July 21-23, 2021 Fort Collins, Colorado

 86 and cloudy.

I finished all 4 commission bears. Two are shipped already. They sure are cute. The clouds set up beautifully for sunset. But of course went away by sunset. 

Sunset. Only 95 degrees today. I entered the piece shown on the TV screen into the show in Cheyenne and it sold and I got two orders to make more. Here is the start. I have photos on a flash drive in the TV so I can make something similar. 

These are magnetic discs bonded with diamonds  that go on my flat lap, the equipment that I bevel and polish with. The one on the left is new today.  The one on the right is 2 years old, most of the diamonds have worn off. I want to start working with the beveled jewels now, but am going to finish these two commissions first. Well maybe I will make one or two. . . Our friends BJ, Betty and Bubba are visiting from California. They are traveling around Colorado in their trailer this month. John cooked us a huge, fabulous dinner of caprese, smoked steaks, roasted sweet potatoes, asparagus. Delicious and it was fun to visit with BJ, Betty and Bubba. 

BJ, Sierra and Betty at dinner. 94 , hot and sunny when I went to the Trial gardens at CSU with BJ and Betty. 

BJ and Betty under yellow and red trumpet vines. Betty and BJ under a series of arches with various vines on them. 

Andy Warhol Campbells soup can at CSU, dinosaur at the Swetsville Zoo with a birds nest in his mouth. Rubeckia at the trial gardens, 5 mph speed limit at the Swetsville Zoo, watch for dinosaurs, the tire cover on BJ and Bubba's trailer- Home is where we park it. Bill Swets originally built this mini Taj Mahal for his wife, then started making the animals for the zoo at Swetsville Zoo. 

The bird in the back is conducting the music at Swetsville zoo, BJ is playing Betty's head, Betty is playing the chimes and this unknown young man joined in. An unhappy man with a ball and chain on his leg is paddling the boat with a shovel and a happy man at the other end is fishing. 

Swetsville zoo dinosaur kit, some assembly required. I am working on a commisions similar to the one I had in the show in Cheyenne. The original is on the TV screen upper left, with the current is the two lower ones. I need to do a bit more work to make the new one similar, then I will cover it with a piece of clear and do the first firing. 

Tonight we had dinner with BJ, Betty and Bubba at their trailer in the local KOA. Dinner was yummy, the company was fun and I had never seen this RV park. Felt like home to be in an RV park. 

Sunset tonight.