Holey Moley! Where has the time gone? It seems like time has been flying by at an unprecedented pace.......at least for me it has. I really need time to slow down a bit. Nonetheless, here we are with the Christmas shopping season upon us and never enough time to prepare for it. Needless to say, I have been pretty much spending every waking moment scrubbing shells and painting them. As I try my best to have the shells that most people want to buy, it is never enough........I simply cannot mass produce them. Some people will be disappointed, and some will be very happy. I cannot please everyone........although I try to do so. Often, it is difficult to anticipate what people will want to buy. As an example.........do I spend the time making six Steelers shells and then find out I should have spent the time making six Redskins shells? It's all about time........isn't it?
Some of my customers have played it smart and planned ahead by ordering their shells ahead of time........(there's that TIME thing again).........good for them. And I know there will be some who are waiting until the last minute and will expect me to knock out some custom shells for them in record time............aaarrggghh!
Lack of planning on their part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Once again it is all about TIME. And time is running out.........at least for Christmas orders.
If you are reading this blog for the first time.......welcome!
If you are local to the Baltimore area........come see us at the flea market!
If you have the need for something special to give as a gift..........I have what you need.
Single crab shells with rope.........only $10.
Diorama shells...........................only $15.
Crab shell in 5x7 display box.....only $25.
Two shells in 8x10 display box...only $45.
Larger display boxes with three shells or combo with mallets........prices vary.
Time is running out..........first come, first served.
Saturdays and Sundays at Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, MD.
7am until 4pm
Monday at Hunter's Sale Barn in Cecil County MD 3pm until 8pm.
Sorry......no online purchasing available at this time.
Feel free to contact me via email: signtopia@aol.com
I really wished I could have spent more time in the Riviera Maya. Although this was a brief trip for us this time, the time spent on the beach and in the water was therapeutic. I really needed it. Each day was as perfect as it could be and the beauty of this place has a place in my heart.............and we try to come back each year. I didn't think of crab shells, flea markets, or any of the things that consume my days at home. Nice!
Oh.......but good things must come to an end, for the time being, and there is much work to do. Since my return home, I have been busy filling custom orders and trying to get ahead of the game in preparation for the onslaught of Christmas shoppers. Everybody wants an egg from the golden goose............in my case, insert "crab shell".
Here are a few more pictures of my work:
And if that's not enough......here's some more:
As I have mentioned before on this blog, I set up at Northpoint Plaza Flea Market in Dundalk, MD. on Saturdays and Sundays. On Mondays you can find me at Hunter's Sale Barn near Rising Sun in Cecil County, MD. If you live in the area, stop on by and say hello!
I am usually busy painting away on a dozen of so crab shells, which you can watch me paint if you care to do so............... but if you have children with you, be sure to read the riot act to them or at least duct tape their hands together.......hehehe.......this stuff is fragile and nobody likes paying for a broken crab shell. :)
There's more to come................meanwhile, as I paint the crab shells, I'll be thinking about the days I spent on vacation...........and I will still have to say that I am the luckiest man on the planet.............
.......indeed I am.
I am constantly reminded as to how I am the luckiest guy and how truly blessed I am.
My daughter, Noodle decided to give me a special birthday present........albeit a month early........in the form of a paid trip to Austin to attend a Ringo Starr and the All Stars concert at the Moody Theater! Imagine that!
I got to see a Beatle!......and as a special bonus, my favorite musician Todd Rundgren was performing with him! This was really awesome. Not to mention that I got to visit with my daughter and two of my grandchildren. Can't you tell by the picture that happiness abounds?
It was one hell of a show! Totally awesome. Perhaps I will write some more about this but I am pressed for time, as always. I flew to Austin on Tuesday, returned home Friday night, stayed up all night painting crab shells, worked the flea market on Saturday, came home and agonized over the Orioles game and painted more shells and put together some display boxes.........oh yeah........I did manage to get an hour or two of sleep in between all of that. As I write this, me and Supernurse are just about to leave for the airport..........hehehehe..........oh yeah.........we are off to Mexico again for some rest and relaxation........same place as usual. I shall return to Baltimore on the 19th. Not bad eh?
For those readers who ain't particularly interested in such goings on.....and only here to find out about some painted crab shells, feel free to search around the older posts. My sons will be handling the flea market biz for me until I get back.
See you soon!
I recently attended an Aberdeen Ironbirds game...........and yes......I sat there eating steamed crabs!
