Smell-o-Vision

It's too bad we don't have smell-o-vision so I could give you an idea of the wonderful homecoming I had yesterday.  But first, sometimes California can have nice sunsets too, as reflected in my rig ... don't mind the dirty stripes down the side.

After a quiet night in Bakersfield, I decided to fill my propane tank while it was convenient.  I drove up to the tank at 7:30 and before I got out of the rig, there was a nice young gentleman waiting for me.  Fill 'er up!  

Sometimes chit chat should be kept to a minimum.  In no time I knew he had worked the oil fields of Wyoming.  He didn't get hired on in Alaska because he was a felon, finally ending up in Bakersfield.  Ok then ....... I double checked everything and locked my doors.  Really, he was a nice guy, clean cut ... I'd hire him too.  Fourteen gallons of propane came to $37.

I made the mistake of leaving my camera on the table out of reach, so the only picture I got was of the Halo's building.  I love this building/advertisement.  Not that there was anything else to take pictures of, because there wasn't.

On the last leg just into town, all of a sudden there was a big WHAP that covered my entire windshield!!!  It was like I drove though a curtain of rocks and scared me to death!!!   It took me a couple of seconds to figure out I had hit a HUGE swarm of bees.  I mean to tell you, their dead bodies covered my entire window, along with guts and blood.  What a big mess that was!!  

The wind went out of my sails.  Now I had to wash the thing when I got home.  RATS!!  At long last I pulled into the driveway.

Ten loads back and forth to the house later and I required some coffee to keep me going.  What the heck?  I can't see in my microwave.  Apparently the light has burned out ... no surprise since it's probably 20 years old.  Still works like a charm but I couldn't even figure out where the light WAS.  That's when I noticed every battery operated thing in the house had dead batteries.  

I needed a pepsi (even if it was outdated by two months) ... so I opened the freezer to get some ice and I can't get the door open.  WHAT?  Wish I had taken a picture, but the ice maker door was covered with four inches of crystalized ice attached to the ice bin.  I've no clue, since the ice maker was shut off when I left.  What next???

RIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPP .... okay, that's enough for one homecoming.  It's hot here, so I changed to my shorts after washing the rig windshield.  Yup ... caught my foot in a tiny opening and ripped the entire hem off one leg.  Irritated, I chopped off a piece of fabric and sewed it to both sides, zig-zagging the entire seam SHUT!!  Take THAT!!

I plopped on the couch and figured to watch television for the rest of the night.  NOT!!  It said it needed to be reauthorized.  Two phone calls and an hour later, I finally have my TV back.  I wasn't going to ask what else could go wrong ... I just snuggled with the puppies.

In case you want to know what the moon looked like last night, here it is at 3:28 am.  As usual, any house locked up with no air circulation for several months is going to smell bad.  Too bad they don't have smell-o-vision so you too could be wafting in the breezes of stale, slightly moldy air, mostly because I forgot to dump the last bit of trash in the kitchen. 

I have a pretty good smeller.  Things will wake me up in the middle of the night because of the smell ... like neighbors burning, errant fuel, a sick dog.  You can imagine I didn't sleep a wink with the yucky smell, so I finally got up, grabbed my trusty can of Lysol and sprayed the entire house.  I also turned on two of those candle smelly things.  As I looked outside, the full moon was behind the trees.

It didn't really help and I never did get back to sleep, but at least I felt better for the time being.  Today will be spent scrubbing down everything and vacuumimg while the fan runs with the windows open.  Hopefully that helps.  In the meantime, I discovered I grew a healthy crop of daddy-long-leg spiders on the living room ceiling.  Time to don my battle armor for another siege.

Over The Hills And Through The Woods

There's no woods, but you knew that.  Just windmills galore!!!   I knew it was going to be a long driving day.  I prefer those two hour drives that land me at a nice camping spot next to a fabric store, but it was not to be this time.  There was still snow on the mountains as I headed down those horrible high-traffic freeways to crazy city after city.

Even though I've driven the highways many times, I'm always leery of missing an offramp.  I've missed the one that goes around San Bernardino for the last twelve trips.  The good news is the bypass I end up on is brand new and a smooth ride.  

I have to say I LOVE this Allison Transmission and Fifth Gear!!  If the big trucks would just leave me alone, I'd be fine.  They always seem to want their lane and half of mine.  By the time I got to the top of the mountain and off on Hwy 395, I was pretty tired.  Luckily there are convenient wide spaces where the trucks pull over, giving me a nice spot to relax and water the puppies.

