Friday, August 22, 2008

There once were two Ladies...

Hello again! Another week has passed...


We've both been working a lot. Here's Jai in the Summer Toy Factory:


The weather this week has been beautiful - I would even venture to say Perfect. These are the kind of weeks we have to store up and savor later. I have been taking lots of pictures outside, partly just as an excuse to be out there, and still be doing something semi-productive (heavy emphasis on the semi.)

Our car has been in the shop all week because for some reason it won't start. They've had it all week, and still can't figure out what's wrong with it, so it looks like they will have to tow it to the dealership in Middleton for further testing. Big sigh. Anyway, that's meant that I've had to drive the big brown truck to work all week. If it wasn't so darn expensive, I would want to drive it all the time. It's a lot slower, and a lot noisier, but somehow it's a much friendlier drive. You're high up, and bumping around all over the place, and for some reason when you drive a big old farm truck, lots of people wave at you as you go by. So that's been enjoyable, if a little hard on the pocketbook.

Jai made a delicious tomato soup, right out of the garden the other night, with homegrown tomatoes, leeks, and basil. I'm a little disappointed in our tomato crop this year, I was hoping for a lot more, but the ones we got are mighty tasty. I'm hoping to get some pesto made up this week, and to sun-dry (well, oven-dry) some of the paste tomatoes. The more food we can store away, the better.

I've been continuing to work away in our own shop as well. I've made some new books using vintage photos. These two some of you out there might recognize:


That is my Step-Dad, Errol, when he was a little boy, and my Grandma and her twin sister when they were little girls. So, I just spoiled the surprise, but if either of you are reading this, I do plan on sending these books out to you. Jai and I were wondering if this is a service someone might like - I can take an old favourite photo of a family member, and turn it into a customized photo album/journal cover. I don't really know if that's something we could sell or not, but I thought I'd put the idea out there...
I also did a book cover titled "Jimmy's First Day" which is based on an old photo I found in the antique store in Bear River. Fun!


And last but not least, my latest masterpiece:
The words say:
There once were two Ladies who set sail in a small boat on the vast Sea. They didn't know their destination, so they followed the path of the Moon for night after night. Eventually they reached the end of the Earth, and stopped to look over the edge.

This is my first real Automata, and I love it! The photos turned out pretty good, but the best part is turning the crank, and watching it come to life.

"An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn't take his education too seriously."
~Charles F. Kettering (1876 - 1958)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow - these are all great! I am sure Grandma and Errol will love them! I think the family picture-on-the-book is a great idea ... I also think a book with a picture of the veggies would look really good too (very yummy looking produce there). The automata is beautiful - I hope that it isn't sold before we get a chance to see it 'live'!! Take Care guys! XO M/J & E

Jai and Lauren Soloy said...

Hey Thanks! I'm going to hold onto it for a while, at least until I have another one made, so you'll probably get to see it. Hmmm...Veggies...

Sherrie said...

Lauren, it's beautiful! I'm imagining myself as one of those ladies...

Anonymous said...

Lauren and Jai,

What a great blog entry! The automata is very cool. I love the expressions of the two ladies as they roll up and over each wave. How many of us are on that journey? Lauren, the idea of the working with people's photos and creating a book cover is a really really good one. I recognized Gm and A.Margaret right away. I think it would take Gm's breath away when she sees it. (Kind of like when I saw Abbey's urn).. Enjoy your tomatoes and the rest of your bounty. My tomatoes are in my green house and they are going crazy! Good luck with the car too. The old truck is all character...a magnet for conversation!

Keep up the good stuff you guys.
A. Janet and co.

Our Family said...

That is very cool! You should have a hole in the back of the box so people can see the neat little cogs working away. ;) Christie

Anonymous said...

This is fantastic! Love what you guys have been turning out lately!!! Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see more - esp. in the toy department.
Hugs.
Robin