Monday, June 23, 2008

Iraq? Huh? What's that??

According to this new unsettling story on huffingtonpost.com, the average time spent covering the "war" in Iraq by the major news networks is 2 minutes a week!

Read the article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/22/reporters-major-networks_n_108560.html

It may also interest you to know that a quick scan of CNN.com's main page as of this posting had no mention of Iraq. It did however have these important tidbits listed under its "Latest News" section which is prominently featured on the upper right hand side section of the page -

While there were a few other items that dealt with the current race for the White House and the cost of gas, these were titles featured right along with them. In fact, out of the 19 listed, these were half of the "news" stories.



Small wonder we have such an under-informed populace in this country - which of course leads to dreadful mistakes like this...

In Memoriam...

George Carlin



May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008

The end of a brilliant comedian with an equally brilliant mind.



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/arts/24carlin.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_carlin

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Very Funny Video...

Love This.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwqEneBKUs

And this is is even better - HOWEVER, it is definitely NOT safe for work, and the language may offend some listeners, though, it certainly didn't seem to offend McCain back in '92.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euu_DMhsXQo

"Them"


Them, originally uploaded by sprouseart.

Wacky digital collage with big thanks to flickr pro-member superbomba. Her collection of retro, "Arbusesque", vernacular found photography is simply out of this world!

I'm off to NJ this morn to move major parts of my studio to my new studio just a little over 2 months before my next solo exhibit!

Aiiieeee!!!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Happy B-day Nick - Shame about the Dame...

Tee Hee.. this is what our black cat Scraggles likes to do most mornings, a rousing game of fetch with her toy mice...



She will keep going like that until you either throw the mouse in some spot where she can't find it - like on top of the refrigerator.

Today is the birthday of my brother Nicholas. He is younger than I...much younger, and he is hitting a milestone decade birthday that falls between 20 and 40. I hit that birthday mark myself so many moons ago that my memory of the celebration that evening is somewhat vague and watercolored.

I do remember that George arranged a wonderful surprise dinner party with about 15 guests at a Spanish restaurant in DC that is now long gone. I can't remember the name of the place, though I remember the location. I remember most, but not all, of the guests that were there. I don't remember what I ate but I do remember the server and the manager walking from guest to guest pouring sweet tasting fortified wine from a leather cask into our mouths as celebratory shots. As the birthday boy, I had the biggest shot and I do remember swallowing several mouthfuls of wine as the crowd cheered me on.

Nick implied to me not too long ago that this particular birthday was making him feel a bit "old". I immediately asked him if he'd like to trade ages, which seemed to change the tone of the conversation a tad. Of course, while feeling older when hitting that particular mark is somewhat expected when you enter it, ultimately it isn't as psyche damaging as it was, say 25 years or so ago. It fact, by today's standards, it is considered downright young, and certainly, I will make no attempt to disagree.

I remember the day that Nick was born with pristine clarity. It was a warm and sunny June 20th, and my older brother David and I were playing Frisbee in the street when my parents left for the hospital. I was 13 and David was 10 days from 15. The year was 1978. I was wearing cut off Levi's with frayed ends and ever so slightly split up the side seams and my hair was parted in the middle and "feathered" back. I had a very wide distressed tan leather belt with large metal riveted punched with a huge oval shaped "rainbow iridescent" Boston belt buckle. I was also wearing a bright, canary yellow t-shirt that was spray painted with the word "Mike" on it in rainbow colored, metalic paint with a font so stylized that would have camouflaged me perfectly against the side of any ultra-popular customized van.

So, now who has the right to feel old? Tee Hee. I can already imagine some of my friends who read this blog (some of whom I met the year Nick was born or shortly thereafter and whom Nick grew up around) also sharing in their own private dismay that Sprouse's "little brother" was turning 30. For after all, if he's that old...what does that make them?!

I hope Nick has a great birthday, though, based upon our conversation from the other day, he may be feeling a bit somber and forlorn for the club where he has been the General Manager and the Main Talent Buyer for several years is closing its doors after this weekend. Tonight, as he informed me, will be the last Friday night at the Dame. There is some chance that the Dame will re-emerge in a new location but nothing is definite.

Feel free to read the article sent to me today by Nick.

http://www.kentucky.com/712/story/438335.html


If it's any consolation Nick, maybe when your my age 13 years from now, you'll look back on this day with vague watercolored memories as well.

