wire brush and spray paint

Another treasure from Tina's. Pretty sad looking when we spotted it, but great lines—heavy cast iron, flowers embedded in both the bowl and around the base

and two life-size birds.

A good scrubbing with a wire brush and two layers of Rust-Oleum have made a big difference.

Now we have to find the perfect spot in the garden. That can't be rushed.

Today's find was easier to refresh—45 minutes at the laundromat and $4 in quarters. There's hand stitching on this

even though it may have been stitched in India.

We have been glued to C-Span for Ted Kennedy's memorial service, the funeral this morning, and now his burial. How tired they all must be.

Looking for a ribbon? Move to Montgomery County

I took the advice of a quilter at St. Rose and studied the "category" book for the Montgomery County Fair. She figured out she could enter items she had made into 15 different categories (you can only enter one item per category). Knitting and crocheting have even more categories (one I'm really looking forward to is the "woman over 70" subcategory).

Shawl, adult, crocheted:

Hat, adult, knit:

Hat, child, knit:

Adult, hat, crocheted:

Crochet, thread, other:

Knit, toy:

With luck, I'll make back the $8 it cost me to get into the fair.

And the bike? Cullen dropped over this afternoon for a tutorial, put the bike on a stand, and went through the basics,

from shifting

to changing tires.

Lance may ride on a flat tire, but Tom never will.

padded shorts

The big celebration was last night, and Cullen and Bridget managed to surprise Tom, with an 18-gear Fuji Professional road bike (it weighs less than my purse), and all the accompanying gear.

The helmet fit, the shorts fit,

and the seat was adjusted this morning.

The first ride around the block

went without a hitch.

Since then he's done a six-mile loop on a paved path in the neighborhood. What's next? Cross country ride to Gettysburg?