MAKE IT HAPPEN

When we first viewed the Agean Sea from the road leading into Napflio, I realized that if you want something enough, you can make it happen. I have dreamed of seeing Greece since I was a child and my mother enrolled me in a children's art history by mail series provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The booklets came once a month and I had to paste the correct stamp of individual pieces into their appropriate space and read the text describing what this piece was. My favorite was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Samos is an island in Greece and the statue was originally part of the sanctuary of Samos. Now, of course, the Victory (or Nike) resides in the Louvre, but Greece is most definitely still here.

We spent our first week getting acquainted with the basics of visiting Greece. Learning to recognize a few words, getting used to driving like the crazy Greek drivers, seeing what food was suitable for us picky Americans, and locating the super market. During that first week, we drove to the amphitheater in Epidavros (Epidaurus on some maps) and were as amazed as the guidebooks promised we would be. We kept saying over and over "Wow, this was a lot of work!" but several days later I thought that 3000 years from now if tourists are walking over the ruins of Manhattan, they will be saying "Wow, this was a lot of work!" I will post photographs on this blog and on Flickr when we get home and I edit the collection. I may have taken 600 shots so far, I don't know. I do know we've spent a fortune on Duracells!

We also visited Mycenae and saw the oldest bas relief carving in the ancient world, the Lion Gate. This is where Agamemnon was murdered by his wife Clynemestra after being away for 10 years fighting some war or another. This is a site excavated by Henrich Schliemann and where he found the gold mask you often see titled Agamamnon's Mask, but later historians don't think it really is his face. However, this was an impressive site with lots to see and lots to learn.

On the way back to Napflio, we stopped at Tyros, another ancient site with cyclopean stones. These huge blocks of stone were so large that the Greeks thought they could only have been put in place by a cyclops. It was interesting to us that you could just walk all over the site, prowl around to your heart's content. No signs saying "Stay on Path" or any other warnings. And, credit to all of us tourists and the Greeks who visit here, there was no trash or litter anywhere.

In Napflio itself, there were two castles - the one we looked at from our balcony every morning and evening - the Paramidi, and the other, the Acronapflio. We spent one day just exploring Napflio. We went to the beach one day, and the water was wonderful, but the beach itself was rocks, not sand, so not very comfy for lazing and dozing. The Greeks must not have heard about melanoma because they are all laying about getting tanned in their too-skimpy for taste bikinis and speedos.

We decided to keep the car for an extra three days so that we would have more time to visit Olympia, Delphi, and Corinth.

I'll blog about that leg of the trip next time (or when we get home if I can't find another internet cafe!)

We are off to Santorini tomorrow, finishing up in Athens and flying home on Sunday.

STYLIN' AT LIBERTY NATIONAL

Let's take up where we left off yesterday.

Freddy Jacobson is the reverse of yesterday's selection. Yesterday he had on some ocean blue pants that personally I think were too tight. They were in danger of splitting when he bent over to retrieve his ball. Plus, they ride too low. I keep expecting to see his undies peek out. The shirt wasn't bad. The Europeans always tend to wear their clothes a bit more form-fitting than the Americans and his upper body looks good in the snug shirts. Today, he has reversed the color selection and is wearing a blue shirt and white pants.

Webb Simpson is dressed just like a rookie. You can tell he hasn't earned much money yet - can't afford really great clothes. But if he keeps playing like this, you can expect him to turn up in some high-end britches.

Forgot to mention yesterday that I very much approve of Marino's decision to wear Under Armour. Love their clothes and I own stock, so go UA! He's wearing UA again today, but must give him a low score for this shirt. The stripes are too close together for TV and tend to look like a test pattern.

Bill Haas is in contention for best outfit. His grey slacks are very classy and the pale aqua shirt is pretty as a bridesmaid's dress without looking girly.

Heath Slocum made the "green" mistake. CBS should just tell these guys, "For God's sake, don't wear a green shirt!" Give these players' wives a color wheel to use. Ernie Els looks like a true champion today, by the way. His royal (and I mean ROYAL) blue shirt looks fabulous against the green grass of either the fairways or the greens. He will look great when he hoists the championship trophy at the end of the day. (I predict.)