Cheers!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Obama Hires Solis Doyle

My brother turned me onto this article on Huffingtonpost.com yesterday afternoon when it hit -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/16/obama-hires-solis-doyle-a_n_107395.html

I sent him this response this morning and felt the need to share it here as well.

Hmm. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Oddly, it seems that as of this morning, the main-stream media has yet to pick up on the decision. If Obama did make this decision as slap in Clinton's face, then I would see that as a highly irresponsible decision motivated by ego and inexperience. This isn't a game of schoolyard kickball, this is about the future of our country which, in my opinion, is hanging in a very delicate balance right now. Assuming that he did make the decision motivated by those reasons, It seems to me that it would only strengthen the idea bouncing around some folk's heads that he isn't "there" yet when it comes to fixing the long list of wrongs that we as Americans are struggling with right now.

But, let me rather suppose that that isn't the reason. The article on huffingtonpost.com uses terminology such as "insiders believe", "according to two close Clinton confidantes" and "one individual with knowledge of the Clinton campaign's political leanings". Again, the cynic in me dismisses such "sources" of information as potential gossip, unsubstantiated innuendo, and often downright untruthful made up on a whim by over zealous reporters needing to pad a "story" which is really just a thin disguise for an op-ed piece. It's important to note that there was another source that I read from an insider who debunked the entire theory of animosity between the two. I find it perplexing that the same people that would dismiss such "inside sources" when they see them printed on the cover of cheap and tawdry celebrity tabloids while waiting in line at the grocery store would be quick to believe them in some other context.

While it's possible that there may be bad blood now between PSD and HC, but there are some facts that seem to be overlooked.

1 - The two had been (and may very well still be) very close friends and PSD had been HC's personal assistant since 1992.

2 - The two women are such consummate professionals that, though possible, I can't imagine that they would transform into catty and bitter rivals when HC decided that PSD needed to step down. The truth is that there were mistakes mad in HC's campaign pre-Iowa and that's when PSD held the reins. It seems to me that as professionals and close friends, they would come to a mutual understanding that it wasn't working and, that for the better of the campaign, a change needed to be made.

3 - It's important to remember that Obama and Clinton had a private meeting not too long ago. Since most of the news story is based upon conjecture ( with a negative slant since that always makes for more exciting reading) isn't it just as possible that during that meeting Obama may have said something like this -

"Look, after this dies down, I'm going to offer you the VP so we can move forward with what really needs to be done."
In response to which HC may have said, "Great. I'm ready, but I just want one small request, bring in Patti as my VP assistant."

It is possible that that is what my be occurring.

If happy little bluebirds fly...


Rainbow, originally uploaded by sprouseart.

Look what appeared over the rooftops in front of my home late yesterday afternoon after a line of severe thunderstorms moved through.

The sun was setting behind me which lit the receding clouds ahead creating the perfect arc.

It was one of those sunsets where everything was bathed in radiant gold and orange light like a Kodachrome slide from the 50's.

What a show!

Monday, June 16, 2008

When seeing isn't always believing...



Above is another Victorian cabinet photo that I transformed with the help of Photoshop. While I'm doing these mostly for fun, I’m also hoping that they will illustrate how pervasive digital image manipulation has become a constant facet of our contemporary culture driven by an almost maniacal obsession with being youthful looking, thin, and attractive.

Many people are blissfully unaware that over 95% of all the photographs on magazine covers and in articles as well as both print, web and billboard advertisements have been digitally altered, sometimes dramatically. Those who are aware of it often choose to delegate the fact to some dusty corner of their mind and forget about it choosing to buy into the belief that those on the covers really are that flawless.

The problem is that these images create illusions that many people feel that they need to recreate in their own lives in order to achieve perfection. Anyone who knows their way around Photoshop and has a basic understanding of the layout of the human face can do the same thing to photos (as can be seen by my examples).

I first learned this “skill” in the late 90’s when I was working for a web design firm that specialized in web sites for radio stations. Most of the deejays, at least then, were known only by their wonderful voices and the public wasn’t quite sure what they looked like. My specialty was to shave off pound and years from the DJ’s photos before they were placed on the web site so as not to disappoint, or shock, the listening, often much more youthful, audience.

So, the next time you’re flipping through your favorite magazine, or you find yourself perusing the covers of the magazine rack while waiting in line at the grocery store or for your plane at the airport, ask yourself, does that celebrity really have such flawless skin? Can she or he really look like that now that they are between the ages of 35 and 70? Are they really that svelte and trim?

