My high school friend Lee is in town for her once-a-year visit and we had lunch a few days ago.

Lee is just alot of fun to be around, and is always open to any new adventure (she was that way in high school too).  So, after lunch I asked if she'd be interested in going to an Amish store not too far away.  Another friend, who knows of my interest in photography, had told me that I might want to check out the "gourd barn" at the Amish store.  So, Lee was game, and off we went. 

It was a dreary, rainy day, but we assumed that the gourds would be under roof, because it was called a goard "barn" not a goard "field," so it shouldn't make a difference that it was raining. 

We arrived at the store, went inside, and were directed out the back of the store to a building that was, thankfully, just a few feet away that, sure enough, was a barn with gourds in it.  While in the store, I asked for permission to take pictures in the gourd barn.  The Amish do not like to have pictures taken of themselves, so I needed to make sure they wouldn't mind me taking pictures of their harvest.

The barn was very plain because the Amish absolutely don't do "fancy," but it did have a simple elegance, with gourds, squash, pumpkins and onions everywhere. 

I was surprised to see a shopping cart -- a modern convenience for their english customers, I suppose.  (They call us non-Amish, "english.")

The onions remind me of pearls.

They had pumpkins from the size of a tomato . . .

. . . to huge ones that would make great jack-o-lanterns.

I took a picture of a "scale" but now that I look at it, I don't see any basket hanging below it -- which makes me think it's a thermometer!  So, you can't weigh that big ol' bad boy pumpkin, but you can tell how "cool" he is.

I love all the colors in Indian corn.

And here are some interesting colors and varieties . . .

These are snake . . . something . . . maybe zucchini's?

I have no idea what these are.  I thought they looked like tomatoes, so maybe a "tomato gourd?"

This dog was sleeping under a table, where you hardly noticed him because he blended in so well.  A study in grays.

As we were leaving we were looking at the huge mums (probably 30 of them) setting in front of the store.  They were beautiful, and then we saw the price -- $7 a piece!  So we bought three.  Of course, we didn't think about how we were going to get them home.

Two filled the back seat. (The Amish girls gave us newspapers to put down on the seat and floor, that helped absorb some of the water.)

So, Lee had to hold the third one.  We had to move the seat back as far as it would go, and lean it back a little to even make that work.  And, did I mention it had been raining?  And these were setting outside?  Lee is smiling in this picture because she's a good sport.  But, as she's smiling, a river of water is running down inside the front of her shirt from her very wet (but beautiful!) "seat mate."

On our way home . . .

we saw this sign  . . .

Unfortunately, we didn't have room for any calves, no matter how good the price!

A fun day with an old friend.

And just to prove that I'm a sewer (that's a "so-er, as in can sew; not a "su-er," as in can carry away the bath water!), here are pictures of me doing it!  I know what you're thinking, "The proper word is seamstress!", but that just seems too "official" for me, so until I get better, I'm a sewer!

Wait a minute.  That's not me!  That's my next-door-neighbor, the wonderful Belinda!  Hmmmm.  Welllll, she did make the first one so that I could see how to do it.  But, hey this is my blog!  The photographer should have taken the pictures of me!  Maybe she was busy.

Anyway, my wonderful friend and neighbor Belinda came over to help me get started sewing my Christmas gift towels, and while I sat closely at her elbow, watching how she did it, she made the first one. 

For the second one, we switched places, and I sewed while she sat at my elbow and encouraged me. 

But, the third one, ah, the third one.  I made it allllll by myself, after Belinda went home!

Here are our first two, waiting for their buttons.

I have a jar of buttons I have accumulated over the years that has always resided on a shelf in the laundry room.  Now it was fun to look through them and find buttons that would look good on the towels.

After I sewed on the buttons (by hand, I don't know how to use the button foot for the sewing machine yet), I put all three of the towels on the oven door, so that I could admire them every time I walked by.

This was fun!  Thanks mainly to Belinda.  She did a great job of getting me started, and she even told me about baby quilts she enjoys making, that I might want to try after the "towel project."

Thanks for all your help and encouragement, Belinda.  If you could buy neighbors, I would bid top dollar for you!