That's when these guys went by.  Have you ever seen TWO flag trucks with those feelers 13 or 14 foot high?  Following is only one wide load truck.  Looks like overkill to me, but I suppose it takes the guesswork out of it.

There were some expansive views as I came down the mountainside headed to four corners.  Which reminds me, while leaving Tucson, I counted nine ... that's right NINE Highway Patrol vehicles, or State Troopers as they now call themselves.  I've since driven 250 miles in California and not seen one single CHP.  No wonder everyone speeds!!

I'm not sure how, but I cut 30 minutes off my best time to arrive in Bakersfield.  Honestly, I never went over 58 mph.  This place isn't the cheapest, but Orange Grove RV park has full hookups and a 90 foot pull through for $45.  Worth every penny.  I can attest to their good electrical service since my AC was on for seven hours with no interruption.  It's a tad bit warm in the valley.

Outside smells wonderful, but I couldn't figure out why.  It finally dawned on me ... the orange trees are blossoming already.  

They smell delicious, but don't get too close.  They are covered with honey bees!!  As for the oranges, they are at the tippy top of the trees and very small.  Not worth the picking, or scrambling up into the tree to reach them.

Last night I was SO happy to find a channel that had the Giants-Dodgers opening day baseball game.  It was a nice way to pass the evening, especially since the Giants, short two of our best pitchers and using our third option against the best-in-the West Kershaw, BEAT LA IN LA by one point!!!  It doesn't get better than that! 

This morning I'll get a propane fill before taking off on the last leg to home.  The Bingo crew has already contacted me for a landing date.  The Magic Kingdom of Bingo is alive and well!!

To TT or Not To TT

It's not what you think.  TT is not a quick roadside stop.  TT is Thousand Trails Membership RV Park.  I tend to stay there a lot, but not in Southern California.  When I discovered it was directly across the freeway from my all time favorite quilt store Monicas, I made the reservation.

Quartzsite was surprisingly cool last night and even colder in the morning.  I'm not sure what happened but I was very appreciative.  I waited around as long as I could before taking off and going all of one quarter mile to fuel up.  It may take longer at this Arco station, but the desk clerk is very easy on the eyes.  Yup ... a hunk!!  Fuel was $2.89 a gallon.

After giving directions to a lost little old lady trying to get to Yuma (who probably felt ok to ask another old lady), I was off and running.  California here I come ... if reluctantly.

The border crossing - inspection station did it's usual wave on through.  Do they ever stop anyone or ask about agriculture products?

This was my only quick view of the Colorado River.  I think there's an RV park around here somewhere that I would like to spend some time at. 

So back to Thousand Trails ... I happened to read on Facebook (Thousand Trails, the Really Good and the Really Bad) that it was a dustbowl and NOT a good place to stay.  Dan said it was definitely a parking challenge with all the palm trees.  The fact that it's free on my membership does carry some weight.  

Halfway to Indio, I chickened out and called the Elks Lodge.  Come on in said Carol ... we've missed you.  It happens they also host at the Florence Oregon Elks Lodge where I stay every summer.  I decided asphalt trumped dirt and sand, not to mention a drive-through space versus backing up between the palm trees.  So here I am at the Elks Lodge.

I was immediately off to the fabric store, but stopped in at Thousand Trails to cancel my reservation.  Good grief ... it was exactly as they had stated.  All back-in sites, they were all covered with banks of sand and dirt.  The landscaping had all died and what little grass there was needed to be mowed.  What a mess.  Apparently they blame it all on the drought.

I smiled as I drove out, thinking I had made a good decision.  Time for the fabric store!!  This place is amazing and Monica herself was there today.  I thanked her profusely for keeping the store stocked full of everything imaginable as I handed over my credit card.

I always tell them NOT to tell me the amount.  I would rather be surprised later when the bill comes.  Boy have I been surprised in the past!!!  While standing at the counter, I spotted this magnetic pincushion, one I've been looking for for quite some time.  I threw it on the pile.  SCORE!!!

Since becoming familiar with Nutrisystem, their serving sizes and what you eat, I stopped in at Ralphs grocery store to see if I could find something acceptable.  Lobster bisque can't be fattening, right?  I grabbed a chunk of meatloaf and some broccoli salad.  I was being SO good until I got to the checkout stand.

