Wonderful Weekend Wrap-Up

Greetings, once again, blogland!  I am rolling into this next week with a full head o' steam -- having enjoyed ALL of my favorite things in the past four days:  Friends, Art *with Friends,* and Family - in the form of a fabulous Father's Day for The Man!  I hope that you all enjoyed a most wonderful weekend, whatever it had in store!

JP, yours truly, Sally, BWM, & KS
Summer Fun w/ the B's!

My weekend got an early start, thanks to the Fayetteville After Five summer concert series, on Thursday.  I joined the besties, downtown, for an early evening of live music, great conversation, and a couple o' ice cold brewskies to ward off the unseasonably warm weather.  We were groovin' on the tuneage of Cafe Mars (whose line up included a SMOKIN' hot trumpeteer), and thoroughly enjoyed the *rare during-the-week* chance to play catch up! 

After a moderately busy Friday, which included the 'final touches' for my Saturday readiness, I reveled in the 2nd quarter Day of Creative Play with more Friends in the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild, for a few hours of Altered Book discoveries with member Dawn Meisch.  Alas, in spite of having (A) my camera in tow, and (B) a fully charged battery in said camera I still managed to get ZERO photos :-\  I can, however, assure you that a good time was had by all - and much creativity was on display! 

Stacey, Dad, and meG
Happy Father's Day!

Today, though, surpassed them all!  The Man+The Girls+The Feast (meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, yeast rolls, and the "Extra Special Dessert" by the wee one) = PRICELESS!  The eldest Girl had to work - so was only able to be with us for a short time.  We managed to document the day before the scattering that seems to be the 'one constant'...  'Twas a most loverly afternoon!  The 'surprise dessert'?  None other than The Man's mom's own "Sex in a Pan" -- luscious layers of flaky crust, sweetened cream cheese, chocolate pudding, and cocoa-laced whipped cream.  The only regret of the day was that The Girl had to make the long drive back to school after such feasting :-\

mmm, mmm, goood!
Sex in a Pan, Sin on a Plate...  call it what you will!

My mind was encamped by other fathers on this day of remembrance:  my Granddaddy, my PaPa, The Brother; and although I wasn't able to be with my mom today, Mr. Able was strongly on my mind *in both remembered and imagined conversations.*  The echos of the past are intricately woven into the fiber of our 'everyday' -- we need only be still long enough to hear them.  

There is much in the way of 'continued coolness' here in the realm!  I look forward to sharing with you the latest accomplishments with the Strathmore Visual Journal Online Workshop Series (even though I am woefully behind), some nifty new technique examples from Dawn's online class, news of some exciting new color-play discoveries, and more than a few creative secrets to soon be revealed! 

Onward & Upward!
 - pla

Words of wisdom for today:

"Fathers, like mothers, are not born.

 Men grown into fathers - and fathering

is a very important stage in their development."

                                      - David M. Gottesman

Photo Notes:  

   Taken with Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1) - set to natural light, slow sync/red eye flash.

Bonus Shot!
The Man discovers
Flight of the Concords' "Sugar Lumps"
...laugh out loud, funny!