Tuesday, July 5, 2016

And the Rocket's Red Glare

The weather has been fabulous for this spot in the desert. We had rain (for ten minutes or so) a couple days in a row, which made the air just plain steamy.
Then it rained.
The Navajo have ten different names for rain and while I don't know what they are, I can easily identify a few. There are drizzles and showers. We have one we comically call twelve-inch rain--that's where we get a few splatters 12-inches apart. Then we have fat rain--big, burly splats of water that hurl themselves towards Earth and bounce off the ground.
It just rained, pure and simple.
Then the air cleared, just glorious. One hundred degrees and deep cerulean skies. And more of the same all week long. Perfect.
I have to get out and yank the weeds that were patiently waiting for a good soaking. They multiply before my eyes! But not until I take care of these little artworks....

These are for last week's IAST.

The first was the happy result of trying the #heftyhack that the Diva proposed a couple weeks ago. After many an attempt, I used Prismacolor brush-tip markers and kosher salt to create the watercolor background with "Ahh" fireworks. The second is a more traditional piece with my trusty Sharpie, Derwent charcoal and General white charcoal for highlights. The pattern "Floatfest" floats just above the surface.

Moving along to the inchie of the week...the EIM word is "computer." We are surrounded by them. I watched a program two weeks ago that showed the computers that helped put the man on the moon--with a whopping EIGHT megs of RAM! I don't think I knew what computers were in 1969, let alone RAM. Now here I am with 2,000 times the computing power at my fingertips.

That said, I give you the first known computer punch card created by a Mr. Korsakov in 1832.


The concept of which just begs that whole dangling chad debacle (2000 presidential election, Florida). This is an example of swinging door chads (and a single properly punched space):


Supposedly, there are some precincts that still use punch cards for the voting process. That's as scary a concept as thinking I could launch a rocket from this computer.

And while the Diva's proposal this week was to show our true (country's) colours, this was having none of it. I tried the Star-Spangled approach, humming the anthem all the while. I started with "the bombs bursting in air" and kept coming around to..."and the skies are not cloudy all day," (which has nothing to do with anything other than our beautiful weather). Doesn't explain this one wit:
It was supposed to be stars and streamers, fireworks and all that. Yeah, well....I guess I used that all up for the String Thing.
Hopefully, not a discouraging word is heard. Be sure to check what other crazy and tangly people are up. Always a treat. Have a brilliant day!

11 comments:

  1. Love all the art here this week! We've been getting 50 shades of rain here....mist like, drizzle, plain rain, thunder plop rain, stair rods ....oh and hail stones!

    Sally

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  2. great idea for your computer inchie -- amazing what power we have at our fingertips

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  3. You have been quite busy and with great results.

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  4. love the inchie, I like how your mind works!

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  5. Very nice result of your "heftyhack", I really love colors and also in your Diva's tile of this week they are beautiful!

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  6. Loved hearing about your rain. We have a rain here in Ireland called soft rain. It is when it is when you can hardly see it, like a mist, but it is so wet you quickly get soaked.

    Great fireworks tile and I had to laugh at your national colours tile, being nothing like you meant. I so hate it when that happens. Lovely work all of it.

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  7. I thought your first tile was for the Diva challenge until I got to the end, so I think you did manage some rockets' red glare and shells bursting in air. Very effective with the way you colored the paper first. I don't think I've ever used "cerulean" to describe the sky. But, now I'm waiting for a chance to trot that out. ;-)

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  8. Beautiful work! Your IAST is my favorite!

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  9. You must be in New Mexico! I remember lying on the sidewalk as a kid enjoying the 12 inch rain even when it turned fat! And there are no skies like New Mexico skies!
    Loved the tangle... with the touch of blue!!

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  10. I thought for a minute you'd got the wrong inchie week with your narrative about rain!! Maybe you should post it again next week for Inchie Rain!! It does seem more appropriate for us as the whole of the UK seems to be in downpour. Love all your tangles especially the 4th July - it did say fireworks to me and what a great concept for your inchie computer - great little punch card. Love it all, Jenny

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  11. What a great post, Cheryl. You had me smiling the whole way. But, when I got to your launching a rocket from your computer, I spit my coffee! So, my next tile will be coffee colored! Wonderful work too, by the way!

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