Why do they keep this stuff there?  Ever heard of this one?  Hershey's GOLD?  Well let me tell you, it's probably one of the best candy bars I've ever eaten.  It tasted like caramel with crushed pretzels.  I'm ashamed to say I ate the entire thing in about two minutes!!!

Back at the rig I watered the puppies and tried to keep Jessie out of trouble with the big dog next door, chained to the undercarriage of their trailer.  I hate it when people do that because I rarely see them before Jessie does.  She is getting better ... well not really .... I'M getting better at catching and changing her direction of intent.

This morning I'll head off once again for the big town of Bakersfield.  I've hit a window of opportunity between wind, rain and sunshine and I'm taking advantage.  Happy Trails ......

BTW ... for you mechanically minded men out there ... my water pump works great when I turn on the bathroom faucet.  The kitchen faucet has hardly any water pressure at all, nor does the toilet.  When I flush it, hardly any water comes out.  Any guess on what the problem is and how to fix it???  I appreciate any help I can get!!

A Creepy Goodbye!!

All packed up and ready to go, I completely forgot all the to-do's for the rig.  Well not ALL, I did remember where to put the key.  I double and triple checked all the locks and the Fort Knox alarm system on the house and headed out the door for the last time.

This big guy came to say goodbye, so I snapped his picture.  Momma was just ahead of him on the fence, making all their little calls to each other.  How I am going to miss these guys.  I'll be back little quail!!

THIS guy however, could have stayed hidden forever.  After talking about adding some dirt to my driveway area, I began to move some pavers to the side of the garage.   I know not to stick my hands under rocks.  I gingerly picked them up by the sides and turned them over to find this guy staring up at me.

I quickly grabbed my camera just as he unfurled and started to move.  WAIT little scorpion .... SMILE!!  He was a fast little bugger, who when completely spread out and moving, quickly went from one inch to twice that size with his tail swiping at the wind.  In this image, it's completely curled up.

SMASH!!!  Sorry kid, but you're not welcome around here.  Truly, I hope I don't run into many more of these guys.

This was the last Arizona sunset I saw.  Anyone remember Arizona's Sunset magazine?   It was the only subscription my mother had for about 20 years.  

Finally we were loaded up and headed Northwest on Hwy 10 with Jonathan screaming the first 50 miles.  Disco disco, kitty kitty kitty and SQUAWK rattled on for miles.

About two hours in, the wind came up and challenged me the entire rest of the trip.  In the 20 mph range with gusts of 25 and more, I slowed down and let everyone pass me by.  I'd rather be safe than sorry since my rig is lightweight compared to others.  

We made a quick pit stop in Gila Bend, where I finally remembered to turn on the inverter to keep the fridge cold.  It was short and sweet, because when you read that sign across the highway saying high winds and blowing dust, you suck it up and carry on to arrive as early as possible at your destination.  The death grip I had on the steering wheel caused my arms to tire quickly, so the slower speeds helped considerably.

In 4-1/2 hours I finally arrived in Quartzsite.  I probably could have kept going, but Jonathan requires a break from hanging on to his perch for dear life with beak and claws.  

The kids wanted to know what the heck I was doing out in that wind.  As much as they love to go outside, they are not any more fond of the wind than I am.

Heading out again this morning for Thousand Trails Palm Desert.  Unfortunately, I heard some bad reviews and may have a hard time parking among the palm trees.  That was enough to keep me up all night!!  HOWEVER, there is a quilt store there that is a must stop!!

On the road again .............

Watch For Animals .... Bunny Crossing

A couple of days ago as I wandered out my driveway, I spotted two large holes in the hillside.  Not wanting them to be packrat holes, I plugged them with big rocks.  I'm sure there are plenty of other places for them to nest AWAY from me!!

So while removing the tire covers from the rig, wasn't I surprised to see something small, light brown and "critter" looking move quickly from the outside of the tire to the inside.  What the heck was THAT??

I got down on my knees (way far away) and stuck my head under the rig to see if I could tell what it was.  That's a feat in itself since the air bags are empty and there's only about ten inches of space.

This is what I saw ... a little dark blob between the tires.  Oh good grief ..... it's a BABY BUNNY!!!

Now what do I do??  I can't move the rig with him sitting there!!  Where's Momma??  While pondering the situation I placed a small cup of water nearby in case Momma didn't come back.  My plan was to shoo him into a box and let him go again down by my water station in a hole I would dig underneath some cactus. 