Once you open your eyes to the manipulation you’ll see it everywhere. And, if you happen to hear a young person exclaim how fantastic that person looks, you may want to unobtrusively inform them that they only look that way because the photo had been altered with a computer. That it isn’t reality.

There is nothing wrong with someone trying to make them self look and feel as attractive as they want, but it isn’t right if they are trying to recreate in reality a look that they are bombarded with everywhere that isn’t based in reality.

The underlying message seems to be that the cover models are more perfect living worry free, happy lives because they are beautiful and wealthy with perfect teeth, wrinkle free skin, fat free abs, thighs and arms. The message ultimately is that these people are better than you and that they will always be better than you unless you become one of them. People, especially young impressionable people, need to learn that it is image manipulation, and not based in reality.

Fortunately, there are more and more examples of the manipulation appearing on the web. Like this article on jezebel.com about a recent cover featuring Faith Hill. Or on this "photoshop" section of jossip.com.

When you get a chance, check them out, you may be very surprised.

Finally, there are some sites that post images of people, which as far as I can tell, haven’t yet been manipulated. One is http://www.jamd.com/. Visit the site and put the name of someone that you may have seen recently on the cover of a magazine in the search engine and you may be surprised at how radically different they look than the image of them that you noticed on the cover.

By the way, this type of "remake" and manipulation isn't always just aimed at teens and adults. Read this article, especially you parenst out there, about the "remake" of children's favorites from the past -

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/business/media/11cartoons.html?ref=arts.

I remember my sister had the "Strawberry Shortcake" dolls when she was young and she loved them. Look at the "new" Straberry Shortcake now. Perhaps she is ready for her own strawberry cellphone and hot pants.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Death By Eraser...

I didn't wake up this morning thinking about finding something ghoulish to grace the digital pages of my blog on a sunny, late Spring morning. But really, this is just such a prime and breath-catching example of "life is stranger than fiction" with perfectly macabre sidecar that I couldn't resist.

It seems that on the 15th of February 1909, on his 15th birthday no less, young George Spencer Millitt was trying to escape from a group of giggling girls who wished to bestow some innocently sweet birthday kisses upon his blushing cheek when he accidentally "ran a sharp eraser into his body" causing his death. This tragic event occurred, as luck would deem it, at his place of employment - the Application Bureau of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.



The photo of the headstone and the newspaper clipping is courtesy of flickr member jack_mord. He is also the fellow behind this intriguing and somewhat Gothic dark site - www.thantos.net.

By the way, if you were as curious as I as to what exactly a Victorian "ink eraser" was and how it could mortally harm someone, you'll find and example here...

http://www.tias.com/8600/PictPage/1922182527.html#images

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Slide show of the damned


Slide show of the damned, originally uploaded by sprouseart.

Family viewing pleasure...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Lightening striking again...

I have heard of Henry Darger in the past, but somehow his work and his story was placed on some dusty corner of my mind until I ran across this article on msnbc.com -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24994261/

Clearly, the man was deeply disturbed on many levels, but what an amazing treasure trove of work his mind and talent left behind.



By the way, if you're ever in the mood to kvetch about your childhood or even your present life circumstances, read a bit about Darger's childhood and tormented adulthood and then see if you don't feel like whistling a different tune.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger

Late yesterday afternoon/early evening, I was working away in the studio for my upcoming solo exhibit at the Philip Morton Gallery in September. The air was still stifling hot when I entered the studio as we were still in the throes of the "tropical" heat wave. It was that kind of heat that makes everyday creature behave oddly - squirrels flatten themselves against the bare earth for coolness and birds sloth about with their beaks ajar as if they were dragging themselves across the desert floor attempting to reach some distant hallucinatory oasis.

Fortunately for me, I keep my studio cool in the summer with a wall unit that we had installed after we renovated the space. If not for that, I too, would have been flattening myself to the bare earth for coolness no doubt. I opened the door, stepped into the refreshing acrylic paint scented air and quickly pulled the heavy door shut behind me locking out the hellishness of the baking sun.

I began working on one of my paintings and was quite oblivious to the world outside of my studio door. The rumbling of the air conditioner mixed with the music that I was playing helped in this obscurement. It was just I alone with my cool air, my art and my iTunes and I felt very content.

