The Rockits and Highlites at Java Joes

Jimmy's band is going to be playing tomorrow (Sat. July 31) night at Java Joes in Yorba Linda from 8 till 11 p.m. So put on your dancing shoes and come on out and join us. Last night the guys were fooling around at band practice (below) with a new song for them. It's called "The Summer Wind" and it's beautiful. The band just got back from Switzerland where they played for a week at the Pontresina Jazz Festival. (My spelling might be a bit off on that one) We just heard last night that they are invited back next year, so Switzerland here I come! It was pretty cool, the boys let me sing with them at practice last night even though I suck! LOL

Happy Sweet Sixteen Dan

My girl turned 16, so of course we took her out to celebrate. Jim and I want to wish you a wonderful birthday baby, we love you so much and it's exciting to see what a beautiful young woman you are turning into, both inside and out. You've always made me so proud of you. You are traveling down the right path Dan. You always have. Can't wait to see where life is going to take you. I'll always be by your side to love and support you.

My Baby Got Her Driver's License

Here she is with her very own car and her driver's license. I just can't believe it. We only spent 4 1/2 hours at the DMV yesterday in Norco waiting for her to be tested. Poor thing was so nervous by the time it was her turn that she was shaking. But she passed with a score of 95. Whoa hoo!!! I'm so proud of you Dani baby, you are on your way. Good luck sweetheart, be safe. Love you!

My Florida Adventure - Part III

I saved the trees and plants for last. There were so many tropical species to photo, these were some of my favorites. Loved the bush above with it's complimentary color scheme of the pinks, reds and greens. I actually tried growing this plant in my Yorba Linda home but it was too fragile and I couldn't keep it alive. Bette and Vinny have these bushes growing all along the front of their home. They give off a very soft and lacy appearance. One of my favorite trees was the one below. I loved the shape of it's leaves along with it's vein structure. If you look close you can see the grapes. One of my blog readers tells me this tree is called a Sea Grape. Makes so much sense since it was at the edge of the beach and had grapes hanging from it :)

Above is a bromeliad, there were so many different varieties there and they were all blooming. It was spectacular. They love the tropical climate as do the anthuriums below.

Don't know what species these are above but they look very familiar to some house plants I've seen here. And the bush below had these crazy blossoms, I think this might be a ginger plant but I'm not sure. I just know it was very cool.

Below is the roadway leading to the Intracoastal and Jupiter Island. The trees were so big and lush with such interesting trunks. Again one of my blog readers says these are Banyan Trees. Thanks! When I got out of the car to shot the pix I also shot the jungle (above) that was to the right and left of the trees. It was kinda scary. Who knows what was lurking inside there?

I couldn't get over how interesting these tree trunks were. I shot them from many angles. I also loved seeing the moss growing on the bark.

Jimmy told me to shot this cool shot by looking up. It's probably one of my favorite pix of the whole bunch. I hope you enjoyed them. Can't wait to be off on another adventure. :)

My Florida Adventure - Part II

Another shot of the gorgeous Bette and handsome Rocco. Look at those white marble floors behind Bette. Their home was so beautifully appointed.

We spent most of our time either in the ocean or in their pool. Rocco loves the water and could be coaxed in to take a dip in the pool with us. Bette told me the other day that he's jumping in on his own now when he needs to cool himself off.

When we weren't in the pool or ocean we were on the golf course. All we needed to do was step outside their back gate and we were on the course. They have their own golf cart and Rocco likes to ride along on the seat. He jumped off before I had a chance to take his pix.

This is the course we played, but only for about an hour at a time. It was so hot and humid that we wilted after about that long. But isn't it lush? If your ball goes out of bounds you do not go in after it cuz it's jungle and filled with wild boors, bob cats, snakes and alligators. Below is a shot of one of the ponds on the course that a couple of alligators live in. We went on several hunts around twilight when they come out to feed but we just didn't see any. Maybe that was a good thing LOL

This is the Intracoastal Waterway that separates Hobe Sound where they live from Jupiter Island, one of the richest areas in all the U.S. Tiger Woods is building a home on the island, Jack Nicholas has one there and so does Burt Reynolds. As we drove around the island I couldn't believe how many mansions we saw along with the incredible landscaping surrounding them. It was really something.

After crossing the bridge over the Intracoastal, this is the public beach that we hung out at the most on Jupiter Island. The sky was amazing everyday and the ocean was so different then what I'm used to in So. Ca. It was clean, clear and a gorgeous aqua color, and it even felt different on the skin. It's much saltier and makes your skin feel so soft. It's also easier to swim in, much more calm and gentle without the harsh undertow I'm used to here.

