While Anna was home for Christmas, she graciously posed while reading her book so that I could begin a new painting. “Young Lady Reading” has been a theme I have been wanting to try for a good long while. After less than an hour of painting, we started losing light, and Anna had another commitment—another booking, so I took some reference photos in order to finish the painting later….

What I didn’t know and had never experienced until now, was that when the atmosphere is charged with electricity as it often is during winter, and one tries to upload photos on a computer, the teeniest and tiniest of charges can erase an entire disc. In an instant approximately 200 photos were erased, including the reference photos of Anna reading her book.

After Anna was in her car ready to book it back to Austin, it dawned on me that I had lost the reference photo of her reading. I frantically knocked on the passenger window, explained the dilemma, she turned off the car, came back inside, sat on the love seat, grabbed a book, and quietly posed….again.

Thanks, Anna. It was the perfect book end to your stay.

What might be a little difficult to see in this photo is Reese’s birthday present. In his hand is the remote control device, and in the air above his head is the remote controlled helicopter.

While shopping for the remote controlled helicopter yesterday, Anna and I began to experience what Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s character did in Jingle All the Way. Since Reese’s birthday is on January 2nd, and I am not generally accustomed to buying him toys for this celebration since we obviously got married after his childhood, it never once occurred to me that a *RC helicopter* might not be available for purchase this close after Christmas. Happily, we stumbled upon the prize not too far in our quest.

It’s a really cool gift if I do say so myself.