Steve Stricker looks like a winner today. His summer blue shirt goes well with his pants which look like linen. He looks totally comfortable, but very well put together. Best outfit contender. Still have to judge his hat and shoes, though, before deciding. It is always best when your hat matches your pants, and most of the time, it's better if your shoes match the hat. Goydos looks pretty good today, but why did he choose a white hat when he's wearing black pants, black and white striped shirt, and black shoes? Stricker did go with the same white for shoes and hat.

Nick Watney looked very nice today. We didn't get a great view, just a quick shot of him, but the quick impression was classic. And, Nick probably will win best shoes. But, whoa, watch out for Steve Stricker. Looking good, Steve. Just don't take your hat off.

Tiger looks like a well-tuned racehorse. And even though Roger Federer said that Tiger's pants are always too big, I disagree. They have a nice drape, never look constricting, and hang from his waist like they were made for no one else.

So, at the end of the day, the clothes you wear don't matter much. Heath Slocum wins, in his little green Calvin Klein shirt. Steve Stricker will have to be the winner of Best Pants, Ernie Els for Best Shirt, Nick Watney for Best Shoes, but Bill Haas wins for overall Best Outfit!

See you next week.

WHO WINS "BEST PANTS?"

It's Saturday at the Barclay's and some fans want to know who has the lowest score - but there are a lot of us who want to know who's wearing the best outfit? Whose pants fit the best? Which golf shoes are cool and make you actually want to go buy some? Shirts? Well, after seeing whether or not you can see Phil's nips, what else makes you remember that golfer? Today, for example, Sergio looks great in his bright orange shirt and black pants. He might be a contestant for "Best Outfit." The almost-but-not-quite beard has got to go, though. Sergio is plenty handsome enough without trying to cover up that pretty face.

Of course, we all watch to see what Ian's wearing, and today would probably be a fun day to judge his sartorial selection, but it's rainy and he has on plain, black rain pants today, so cross your fingers for the sun to come out and the raingear to come off! And personally, I miss the Poulter hair sticking up, but I guess he didn't want to get his head wet today.

Now we all know that Tiger always looks sexy and athletic in his Nike duds. Today's blue shirt (and hasn't he pretty much decided that Saturday is blue day and Sunday is red?) looks great, but I personally think he could have chosen better pants. And did young Webb Simpson find out what Tiger was planning to wear today and copy at least his color scheme? Maybe hope it brings him the same confidence that Tiger has?

Now let's score some of the other players. Scoring is on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being "looks like your local insurance agent," and 10 being "Yum!"

Paul Goydos - Love that shirt! What color is that - persimmon? Apricot? It's darker than peach and it's on the pinkish side of orange. Very nice selection for today's weather and setting. Pants are so-so.

Zach Johnson - gets a 7 for pants; they fit his butt nicely and hang stylishly. Good color, too. But only get a 2 for the plain white shirt. And white shoes might not be the best selection for playing in the mud and rain.

Steve Marino - only gets a 4 for the khaki colored trousers - pretty ho-hum. I wonder if these guys ever even think about how they are going to look on television (except for Tiger). Marino's green shirt probably looks fine in the clubhouse but against those greens, it almost clashes. Green might be a color to stay away from when you're playing golf - unless you're playing in the desert.

I'm waiting to see Vijay. He always looks like he's wearing pants tailor-made for him in Hong Kong. They just flow over his body like chocolate over strawberries. They enhance that lazy, relaxed walk of his. You just can't help but wonder what underwear he has on - bet it's silk.

Webb Simpson might be wearing rain pants, too. Whatever they are, they make his butt look huge! These guys ought to watch themselves and see how they look to us. We're not necessarily watching their swing. And their moms should have told them "don't spit," and "don't say the 'f' word."

That's it for Saturday at Liberty National.

BUSTED!!

