Heat Wave

Laddie

Summer finally arrived here in southern California. It's been nearly ninety degrees at the beach and over one hundred inland. It makes it rather hard to run a kiln in the heat, but I've managed to get few things cooked. I completed a new Bull Terrier pin and a load of Happy Bullie pins are in the kiln now. I've been sculpting a bit more in the heat. Laddie the collie is coming along nicely. I started a lying dog as well. I still want to sculpt a mule but have not had time to start one.

Most work for the next two months will be devoted to Bull Terrier items. I sent my money in. I will be vending at Silverwood, the National Bull Terrier show in October. I am going to try to sneak a few Justines in here and there though. I did a little more work on the appaloosa Justine. I have decided that will be the prize in my giveaway contest. The contest will be in November. Mark your calendars now!

The Bull Pin

Sunnybank

Sunnybank, Oct. 2008

When I was young I had no real interest in cemeteries. Now that I am middle aged I have developed an interest in them. I find the headstones fascinating. For the past few years I have been visiting the graves of relatives and ancestors, in a search for my family history. I think that is where it started. In October 2008 I had the opportunity to visit Sunnybank in New Jersey. It is now officially known as Terhune Memorial Park. Sunnybank was once the home estate of author Albert Payson Terhune. He wrote many books, articles and short stories about dogs, mostly his own dogs. There was a huge Victorian house there, appropreately named Sunnybank House, a barn, and Terhune's kennel where he raised his collies. Sunnybank is the last resting place for many of those same collies. It's all gone now. The house was torn down in 1969. The barn and kennels long gone, but the dogs remain as, really, the only thing that hasn't changed.

Champion Rock

The Light in the Forest at Champion Rock

Champion Rock was a natural rock formation located above Sunnybank House. Terhune buried his champion dogs here. Some were show champions but others just his best "chums". There are several grave sites scattered around the grounds. His favorite collie, Lad, has a separate site away from the others. Down in a wooded area nearer to the lake is another cluster of graves. Dogs he had late in his life. Not all of his known dogs have marked graves. No doubt they are here as well, in some unmarked resting spot in the woods.

Terhune's own grave is located in the nearby town of Pompton Lakes, NJ at the Pompton Lakes Reformed Church Cemetery. We visited there and found his grave. Stones had been placed atop his gravestone and that of his wife Anice on the other side of the headstone. I thought it quite odd. I have no idea if it had meaning or just the local children playing in the cemetery.


All in all I was somewhat disappointed. Terhune's Sunnybank that he wrote so glowingly about just wasn't there for me. His love for The Place came across so strongly in his writing, I could almost feel being there when I read his books. I went looking for a place that had not been there since 1942. The land and lake are still beautiful and I see why he loved it so. I wish I had seen Sunnybank House in it's heyday, with it's wisteria covered porch and collies romping to the lake through the woods.

The Monocle

Random Picture of the Day

Well, poop. If it's not one thing it's another.

My computer glasses broke last night. Broke right in half at the nose bridge. I'll just go to Lenscrafters, I thought. They are pretty fast if you get the no frills stuff. Off I trooped to Lenscrafters this morning. "Can't fix that" the young man said. Well here's my prescription sell me a cheap pair for now. Off we go to the clearance section. As I'm looking over the frames, quizzing him on prices, he looks over the script. He then proceeds to tell me he can't get me any glasses without an exam. "California State law, the prescription cannot be over two years old". Must be a new law, as I had never heard of it. If I have to get an exam then I'm going to my eye doctor and use my insurance to pay for it. Which leaves me using half a pair of glasses. Interesting thing about my eyeglasses, I only need the left lens to see the computer. They just keep falling off my nose though. I'm trying to figure out how I can turn it into a monocle.

Justine

Justine

So after being sick for so long but not quite up to returning to work, I decided to take a week's vacation. I get very industrial when I'm not working my regular job. I have so much more energy to do creative projects. I cast, cleaned and fired a few things. I have a small stock of the new mare to work with, and plenty of Bullies. I started the appaloosa above this week. This is the first coat of underglaze. All brush work and etching at this point. I need to get a new bottle of latex to start the rest.

Did I tell you the new mare has a name? I call her Justine. Maybe if I can get my act together I will do a giveaway contest for one. I'll have to come up with some type of interesting contest.

Large Horse Head

Collie

I also managed to clean up my room in the house. It took five days but I can now use the work table in there. Not only that but I can actually walk around in there without tripping over something. The room houses most of my Breyer collection on the walls but the middle of the room has space for the table. I've set up some sculpting and other work that I can do in the house. Even though I live near the beach it still gets pretty warm out in the barn in the summer. Above is a couple views of some of the sculpting going on.

Bull Terrier Pin Mold

Lastly I sculpted this little pin, a Bull Terrier head. This actually opposite of what the finished one will be. This is the negative side of the rubber master mold. I'm pretty excited about pins right now. They are so fast and easy to make. I'd like to branch out into other breeds and horses.