About an hour into my painterly nirvana however, all of the lights in my studio blinked. "Power surge", I thought to myself and went about my work. Then it happened again, but this time it was accompanied with a rumbling sensation that, even though I couldn't hear, I could feel through the concrete floor beneath my feet. I quickly muted the music realizing that something wasn't quite right.I opened the door to my studio and was greeted by quite a change in the weather. The stark blue and hazy 101 degree skies that were present when I entered my studio how now been replaced with something much more sinister. The temperature had dropped considerably and the trees were thrashing so severely with whipping winds that I remember wondering for a brief second why they weren't snapping off like weakened twigs. In the not too far distance, blue explosions of lightening were backlighting a massive cluster of churning black clouds. Since there were still hazy patches of blue above my head, I could see that the violent storm, though approaching quickly, was till not overhead. "Time to close shop", I thought matter-of-a-factly, as I stepped inside to power everything down which took less than two minutes. When I opened the door again to make the quick walk from my studio to the back door of the house, large rain drops where intermittently smashing into the ground around me and the storm moved closer. I stepped out of the studio and pulled the heavy door shut behind me and began walking quickly to my back door. That's when it happened.

Everything that happened next happened in a nano-second which is the weirdest sensation because I can recall it as if it took 10 minutes, like a time/space rift. First, I felt the air change around me as if it were being sucked up and away from me, and it felt tingly. Then there was a bright explosion of purple light so intense that I froze in my tracks because I felt temporarily blinded. It surrounded me as if I had walked into the headlight beam of on oncoming semi truck. It instantly befuddled me and I remember feeling as if my legs had suddenly become rubbery but only for a moment because following that was the loudest crack/explosion sound that I may have ever heard. It actually made my ears ring afterwards.

"Oh God, I've been struck by lightening!" I remember thinking to myself. But since I was still standing and seemed to be all right and could move again, I ran into the house thinking that I must have been spared.

Again, all of this happened literally in the blink of an eye. I can't explain why I recall it as if it took much longer. I'm still not sure if somehow I wasn't struck, but surely there would be some sort of mark or burn. When I reached the house my heart was beating so quickly that I felt ill and I couldn't catch my breath. Even as I recall it now my heart is beating faster and I feel a bit dizzy. I picked up the phone and called George who managed to calm me down leaving me to ponder what may have occurred. I can only guess that the strike must have been extremely close over my head, but later I could see no marking of anything that had been struck. I should read up on lightening so as to de-mystify for me.

I do recall several years ago I met a man who told me that he had been struck my lightening on three separate occasions. He was certainly a truthful and well respected man on all other occasions so I had no need to disbelieve him. He did tell me that the first time that it happened to him, he was hurled into the air a good 70 feet or so. He told me that even though it happened instantaneously, he felt the experience as if it were in slow motion. He even recalled seeing a neighborhood woman a few backyards away quickly pulling laundry off the line before the storm hit. This was later confirmed by the woman. He also told me that when he fell back down to the earth, it was as if he lofted down like a feather. He also had no physical injuries from the drop.

Who knows? I guess I was just lucky one way or the other.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The joy of a productive day.

I had a very productive day today and that pleases me greatly. I have just one more little hurdle to leap over before being totally finished with one particular project, but that hurdle won't come until tomorrow morning. I also made great headway with another ongoing project which I'll post about when that's completely finished. That one involves hats collected by a close friend. Due to a variety of reasons the project has been in the works for over a year, but now it is, as my friend with the hats likes to say "almost soup".

I'm going to spend some time in the studio tonight before jumping into bed with some reading material as I have a new exhibit coming up in a few months.

More on that soon as well.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Just put one foot in front of the other...



In a dream last night, I was walking on water. I can't remember what type of body of water it was ( though I'm leaning towards small lake or large pond). Nearby either on the shore that I was trying to get to was a small group of people. Like many unknown people that appear very vividly in my dreams, they were dressed in a late Victorian/early Edwardian style of clothing.They were amazed that I was walking on water and were very vocal about it.

I just remember being very embarrassed by the ado they were making and wishing that they would shut up and ignore me. I remember feeling something close to dread actually when I realized that they had seen me. I only remember feeling like this because in the dream I was walking on the water only to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible ( I wish I could remember what situation was occurring that made me decide to walk very quickly to the shore rather than swim, but I can't) .

