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Creative Impulses
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Anytime I'm unable to write, for whatever reason, my creative
nature pops up in other places, usually prompted by the need to solve a problem or as a response to an unexpected garnering,
but sometimes just as a whim.
For instance, the ewe at the right is a wicket for an American game of Croquet played with an English
set, which has fewer wickets.
These are some other examples:
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When I was younger, I had the
patience to barbecue chicken, which meant being right there to make sure it didn't go up in flames. But it wasn't near the
sitting area, so I decided I needed a cocktail table with room for my drink and ashtray. Plus a place to sit.
I have since limited myself to steak, fish, ribs
and burgers. That means I don't have to be right there, so the "Duck Pond" got moved to the center of the patio. It's great
for Croquet parties. The base, at first, was just a typical wood planter, since
replaced by a small cabinet. The top is a quarter liquor barrel, planted with Scotch Moss and a dwarf Pomegranate tree. Small
ceramic tiles serve as coasters for drinks and an ashtray.
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Enter content here
English Croquet has only six wickets, whereas the American version uses nine,
thus the need for three creative wickets.
Two of these Flamingoes are the other missing wickets
for the annual Croquet games. Sadly, the ewe was seriously injured during a particularly aggressive match, and has been replaced
by a grinning cat.
This is clearly not your grandfather's Croquet layout.
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This corner needed
a fountain, but at the time, the cost was prohibitive. There was cedar wood left over from fencing the back, so I played with
mounting some kind of a fountain on it. The base is just a big plant pot with
its innards coated and a hole drilled in back for power to the pump and for water to get in, then get pumped up to the top
in the back. The platters just needed some grooves filed in them to let the water flow down. And they are mounted on hard-to-find-at-the-time
rungs for flower pots. Birds liked to bathe there when they came to eat from the
feeder.
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As with the Waldo greeting cards, I couldn't afford to buy presents for friends, so I had to get creative. When Vicki
and I created the Pub downstairs from my studio apartment, it cried out for an official sign. She had a birthday coming up.
It had to have a dog, cat and bird, as that's the LaPeer Zoo.
All my drawing up to that point had been with pencil on paper, which I did start with, but when I
got to actually putting it on the piece of board, I just stared at it for days before I had the nerve to start. I printed
out the font sample as a guide and attacked. Drew it all out in pencil, then painted with watercolors, except for the top
of the staff which is gold paint.
ere
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Plus, I think that creating websites fits quite nicely in this
category.
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