Dennis Bunker

I had never heard of Dennis Bunker until I read that John Singer Sargent painted with him - I then found that he had a very short life/career (1861-1890), which may be why his name does not come to mind easily. So, I was delighted to come across one of his works, Roadside Cottage (1889) while at the National Gallery on our trip to Washington.

Mandy has been Collared

Due to a torn toenail, then inflammation, Mandy is wearing a protective collar. She doesn't seem to mind it, and it seems to keep her out of trouble. Maybe we should have her in it permanently?

Washington in Holiday Attire

We spent a few days in Washington, DC. The new national Christmas tree will take a few years at least to begin looking impressive (previous tree was downed in a storm). The decorations on the facade of the Old Excecutive Office building are a game attempt at "festive". Best decor we saw was indoors at the National Gallery - the rotunda and garden courts kept their restrained elegance with live Christmas trees and plants added to the regular greenery.

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Card Photos

Yes, it's that time of year, when good little dogs sit nicely for their annual group photo. Apparently Mandy did not get the memo.

Eventually we got her slightly quiet.

Frames and Foliage

Have been to busy to post lately, so need to catch up.

Foliage this year was not the best due to the weather we had, but the (invasive) fire bushes we have looked great this year, providing spots of color amidst the grays and browns.

Also busy gilding some frames; two silver leaf in process (they always take me longer than I think).

Savannah's New "Dog Toy"

The Halloween Storm

The famous "Halloween Storm" of 2011 is now history, with power back on in most of our area. After a couple of days with no electricity, heat, running water and then the phone service out, plus my chain saw dying, we decamped for Maine. We returned Wednesday evening, and are now doing the cleanup both inside and out.