I remember telling myself in the dream that if anyone saw me doing it that my life would probably not be the same again and that I had really better weigh the options quickly before opting for that particular mode of transportation. During the time that I was hurriedly deciding what to do, I noticed that the group on the shore had their backs turned to me as if occupied by some other thing in the distance. I remember thinking that if I walked as fast and quietly as possible that I could make it to the shore without them turning around and seeing me.

No such luck. The minute I started my aqua trek, they in unison turned towards me and began reacting. Of course, I had to finish through with the walk at that point, though it only took a few seconds. Fortunately, I awoke as soon as I hit the shore and didn't have to dream further about what wacky explanation I would have to come up with for the now freaked out crowd.

I now know how much it would suck to have some wild ability that you had to keep under your hat all the time for fear of exposure...



I've looked up "walking on water" on several online dream dictionaries, but they all seem to have variations of this - "To dream that you are walking on water, suggests that you have supreme and ultimate control over your emotions. It may also suggest that you need to "stay on top" of your emotions and not let them explode out of hand. Alternatively, it is symbolic of faith in you".

"Supreme and ultimate control" eh? Those sound like words that may be uttered by some James Bond nemesis. To be fair, I have been dealing with several anxiety producing situations as of late and have had to talk myself out of panic attack mode on more than one occasion. I do however keep a few Xanax pills about somewhere only for severe panic ( they were a boy's best friend that time that George and I got terribly lost on a super highway somewhere outside of Florence, Italy). Fortunately, I've not had to use them since, and would prefer not to as I'm the type who gets anxiety about taking an anti-anxiety pill.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Victorian before/after Photoshop

See what happens when you wake up at 4:54 AM on a hot summer Sunday morning...

Friday, June 06, 2008

Banana Raspberry Glitch...

It's Friday morning. I've been up since about 5:30 AM as usual. I've all the windows opened as it is a cool morning, though we are under an "excessive heat watch" for the next several days. I remember when I was a kid watching a mediocre made for television movie entitled "Heat Wave!" which came out in 1974. I really have only vague recollections of it, but every time it gets terribly hot in the summer, I recall scenes from that forgotten film.



Yesterday morning while drinking my coffee, I felt the urge to Photoshop something. I found an old photo of a woman from 1899. She was overweight and a bit worn looking in the original image. But after the magic of Photoshop, her image was transformed. If only I could figure out a way to use it on myself in reality.

Here's the before and after...

Victorian before/after

Also, this morning, I was in the mood for something different for breakfast. I saw that I had 3 very ripe bananas sitting in the basket. I didn't feel right about throwing them away and "wasting" food, especially in this day and age. "When I was a kid", I thought to myself "my mother would make Banana Bread out of these". There was no way that I felt motivated enough to jump into the production of homemade Banana Bread, but it did start my gears moving.

I then remembered that I had a box of whole wheat pancake mix. "Aha" I said. I'll just make some Banana Pancakes. I decided to puree the bananas in the food processor which was easy enough. I had just one cup of mix left over in the box which was what the directions called for. The other ingredient that I needed was oil. All I had was Olive Oil. "What the hell", I thought, and in it went. I also soon realized that the only milk that I had was Buttermilk. No problem. In it went. Now to add the one egg, the banana glop and I would be ready to go.

Moments after I introduced the tropical smelling glop to the mix, I remembered that I had a bag of frozen raspberries in the freezer. "Mmm...Banana Raspberry Buttermilk Whole Wheat Pancakes" I remember saying aloud like a holy mantra guaranteed to induce some sort of homespun Nirvana. I added a cup of the berries and just for good measure a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon, a few shakes of Splenda, and a dash of Kosher Salt, plus a good shot of my homemade Vanilla Extract ( all thanks to the Barefoot Contessa - I've had mine for about 4 years now).

You would think that these wonderful ingredients would create something heavenly. Alas, no. Somehow in the cooking process ( and I did indeed use the hot griddle with just enough butter spray), they became a hideous concoction of burnt to a crisp/overtly caramelized raspberries mixed with an uncookable yet scalding hot hyper-sweet banana/cinnamon oozing ickiness that could only be glopped onto a plate. Frankly, it tasted as if someone had roasted the innards of some sweet old woman's purse ( think a combo of Rolaids, lilac perfume, and bright red waxy lipstick with a few crumpled Kleenexes for texture) on the griddle and slopped it up.