In the meantime, I drove over to the Chance Ranch to take pictures of this fabulous greenhouse Dan built .... from scratch ... by himself .... with only the plans in his head.  How do people do that??

Inside is amazing with tables built all around.  It's fully equipped with fans, water hoses, a drainage system, lights .... this thing has everything you need to grow stuff.  As you can see by the flowering cactus and plants, they are happy campers!

My little painted rock fits in perfectly.

Patty is growing jalapeños, tomatoes, green peppers and lettuce, just to name a few.

There's even a waterfall in the corner with real live fish in it.  I would probably take out the middle table and put in a lounge chair to bask in the sun on cold days, but that's just me.  

Outside they have long raised beds of onions, broccoli (now gone since we ate it all) and brussell sprouts.  In case of an emergency, the Chance Ranch will have veggies!!

Back home, I checked the big hole to find all those rocks had been kicked out to the driveway below. YAY!!!  That probably means Momma is back and maybe ... hopefully ... she picked up baby on the way.  

Sure enough, as I again laid flat and crawled under the rig, I could find no baby bunny.  RATS!!  That meant I had to crawl under the opposite side, just to be sure he hadn't found another hiding spot.  There was no bunny to be found, so Mom must have come and collected him.  YAY!!!

Today is D Day and I will be out of here shortly, that is after I check everything on my list at least three times and again make sure the bunny is gone.  Otherwise I may be in for a longer stay!!

New Treasures

And here she is in all her glory, my new dresser with mirror.  Pat's neighbor glued the two broken pieces back together using clamps, and I had to look really hard to find the repair.  I had a little trouble getting it back in the harp since the pins and brackets are a little bent from age.  There are also parts and pieces that need re-gluing, but I can work on that at a later date.

In the meantime, it scared me half to death last night when I spotted movement in the bedroom in the dark.  It was the dogs on the bed.  No worries, my heart needed that jolt!!

I scavenged my rock piles for suitable painting supplies and added to it a couple of pieces Patty had in her Alaska stash in their greenhouse.  I need to get some pictures of that beauty and show you Dan's expertise at building things.  It's amazing, to say the least.  The two smallest rocks will be geocaching pieces.

I just love being outside listening to all the birds call to each other in the morning.  These two Gamble's quail were taking a nice cool dust bath from the overflow of water in the sand.

Actually the above male let the female go first.  Nice guy!!

As you can see, the hummers know it's spring and they are out in big numbers.  This feeder was full just two days ago.  They are much tinier than what I see in California.  This happens to be the Owner of this feeder.  He parks himself in a nearby tree (always in the same place) and chases off any other hummers that stop by.  He has even tried to chase ME off.

I love this picture because of his shadow on the post.  He does let others eat occasionally.  Maybe they're family.  

While watching the hummers, I got a phone call from Michael's that my picture was ready for pickup.    Never take anything to Michaels for framing, or Joann's either, for that matter.  The prices are just over the moon ridiculous.   After waiting for two weeks, the one on the left finally came home after I ran from the store back to my car to get my wallet I left in my camera bag.  How embarrassing!!  

Yes, they did a VERY nice job, matching the matting to the picture on the right.   Unfortunately, no one had any framing material to match.  Although hard to see, it looks like old barn wood.  It was just WAY too expensive and I won't do that again.

You will be shocked to hear I also spent one whole day cleaning my Jeep.  It had not had a bath in about ten months and the dirt piled up on the floor was becoming a tripping hazard.  I vacuumed out at least a pound of sand that was deposited in the back when I left the tailgate open on a windy day at the beach in Washington.

This place is located on Rita road off I-10.  You can store your stuff, wash your car, wash your dog or rent a U-haul, all in one place.  I see from the picture you can even wash your RV.  I'm not sure about that one, but I'll check it out next time.

It was one of those drive through ones ... hardly a GOOD car wash.  It was also a driving test for old folks.  I had to get over to the left far enough to pay my $8 (cash only), then swerve to miss the steel post.  Going in was okay ... STOP when the red light flashes.  As the machine moved around me it fooled my eyes into thinking I was moving.  

I slammed on the brakes three or four times before realizing there really was no need because I had the Jeep in park.  The drive OUT was barely wide enough as I squeezed through steel posts to the end where I made a VERY sharp left hand turn.  

Wasn't I surprised when I grabbed a towel to dry the outside.  There wasn't a spec of dirt anywhere and hardly any water to dry off.  Turns out this was the best drive through car wash I've ever used.  It missed the back windshield a tad since it's at 90 degrees to the pavement, but everything else was clean as a whistle.  I'll be back!!

