Tattoos

A.D. and I are both fond of henna tattoos. To celebrate tattoo art, we decided that Alabaster should sport unique tattoos.
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From shoulder to shoulder, you can see the beginning of Alabaster's henna inspired tattoos. ScaryMary has promised to help with more body art for him. How to interpret nineteenth century fairy tales into twenty-first century art is always a challenge.
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In planning the beginning of his tattoo work, MiniRoses and I selected this pattern which would place a heart in the center of Alabaster's shoulder blades. In contemplating the design, I said, "But, no one will see it. It will always be covered; I have many jackets planned for him." MiniRoses replied, "That is not the point. She will see it. When he takes off his shirt, Orchid will see it. That is the point." I said, "Ohhhh."

Piggy Wiggy

It's all in the name. Even as a child, I knew that. And I didn't care. I wanted to go there anyway. I cared nothing about grocery stores then, and I still don't. But, PigglyWiggly you can get me to go into any day.
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A million years ago, when my mother would take us to visit my aunt in South Carolina, I couldn't wait to get there. I couldn't wait, because there was a PigglyWiggly in my Aunt's town and we would stop to get her presents of groceries. The sight of a 'piggywiggy' sign gets me all squiggly wiggly with delight.
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This road trip, as we stopped for the evening out side the extremely charming city of Charleston, my husband said, "Look, Cat. Piggy Wiggy." I said, "What?! Where??" He said, "Right next door to our hotel. Want to go?" I said, "We have to go. There's no way I would pass up Piggy Wiggy."
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In the Keys, we met a couple who were the best of Kentucky and Ohio combined. The wife said to me, "What is it with the grocery stores?" I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "They name them the strangest damn things." I said, "Like what?" She said, "Like 'Food Lion'. We stopped there. And what's that other one? The really strange one? 'Piggy Piggy' ?" I laughed and laughed.
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We decided that strange gets our vote. We made sure to eat breakfast outdoors in the quaint little Vaca Key restaurant that was highly recommended. It is appropriately named 'The Stuffed Pig'.

Sunset

As the sun sets on Vaca Key and calendar year 2007, we look back on our many accomplishments and forward in anticipation of what we have yet to achieve.

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The middle of January 2008 will see us in yet another competition, held on our own island out east. Of course, we hope that Orchid, our 'UFDC triple winner' diamond girl, will bring home yet another blue ribbon. Orchid and her silver caged nightingale go 'oriental' for the costume competition. For more information on the January 13th 2008 show, visit www.ufdc.org . If you require directions, email: info@cathycara.com .

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I leave you with a hint of what we have planned for 2008. As many of you know, he is our gift to Orchid. His name is Alabaster. You can see him in person at the January 13th show.

Chicken Little

Over the past decade, colorful fowl have become so proliferated in Key West that they have become an area icon.
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They are so used to tourists coming off the numerous cruise ships that they pose readily for the camera.

No Name Pub

Oft times my husband and I read at our round marble kitchen table in companionable silence. Every now and then, we come across something to share. Once in a while that shared something changes our lives.

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Several years ago, while reading a glossy slick extreme sports magazine targeted toward extreme mega males, my husband lights up like a thousand watt light bulb and says, "Cat! Listen to THIS! There's a bar in the United States, that's not really in the United States because it's on some island. The island has no name. The bar has no name. The streets to the bar have no name. No one knows where the bar is. If they do know, they won't tell you. Because if you ever find the bar, it's tradition to hang up a dollar bill with your name or a message on it to prove that you've been there. The bar is literally covered in dollar bills!" I said, "What?!" He said, "It's the hardest bar to find in the entire country. Now how cool is that? And, of course, it doesn't advertise." We made a pact to FIND THE BAR.

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And we did. We have the t-shirts to prove it.

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We figured out that the 'dollar bill bar', as we called it, was on one of the islands in the Conch Republic. "Conchs", the natives of the Republic, are notoriously tight-lipped about their islands' delights; the 'dollar bill bar' being one of them. When we asked about the bar, natives literally laughed in our faces. They said, "You'll never find that bar. People have lived here for years and not found that bar. No one finds that bar." We laughed back and said, "Oh, but we're not 'no one'. Or maybe we are. Because you said, "No One finds it." We will find that bar. We will. We're on a mission. We're on a quest. We drove two thousand miles with that bar as our objective. We absolutely will find that bar."

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After getting our t-shirts, we were wearing them proudly, when someone asked us, "Are you from here?" We said, "No. We're from our own island. Up north." We said, "Why?" They replied, "Because of your t-shirts. No one can find that bar. Absolutely no one. Locals can't find that bar. It's a legend." Established in 1936, it's been around a long time. We said, "Have you been there?" They said, "Nope. Can't find it." We said, "Keep looking. It's worth the trip and the food is even good. They throw pizza on an old board and feed it to you. The whole place is a gas. We loved it."

Rip Off

In an unconventional county which prides itself on cleverness and humor particularly with regard to naming conventions, we laughed and laughed when we encountered this little shop.

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We gave it our thumbs up for 'Best Name in the Keys'.

The Seven Mile Bridge

Photographed from below, in an attempt to capture infinity, the Seven Mile Bridge is an ubiquitous characteristic landmark of the Florida Keys. Bridging the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf, it is glorious to traverse by automobile, wonderful to fish from, and delightful to walk.