The syrup helped.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Auntie Em, Auntie Em

Thursday morning. June 5th. I have a busy next few days ahead of me, but I would rather not focus on all of that work. I'll deal with it as I deal with it. It will be what it will be. Que Sera Sera. Whatever will be, will be.

See, how "The Power of Now" that is? Though, it of course it sounds much more like this instead...



You know, it's rather difficult to find an image of Doris Day that isn't steeped in cheesecake. That's why my favorite image still is this one.



Self-admittedly, I created this one myself in Photoshop about 2 years ago, but I still love it. It's based on a screen shot from her 1955 film "Love Me or Leave Me". I love this image. It's raw, sexy, and dripping in that mid 50's noir look and feel, though the film isn't known as a noir work.

One of the highlights of yesterday was my visit with my friend Jeff West. He recently opened his new home furnishings store "Jeff West Home" in Rehoboth Beach. We've been friends for several years and he truly has an amazing gift for interior design. Mentioned on his website is this "his homes have been featured in The Washington Post, Coastal Living, Cottage Style, Chesapeake Life, Delaware Beach Life and Cape Gazette". It's true of course and his new shop reflects that style sensibility perfectly.

Late yesterday afternoon and early evening was the time for severe thunderstorms and tornado watches. George and I watched the first line move through on the front porch where we were saturated by waves of howling wind and intense rain until the continuous lightening and deafening thunder helped hasten the decision to move back into the house.

The tornado watch lasted until 1:00 AM in the morning and as I was falling to sleep around 11ish, I had a strange sensation that I hadn't had since I was a child back in Kentucky. Often, in the Spring and Summer, we would be under tornado watches. While most of them occurred during the day, sometimes that would stretch through the night. I remember laying in bed listening to the thunder and watching the sky light up with blue and purple wondering what would happen if a tornado hit in the middle of the night when we were all asleep.

As the passage of time would have it, I had forgotten completely about that thought until last night as I was quietly watching the storm from my bed. I remember thinking that if such an event did occur, that we would obviously deal with it then.

I made sure that a pair of slip on shoes were next to my bed just in case...

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

When the world hands you lemons... make Pink Lemonade Cupcakes...

I've been a bit MIA during the last 2 weeks and 3 days. Truth be told, I've been in a funk and I was simply not motivated to create an entry. Frankly, I'm still in a bit of a funk, but it seems that jumping back into something, like my blog, may help progress me back into a "non-funk" space.

I won't go into any specific reasons as to what has placed me in a funk as it is really just a compilation of different things that have started to wear thin. Several of these "things" came clearly into focus over the span of time since my last visit here, but again, why bore anyone with them. In time, each will be dealt with one way or the other. It simply is what it is.

On a more positive note, we were fortunate to have our wonderful friends Denise and her boy friend Luke visit us twice in the last few weeks. We've been friends with Denise for several years and she and Luke have been together for close to 2. We always have a great time together highlighted by much laughter, summery cocktails, fantastic food.

On a weird whim, I was hit with the craving for cupcakes, particularly pink lemonade cupcakes. I must have run across them in either a magazine or online. The idea of them shone in my mind like a beacon. Oddly enough, I have never had one before, but the idea of them made my mouth water. The craving turned into a full blown desire so I decided as I was driving up from N.J. that I would make a batch of these cupcakes for the weekend of Denise and Luke's visit.

Since I couldn't remember where I had been introduced to the initial idea of the pink lemonade cupcake, I hit the web and typed the term into google. I went with the first return at the top of the list where I found this little treasure.

Already I could feel my craving being satisfied as I read with glee about the confection. I decided that this was the recipe that I would go with. And go with it I did. The only thing that I did differently was to use whole eggs rather than egg whites and I added a bit more oil ( more like the amount on the box - minus a bit). Also, I simply added red food coloring to a can of white frosting.

I also had only purchased enough pink lemonade concentrate for one batch of cupcakes, so I had to improvise as to what flavoring I could use for the second batch. I opened the liquor cabinet and spied a bottle of Baileys Mint Chocolate Liquor. That was it. I decided to add yellow food coloring to the frosting for the BMCL cupcakes.

In any event, when the baking, frosting and decorating (star sprinkles, fresh raspberries and black cherries) was through, the results were quite lovely.



The Pink Lemonade were my favorites, though Denise loved the Baileys. George and Luke were fans of both, though George has now hinted at the possibility of me making a Pink Lemonade Cake. This, I must admit, is an idea that truly does intrigue me...