Trust the Process

My friend who lives not far from me wrote this letter about his sister who is undergoing surgery for some cysts that have appeared on her ovaries.I had painted a rock with the words,"Trust the Process" that he was to give to her for her birthday.

He writes the following...

Chris,It looks like my sister has to have her overies removed.Thanks for coming up with the slogan, “Trust the Process”.Below is a letter I sent to her after what I researched on my own.These cysts are in the ovaries,so she runs the risk of them burst.So this is not a great place to have cysts.Period

He writes... So Amy …… I'd suggest going through with the operation to be on the safe side.I’m sorry you have to go through this terrible ordeal.But at least it is a standard operation.Trust the process! Your guides wanted you to have that message that is why they led me to the stone. My friend who I had make the stone design came up with the idea of “Trust the Process”.It immediately resonated with me for some reason. Now I know why. You met him before in the restaurant at the resort.My neighbor,Chris.

You're lucky.When I had my operation the doctor wasn’t even sure what the hell he was going to do! Be glad your not having someone doing an improvisation experiment with only hunches as YOUR life is hanging on a thread and half your colon removed... Then losing it on the table, and being lost for three months (in and out of consciousness and reoccurring seizures).

Note:He is referring here to his own experience with personal surgery.

Death is always to my left and never lets me forget it. Be it a warning to take control of your own health with prevention. Your’ll be fine ……you have a ways to go yet.

Love, Jay

Much energy will be sent to you. No need to be scared.

Trust the process!

I keep my friend's sister in my best thoughts and prayers as I hope you do too.

The Glow Factor

It is well known that I use glow in the dark paint on most of "Your Spirit Rocks !™" that I paint.This is the reason I have named them as such.If you have one on your window sill during the day, you get what some call the bling factor.This being a shiny metallic-looking rock with adornments such as glitter and mylar.

Now,If you put the same rock on your nightstand under a small lamp you will get the glow factor after you turn out the lights.

I have used florescent paint which is bright and colorful, but technically does not glow in the dark (unless you have a Ultra Violet Black light flashlight to illuminate it).These type of lights can be purchased for a small fee at some popular hardware and variety stores.The glow in the dark paint will absorb any natural or incandescent light and stay illuminated for a short while.It will eventually fade, but it is still visible in a dark room for most of the night.

It gives me great joy to show off these unique gift items.The video link below showcases the rocks in various stages of illumination.Enjoy !

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VIEW NATURAL LIGHT VIDEO

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VIEW BLACK LIGHT VIDEO

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VIEW SHOWCASE VIDEO

A Batch of Dazzlers

Usually, I will post one rock that has stood out as being a particular favorite "Rock of the Week". The composite image here showcases a whole variety of different rocks that have been scanned over the past three years.This selection illustrates the progression of the craft as it has developed.

Yesterday, my sister Rita provided me with a bag full of goodies from Cliff's Variety Store which I can now use when decorating the rocks after being painted.This was Father's Day, but the gift was a belated birthday gift.(It should be noted that it was also St. Rita's feast day!) It was enjoyable having a feast of pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw in my nephew Edward's back yard. We topped it off with some chocolate cake for dessert.I hope that everyone enjoyed their own versions of a Father's Day celebration.

This Week's Rock

This rock is called "The Harlequin Rock" because it reminds me of the colorful garb you might find on a clown in the circus. The background was created in Photoshop and the rock is one of my favorites.

Today was over 90º degrees in Calistoga and the rocks I had on display were so hot that people would immediately put them down if they tried to handle them.Needless to say, sales were not that good. I would like to find a cool DARK spot to sell my rocks. Perhaps in a lounge, or some place like a cave.If anyone knows where I might find this ideal spot, let me know. Peace out for now.

This Week's Rock

My good friend Veda took me to this great Japanese Dollar-fifty department store called "Daiso" in the Serramonte Shopping Center in South San Francisco off of Hwy. 280. We got there about ten minutes before closing and found these great little collectible boxes that would fit some of my favorite rocks perfectly.

I can always count on Veda to find me some great deals and fun products.A bit later, we went to a Carnival near Mill Valley where we watched kids go down a super slide and ride the Ferris Wheel. She was drawn to the games of chance, and immediately bought a bucket of ping-pong balls to toss into these glass jars which would win her a stuffed animal.She even gave me a couple to toss. After spending about five bucks with no winning tosses we moved on. We did however, win a blow-up baseball bat and a tiny gold fish at the next game of chance. She chose to name the little fish "Ichi-ban" after the Japanese stores we had visited.Veda is just so cute and happy.

