A totally different sort of digital art by Tricia

OK, folks, I must say that my little budgie has felt a little left out of all the legacy scrapbooking, so I am, by direct (huh?) orders from my birdie, including this cute little page I created.

Yes, it's a bit different from the others. But it has style. It has oomph. And it has a poem that I wrote, which must be read with someone b-boxing in the background.

For those of you who do not know what that is, from, well, the 1980s to present...well, I may just have to ask you to deal with it (or be relieved in your ignorance).

Keep in mind, this rap song/poem made a WHOLE lot more sense when we still had our rabbit, Honey Bunny. But why let a possible Pulitzer prize winning poem go to waste by sending directly to the computer Recycling Bin? Oh the horror! (ha and double ha!)

So, without further ado, here it is. And for the one or two of you who cannot receive graphics/photos on your computer, I'm doubly apologetic because this post will seem utterly and hopelessly BIZARRE! (like it already doesn't??)

From Tricia, Mama Bird

More Japanese Garden pix

Photo 1: hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. Good advice for us all, little statue monkeys!

Photo 2: John, looking pensive, very Zen-like!

Photo 3: A nice shot that John took.

Photo 4: A little pagoda thing (my apologies to the Japanese for my ignorance). I think it looks like a Fairy House.

Photo 5: Bamboo railing in golden light

John and Tricia--date weekend

I have treasured this weekend, as it is the first time in six months that John and I have had some true couple time. Seriously, the last time was Jan. 31/Aug. 1, on our 10th wedding anniversary. Some dear friends took Hannah for the weekend (she's with her BFF), and all I could say was hallelujah!I say thank you, thank you and I'll say it again: Thank you!

On Sabbath (yesterday) John and I went to the Japanese Gardens, which is part of the Botanic Gardens of Fort Worth. We were only there for less than an hour before they closed, but it was still awesome; there were no crowds and it was 60 degrees outside! Perfect! We took some nice pix and then stayed out for the rest of the evening, partied hard at Barnes & Noble (ha!), and were back at home by 11 p.m. Alas, the old-timers were "done in!" :)

Then today, I thought, "Let's really live it up," so we went someplace with culture. With fine dining. With multi-cultural activities. With a wide variety of merchandise. A place I'd heard was special and "like no other..."

Yes, folks, we visited the Trader's Village Flea Market in Grand Prairie. I experienced sights, sounds, and (heaven help me) smells I've not smelled before (or in a long time). Traffic was clogged, the air was polluted, and we PAID money (only $3) for the gatekeeper to let us in. Not one of my brighter moments, alas I was desperate for "a fun time."

On a happy note: John bought me an early Valentine's day gift: Vera Wang's Princess, sold in a department store near you (but without the insult to the olfactories), yet we bought it for a SONG! And for some reason, after we bought it, I announced firmly "I'm ready to leave." After just 58 minutes, I'd had enough "culture." So there you have it. What John and Tricia do on a date: thrilling, exciting, and envy-producing moments for any and all.

All for now, Tricia

Another photo collage, just for fun

I was just messing around with some photos here. I thought the lady in red was striking, just a clip art photo of some unknown woman. But the ladder in the background is a "kiva," a photo I took at some ruins near Santa Fe.

For some reason, the woman looks like a "Tessa." And it looked like she likes to daydream, thus the title.

A scrapbook page of my aunt and uncle

Here is a rather simple heritage page that features my precious aunt and uncle, my dad's siblings.

A scrapbook page of my Grandma Schnell

Hello to some new recipients of my posts:

I promise you I will not "bother" you, just wanted to share some of my artwork that involves family legacy and a wonderful heritage. I occasionally post (once or twice a month) and I have included you all (I can only have 10 email addresses) for this blog. This blog, turtleonalog, is a blog/diary that features mostly my artwork.

My other blog, thequietlife-peaceseeker.blogspot.com gives update on our little Williams family. Anyway, welcome. If you would rather not receive these messages, just let me know.

Here is a digital scrapbook page of my beloved Grandma Schnell, my dad's mom. I wish I'd gotten to know her better. I look forward to heaven and sitting on the front porch, chatting about all sorts of things.

I am grateful to have photos of my grandparents, great-grandparents. I hope to someday write out more stories on these Schnell legacy pages as I learn more about these wonderful ancestors.

And so it continues... Tricia

John's "manly" shelf

I thought I'd show a little corner of John's world: the shelf next to his side of the bed. His sister gave us the statue of the fisherman; we bought the little ship in Galveston; and I took the photograph in Florida.