around $3.75.

Not seeing many flowers on the Route of Flowers but beautiful country none the less….“What the…?” kind of Priceless!
——————-

Following a local “guide” into the jungle…Worrisome.

Seeing 4 wonderful waterfalls and a group baptism, and swimming in the fresh cold water…Outdoorsy Priceless!

Juayua Waterfall

——————-

Meal in Juayua…a whopping $10.00!

Eating a whole grilled frog, a small string of sausages shaped like balls and experiencing Juayua’s Weekend Food Fest….Very much so Priceless!

Juayua Food Fest!

——————-

Bus along the coast to small Beach town of El Tunco…50 Cents.

Jim pushing me and our bags off the back of the bus all of sudden when the bus stopped because there was a gang of 8 guys hanging about us…Exciting, but Not Priceless.

Emergency Bus Stop to El Tunco

——————-

Getting a cheaper room in a nice hotel’s annex across the street in El Tunco…$20.00 (for both of us)

Having a beer while we cool off in the fancy pool at the nice hotel…Priceless.
——————-

Going to a pacific coast beach…3 bus rides, surrounded by gang members and around $3.00

Seeing black sand and more rocks than anything else at the beach…Photo Opp Priceless for Dawn!

El Tunco

——————

Trying to find a small art museum on foot in a city where houses are locked down like prisons for safety…a bit disconcerting and $3.00 when we did find it.

Discovering Sorpresas…Priceless!

Sorpresas – San Salvador

—————–

Having to hit 3 hotels to find one that has NOT raised their rates…a bit of a pain in the butt.

Looking through the collection of social welfare, leftist political and feminista books of the older owners…Priceless!
——————

Going a bit out of our way to see the little mountain coffee town of Santiago de Maria…1 hour.

Seeing a town that my brother in-law’s mother was from and actually meeting someone that knew her…Priceless!

Santiago de Maria

—————–

Being told by a hotel owner to leave Alegria, the highest very cute town in El Salvador, because all the hotels were full…very annoying!

Having a drunk, but amiable, local guy find a cheap room for us right on the parque central and with a great garden and view…In Your Face Other Hotel Guy Priceless!

Alegria’s View

—————

Jim getting sick in the middle of lunch and sleeping the rest of the day and night in Alegria
…a bummer.

Dawn meeting a Australian couple to talk to while out having her fix of pupusas for dinner…Priceless, in a “Keeping Dawn from Going Stir Crazy in the Hotel Room and Bugging Jim” kind of way.
—————

Waking in the early, early morning to live bands belting out tunes and hustle and bustle noises around the hotelito…a Bit Put Off.

Finding out the production crew of El Salvador’s version of Good Morning America (Viva La Manana! – Long Live the Morning!) was staying in our hotelito, and that they were shooting the whole show in central park vive (Uh…LIVE)…Priceless in a Silly Star Struck (okay, Jim was not that impressed) Way!

Vive en la Manana!

—————–

Looking forward to going to the small town, Perquin, that was the Headquarters of the FMLN during the Civil War…3 hot buses, our packs on our laps for 4 hours, and around $3.50.

Getting to the only not clean and kept up town we have seen in El Salvador and not being able to do a hike with an ex-guerilla guide because of thieves on the trails…Kind of Sad.
——————

Finding a event a decent place to sleep in Perquin…impossible.

Sharing a huge beer to help us sleep…Priceless!

From 2009_10_30 – Alegria – Perquin

——————

Wishing I could take a shower, but it was very cold and foggy outside where the cold water shower was located and there was a big spider in the shower room… too bad so sad.

Convincing Jim that there was hot water in the shower and then seeing his goose bump body when he came back from the shower… Priceless.

——————

Weezing and taking puffs of my inhaler throughout the night and finally deciding to get up at 4:22am because I couldn’t handle breathing any more mold in the room…not fun.

Deciding to take the 6am bus back to Honduras instead of the 1:30pm…more not fun.

Waiting for 3 hours for the 6:30am bus to arrive then hearing that it won’t be coming so we have to wait for the afternoon bus…triple not fun.

Coordinating with our fellow stranded bus passengers and arranging a ride in the back of an old hoopty pick-up with 9 other people and all their luggage on very rutted mountain dirt roads across the border that El Salvador still doesn’t recognize…Doing it Local Style Priceless!

From 2009_10_31 – Perquin – Marcala

——————-

Lugging our beloved but huge and bulky Hondo super umbrellas all over El Salvador and not needing them once…awkward and inconvenient!