Me and Supernurse and a contingency of the Emergency Nurses Association.........and uh.......Mr Boh, of course. It was a great evening..........capped off with a fabulous display of fireworks. Cal Ripken built quite a complex and I recommend that you at least take one day and take in a game. You will not be disappointed.
All work and no play is never a good thing. As it happens though, I seem to get busier and busier with painting crab shells and it is a challenge to squeeze in some time away from that. The good news is that I have two trips coming up in October......one to Texas and one to the Riviera Maya.........and then back to Baltimore for the mayhem that is the Christmas shopping season.
Today, I figured I would post some photos of some of the custom orders that I made for people. Special requests sometimes are challenging........but I actually enjoy the challenge. As usual, the customers were very happy with the end results.
Many people like to have a shell personalized.
This one was to be a gift for the owners of a cafe in Bethany Beach, Delaware.
This one is self explanatory.
And there's more..............
This one was challenging. A drummer for the prog-rock band Sonus Umbra asked if I could somehow do the cover of their album on a crab shell...........arrrrggghhhh..........I had to really think this one out.........but after scratching my head for a few hours, I managed to git 'r done.
Sometimes the requests are for display cases with shells. This six shell and two mallet custom box was put together in honor of the career of Zach Clark, pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles farm system. Each shell had each farm team logo and the dates Clark was with them. The center shell included his photo and date that he played his first game in the Majors as a big league Oriole reliever.
Another request was for a woman who is crazy about the Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.
That's it for now..........I have shells to paint.
Until next time..............by the way, if you want to see more photos, simply search the archives, there's tons of pictures.
You just never know what the future holds. In early 1979, the last thing on my mind was to get involved in another somewhat lengthy relationship. One might could say that I wasted a lot of time twice with two different relationships that each lasted at least 2 1/2 years each.........infatuation.......companionship.......lack of focus and vision.......priorities awack............what was I ever thinking? I was a temp and didn't know it each time.
But then I met this one. My first thoughts were.........here I go again.......I do NOT need this........not so soon........I need to think about this................but this time it was different. Something deep inside told me that this was the one and that I cannot walk away from her. This was a special one. Meant to be. Something told me that she was meant for me. I remember thinking.........nope.......ain't gonna happen......no way......no how.........don't bother with her...........go away.........my life at that time was a shambles for many various reasons. I had no money, wrecked my car, earned minimum wage, and had to live in my sister's attic for a while. My future was not bright at all. It was a rough time for me.
On July 18th, 1979 I found myself in the chapel at Baltimore's City Hall marrying the love of my life.
It was meant to be.
Four children and four grandchildren later.......here I am telling everyone how I am the "luckiest man alive".
I honestly could never have imagined how things turned out. I seriously do not think I would have made it this far without her.......in fact, I know I wouldn't have.
Thank God for 35 years!
Happy 35th Anniversary Supernurse!
Yeah..........I know.........it has been a while since my last entry here on the ole blogosphere. Needless to say, putting stuff on the blog has not been a priority of mine. I suppose I will have to get around to making a more concerted effort at keeping pace here. I have been busy and time...... as time goes by........goes by quickly..........sometimes too quick.......the days blur together.......no real
differentiation of days. Lately, I seem to get into a funk easily......perhaps I am burning out......tired.
Having said all of that, I certainly have not given up the ship yet.....there is a long way to go hopefully. Many things have changed in my world recently.......things that occur that shut you down mentally and spiritually. Sometimes it is hard to focus and some of those things that you ordinarily think have importance and relevance in your world .....become just trivial and pointless.........at least in those moments.....ugh......even days or weeks where reality enters your world. Pretty deep eh?
My guess is that I do not need to elaborate on the above commentary........you can imagine and you will be correct at least on half of whatever you might be thinking I meant. Time marches on......precious as it is......and I need more time. There is never enough time. There are things to do.......lots of things.....and it requires time. Nobody ever told me about the frustration I would eventually have over time. Hah.....even that frustrates me.
There is much going on in the world around us and for the most part those things need our attention. It is also very frustrating knowing that your attention to such things may well never make any difference. We have to try. Nothing ventured...nothing gained.....right?
For the past several weeks, I have been hearing "You haven't updated your blog in a long time."
For the record. it has not been because there was nothing to say or share with everyone or anyone..
For the folks who come visit to look at the pictures of crab shells........all of the pictures are still here. You can just check all of the posts that pertain to crab shells. I promise to put up some photos of some of my recent work very soon........once again..........its a "time" issue.