Julie spotted this little guy building his home in the sand. He was so shy and would only come out when he thought we weren't looking, so we had to be very still. The crabs are so much larger in Florida. It was really fun to watch him work and scoop out sand and toss it aside. Here's Jimmy cooling his feet as we were headed back to the car. Because it was so hot there, the sand was scorching. Even though it was so hot, there was always a constant breeze blowing, which was nice.

My Florida Adventure - Part I

It's been years since I've flown (I'm not real good on an airplane) but here we are (my boyfriend Jim and I) at the Long Beach Airport taking off for Ft. Lauderdale. Of course we had to eat first cuz it's a long ass flight. And maybe a glass or two of wine, so I don't freak out on the take off and scare everybody. LOL

Because this airport is smaller we get to walk right up to the airplane to board versus walking down that long ramp, so I just had to take a few shots of the plane. I got up close and personal with the engine.

After landing at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport we rented a car and drove north for about an hour and a half thru West Palm Beach till we reached Hobe Sound where Jim's father and stepmother live, Vinny and Bette. What a lovely home they have on a private golf course, with a gorgeous pool and spa in the back yard. The house has two large wings so there was plenty of room for everyone. And there were 7 of us staying that week. Bette told us it was one of the hottest June's on record, but it was just so beautiful there, just check out that blue sky and the lush surroundings. It was spectacular!

Jim's daughter Julie flew down from New York to join us there with Bette and Vinny. And Jim's brother Jack drove down from Georgia to hang out with us too. It was a full house. Above is Julie with Vinny and Bette and below is Jack with one of his daughters, Christen who also dropped in to meet us. Bette was such a gracious host, and an amazing cook. We had a fabulous time with all of them, so much food and laughter, such a close and loving family. And I can't forget Rocco, their new puppy. Isn't Bette gorgeous, she reminded me of actress Linda Evens from the old series "Dallas".

My Florida Adventure

I know I keep promising pix of my trip to Florida, well this one isn't it LOL. This is just a crazy pix I found on fiber artist Tommy Fitzsimmons blog, she lives there and gets to see these big guys often. I was hoping to see some gators, we even went on several alligator hunts when we were there, but we just didn't get lucky. Or maybe we did. I'm pretty sure I would have freaked out if I'd seen anything resembling this bad boy. :)

Beginning of Summer 2010

Looks like Tuesdays are gonna be our beach days this summer. You can find us at Newport Beach between 34th Street and 57th if you want to join us. We usually get there about 10:45 and leave about 2:30. Pack a lunch and come hang out with us. Still working on my pix from Florida, so stay tuned :)

Cityscapes/Urbanscapes/Landscapes - Student Art

It's been awhile, but I think these beauties were done during the third quarter by 2 students from my Advanced 2-D Art class. The top one was created by junior Jason Kwon and was a show stopper at Open House Nite because he was able to capture not only amazingly vivid colors but movement as well within oil pastel. The bottom one was also spectacular and was done by senior Hannah Park. The kids had a choice between using oil or water based pastel. I'm pretty sure Hannah also used oil. Hannah, if you are reading my blog this summer, let me know for sure, would ya? :)

Audrey Pulido - Student Art

Well, I'm finally back, the Internet guy was here at my new home and hooked me up with high speed Internet and cable so I'm able to start blogging again. Want to start off with senior Audrey Pulido who was in my 3rd year 3-d Art class. Her final assignment was to choose two metal working techniques and to combine them into her own design. She actually incorporated more than two as she annealed, hammered, rolled, pieced and twisted the various copper metals. I wish I would have taken a close up of the flowers because they were stunning and painstakingly executed. Way to finish up the year Audrey.

Misha

Meet Misha, my boyfriend Jim's daughter's dog. Jim raised her from a pup, but his daughter who lives in New York with her husband, far, far away, wanted Misha to come live with her. So Jimmy flew Misha to New York, his gift to his daughter. What a sweet man! I still don't have access to my computer and pix. Hopefully by this Thursday night I will be up and running again. So please hang in there, I've got a lot more student art to post from the 4th quarter along with my pix from my Florida adventure. Stay tuned! :)

Back from Vacation in Florida

Took a bit of a hiatus from blogging to visit my boyfriend's father and stepmother in Hobe Sound, Florida, Vinny and Betty. What a fabulous time we had, and a wonderful new adventure for me. But I'm having trouble getting my pix up from the trip so please be patient, I think I'll be up and running by the end of next week. So stay tuned. :)