New Adventures, UK

________________________                        

  Label:  The Lab - labelmates with The Panda Band

  Website:   http://www.myspace.com/newadventures

  Status:  have released 2 singles in 2008

Normally I write my observations about the band here, but I read the best description on their MySpace.  I can't think of a better way to entice you to check them out:

“If Arcade Fire wrote tracks for Snow Patrol the results would be something like this. At once romantic, mournful, grandiose and imaginative. Could it be we’ve found the antidote to Keane?”
Rock Sound Magazine 

Discover something new to set your week in the right direction.

I went to a craft consignment shop recently, and saw this.

I absolutely love the hand towels that you can hang on the front of the oven.  I like having a designated towel for drying hands, so that the dish towels don't inadvertently get used for that.

But, I have two problems with these little treasures.  First of all, they are very hard to find --apparently, they've gone out of style.  And, secondly, when I do find one, I don't always like the color or the design.

So, I was delighted when I found this one, that does go well in my kitchen, and also looks "easy" to make.

So, I had this great idea to make these for Christmas presents!

The only slight problem is that I haven't sewn in at least 30 years, and was never very talented at it.  I know I had a sewing machine at one time, but I have no idea what happened to it.  (My guess is, garage sale.)

So, I suddenly had a "project," and was on a "mission."  I went to my favorite super store and found this modestly priced sewing machine so that I could re-learn to sew, and then hopefully make these little Christmas gifts.

With the help of the instruction book, I got the machine set up (on the island in the kitchen, until I get the hang of it), got the bobbin filled and loaded and then came to a "brick wall" -- threading the machine.  Is there anything more frustrating in the whole world than looking at a step-by-step diagram that seems perfectly clear, but not being able to follow it? 

I had to call in the "big guns."  I called Rosie, our good friend who is in her 80's but still making wedding gowns, and hemming slacks for me, and sewing buttons on when Hubby needs that.  I told Rosie what I was trying to do, and (playing on her sympathy) told her that this makes me miss my mom, because she's the one who would have helped me with this when she was alive. (Kind of the 62-year-old-equivalent of, "I want my mommy!")

Rosie laughingly "took the bait" and offered to come over and help me thread it.  She had it done in just the snap of your fingers.  But, I watched -- so I think I can do it next time!  Although, my good friend, and constant "encourager," Linda, suggested that I just buy another sewing machine any time I want to use a different color thread, so that once a machine is threaded, I never have to thread it again!  Thanks, Linda. 

So, now I'm down to the learning-to-sew part.  The first time I tried to just run a simple stitch (of course, using a practice scrap of material), I forgot I had to push the material through the machine (duh!), so I ended up with a tangle of thread all in one spot.  I have that cleared now, so today I'm going to give it another shot.  Good thing I started in September, huh?

Here are my first group of "volunteers" for this diabolical experiment.  They look so happy.  Obviously, they don't know the woman who's going to operate on them has absolutely noooo "credentials!" 

"Come on, little towels and hot pads.  Come with the nice lady.  This won't hurt a bit.  Oh, by the way, did I mention you won't be able to have baby towels and hot pads, after the surgery?  Not to worry.  You can always adopt."

I'll do another post on this, if I ever get any made.  But, if you never hear about them again -- please, don't ask!

Case in point -- the first book we are reading is The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve.  It was an Oprah Winfrey book club selection several years ago, so it ought to be great, right?  Well, I really have had trouble "getting into" this book.  The books I usually read are ones that "grab" you right from the beginning -- someone is murdered or an interesting situation is described -- something just screams, "TURN THE NEXT PAGE TO SEE WHY THAT HAPPENED!"

This book is much slower paced in developing the two entertwining plots and the characters.  And, frankly, I just wasn't enjoying it.

But, over the weekend, I was talking to Gunny and told him about my first "book club" book.  Now, Gunny is an avid reader.  A little ironic, since we had trouble getting him started reading when he was a little kid.  We even took him to a local university to have him tested to see why he couldn't read.  They said he could read, he just wasn't interested!

So, Gunny certainly is the one to give advice about developing "interest" in a book.  And, what he told me about is what he called "the tipping point," i.e., the point in the book where you have learned enough about the plot and/or the characters to make you want to continue reading.

He said that when he was taking literature classes in college, he read some novels he would never have read if they hadn't been required.  But, surprisingly, some of them became favorites!  The example he gave was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegutt.

