Rodeo!!

Evidently, Rodeo is a big thing here in Texas. (Understatement much?)

I volunteer with a friend for the PTA bulletin board at my oldest kiddo's school. Last time, it took an afternoon to take down the previous board, and design & put up the new display. Each month, the display gets changed and I figured this month's would be as simple. Nope. One word:

Rodeo.

And to boot, almost all the previous years' decorations had been lost, worn out or disposed of. So we had to start basically from scratch. There were photos of the displays from the past, and we used that as our inspiration and expanded on it. So, it took a bit longer than one afternoon, but for the love of the arts (which, unfortunately, when money is tight, creativity and fun are prime targets for cuts) and for the sake of the kids, it was totally worth it.

Every kid (and teacher, and staff) got really excited whenever they passed by the display. They spun around and around admiring all the details and pieces we created (for Rodeo, it wasn't just one bulletin board, but the entire lobby). The expression on their faces made it totally. worth. it. And I got to play with the lamination machine (awesome!!)

Can't wait to see what Rodeo is all about this week.



Mui Chao
Photographic Artist
SimplyMui Photography

This was fun to make -- upcycled from cardboard box scraps. Add paint, coffee, fire and rope and TA DA!!

Canyons, and oversized silhouettes by me. Puffy relief styled fencing, southwestern sun and ranch sign by A.R. The cowboys & cowgirls were made by the students.

Detail of the cowboy & horse silhouette

Detail of the covered wagon & oxen silhouette

Huge cardboard sign by AR & me (did I mention we're all about the being reducing, reusing and recycling?). Log cabin facade by the PTA volunteers

Dancing cowgirl silhouette by me, pennant sign by AR

There were a LOT of cowkids to put up :)

Locations: Gruene

In a spontaneous rush to get the kids out of the house, a friend & I ended up in the historic district of Gruene (pronounced "green"), Texas. Our destination was an antique store, which, with five kids in tow, ranging from 1-8 years old, and all my life's experience had warned me, was NOT a good idea. But I'm a glutton for punishment, and a sucker for adventures, so off we went!

And luckily, we were able to get my husband away from the football games and join us (one of the few times I've been grateful for internet/data plans on mobile phones). He was someone familiar with our destination and the added adult body meant we weren't so severely outnumbered by excitable kids.

Amazingly, we got there, the kids were very well behaved, and the town was overwhelmingly charming and quaint. Everywhere we looked, there were gorgeous landscaping and picturesque details.

rustic fencing of Grapevine, enclosing a lovely seating area filled with barrel tables and a cozy fire pit

the wooden facades on the buildings and well thought out plantings adds so much to the district

Antique bikes by the Old Time Photo studio. Not sure what I could do with this, but the boys got a kick out of it.

Old western covered wagon. We took lots of shots in front of it, where there are hay bales, barrels, and whiskey jugs to scatter ourselves.

This swinging bench is so simple, but so very inspirational!

beautiful classic pump water feature

My little model was very enamored by the sound and movement of the water

This part of Gruene Mansion Inn just explodes my mind with possibilities.

A lovely green lawn with elegant backdrop gives kids lots of room to play

My little one feeling out the field for me

The barrel planters in front of Gristmill gives so much life and charm to the streets

How can I get a rusty of sign for myself?

The boys were helping me explore the breadth of the land

Having little kids with me really helps me to see the details which I might have missed from my grown up height & point of view

We were only able to explore a small corner of Gruene before we had to move on to forage for food (eating ice cream takes up a lot of time, but doesn't fill the tummy very well). This easily became one of my new favorite locations, and I predict many more return visits.

To be continued!!



Mui Chao
Photographic Artist

Happy New Year

The holidays and school winter break is over and we all groggily clear the cobwebs from our heads as we get back into the work mindset. Just wanted to look back on the past year and the things that made me laugh. I can't wait to see what's in store for this new year. Hope it's a good one for everyone!