Cleveland zoo

Vic and I had a wonderful afternoon at the Cleveland Metro zoo early April. We were thrilled with some of the beasts that are featured there. Lots of walking and perfect weather made it very enjoyable.
An island of Colobus monkeys was a black and white sensation.

And speaking of black and white, the zebras were a treat as well in a lush pasture shared by some Egyptian geese.

We observed a cheetah up a tree, a California Condor munching a rabbit and a lovely group of lesser flamingos.

The grizzly bears were surprisingly active.

We headed home having enjoyed some wonderful time together and collected great reference for future art works.

April in Dallas

What more can I say! Heather managed a few days off and flew to Dallas where Great grandparents, Great uncle, aunt and cousins reside. It was easy to fly in and join the fun.

Grandma Karryl





Great Grandma love.

Great Uncle Jan and Great aunt Cindy have a Portuguese Water Dog, Hannah who thought Isaiah was delicious.

Isaiah helped Great Grandpa read the papers
and did some reading on his own as well.


The visit was all too short, but there was sculpture to be done at home so we reluctantly hugged our goodbyes



Peace!

A Sneak Peek at Spring

The winters in Pittsburgh can seem very long. Just when I thought I'd had about enough gray and cold the Phipps (Pitts' botanical gardens) held a special members evening. Their spring groupings of tulips, pansies, hyacinths and more were the perfect medication for the winter blues.The orchid room is magical with it's lovely variety of delicate plants. Some look like special little creatures. It was a magical evening. I guess with all that gray I just needed a dose of color to lift me up!

Gone to the Dogs

At the end of March was the AKC all breed dog show in Pittsburgh. I love going to the show where I can enjoy everything from the itty bitty chihuahua to the giant, elegant Irish Wolfhound. I find something wonderful with each one. Both conformation and obedience were featured over two days.We each have our favorites and Vic was quick to make friends with a Clumber Spaniel. It is one of the breeds on our list of possibilities to add to our family.
One of the pleasures of going to an all breed show is getting to know what I'm not familiar with. The Tibetan Mastif is an ancient breed, but new to AKC. I had never met a Tibetan Mastif puppy before and this little girl was a charming teddy bear.

Although I wouldn't choose to live with one, I love the spunk of both the Border Terrier and the PBGV

How's this for a face! The Neopolitan Mastif has the greatest wrinkles. I got to feed him a cookie and he has a velvet muzzle.



Finally by the end of two days we were dog tired. The breed that stole Vic's heart was the Cavelier King Charles Spaniel. We made some wonderful friends and I got some great ideas for sculptures to come.

Ellies go home

In March I headed to Virginia to visit my friend Michelle who just happens to have a kiln. Perfect for firing the quick sculpt elephants. Spring was beginning to show her colors. Daffies, forsythias, flowering pears lots of wonderful colors. I love the new spring green leaves popping up on the trees. Virginia is ahead of Pennsylvania in the coming of spring so it was a treat to soak up the spring there.

We fired the elephants and mounted them on the wood base. Off they went to their new home.