So, after our conversation, I went back to my book, prepared to read until I found "the tipping point" -- and I found it at about page 30!  And now I'm enjoying it.

Okay, so maybe I will stay in the book club, and maybe I will become a "deeper" reader.  Because now that I know about "the tipping point," I feel like even in a slow-starting book, there is something ahead to make me keep reading.

Am I the last one in the world to know about this "tipping point" thing?

The Merit Board is made up of three members who are appointed by the Sheriff plus two who are picked by the officers.  And, soon after Hubby took office, one of his representatives on the board had to resign for health reasons, so he had to appoint a new person.  He immediately thought of our friend, Mary B., who had recently retired after a long, distinguished career as a human resource manager for a local company. 

Long story short, Hubby did appoint Mary and he has always said that that appointment turned out to be one of the best decisions he made as Sheriff.  

I believe that Mary was the first appointment to that board, at least in recent memory, who had actually worked in human resources.  That certainly doesn't mean that the board hadn't made good decisions before she got there, but it does mean that after she got there, she gave the board a "fresh eye" and the added dimension of real-life experience in the field.

So, why do I bring up Mary and the Merit Board?  Because I see a similarity in what Sarah Palin will bring to our federal government -- specifically her real-life experience in the realm of oil as an energy source, as well as a "fresh eye" in the other areas.

Energy sources are such a hot topic right now, and rightly so!  And, Palin's voice of experience. through living in and then being Governor of Alaska, seems to be a wonderful attribute to add to those discussions right now.

Because of Mary B.'s experience, as well as her professional demeanor and her being a "quick study" about things she didn't know, she was readily accepted and respected by the men she joined on the Merit Board. 

I predict that is how Sarah Palin will "fit."  If she is articulate about the things she knows, as well as smart and quick about the things she needs to learn, and innovative in her ideas, I believe people will soon stop remarking that she's the first woman in the job, and will just talk about how good she is at what she does!

Well, I've done some more picture-taking and more editing and now you are my "captive" audience.  Well, I guess not exactly captive -- you could "exit" right now -- but I hope you won't.   There are just a few.

A light fixture "up close and personal." In the editor I actually muted the light so that it was more of a glow.  I'm not sure if the edit improved the picture or not.  Also, took away the yellow cast by making the picture black and white. 

Clouds that were just pretty.  Now more dramatic with the contrast enhanced.  I was totally surprised at how much prettier this became.

I hardly ever notice this day lily because it's next to the sidewalk around the side of the house.  But I've rediscovered it since I am developing my "photographer's eye."  I love the color, which editing made just a little more vivid.  I'm also learning that it's not just people who look their best in a "close-up."

And, finally, the love of my life.  "Hi.  Just ignore me.  I'm just fooling around with my camera." 

So he went back to working his crossword puzzle.  Yes, that's what we "retirees" do -- we have time to actually finish a crossword puzzle (or sudoku, for me).  Isn't he cute? 

Even when his wife "edits" him so that he looks jaundiced.

Sometimes the result I get from "creative" photos isn't exactly what I wanted.  The angle of this one, I think, makes it look like he's maybe lying across the bed, doing the crossword on the floor!

He's doing as asked and ignoring me.  Not hard because it's a technique he has had over 40 years to perfect.

Happy Wednesday.  

p.s. Candy and I are going to have a garage sale Friday and Saturday -- more photo opportunities.  Stand-by for "incoming"!!

p.s.s.  Don't forget to go comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate!

Labor Day sounds like we all should be up with the chickens and whittling away at our various occupations instead of lounging over burgers in our back yard. Oh, well, what in life makes sense anyway? For instance, I have a 3000 square foot home in Idaho with four bedrooms of furniture, but not a pallet to sleep on here in Washington (Yes, folks, I've been camping in this apartment.) I have furniture, nice furniture, and I certainly don't want to rent any. And who knows how long it will take to sell my house. (That's within God's great plan and out of my hands. I'm just waiting.) And camping's fine for a few days, but that floor was hard. So, Labor Day, I made my activities reflect the title of the day. I went to work on this apartment. Good Will and Value Village were half off. And I found I could haggle with the best of them at garage sales. A coffee table priced at $24 reduced to half price. Yes, $12 bucks for a coffee table. A perfectly good lamp tossed aside reclaimed for the corner of my apartment. And a table and chair with only a few scratches that only needed a magical coat of white paint. A framed picture of a sailboat for the main wall, just ten dollars. Imagine it, only ten dollars. A full eight hours later, a standard work day, my apartment was finished, even down to the last $2 vase. And such fun - a day of labor . A darling place completely furnished for a grand total of $265. So, now I own enough furniture for a four bedroom house PLUS furnishings for an apartment. And when our home does sell and the moving van arrive, I'll have to donate to goodwill.

