Work - That's a Work of Art

One of my friends, Dian Baker, is the accompanist for the Phoenix Boys' Choir. They're currently on a three-week concert tour of Minnesota, Ohio, and adjacent states. While she's away, she has hired me to "re-tile" the small step at her front doorway. The walkway is terra cotta tile, and the step was breaking away on the edges, so she wanted it repaired.

During a redo of their back yard, she and her husband (who is also away on a piano teaching tour in Europe) discovered the beauty of glass pebbles, in semi-clear light colors. This is what she wanted for her step. I've been working on it for a little over a week and, even with school, I've made great progress!

It has really been an interesting project. It started out a tile job, and ended up being an art project. The space is so narrow that I ended up having to use a cake spatula to spread the thin-set. It really did look just like white frosting! And then I had to use a kitchen knife to "butter" the backs of quite a few of the small pieces, since each pebble had to be placed individually. I used the spatula again to "frost" the grout on. The only thing was, I couldn't lick my fingers. (Yuck!)

I'm nearly finished. I still need to fill in a few tiny places that the grout didn't get into, and put a line of grout (with a cake decorating tip, no less) around the edge of the design, just to finish it off with a smooth edge. Once I get this finished, I have to wait 3 days before I can put down a sealer.

The tile crosses the step and cascades off the edges -- down onto the edges of the walkway, itself.
It's not finished, and it looks AWESOME already! I love it, and I know she will too. She returns in a week. I'm anxious for her to see it.

These pictures are of the "before." When it's finished, I'll put up shots of the finished product. (If you look in the picture to the right, you can barely see a few of the pebbles in a test patch.)

Well, here goes!

It has been a busy summer, so far. School is going well, and I finally am getting the chance to do research and a paper on something I have a passion for - the scenic parts of Arizona! Yay! In my online English class, we had to read the book, The Dark Wind, by Tony Hillerman. If you're into mysteries and Native American culture, or are just curious, this is a great book. It takes place mostly in the northeastern part of Arizona, and has a lot of interesting information about Native American culture and folklore. I really loved it. It is also a very good mystery, on top of that. I highly recommend it.

I'm also taking World Religions and a Communications/Speech class. So far, I have an "A" average in all 3. Double-Yay! Summer school is pretty intense. They're 5-week courses, which means you do about a week's worth of work per school day, since the 5 weeks' class equals a semester's worth of credit for the class. Ouch! But I'm doing well. We've already finished two weeks of the 4-1/2-week session. Because of 4th of July, it's out early. Still, I'll be glad to get to July 2nd, when the classes end.

Other than that, I'm doing some work for a friend - resurfacing her front doorstep with clear, water-colored pebbles in a cool water-shaped mosaic. It's almost complete and looks awesome! I'll post pics when it's finished.

The picture here is of Havasu Falls, one of the places I'm highlighting in my paper. Located in the bottom of Havasu Canyon (southwest entrance to the Grand Canyon), it's a scenic wonder. I've had the opportunity of hiking down there twice. It's a 20-mile hike, but totally worth it. It's really a beautiful place, and one of my favorite spots on the planet. Out of the shot, to the left, there are a bunch of stair-stepped, limestone pools that you can swim or play in. So gorgeous! I'd love to go again someday.