Little Accomplishments

Sometimes it's the little things that get done that can give you a real feeling that things are getting done.

For instance - while we were in Vegas, Dave picked up the flag that was used in his Father's memorial service. A few days after we got home we went to get a presentation case for it - and it looks wonderful above the shadowboxes we already had.

The shadowboxes commemorate the military service of Dave's paternal grandfather, his 3rd great-grandfather, and his father.

paternal grandfather, George L. Appleton

3rd great-grandfather, William Henry Hubbard, Civil War veteran

father, George T.,  with items from his service both during WWII
(where he served in Panama) and the Korean War (where he was stationed in Virginia).

To the left of arrangement (on the window wall), Dave hung my small art quilt that incorporated the picture of my grandmothers (I know, how radical...my own artwork hung in my house!).

and, FYI, the flower arrangement below the shadow boxes contains silk flowers that my Mother had in her living room for eons...I simply added a few more and put them all in an apple basket (when your name is Appleton....well...apple things somehow migrate your way...)

When we picked up the flag case, we also picked up a frame for Dave's gift from Sunil Saigal (a friend of ours who currently lives in New York) - Sunil hand-painted Dave's coat-of-arms (assumed, not registered anywhere).  It's so beautiful and looks really good in Dave's office.

There's enough heraldry on display in the house now that I'm considering having a shield made to hang beside the front door that says "Welcome to Herald's Point".

And, this morning, while Sir Barks-a-lot was being reluctant to come in from such a nice day, I managed to uncover both the walkway out the back door and the deck...

leaves on deck waiting for Dave and his magic leaf vacuum

So, now I'm off to the studio to see what other things can be accomplished!

2015 Vegas Trip

I love when we fly to Vegas during the daytime, as the route is over the Grand Canyon, which is as cool from the air as it is from the ground!

When you tell people you are going to Las Vegas, this is what they imagine:

pictures from internet

But, we go to see family...so this is the Vegas we see:

Not quite the same....

We went to see Dorothy, Dave's Mom and this year we also got to see a few other members of the family, so that was a bonus!  Sondra brought Bella over to join us all for breakfast, and Blaine and Shera brought Megan and Tiersa with them from Utah...we also got to see Richard, but I didn't have the camera with me that day.

And we had the opportunity to visit the Veteran's Cemetery where Dave's Dad, George, was laid to rest...

It was a short, but really nice, trip and we hope to get back out there again by Spring.