Getting caught in the rain, minutes after crossing the border back into Honduras, in the back of an old hoopty pick-up with 7 other people and all their luggage on very rutted mountain dirt roads with our huge and bulky Hondo super umbrellas…So Worth It Priceless…for everyone!

From 2009_10_31 – Perquin – Marcala

From 2009_10_31 – Perquin – Marcala

—————-

Arriving to Marcala, Honduras drenched and muddy, looking life refugees (okay the umbrellas were not made to be used while in a moving vehicle)…funny.

Taking a hot shower…Priceless!
—————-

Dawn getting what sickness Jim had the other day…bummer!

Jim going out and about to not bug Dawn and go stir crazy….Priceless!
—————-

Long bus travel day…10 hours.

Sleeping in our own bed…Priceless!
—————–

That’s it in a Priceless-like nutshell. Read the next blog for elaborations on some of our adventures mentioned above.
————————————————————————————————————————————————–

So I’ve been writing every day for an hour or so in an effort to refine my writing skills. Here’s a story that came from a daydream I had a few days ago. It sounds almost like a children’s story to me, so if you have any illustrative skills feel free to draw something of this weird story!

Gage the Cloud

Gage was the largest cloud-lion to ever exist.  He knew of clouds before him who turned to rabbits, snails, and roses, but never, ever, had there been a cloud quite like him.

His tail, a great wisp of cirrus, stretched across the sky to the horizon, catching hues of purple and red on its underside. His head, a great round cumulonimbus, showed his fierce blue eyes. Gage was a powerful cloud-beast. Once he had wispily blown into formation he wasted no time in claiming the sky as his natural territory.

Cloud-bunnies and mice came to fear him. His shadow marked the end of days for any that breezed by him, and it wasn’t rare for the mere mention of his name to cause the younger cloud-bunnies to precipitate.

But Gage’s reign over the sky would not be complete until he had bested the great cloud-eagle, Mona, in battle. He blew forth from the eastern horizon and approached Mona, her eyes crackling with lightning.

Gage’s mouth opened to reveal a pitch black swirl. His head flew back and he roared thunder. Mona, wings blocking out the sun, brought her talons close to her body where they began to funnel.

Gage knew the time was now; if he did not strike soon, Mona’s talons would shred his body, leaving him to drift to the earth as fog. If he wanted to have all of the sky as his own, he would need to move.

He lunged. Mona’s body gave way and, with a deafening boom, his head burst through to pure sunlight. Her wings had blotted out the sun for the past few weeks, and now, with this single act, Gage had restored light to his new dominion.

After absorbing Mona’s mist, Gage went about hunting down the nearest cloud-bunny. The bunny quivered and droplets began to fall from its back end.

Gage delighted in the fear he struck into those in his territory. He opened his mouth and lightning spilled out onto the poor bunny. In a few minutes Gage had entirely consumed the shaken beast, and his heart was now overcharged with energy. Gage felt he could take on anything and, for the first time, he looked down.

What he saw was a world full of movement. The ground below held tiny creatures that he could scarcely see, and only knew existed because of his run-ins with their metal birds. Gage could feel the power, the electricity, moving from place to place on the ground and he decided he had to have it. He decided that his dominion had to reach to the ground.

And so Gage descended. He swept through a city at dawn and covered the sun, as Mona had done. He got close enough to see the creatures, all of which had grown multicolored shields. He brought his claws down hard, but the creatures didn’t seem to mind. Their shields kept him from touching them, and they moved about as if he wasn’t even there.

Gage whipped himself into a rage. He began to howl, and his fur began to raise. He buffeted buildings and shields and tore branches from trees, but only had the energy to beat the ground for a few minutes. His hair kept raising until, with a fading roar, he realized what he had done.

Coming down to earth had sapped all of Gage’s strength. His limbs had become thin  around the edges and his body had been pressed flat against the city. Gage slowly began to fade.

Before the last cloud bank broke from his body, Gage cried on the people of the city; remembering how he once thought he could make them his, but could now only make them damp.

Kidorable is supporting Toys for Tots by donating $1 for every new Kidorable Facebook Fan that signs up between Nov 1-Dec 25!  (up to 500 fans).  In addition, if we reach 2,000 Facebook fans by Dec 25, we will donate 250 umbrellas to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.  Please pass this message on to all of your friends and blog readers so together we can make this a very special Christmas Holiday!

The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.

www.facebook.com/kidorable

If you’re anywhere near me… you might need one. Maybe even a stylish one.