FRIENDSHIP, AUTUMN and DUBAI
September 20, 2012

"Her spirit is still with me..."

It's almost the weekend...time to kick back and relax for most. But when you're retired, you can kick back and relax at anytime. Nice!! This week, the INSPIRATION AVENUE blog challenge has a theme of  friendship. Of course, I thought of my dear friends's recent passing... she was a spiritual leader of  the Onondaga Nation- one of the 6 nations that make up the Iroquois Confederacy. The above piece is done in her honor... I did another piece describing "friendship" as well, but I combined it with an "autumn" theme that THE THREE MUSES challenge blog requested... this is it!

A virtual trip to Dubai was our pleasure at Art and Sole's POSTCARD CHALLENGE. Dubai isn't a country, it's a city and an emirate in the United Arab Emirates. Imposing architecture and sophisticated culture... and great shopping, make Dubai one of the most beautiful and popular tourist hot spots in the world.  It boasts the only INDOOR ski resort... part of a giant mall. Dubai also claims the tallest skyscrapers as well as the largest total area shopping mall in the world, housing a gigantic aquarium, among other things. Dubai has stringent behavioral laws in place and kissing and dancing in public is illegal. Islam is their official religion. Although they're tolerant of other religions, Muslim religious restrictions must be obeyed by non-Muslims too. Interesting that over 80% of Dubai's poulation consists of foreigners!! Looks like an amazing place... a fun place to visit one day FOR REAL!! Here are my postcard and book pages for Dubai...

Thanks for checking in. Hope to see your next posting. Enjoy your weekend and week...

Hugs 'till soon,
abbyj 

PLUS ONE for Collage Obsession
Also September 16, 2012

Hi Folks,
One more challenge to add... for one of my favorite creatures on earth, the OWL! Hope you like him...

Bye again,
abbyj

EXTRA STUFF
September 16, 2012

Hi Family and Friends,

This is a quickie posting to document some art challenges and to tell you that this week is my SECOND YEAR as a blogger! Hard to imagine as it's flown by. I've "met"  so many wonderful folks in cyber-space...people with hearts and loves like mine. Nice!! Thanks to all those who have continued to check in to LIFE...THE VIVERE. I hope you'll continue to do so!

Last week, COLLAGE OBSESSION declared their theme to be "Anthropomorphism" (giving human attributes to animals and non-living things.) I didn't get mine in on time, so here it is now...from a tree stump in Uganda.

SUNDAY POSTCARD ART took us back to the 1920's...the Flapper Era.

Finally, THREE MUSES asked us to "think autumn!"

Hope to see you again...thanks for stopping by.

Hugs...'til soon,
abbyj

JOURNEY TO GREECE
September 15, 2012

Greek Islands...all works of art

Hi Family, friends and fellow artists,

What a beautiful week we had in Central New York. The nights are getting cooler... a sure sign that autumn is on its way. It's been a busy week, so I just concentrated on my ever-enjoyable Art and Sole Postcard Challenge... Greece is this weeks country of choice. When one thinks of Greece, visions of Ancient Greece come to mind. Athens, its capital city, holds so many treasures. Most notable, the Acropolis of Athens. It's an ancient citadel, located on a high, rocky area above the city. It contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance... among them, the Parthenon.

When my husband and I were there years ago, we spent a little time in Athens, but our favorite parts of Greece were the Greek Islands. You can see why by my photos below...they're mostly from Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini...

Some quick facts about Greece in general:

* It's home to the Olympic Games

* Greece has about 2000 islands (227 are inhabited)

* 55% of the y0uth in Greece graduate from a 4 year        college...the highest rate in the world

* Greece has the lowest crime rate in Europe, 2nd in the world

*Athens is the oldest city in Europe as well as the birthplace of democracy

* 13% of the English dictionary is derived from Greek words

Here's my correspondance this week...with the page from my Postcard Challenge book.

Glad you stopped in this week... wishing you a happy day, happy week and if you're fortunate enough to be traveling someplace, happy travels!!

Until the next,

Hugs,

abbyj

This week, EGYPT, etc.
September 6, 2012

Upstate New York beauty...farms!!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're having a good week... 

A few days ago, Michael and I took a ride towards Ithaca to relive our days spent in and around Cornell University... we used to love the campus with all its traditional, ivy-covered buildings, fabulous bridges, waterfalls, and beautiful campus. Not so anymore... so many new buildings in a variety of styles that, to our eyes, clashed with the those that have grown more lovely with time... there's less green areas as well! I guess that's progress and development! Sad for our nostalgic journey. As we drove through the towns to return home, we were struck, once again, with the beauty of Central New York. There are many farms, rolling fields and land that looks like patchwork quilts.

