featured artist Sue Lambert

A few weeks ago I purchased a couple orders of glass discs from an artist on Etsy. Didn't know what I would do with them but wanted them anyway. That's usually how things work around here. These are some of the discs I bought.Sue has designed and created jewelry since 1993, selling at art shows and in galleries. She studied metalsmithing and casting for about 5 years at a silver studio near her former home in Northern Michigan and has also learned the art of lampwork from some talented artisans. She also works with PMC and art clay silver. Sue now lives with her husband in North Carolina where she continues stretching her talents.

I asked her to make me some shiny red discs. I DO HAVE a project in mind for these! They are now on their way to me! Check out her shop at
http://susanlambert.etsy.com
and her blog
http://northcarolinasusan.blogspot.com

wordless wednesday - pretty cold

Five years and the passion still grows

As you have read over the past few days my husband and I share a passion for model railroading. It was that passion that in a round about way brought us together. I met him on the Internet through a Pennsylavania model railroading list. I had lost the love of my life and his wife passed away a few months later. He was in Wisconsin and I in Connecticut where I had lived most of my life. Emails in September led to phone calls in October which led to him flying out in November. He arrived on November 18th and on the 20th he proposed and I said yes. On March 11th with my children and a few close friends gathered around we were married. The Justice of the Peace was a model railroading buddy and our wedding bands are Pennsy Keystones that we had specially made. The photo below was taken the day we had our wedding blessed in May once we had sold my house and moved me out to Wisconsin. I don't regret it for a minute. Here is a photo we had taken at one of those photo places you can get dressed up at. It graces both our computers and I smile everytime I see it.

Bring it down to size

I have gotten some emails wondering about the size of our layout. I always like to show it off even if it is far from complete. Some people have no concept of what HO scale is either. They are not modelers so I don't expect them to. This first picture gives you a view of a good portion of the layout room. Not all of it but it gives you an idea of what we are doing. You can click on any of the photos to enlarge and see detail better. Now this picture will give you a better idea of the size of the actual pieces. That is a quarter photographed with a scene of roofers tarring a roof. The quarter is larger that the guy is tall. Getting the picture a little better here?

The photo below is of the building that those little roofers are on top of. If you enlarge the photo you can see one of them to the left on top of the roof. Now if you go back to the first photo and look at the building on the right of the center island. That is the building that these little guys are tarring the roof on.

Hope this helps put things into perspective for those that had questions as to size.

pieces of a bigger picture

Some people know that my husband and I are avid model railroaders. They also know that is how we met. But that is another story for another day. We have a rather large layout in our basement. It in the building stage as most model railroads usually are. We are having an open house this Sunday. Here are a few little scenes. Excuse the photography as it is not one of my better talents. Here is the supermarket in Clarksville. Notice the little shopping carts! Here is Pete's garage.

This gives you a picture of Heritage Furniture on the left, with Siegelman's clothing warehouse behind the trees in the middle and the Golden Fame fuel oil on the right. You can see we are working on a second level also.

Here is the entrance to the junkyard. Notice it has it's own little mailbox next t the fence.

Here is another photo of the junk yard from a different angle. The barge in the front is loading scrap metal. The junkyard has several cranes on railroad tracks that unload cars coming into the yard.

wordless wednesday - still wintery here

Busy, busy, busy....but not the furkids!

This is Bert and Miss Sassy. Bert is 9 and very arthritic from previous abuse. He also has a pin in one of his legs. A real sweetheart. Miss Sassy (next to the crate) will be 13 tomorrow. She was rescued from a puppy mill where she was a baby machine. She had never played on grass or felt a loving touch until she came out. She was 7 years old at the time. Skin and bones, hardly any fur and frightened. Now she sleeps in soft places and gets plenty of food and water. This is my Big Boy....Mr. Murphy. He is the biggest and is mommie's lap dog. This is a rare photo as he usually takes off as soon as he sees or hears the camera. Mr. Murphy is 7 years old.

This is our elder statesman Sam E. He will be 13 in May. You couldn't ask for a sweeter dog yet he was considered a biter at one time. He bit because he was afraid. His place when I am at my desk is right there behind my chair...guarding for anything that might come get me. Both he and Miss Sassy have lost their hearing.

And the last one to join the clan is Miss Katie. She has a bed under my desk on one side and crate pads on the other and goes back and forth between them when I am in here. She sleeps on the bed by my feet at night and when I leave the house she sleeps next to the back door until I come home. She will be 13 in November but has the energy of a 2 year old!

As you can see they are helping me with my work.....NOT!