With all the miscellaneous stuff now accomplished, I can get back to everyday cleaning and washing the rig.  Oh what fun!!!

A Little Girl Time

It's all girl time for me any more.  Seems to me the girls are always willing to go anywhere and do just about anything.  Most husbands, not so much.  And so us girls got together to ROCK Tucson.  Okay, that's not exactly the truth, but we sure did have a good time.

First up was the Green Valley Guild quilt show.  Had we known it would be so tiny, I think we would have passed.  There was only one small room at the Hilton Hotel set up for vendors, which after all is the only reason we go.

Surely we could find SOMETHING!!  And we did ... Pat found a cool purse, Patty some fat quarters and me this quilt kit.  At least we didn't come out empty handed, but it only took about 30 minutes.  Our next stop was lunch.  OPA!  I bet you guessed Greek food, and you would be right.

This probably doesn't look very Greek because OPA was closed.  Instead we went to Gees Garden Restaurant.  Once inside, we were treated like royalty as we sat in brilliant yellow-gold slip covered chairs (the color of the Emperor).  I waited impatiently.  This would be a total new experience for me.  DIM SUM!  Who knew?

I thought dim sum was everything stuffed in a roll and steamed.  Instead, it was everything brought to your table in small plates.  You pick whatever you want to eat.  Be careful here, they charge by the plate.  

We had crazy deep fried shrimp balls, calamari, delicious green beans, eggplant (yes, that's eggplant on my plate, something that's only been in my mouth maybe three times in my life), WAY too sticky rice and egg rolls.  I even used chop sticks, easier to not eat as much.  The food was excellent.

BUT THEN ...... came three of these beauties on a plate.  All I can say is WOW!!!  It was like a sweet parker roll with a sweet crunchy topping, filled with delicious vanilla pudding and it was WARM.  Not having had anything so decadent in awhile, I couldn't get enough!!

Stuffed to the gills, we made a quick stop next door at an upscale Thrift Shop.  I first found this picture of a storm over very old adobe structures.  $10 ... and it fits my decor nicely.

That's when I saw THIS beauty.  Rarely do you find them with the harp still attached AND the mirror.  I almost fell on the floor when I saw the price of $95.  This would be $350 in California.  SOLD!!  Unfortunately, two younger kids were the ones to take it apart and walk it to my car, whereupon the mirror fell off and broke the frame .... not the mirror thank goodness, just the frame.  

Pat said she knew someone who could fix it, and honestly, it just needed some wood glue.  The lady at the store apologized and said she would give me another $20 off.  Okay then!!  It came home with me.  At $75 it's still a huge bargain, even without the mirror.

However, Pat said her neighbor works on furniture, so we dropped the mirror off at his house.  I should have it back today.  What a find this was!!!

Pat said that's nothing ... wait until you see this fabric store ... SAS.  I was actually thinking the same thing ... the names around here are different, right?  But THIS place ... oh my goodness!!  

This may be last year's fabric, but it still sells in the quilt stores for $13-14 a yard.  At this store it sells for $3.99 a yard.  That's almost a 75% savings.  So I snagged 15 yards to use as backing ... or whatever else I want.  That Pat .... she sure knows where to shop!!

So with my Jeep full to the brim and poor Patty sitting with a dresser harp in her face, we headed back home.  We all had bags of fabric, full stomachs and happy faces.

Needless to say, I had a GREAT day hanging with the girls.  

The Old Toilet Paper Roll Game

Come on, admit it.  You've tossed the old toilet paper roll around before wondering what you might do with it.  It makes a great viewer for an eclipse if you tape a piece of film over the end.  It makes a great dog toy for the puppies to roll around and it makes a GREAT toy to keep Jonathan occupied for about 30 minutes.

Parrots are very protective of their space.   If you introduce anything new to their cage, they will sit in the corner and sulk.  All those ropes that hang from the top are quickly covered in dust because Jonathan won't have anything to do with them.

Birds really need to chew on something to keep their beaks in shape.  Otherwise, they can grow so long the bird can't eat.  Pieces of wood are the preferred play toy for parrots, and Jon gets lots of closet rods cut up into six inch pieces.  That, by the way, is why he lives INSIDE a cage instead of outside with access to furniture.  Yes, they will chew the legs off your chairs and shred your drapes.