As we passed the city of Cortland, we stopped to search for the house I lived in while I did my undergraduate studies there... found it with no trouble as the address is one I won't forget! Many good times in this house... and the outside looks pretty much the same!

On to the art for this posting... blog challenges continue.

CRAZY AMIGO asked us to create a baby card for a girl so my dear granddaughter was my frame of reference...

INSPIRATION AVENUE challenged us to think about WHEELS. Being obsessed with the Gypsies or Roma of this world, I immediately thought of the wagons that they traveled in... don't think there are many who still travel that way, with wooden wheels and brightly colored caravans...

COLLAGE OBSESSION was in a monochromistic mood declaring GRAY as their theme...

Finally, our virtual travel for this week, as prescribed by Darcy's ART and SOLE POSTCARD CHALLENGE, is to EGYPT! Known for its pyramids, mummies, hieroglyphics, Pharohs, their more than 1000 gods and goddesses and for equal rights for women ALWAYS...plus so many inventions... ancient Egypt was a very advanced, sophisticated society. My book page shows their very early recorded history using musical instruments, many of which they developped; my postcard centers on their invention of make-up, used by both men and women.

That's it for this week. Enjoy your weekend... hope to see you for the next edition of The Vivere (The Life.)

Hugs,
abbyj

PLAYTIME 
September 1, 2012 
  

Hi Folks,

Hope you're enjoying your long Labor Day weekend (if you're in the USA...) I've taken the opportunity to do some playing in Photoshop, answering a few more art blog challenges. I'd like to share them with you...

The first is for SUNDAY POSTCARD ART whose subject is DOORS...mine has a romantic twist!

Next is for CREAVIL CHALLENGE BLOG. Their subject is MEN...a card designed especially for the male of the species!  I wanted to do something about the evolution of man, graffiti style, as I LOVE graffiti...

Finally, I combined two subjects in one piece: TAKE A WORD requested something with NUMBERS and THE THREE MUSES challenged us to create a piece for SCHOOL DAYS...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend as well as the week ahead. Hope to see you for the next posting. Coming up on this blog's 2 year anniversary... thanks for your ongoing support. I really appreciate your interest!  :)

Hugs,

abbyj

New York State Fair, Hungary, etc. 
August 31, 2012 

Family and holiday...Happy Labor Day! 

Greetings, Family and Friends,

Hard to imagine it's Labor Day weekend, signaling the end of summer (in MY mind!) The children are back in school next week to start their scholastic year... happy day, Moms!!! The great New York State Fair is also one of the harbingers of summer's end. Our family comes down from Canada to enjoy it with us... the food, the rides, the eye candy...

This is a sight that made me smile...a usual sight in the cow barn... the farmer staying beside his "family" for the duration of the Fair... sweet!

Darcy's ART and SOLE POSTCARD CHALLENGE this week invited us to travel and experience HUNGARY... virtually, of course! Interesting things about the country... it's the home of the Rubik's Cube- remember that? The ball point pen and holography was also invented in Hungary. One of the oldest countries in Europe,  it also has a sizeable population of Roma (gypsies,) boasts the world's largest geothermal cave system, is home to the Mangalitsa, delicious-tasting piggies! Whereas most popular breeds of hogs are raised for meat, these hogs (also raised for meat) are extreme lard-type animals. This means they provide high-quality fat that's more unsaturated than normal pig fat so it's healthier... also very marbled, juicy,  flavorful meat. In addition, they're really cute with curly hair. Finally, Hungary produces a very well known and loved white wine. Here is my book page, postcard message and postcard- 

My "etc." this week is about blog art challenges... my usual obsession! First up is the COLLAGE OBSESSION blog challenge centering on MUSHROOMS...

INSPIRATION AVENUE's blog challenge declared one of my favorite themes... windows and/or doors. I was dreaming about the most beautiful colors of our upcoming Fall days.....

Finally, THINK MONDAY-THINK ATC wanted to see art based on words with more than one meaning... I thought of so many, but settled on two...

That's it for this posting, folks. Thanks for checking in... hope to see you again!! Enjoy these final days of summer (or whatever season you're leaving behind for another year.)

Hugs,
abbyj