Taunting the relatives

There's nothing like being able to say, "I went to the beach today." I love to say that when my freezing friends and family call to complain about the frigid temperatures of the East. Mind you it was only 60 degrees at Del Mar dog beach today, but I still didn't have to wear a Thinsulate lined coat, two scarves, mittens, a hat and other miscellaneous cold weather accouterments.

How could you not love that face? Look at all those excited paw prints in the sand. Escape from the cold seems to be a necessary factor. Dooce and her family are fleeing the bitter Utah cold and coming to our wonderful micro climate and are especially excited about the doggy paradise.

Henry and Lola were so excited to get to the beach. I swear Henry knows the freeway exit. Once we got there and took off their leashes they were so excited, they ran and jumped and came back to thank us.

Henry surveyed the world.

And finally recovered from her sick tummy, Lola was having a blast.

Here she is shaking off.

We had a great time. I did have to wear a hat, but a hat while wearing flip-flops is not THAT bad.

14 degrees? No thanks.

This week I started my vegetable garden, planted sweet peas, hand picked tangerines, oranges and lemons, and enjoyed the blooming desert plants in my garden all while the East Coast enjoys a blast of Arctic air.

Here's my babies enjoying the sunshine. Making sure I don't do anything rash like suddenly whip Milkbones out of my pockets or hop the fence to play with a coyote, Henry carefully guards my every move.

Here's Lola (did I mention she's shedding because it's so warm?) enjoying the sunshine, chasing lizards and just being gorgeous.

Now we're off to dog beach. I'll take my camera along just in case I didn't get my point across.

One for Mom

Click here.

A little pat on my back

It's exciting to get up one morning and find your work selected as 'good design' by a group of your peers. I regularly read and sometimes post on the Estetica Design Forum, which is about graphic and web design. In the Logo Design & Brand Identity Forum I found a thread titled Heather Walpole - Print & Identity Design, here.

The piece they found was an identity I did for a local interior design firm, Three Arch Design. I like it, the client likes it, the printer even liked it, but to have it found on the world wide web and posted by a group of my peers is another treat all together! Thanks Estetica!

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Estetica Design Forum, here.

Flickr is awesome

The Library of Congress has started a Flickr page. How cool is that? Right now they have about 3,000 photos from the 1910s and the 1940s. Here's a few I found that I thought were pretty neat.

This is how I would have helped the war effort, had I needed to do so.

I wish I had contracts to make posters like this!

I love these hand painted windows and signs.

An action shot!

Why are these guys in suits?

Pabst Blue Ribbon! That's one huge sign.

Pause. Drink Coca-Cola.

Engine yard in Chicago.

A gorgeous woman, hard at work. Perfect hair, check. Perfect lipstick, check. Perfectly pressed suit, check. Perfect fingernails, uh...

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Library of Congress Flickr page: here