As you can see here, Jon's beak is in pretty good shape.  Good enough to cut your finger off if he really wanted to.

What they prefer MOST is paper.  Jon will spend hours sitting on the floor trying to snake a piece of paper off the bottom of the cage so he can chew it up into a million pieces, the better to frustrate me with paper all over the floor.  Truth be told, it's "her" nesting instinct.

Toilet paper rolls are even BETTER!!!  In about three minutes it was unrecognizable ... that is after he screamed at it, poked at it and made sure it wouldn't bite back!!  He put on quite the show!!

Alas, the paper roll was gone and Jon was again asleep on his perch, so I threw the ball for Cooper a few times.  From the TV room, I launch it through the kitchen into the living room, making for a longer run and less throwing.  

Cooper came back running around like crazy, meaning he couldn't find the ball.  We both looked under and over everything.  I tried to get him interested in another ball, but that wasn't happening!

I couldn't do this again if my life depended on it.  This is where I finally found it, stuck in the back of a chair.

The rest of the day was spent working on the latest quilt and packing.  Yes, it's getting close to that time again.  Thankfully this time the only packing required is the refrigerator and some clothes.  

And Jonathan ... and the kids ... and all their toys because I'd be knee deep in you know what if I leave one of Cooper's toys here!!

The weather couldn't be nicer, 75-85 during the day with cool 40 degree nights.  Perfect weather for Easter egg hunting.  Have you got your eggs dyed????

An ARTISTE I Am NOT!

The desert is not on fire, but it sure felt like it last night as the sun went down and the temperatures zoomed up to 90 degrees.  There's not much worse to ruin your night's sleep than having too many covers with too many dogs, not to mention too many LOUD trains.

Sometimes those trains can sneak by without hardly a whisper.  Then there's the four last night that I could hear fifteen minutes before they arrived with engines screaming so loud they vibrated the entire house.  THAT of course causes the house to creak and groan long after the train is gone.  Burglars ... it MUST be burglars!  Needless to say I'll be napping on the couch most of the day.

One thing I've never gotten into much is art.  I'm not an artist or even an artiste, but sometimes I have the urge to create something beyond quilts.  It probably comes from being easily bored.  You may have seen some of the painted rocks people hide nowadays.  Mostly painted by kids I might add.

It's almost like geocaching, only you get to keep these treasures if you so desire.  Some you find can even be recorded online and either kept or re-hidden.  I've seen some amazing patterns on some, called mandalas.  Something about being one with the universe.  That's really not my thing .... I just like the pretty rocks!!

So when Patty and I went to Joann's yesterday, I picked up some paint.  Now all I needed was a rock. I walked outside, looked down and there was the PERFECT canvas.  Sort of round and smooth.  How lucky could I be!!

Not having a clue how to do this, I watched a few You-Tube videos for some instruction.  With everything set up ... paper plate, paint, newspaper for the mess and of course the TV control ... I set to work.

I knew those drill bits would come in handy SOME time.  According to the videos, that was the best implement to paint with.  No paint brushes required.  A trip to Harbor Freight should provide me with all the "brushes" I need.

So here's my very first attempt at art.  Not exactly perfect but it was rather fun to create something pretty out of a rock.  I set it aside to dry.

Hmmmmm I need more rocks!!  A walkabout in the yard produced nothing.  River rock is the name of the game, but there aren't any rivers here.  I should have kept all those rocks I picked up on the Oregon and Washington coastlines.  

When I heard the doorbell ring out front, knowing it was a religious group canvassing the neighborhood, I didn't answer the door.  What I DID was peek out the blinds to see if they were gone, and what should appear but an entire truckload of river rock along my front walkway.  EUREKA!!

They are even colored like Easter eggs!!  I tried my hand with some different colors.  It's a tad harder than I thought since my hands aren't always as steady as a rock (see what I did there?) but for my second try, it's not bad.  

Unfortunately I didn't notice when I purchased the paints that these were pearlescent.  Definitely not my first choice.  Oh well ... I'm going to be using a lot of it since it hardly takes a quarter teaspoon to do an entire rock.  

When dry, you spray it with clear sealer.  Since the wind was blowing, I sprayed it in the garage and almost asphyxiated myself.  I won't do that again, mostly because I really like the natural rock look better.

You are probably thinking she's got rocks in her head, and to be quite honest after seeing how pretty these turned out, I really DO.  Now to find a friends garden, RV or flower pot to hide them in!!