The bridge on the right is the 'old bridge'. It was built between 1908 and 1912, and in use until 1935. Hurricane damage necessitated the construction of the 'new bridge'. The 'old bridge' is open to pedestrians, cyclists, fisherman and the like. It enables one to have the unique experience of wandering over two bright sunny miles out over the gently rippling cerulean ocean and observing large gray sharks, adorable green sea turtles, and gliding dappled manta rays along the way. The water is so clear, you can easily see the endless beds of coral.

For those who would rather ride than walk, there is a nifty red tourist train which regularly drives back and forth on the 'old bridge'.

Sh*t

It's Christmas. This year, it isn't white, but some good things never change. Like the humor. Along with cheer, our humor is high.
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As Santa's cookies are baking, I'm taking a moment to share with you something which is causing us to laugh and laugh.
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While perusing a local publication from the Florida Keys the other day, my husband burst out laughing and said, "Cat, did you read this?" I said, "No. I hadn't gotten to it yet." He said, "Okay. You'll never believe it. I'll read it to you. It's about shit." I said, "What?! In the public paper?" He said, "Listen. It's great. And we mustn't lose it. Are you ready?"

Verbatim from the Florida Keys monthly publication, a dining and entertainment guide, Time Out Magazine is the following:

"The Most Functional English Word
Well, it's SHIT... that's right, SHIT! You can SMOKE shit, BUY shit, SELL shit, LOSE shit, FIND shit, FORGET shit, and tell others to EAT shit! Some people know their shit, while others can't TELL THE DIFFERENCE between shit and SHINEOLA! There are DUMB shits, LUCKY shits and CRAZY SHITS! There is BULLSHIT, HORSE shit and CHICKEN shit! You can THROW shit, SLING shit, CATCH shit, SHOOT the shit, or duck when the shit HITS THE FAN! You can GIVE a shit or serve SHIT ON A SHINGLE! You can find yourself in DEEP shit or be happier than a PIG IN SHIT! Some days are colder than shit, some hotter than shit and some just plain SHITTY! Some music SOUNDS like shit, things can LOOK LIKE SHIT, and there are times when you FEEL LIKE shit! You can have TOO MUCH shit, not ENOUGH shit, the RIGHT shit, the WRONG shit or a lot of WEIRD shit! You can CARRY shit, have a MOUNTAIN of shit or find yourself UP SHIT CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE! Sometimes everything you touch TURNS TO shit and other times you FALL in a bucket of shit and come out smelling like a ROSE! When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the basic building block of the English language. And remember, once you KNOW YOUR SHIT, you don't need to know anything else!! WELL, SHIT, IT'S TIME FOR ME TO GO. JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT I GIVE A SHIT and hope you have a nice day, without a BUNCH OF SHIT! But, if you happened to catch a LOAD of shit from some SHITHEAD ... WELL, SHIT HAPPENS!!!"

A Merry Christmas to all. And to all, a Good Night.

Babel Effect

A fast moving thinking person's thriller, The Babel Effect explores evil and goodness from a neurological and genetic standpoint.
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"Is violence a virus? Can your genes make you a killer? Why are we so willing to hurt each other? .. Combining systems theory with modern epidemiology, they soon realize that our propensity for violence resembles a contagious disease. But is the human carnage of the last hundred years an ancient plague or a new nightmare? Can they identify the cause and find a cure? ... they realize that finding the answers depends on a still more urgent and terrifying question: Can they survive the search?"

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Providing a modern plausible reason for man's inhumanity, it is a too convincing tale where the inescapable horror may lie within.

The Season is Ripe

TheRipeArtGal and I got together and created fun, fabulous, festive windows for the Gallery's December celebration. For December through the first week in January, the Gallery will feature work by the very talented members of the Long Island Craft Guild, www.licg.org. Everyone is invited to the holiday party planned for the afternoon of December 9th where you can peruse the great art, meet the delightful artists, and be fortunate to acquire some lovely one of a kind gifts. You also get to eat snacks, so how can you not want to stop by?
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Window is holding formal court for the holidays in one gallery window, while Lila in her snow princess finery is busy greeting guests in the other. Window and Lila are collaborative pieces that I worked on with A.D. Puchalski and Laura Galbraith, respectively. Window and Lila are both fully jointed fine art sculptures. Each is one of a kind. To see more of A.D.'s work, visit: www.angeldevilland.com. Rabbit lovers take heed: some of A.D.'s work is available for purchase at the Ripe Art Gallery. If you stop by the Gallery, you might remember to ask to see the pieces. Like A.D., Laura is also a highly skilled graphic artist. To experience some of Laura's work check out: www.lauragalbraith.com .
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French beaded flowers lovers take note: a selection of 'doll-sized' beaded flower bouquets as well as 'people-sized' beaded candy canes were made by Jeanne for the Gallery. Jeanne's bead work is incredible. Not cheap, but amazingly lovely.
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If you want cheap, take home a flamingo.
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For more information on the Gallery visit: www.ripeartgal.com .

Spilt Milk

Actually, it is exquisitely shattered glass.

My husband conscientiously decided to trim the ivy tendrils on the back patio. The gas powered weed whacker that he is so enamoured of must have caught a small pebble. In a nanosecond, our five foot thermal paned Pella window panel in the kitchen looked like this.

It is perfect for the holiday season and it happens to be breathtakingly beautiful.