Big crowd here last night for dinner. Kitty and Alex seem to love these big Sunday dinners...and what with a lesson on how to make Sunday Red Gravy, I might put a pasta party on the docket each week and see what happens....or at least until the winter ends. Here we are in February. Its speeding by. Time to get the work together for taxes for the FASFA. I had an angel help me with the College Board financial paperwork...seventeen whole pages of it! But more to come.

We went to Target and got some lighting fixtures yesterday. No other splurges....though their entirely pink valentine section was enough to take my breath away!Pink, Pink Pink. And, they had these fun "make your own valentines" kits with Scrabble pieces with reduced sized boards for a message to sit on. They had chocolate cigars and golf balls for the boys. It was totally Love Incorporated.

This week promises lots of work with a trip to NYC for the Society of Illustrators Show and Society of Illustrators Student Show judging. I am taking the bus ($107 RT) and as I do the math, it will take as much time doing that as door to door, waiting in the airport, waiting to take off, waiting to get out of the plane etc. as flying and far cheaper. I have done this twice before, so though I cannot say I am old hat at this, I do have some chops. Next time I am trying the Cornell service called "Campus to Campus" which also is a bus service from Cornell to the Cornell Club in New York for $175. RT but with wireless connection and a bit more luxe. This judging is at least two trips with this weeks being a full day. The second is to review the edited group for the prizes in about a month. I figure I could go down on an afternoon bus on Thursday, and back Friday night on the last shot back. Worth the try at least, right? 

Kitty and Alex are on a weekend camping trip in the snow. We, as usual, just found out...and I placed an order with the discount camping supplier, Campmor, for two zero degrees sleeping bags and two pads. I am delighted with what we got, the great price and the fact we will have it tomorrow...along with the pleasure of not having to trek through Ithaca all day Sunday to locate, price and then finally buy these things. Took the heat off the weekend. They are delighted with the opportunity despite missing skiing which "Rocked".

Working (as you can see) on my pair of Mules for a friend's logotype which is coming along. I felt somewhat stymied by my personal expectation to create this image in two colors and opened up the color range and found this thing was back in action. Am working on a picture of a little town based on the Fraktur images I love from the Philadelphia Free Library Fraktur Collection. About a third of the way done...Rob reminded my of the Shaker drawings of the same thing. Think it should be a good looksee too. Lets see where this goes.