Hummer City

Female Broadtailed Hummingbird 2
Originally uploaded by Kate Hamilton.

Wow, this place is abuzz with hummingbirds. I mean, really, you can't walk down the street without hearing or seeing 4 or 5 zip by. From the looks and sounds of it, the ones I've been seeing are Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds. From what I hear, there are even more birds on the way and this current influx is "nothin'" compared to the peak of summer.

Oh boy oh boy.

Other Good News

Spring Arrives
Originally uploaded by Kate Hamilton.

Good happenings in my little world:

1. Spring has finally arrived! It no longer feels like the tail end of Winter. The first aspen leaves have sprouted in town, and the hummingbirds have arrived. And let me tell you, these are some pretty feisty hummingbirds! They make their presence known with a whistle that sounds like the Jetsons' family space ship. Pthrpthrpthprthpthrp... I saw one doing loopty-loops on my walk with Maggie this morning. The bird flew straight up into the air about 20 feet, hovered a few seconds, then plunged down to earth, head first, in a beeline, pulling up into a loop at the last second, then looping over and over like a rollercoaster 3 or 4 times. Quite acrobatic!

2. My drafting table has been fixed! Someone I know from the ski resort hooked me up with the resort's on-staff welder. Last week he came and took measurements. Today he dropped off the goods. They're not cast iron like the original brackets--they're steel--but they're fully functional and I finally have a work surface I can rest my elbows on! Thank you Vicki and Neil!

3. We're going home! Our visit to family in PA has been planned and booked for the first week of July. The timing will be perfect for visiting all the new babies, born and not yet born at this time. And we'll sneak in some much-needed beach time at the Jersey shore as well. Good times.

4. Freelance is picking up. I've been working frantically on 85 illustrations for a set of flash cards, I have a brand identity project coming my way, and somewhere in between I'm painting the local scenery of Winter Park. I'm thinking of taking an oil painting class to brush up my skills a bit. And then perhaps start showing in local galleries or businesses. Lots of plans abrewing.

Have a great weekend. Get some sun. Plant some flowers. Relax. (That's my plan anyway.) Oh, and check out Maggie's blog, she's got new pics!

Welcome, Chase!

Chase Andrew Khounsacknarath
Originally uploaded by Kate Hamilton.

Yesterday my sister Maureen gave birth to her third son, Chase Andrew Khounsacknarath. Weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces, Chase was born almost 3 weeks earlier than his due date. My sister had to be induced early due to high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Happily, baby and mommy are both ok and enjoying some r&r in the hospital in Delaware.

I can already see both Maureen and her husband Vix in Chase's features. I wish I could be there to hold the little tiny baby in my hands. Maureen says his head seems as small as a baseball, and he's got long legs and arms. See 2 more pics on my flickr page. Congratulations Maureen, Vix, Michael and Tyler!

Good Clean Dirty Fun

Delicate Arch 1
Originally uploaded by Kate Hamilton.

Pictures from my camping adventures are now available on my flickr page. Let me tell ya, it was fun. Grounding, yet awe-inspiring at the same time. We stayed our first night in the "John Wayne Room" at the Apache Motel in the town of Moab, then camped out for two nights under the stars. Ooh, the stars. We had unidentified little creatures pitter-pattering outside our tent in the middle of the night (that may as well have been dinosaurs, the way the imagination runs when sleeping in a tent). We off-roaded through water and over boulders, hiked to geological wonders and roasted hot dogs on sticks over an open fire. It was quite like travelling back in time to when you were a carefree kid; full of wonder, enjoying new experiences and getting really dirty without caring who saw what you looked like.

Yeah, I'll be camping again this summer.

In other news...
HGTV's Dream Home 2007 will be in Winter Park, Colorado!

(And if you didn't know already, that is precisely where I live!)

It is true. The house is already being built, filming is taking place, and it's all outside my back door. Pretty darned exciting. I suppose I should also feel proud that this town has been deemed worthy of such an honor. Honestly, I am not surprised. I mean, you've seen my pictures, right? Hmm... now that I review my posts from the past 7 months, maybe not much. I really haven't posted the good ones. I'll have to work on that.

Anyway, you can see a little video of Winter Park on the HGTV site (follow the link that says, "HGTV Dream Home 2007 Location" with the mountains behind it). If I see any fancy television types lurking in the neighborhood, I'll be sure to let you know. I'll also alert you when they start showing Winter Park on TV. How better to share my home with you than with expensive teevee cameras and colorful commentary?