Today was my monthly book discussion group, we did David McCullough's "1776". It's not a dry retelling of familiar incidents, but filled with details that makes the events come alive. There are battles, but they are presented in a way that makes us realize what tremendous odds the American troops had to overcome to deafeat the most powerful army at the time. The personalities are presented to make them seem like individuals, not just a roll call of names and it's not always the most famous people who have the "starring " role in this book. McCullough is an excellent writer & I am planning to read more of his works, though it will be hard to top this one.

      To get into the proper spirit, I wore my tricorn hat that my sister had bought me from a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. I'd always wanted one & usually wear it on July 4th, Independence Day in the U.S. It was a big hit at the meeting,though none of us could figure out the reason why the hats had that specific shape. The meeting was filled with a lively discussion, as most of us really liked the book. It was more in depth than our usual dissections, which pleased & impressed me. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon.

     At the herp show last weekend, there were a lot of live animals. My camera stopped working partway thorugh the day, so I didn't get pics of all that I wanted to, but here's a few of the ones I did. One of my favorite animals are monitor lizards and they had several species there, the ones above being the most colorful, with the greenish tint.

    As expected, there were a lot of snakes. People might be surprised at the many different hues they come in, especially when one considers all the color morphs achieved by breeding.  This reticulated python was at the table next to me & is a tiger variation.I think it napped all day, but who can tell with no eyelids? 

   There were even anacondas, which were already heavily muscular despite being young and very active. No sign of J.Lo(movie reference). I could see how the dark pattern would make them nearly invisible in a Brazillian jungle.

   There were several table selling baby alligators, which  strikes me as irresponsible. Where are they going to keep them once they reach their adult size? Northeast Ohio doesn't exactly have the climate to build an enclosure in the backyard.

   One of the things I like best about attending herp shows is the chance of seeing all the different creatures from around the world. Even if one can travel to those locales, you still might not see the snake wrapped around a branch or a lizard on a desert rock.

   Here's my set up at the herp show yesterday. The entire table wouldn't fit in the photo, but I had about 9 pictures plus the basket of notecards.People were selling live animals(mostly reptiles & amphibians), supplies, books & t-shirts. Attendance was high & people were buying, just not buying MY stuff. All I sold was a packet of notecards and didn't even make enough to cover my entry fee. While artwork is unusual, there are other shows that include it & I used to do well in another organization's herp events. Unfortunately, they no longer do them.  

    Along with a lot of cool animals, there was an array of tattoos & t-shirts in the room. One attendee looked remarkably like Dubya(Pres. Bush) & had he been wearing a suit, the experience would've been spooky. He did have a larger vocabulary, though. Another person was carrying around a newly bought baby alligator with a leash of red yarn. What is he going to do with it when it's full grown? A customer at the next table got bitten by a python, the vendor tried prying it off with a credit card, which made no impression on the snake & finally released the customer's arm. The table across from me was staffed by a family with 3 bored teenagers, all of whom felt the aisle between our tables was for socializing, not customers. Along with reptiles, they were selling ferrets & chinchillas, which entertained me when people weren'tlooking at my work. I got a lot of praise, but after awhile I felt like screaming "Cash, not compliments!" The lack of sales was disheartening, but I'm going to try a couple more times at their monthly events in hopes of doing better. if not, then I'll revert to being a spectator.

     My car is partially repaired after the break-in. The insurance adjuster was here on Monday morning(!) & made a report on the damage & parts needed. His laptop had a program that contained the diagrams of most cars made since the 1970's & it was fascinating seeing the specific parts of my car in the mechanical drawings. nbsp;  The mobile window repair was here this morning(!) & replaced my broken window with one special ordered from Chicago. He had to take the entire panel off the inside of the door to access the opening. No glue was used, instead, the window slipped inside the rubber moulding & fitted into the frame. He also vacuumed up all of the glass in the car as well as on the garage floor. My car hasn't been this clean in years. I still must pick up the rest of the papers & stuff the criminals threw around the front seat, part of it was done over the weekend, but the glass shards made me nervous. The only thing remaining to be done is to have my mechanic put the dash back into place. I'm hoping he can just bend it back.

   Today was the first day that felt like fall, which is startling, though it shouldn't be. Not only was the temperature lower, but the sky was that certain autumnal grey, even when it wasn't raining. Some of the trees are begining to show their early colors, mostly  amber. It's still not cool enough for jackets, but it's on it's way.

      This Sunday is a new show opportunity for me. An organization has a monthy herp (reptiles & amphibians) show & sale at a local American Legion Hall & I attended it earlier this summer inquiring about having a table there to sell my art. I had sent several emails to 2 different people who were in charge without getting a response on where to send my entry fee. So I'd decided to go as a spectator & asked why they weren't answering their emails. Finally on Monday I got a reply that I could bring my fee with me to the show if I wanted to participate. Now I'm scrambling to prepare for it. There's no framing to do, thank heavens, but I needed tabletop display stands & even a cloth for the table. The paintings must be taken from their storage places & supplies & labels organized. The rest of the week is going to be busy, busy, busy!

   The Cold-Blooded Creations art show was the weekend of Aug. 18-20th, adjunct to the National Reptile Expo in Daytona Beach, Florida. I sent 5 pictures down, including the one here, titled "Queensland Branch" of a waxy monkey treefrog, found in the Australian rainforest. It was drawn from life at a local reptile show & then I enlarged the drawing on a xerox machine to add to the painting. It's about life size.

   The man in charge of the art exhibit said my work got a lot of compliments from other artists as well as customers & he even thought 2 people were going to buy one of them. Alas, they didn't, though I have sold work at the show in the past. For me, the show is more about being counted with prestigious artists such as Carel Brest van Kempen & John Agnew, among others. Attendance was higher this year & the show seems to be growing in popularity, which is a good sign. And I've already got some ideas for next year's show.