metal work

 FINALLY!  I have a finished railing!  This followed all of our work to replace the nasty old carpet with laminated wood flooring.  To get the flooring to work and run over the edge to the open room below, we had to remove all of the vertical small log spindles.  We kept the large logs that kept the top rail in place.  I really really wanted something different to go up there, but I had a hard time determining what that would be.  After deciding on getting some kind of metal panels, I had to figure out what that would be and who could make them for me.  I looked at lots of pictures and samples everywhere I could find them.  I finally settled on a rough sketch, knowing I wanted something that wasn't a solid barrier, but still safe for little people.  After a little shopping around, I found the metal works that could make what I needed--Accent Ornamental Iron--in Cambridge, about 20 miles north.

There are 5 panels like this around the loft and I love it!  Bob was a little bit slower to jump on the band wagon, but that's not unexpected.  We have totally different perspectives on design and color.  Bob is all left brain (loves puzzles, analysis, computers, etc.) and I am primarily right brain (love color, design, creativity, etc.).  I tease Bob that if he ever needs a head CT it will show a big empty cavern where his right brain should be!

Here's a tip that helps with some of that creativity.  Last night, I was trying to arrange 8 shades of green from my fabric stash.  I know the picture looks kind of brown more than green, but trust me, in real life they are shades of green!  In the next picture the fabrics converted to black and white (real easy to do on iphone or iphoto in the effects when editing).  Looking at them this way, I can more easily rearrange to get them in order.

With the season definitely switching to autumn, and very soon winter, I found some interesting pieces of nature that don't show up at other times.  We have a little nest on a low branch that seems too big for hummingbirds but too small for anything else.  But it's really neat!  There's one single leaf left on the whole tree, the one dangling from the nest because it's fastened into the nest.  And I got a good close up to really get a good look at the parts and pieces that made the nest.

I could also see several other nests up high that are hidden until the leaves disappear.  I wonder what was living in them?

Even a paper wasp hive that has survived the windy weather.

And some pretty "berries" that aren't really berries?  The first ones are actually on our asparagus plants--

And this is bittersweet growing wild.  It has grown into a nice big vine.

So we're about ready for winter, it's inevitable, so let's get it on!