Updating Links And A Funny Story

So many bloggers have been moving their blogs or changing blog names lately that some of my links were outdated.  This evening I finally fixed up the ones that needed fixing.  That is about the only thing I did today.

I have been feeling kind of lousy for the last week almost, not really sick and I don't really have a cold; but I do have an awful persistent cough.  I did have a slight fever for a day or so; but that passed and now all I have is that awful cough and a definite, serious lack of sleep.  I am almost wondering if I have a touch of Whooping Cough.  I haven't even been able to sleep in my recliner which usually works when I have a cold.  So I am pretty much a useless zombie at the moment.

Roy has been cooking for himself as I haven't really had an appetite and yesterday he needed a couple of eggs so he went across the street to the little tienda to get a couple.
He came home with the eggs, laughing hard, and had a funny story to tell me.  When he got to the store he looked in the usual place for the eggs and couldn't see them so started to ask the storekeeper.  He went totally blank for the Spanish word for "eggs".  A bit of background here. Roy is very good at playing charades in the stores to find what he wants when he is on his own, we know the store lady fairly well and she has a great sense of humour, so he resorted to charades.  I guess he clucked a few times like a chicken and then mimed cracking open an egg and putting it in a pan.  The lady laughed and went into the back room and returned with 2 eggs for him.  I guess they were both just splitting with laughter by the time he left the store.
This same store lady has a Siamese cat that her granddaughters named "Clifford" after Clifford the Big Red Dog books.  She also provides lunch for the health workers that go through the neighbourhood on the Dengue checks, etc..  One day on her white board she had a menu written, there was a variety of dishes listed and I stopped to read it.  I doubled up with laughter as the menu items were all something to do with the cat.  There were tacos de Clifford, Clifford a la plancha and various other items.  The health workers were all laughing and getting a kick out of it.  It is very seldom that you go over there and don't leave laughing.  A good neighbour whose husband unfortunately, suddenly passed away a couple of months ago from a heart attack. She now does all the store keeping on her own; but her sense of humour to the public has not changed at all.

Second Art Class, First Project Completed

Well,I finished my first project for the my second art class at the Casa de la Cultura.  This class is to emphasize the shadow and the way it works on a drawing/painting.
I am sure everyone is getting tired of me posting this stuff and this will be the last one for awhile.  I haven't started anything new at home after finishing Frank and at class I just started a new painting, this time in oils,  my teacher told me, "no more animals ha ha".  So I chose a picture of a white lily on a black background.
My finished project is still at the Casa de la Cultura awaiting mounting; but I did take the camera to class with me yesterday and took a picture of it to show Roy and to put on here.
The black paper was lightly glued to a stiff piece of paper to give us a firm surface to work on; but as it was lightly stuck on it let loose in some places and kind of bubbled.  You can see some light/white parts on the paper where the light hit the bubbles, so it is not that great of a picture but gives an idea of the finished project.  This was a fun picture to do even if that darn cat had more hairs than you can even imagine.  I kind of like him.  One of the office ladies at the Casa de la Cultura really likes him as she has a cat at home that looks like him.  Her cats name is Martin so perhaps that is what I will name my cat picture.

My finished cat.

One of my fellow students, yes, I am the granny in the class.

Franks Picture Is Finished, Maybe

I think I am finished with my friends pastel painting of his dog Frank.  I emailed him a picture of it and he says he likes it, so I am considering it done.  I may or may not take it with me to class today to show it to my teacher.  Not sure about that yet.

So, here is the photo that I used of Frank for reference:

Photo of Frank.

My rendition of Frank in chalk pastels.

Allan House Construction #4

The days are filled with pretty much the same old thing.  I finished my first project in this current class, no picture of it finished as yet, it is still at the Casa de la Cultura as the teacher wants to send them to wherever to get them mounted.  He seems to like to mount these on a white board with glass? covering the picture.  If I remember to take the camera tomorrow to class I will take a picture of it pre- framing.  It turned out not bad.

I am almost done working on my friends dog, Frank, just a few finishing touches and the clean up to do.  I might finish it tomorrow before class if normal life doesn't get in the way. 

Allans house construction has been quiet for a few days; but when I got home from uptown today there was a backhoe doing some digging, not sure what was going on.  The foundations are in for the rooms on the lower floor.  The rooms according to the albanil, (Louis), are 3 m. x 4 m. and 4 m. x 5 m..  There is going to be a bathroom, game room for the kids, a kitchen, dining room and livingroom on the main floor.  The second floor will have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (1 off the master bedroom I am assuming and 1 for the kids).

The other day some guys drove up with a lift machine thing and proceeded to lift themselves up to the streetlight and check it out.  I am not sure what they were doing as the light was working properly at the time.  They saw Roy and I standing on the patio watching them and noticed my camera so they were joking and posing for photos for me.  They did their thing and left, maintenance perhaps??  Unusual for sure.

The mangos are almost done blooming as are the avocados.  The peach tree and the lime tree are still blooming, the peach tree is really pretty at the moment and reminds me a bit of cherry blossoms.

Peach blossoms.

It Can't Be A Month !!

I can't believe that I haven't posted for a month now.  Time sure flies when you're having fun I guess.
I have been busy playing around with my pastels, going to class and just generally hanging out doing not much at all.
We both decided that we weren't in the Carnaval mood this year and therefore did not attend anything involved with it, so no pictures of it this year.
I am pleased with the picture I am doing in class, so far it is turning out OK. I haven't taken any pictures of it as yet, am going to try and remember to take the camera to class today as I want to show Roy how it is progressing.  I am not going to post it on here until it is finished though.
I am mostly done the initial drawing of what I am going to do next in class, just need to have another look at it with fresh eyes and see if I need to change anything before I set it aside until I am ready for it in class.
I am supposed to be working on a picture of a friends dog, Frank.  He wants a full body picture; but only in an 8 x 10 size.  It is a big dog and I am not pleased with it and so have been dragging my feet on that one.  I did finally finish it the other day though and then last night I started a bigger one of him; but this time of only his head. I am feeling better about this one and will send him both when they get finished.
Here's a couple of pictures of the small finished Frank and the larger in progress Frank.

Small finished Frank.

Larger version in progress.

A closer view of in progress Frank.