She is totally in love with that fish,too.The picture below is of her in her moment of glory.

The Rock of the Week

This week's rock is a fun design I came up with after painting the rock with a sort of fuschia color.It seems that young girls who visit the vendor's booth at the Farmers Market prefer pink-colored rocks.This particular rock is adorned with four little metallic leaves that my good friend Veda provided for me. She said that she was able to purchase them at the Dollar store in Mill Valley. I will have to go there to see what other bargains they have.

Although I have been trying to get away from the concentric-looking designs, I made an exception with this rock.I put a spoked wheel in the middle which was another flourish that I thought would look good on this rock.

Hey, Sports Fans!

Lately, I have had a lot of people request that I paint their favorite team's logo on a rock for them. As you can see, this has been a fun project and I hope that I get more requests.If you have a favorite team and would like me to do this for you, just email me: banteron@me.com with your name, address and phone# and I will try to get one off to you in a timely manner.I generally charge between twenty-five and thirty dollars depending on the time I put into it. I will accept check or cash. I can process your credit/debit card over the phone using Paypal or Square. Although I am not not set up to process payment on this blog, I plan to do so sometime in the future.

Napa's Riverfront Chalkart festival

Last Saturday I started out by going to Orchard Supply to pick up Carpenter's Chalk and some masking tape. Then I drove to the Riverfront area of downtown Napa. I checked in with a woman named Jill who showed me the designated spot where I was to rough out my chalk creation. It was a 4'X 8' space in front of the local Gelato store.

My friend Veda was going to be working on her creation next to me,around ten feet away.I began cautiously as I had only attempted this type of work on this type of surface once before in San Raphael last June ( it was well over 90º).

My neighbor Don Williams ( a flooring carpenter ) lent me his knee pads which proved to be so necessary for this sixty-two year old body of mine.I also had some latex surgical gloves that protected my hands along with gobs of #30 sunscreen which protected me from the harsh rays of the sun.Now I was ready for business.

I measured out a grid and marked off the squares using the carpenter's chalking device ( a first for me ) with a very helpful assistant named Brad.I began in the upper right corner as I laid down lots of blue aqua chalk smoothing it over with my hands as I went.Two hours went by and I was already spent!

Veda hadn't arrived but I suspected that she was taking her time driving over from Novato. I left my work for the first day and then went over to my nephew Edward's house to celebrate my sister Rita's 70th birthday party (see pic below).I went home that night and hit the sack early,knowing I had lots to accomplish on Sunday.

Getting up at 5:30am is not my usual M.O., but it felt good as I drove back down to Napa on Highway 29 as the sun was just beginning to rise.When I got to my spot, I could see that Veda had begun her own creation late Saturday, but she still had not arrived. I began drawing and smoothing out chalk as the morning moved on. Jill returned early with muffins, water, Large shading umbrellas and coffee to help start the day. All the chalk supplies we could think of were provided.It was going to be a long day.

Eventually, Veda returned later on Sunday, and again I was feeling tired yet nearly done with my piece at that point.Initially I had agreed to help Veda with hers, but begged off at the last minute.Even still,It looked like she and her friend Bill were about to bail out after an hour or two.The effort everyone put into these projects deserve an "A" for all their work.My nephew and his family arrived around 1pm and helped me with some finishing touches (see Mila and Miko below).I am very grateful for how it turned out, and may even do it again next year.This time I am certain that was better prepared than last time, but still have a lot to learn about chalk and sidewalk art.

High Dynamic Imagery

HDR is all the rage in digital photography. So, it is by no surprise that I made good use of that feature on my IPhone camera.The rocks I am presenting here are pretty, but they have been "enhanced" by the use of some filters that came with this little app called "Camera Plus". It is tempting to tweek and finesse each one of these pictures, but I don't want to give people the impression that these are how the rocks are going to look when people purchase them.

Wait a minute,I take that back. These rocks are going to look BETTER after you purchase them. ESPECIALLY if you go to the hardware store and pick up a black light. Their is nothing that will make these Spirit Rocks pop better than when the lights are out and they are sitting next your bed with a black light on them. Boo-Yah !