Anniversary Dog

This weekend was my dog's and my four-year anniversary. I got him on June 28th while my boss was away in Japan. I had gone to the pound with a friend who wanted to look at the kittens, and I found myself wandering into the dog room. Anyone who has been to a pound knows the telltale noises and smells in the dog room. Frankly, even if you are a dog person...it's not pretty. It's a caucaphony of barking, howling, growling, and chain link clanging. Then there is the fine aroma of more excriment than one should ever be exposed to. I spotted the Gooz right away. He was a big, white lab, and he was absolutely silent. He was sitting pretty in the back of his cage, but as soon as he saw me, he ran to the front, sat down, and threw up a paw, imploring me to "get him outta there." I didn't. I had a small apartment and I was in grad school. I over-analyzed it.

By the next morning, I had convinced myself that he was supposed to be mine, and that if I didn't get there by the time the pound opened that morning, he would be gone already. To my amazement, he was still there. I took him home right away, named him Ollie (which soon became Monsieur Oliver, then Oliver McGuzzio, and then "The Gooz") and then to PetSmart to begin the spoiling that must commence as soon as someone adopts a pet. He walked around, checking everything out, standing still for kids to pet him...an absolute doll. He sniffed, he eyed the 40 lbs bags of food, and then he lifted his leg and peed all over the iams display. I don't know if he was claiming at his or what. Wow, I got myself a classy dog. Pee in the nasty concrete pound stall with a drain in the floor, no way. Pee in the lovely PetSmart in front of a mother and children, yes!

Is it any wonder that a little over a year later on my first date with my now husband, we went to the dog park, and the Gooz decided to kick the date off by peeing on the camp chair of a woman who was there with her dog. Did I mention she was sitting in it at the time? But, to be honest, I am glad that the Gooz peed. It was a test, I think. A test for Tom. Who passed with flying colors when he turned to me and said, "What did she expect....it is a dog park after all. I would't bring my best camp chair here and expect it to come out clean." Now that's a keeper.

So in honor of the Gooz in all his flabrador peetriver glory, his matchmaking skills, and our anniversary, the pup received a piece of doggy heaven.....canine carrot cake from Three Dog Bakery. And I got a sloppy, carrot cake breath kiss. Happy Anniversary Gooz! I'm glad we found eachother.

The thrill of victory

Santo Vida aka the Mercury model 5x8 Excelsior by Kelsey is mine! Oh, victory is sweet. I can't wait to begin printing. I'm already working on my first set of designs for when that baby is arrived and ready for action. I've even commissioned my husband to build me a heavy-duty work stand for it. And he is a wood worker who doesn't mess around. I know I am probably a bit too excited about this....I've read about Kelsey's quite a bit, but honestly, I am easily amused. So I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship. Letterpress here I come.

Love of Stamps

Today I would like to dedicate my blog to my recently-developed love of stamps. All of this came from my do-it-yourself bride adventure. I wanted to make everything myself for my wedding. Not a little bit of everything, but everything. I tried to find a vintage paper with birds and flourishes, but I couldn't locate the exact thing that I was looking for. Until I discovered a store at Triangle Town Center called Archiver's. It's a scrapbooking paradise--aisle after aisle of every imaginable stamp, paper, and bling-age imaginable. So I started a giant pile on the counter and before I knew it I was hooked. The pictures are some of the table cards and programs that I created for the wedding. I photographed them today with my husband's Canon SLR and a Sigma macro lens.

After the honeymoon and getting back into the busy swing of things at work as a medical writer, I had packed the stamps away and momentarily forgotten my new love. As luck would have it, our fantastic wedding photographers, Mark and Joanna Bolick of Tuesday's Frog in Asheville, sent us our wedding photos this past week. In the goody pack, along with dvds of all of our fantastic images, was a tiny stamp set with owls: a gift from Joanna. (They are wonderful, by the way. I would totally recommend them for a special event. Not only did I instantly want to be friends with them, but they are so talented!) I was so excited about making all of my wedding ephemera that I had shared my newfound stamp crush with Joanna while she photographed the bridal party getting ready on the wedding day. Being a fellow art and scrapbooking enthusiast and an all-around wicked cool lady, she had reminded me of the crush by giving me these precious new stamps to try. I am planning a project for them as we speak.

So now, I will be stamping with owls, and am hoping to take my projects to the next level with the acquisition of my first letterpress!! I'm currently entangled in a vicious battle to the end to win an auction for a letterpress. I've become so attached to it. It's a mint-condition Kelsey Excelsior 5x8, with lots of accessories, and I'm practically baby-talking to it. There are 5 hours to go, so I am incessantly checking to make sure I am the top bidder. I almost feel sorry for the other side of the bidding war.....he or she doesn't know how they are up against....a girl who's already named the darn thing. Santo Vida the letterpress...it does have a ring to it, doesn't it?

The Triple Crown

The triple crown is elusive. A goal that many reach for, dream of, and yet, never reach. My own personal triple crown is pure joy, art, and total freedom. That's the goal of Gallant Fox Gallery. I've been thinking about taking this first step--one that is small, but feels enormous, for a while. So here it is, my humble beginning. But I guess, in a lot of ways, that is the only way to start. Even Gallant Fox, the 1930 Triple Crown winner was once a scrawny, wobbly colt. So for now, I am choosing to focus on that. And suddenly, feeling scrawny and wobbly doesn't feel so bad after all. It feels pretty darn promising.