Eco weddings, Edward Cullen & art, always art

Hi, folks! How's your summer going? Me? Oh, I've just been crashing weddings, looking at gorgeous art, researching the highly scientific subject of vampire fandom and writing about it all - you know, the usual. Here's the sample:

"A week before their July 12 wedding, Beth Turnell and Rick Selleck didn't quite know what food would be on the table. They had a general idea, but so much depended on what would be growing and ready at local farms, especially New Ground Farm in Athens.

"On a recent visit to the farm, the bride and groom to-be surveyed the crops with their friends at Lee Epting Catering, who had agreed to create a wedding menu based almost entirely on what was available locally. Menu planner Emmanuel Stone sampled some tomatoes fresh from the vine, and owner Lee Epting plucked a handful of ripe blackberries.

"Stone ran his hand over some tall stalks of Johnson grass.

" 'Beth,' he said, 'what do you think about some of that in the glass bottles?'

" 'Yeah!' she said appreciatively."

The wedding, as you might expect, was absolutely gorgeous ("That night, children played in the grass on the front lawn as guests comfortably spread out with their bamboo plates of food, having served themselves from earthenware bowls on tables blanketed with moss, white hydrangeas and candles") and you can read more here.

Tip: Scanning dried photos on your scanner will not make your art as beautiful as Robert Creamer's. I know, I tried, because I was so inspired after interviewing him and looking at his work. (Not to worry, Mr. Creamer, you have absolutely no competition from me.)

Here's a sample of that article:
" 'Poppy with Morning Dew' is as fresh as it sounds, with beaded moisture clinging to the warm, coral-red flower. 'Lotus Position No. 1' is all ripe lushness with one open bloom beneath a burgeoning bud, plump and pink-tipped, at the top of a spring green stem.

"Those pictures are beautiful, but so is 'Peony After Degas,' in which fuchsia petals are crumbling and brown at the edges, curling into themselves. 'WindBurst' features a ruined lily, the color of a purple-back bruise, dusted with rich gold pollen that has seemingly just exploded near the old, curling stamen." Read more here.

Finally, I had the SUPREME pleasure of interviewing some of the most articulate, bright and lovely middle school girls about their favorite subject: The "Twilight" series. Here's just a bit:

"What do Katie and Gemma think of the hot and heavy kissing scenes?

" 'I don't mind it,' says Katie. 'I'm not like, 'Eww.''

'I don't either,' says Gemma.

'I always think it's weird how they trace each other's features,' giggles Katie, referring to Edward's habit of stroking Bella's cheek or hair. 'I'm like, what?'

'She apparently likes it,' shrugs Gemma.

'So weird!' says Katie. 'I also think it's kind of funny because he's like, 107, an old man!' "

Preach it, girls! For the record, they also think Edward is "moody and overprotective." Hee! You can read the whole story here, and the sidebar, in which fans posited their predictions for "Breaking Dawn," here.

'Til next time!