The power of the internet never ceases to amaze me! I received an email from an administrator at the web site where I have been selling my craft items. They said that they regretted having to do it, but they had to take down some of my listings. Apparently, they had received a letter from the attorney for Dale Chihuly, the glass artist who had a show here last February. Everyone in Phoenix with a camera was there, I swear. I used some of my photographs to make greeting cards and one pendant necklace. I thought it was a good idea because fans of Chihuly's work would want to buy these beautiful images. And I was right - I sold a bunch!

But they said it was copyright infringement and I couldn't sell anything that used a photograph of his work. Of course, I searched the etsy site and found many more people selling photographs of other exhibits that Chihuly has done around the country and apparently the attorney hadn't found those. Maybe he only searched for items that had actually sold. Who knows? Anyway, if you've seen the cards I've made and are interested in having one, email me. Can't sell them online anymore. In case you haven't seen them, here's what they look like.

WATCH FOR NEW ITEMS IN ETSY SHOP

I am so excited about the new magnets I'm working on! They are made with 1.5 inch glass circles and are thick enough to use as paper weights. The images are from www.piddix.etsy.com and are fantastic. These magnets will be sold in sets of three, but I haven't decided on a price yet. They will make wonderful Christmas gifts - something no one else will have. If you haven't already, tell your friends about all the handmade things available on www.etsy.com and especially the santanartist shop.

SALE ON INSPIRATIONAL PENDANTS THRU AUGUST

It's time to start shopping for Christmas, believe it or not, and I have put my inspirational pendants on sale so you can stock up. I'm busy making more right now. Love, faith, hope, destiny, inspire, believe, trust, family, and friends - there will be something available for everyone.

Of course I am hoping to have a large inventory of inexpensive gifts for you this year since everyone is watching their pennies. There will be more refrigerator and office magnets coming up so if you want more than one set of anything, just email me and let me know so that I have time to make them up for you.

I am thinking of adding a line for children and making bottle cap pendants for them to put on their backpacks or hang from their sneakers. Feedback, anyone?

Summer is on its way out - and those of us in the Valley of the Sun are happy to see it go! This was the hottest July on record, I think.

LOSS OF AN OLD FRIEND

We were saddened today to learn that our friend, Will Lands, of New Jersey and Albuquerque, died on July 20th. The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver which won't surprise any of you who knew him. He had actually made an effort to quit drinking and get healthy, but I think it was too little, too late.

After his wife, Patricia, died several years ago, Will seemed to go downhill. He moved back into their house (they had been separated for two years) and I think it just made him very sad to have to dispose of her things. He went through a period of anger and after that he just seemed to have little enthusiasm for life. He had two DUI's in a matter of days and came to Phoenix to do a 30-day rehab. He seemed pretty good for a while after that, but lost his job and then that was the last straw. With his age, and the economy going down the toilet, his hopes of getting another job were practically nil. He wasn't old enough for Social Security or Medicare, so he watching his life savings disappear by the week.

Will had a caring heart and was always helping others, especially animals that needed someone to speak for them. He was very, very smart, but couldn't make the one decision that would have saved his life.

We will miss him.

SHOP AT ETSY.COM FOR ALL THINGS HANDMADE

A few months ago, my friend Sylvia in the San Francisco Bay Area, told me about a wonderful site called etsy.com. It is a site dedicated to all things handmade and crafters all over the world are selling their crafts in their "shops" on etsy. The site has taken off and has been featured on Good Morning America and other TV shows. Joy Behar on the view told about her daughter's success on etsy, and Rosie O'Donnell has her own shop.

I have been working on photography for several years now, but found that it was difficult to sell photographs either on the web or at craft fairs. The best photography web sites are designed by professionals and are costly. The upfront cost of producing enough items to have a successful craft fair is also prohibitive. That is the beauty of etsy - there is very, very little upfront cost. The listing fee for an item is only $.20!!! And I can list one photograph or 100 - it's up to me.

My other love is glass. I am enthralled by the work of Dale Chihuly and other glass artisans. So, when I discovered etsy, I also discovered people using small glass tiles to make pendant necklaces. I am now making glass tile necklaces, and magnets, many of them using my own photography.

Here is a sampling of the items on my shop - www.santanartist.etsy.com