***************************************

My body aches and my mind is tired, but the weekend certainly was an interesting adventure. I had a lovely time at Lake Cavanaugh last week with Daniel and his family, but I shall speak more of that trip later. Right now I'm far too anxious to tell you how the catering gig went. It seems as though we have been talking and planning forever, and yet the day crept up on us so swift. Needless to say, it went well. Phew. 

And now I shall take you through the latest of May-May and Rose Golly's adventures, that being catering a wedding, for the first time .............with 150 guests. We took photos of all the glorious chaotic preparation, of course, and also created a sort of video diary as well for your amusement. I hope that you enjoy the show. ;)

"THE GOLLY SISTERS CATER A WEDDING"

LE MENU': 

* Herbed Pasta Salad

* Handcrafted Boule' Baguettes

* Rustic Thyme Crackers

* Soppresata, Virginia Ham

* Brie Cheese, Herbed Chevre', Irish Dubliner

* Fresh Green Salad

* Peach Chutney and Classic Olive Tapinade

* Tuscan Chilled Salmon

* Roasted Rosemary Walnuts and Spiced Candied Pecans

DAY: WEDNSDAY

TO DO LIST: PREP DOUGH FOR 50 LOAVES OF BREAD, MAKE OLIVE TAPINADE, PREPARE DELICIOUS HERBED PASTA SALAD.

The Golly Sisters smile pretty for the camera before they get to work in the kitchen.

To say this was the largest batch of bread I've ever prepared in one go would be a massive understatement. The kicker is, I had NO idea if it would even turn out. But that's how I fly, always by the seat of my pantaloons. 

A very sticky job, to say the least!

I apologize now for the crink in your neck. You can thank Miss Rosey Posey Golly for that one.

In case you're terribly curious, the bread did, in fact rise appropriately. Almost TOO appropriately, I might add.

Good god.

When life hands you lemons, make tapinade.

When your best friend hands you a lemon zester she got at the dollar store, make it look like you paid $16 at Sur La Table. 

After bread mixing, it was on to other things. Such as......

And...........

It really was the loveliest flavor combination ever.

The bread was just dying to be made already!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DAY: THURSDAY

TO DO LIST: BAKE 50 LOAVES OF BREAD &  RUSTIC THYME CRACKERS. MAKE ROASTED ROSEMARY WALNUTS.

The day of baking had arrived. I put on my little apron and got to work. 

The task of baking 50 loaves of bread was a daunting one to say the least, but I was not to be pansy ass. Not I. It could be done, of this I had confidence. But first, one must stop for an impromptu photo shoot to prepare the mind and spirit.

What the hell... make it two.

Oooo la la.... you want to hire us now, no??

And of course, a quick snuggle with Miss Gracie Lou.

ROASTED ROSEMARY WALNUTS GALORE.

And then there were the Rustic Thyme Crackers.

I have to tell you, this part of the day had a few hiccups.

The Good.......

The Bad (too puffy) ......

......and The Ugly.

After realizing that the crackers were NOT what she was wanting them to be, as well as the fact that the Roasted Rosemary Walnuts (see picture below) were presenting themselves to be problematic, Miss Rose Golly was at a point of near emotional meltdown. She eventually crossed the line after a few glasses of wine. There were tears, during which period I found myself wiping them and blowing her nose for her. That's true friendship there, folks. The Walnuts were eventually rectified after a series of throwing them back in the oven and getting the goop off ( I had a really great video to show you on this topic, but, much to my utter dismay, it managed to somehow get erased. Sadness). The crackers were not crunchy as a cracker should be, but still tasted fabulous, so I decided that we are the owners of this culinary experience and we can call them whatever the hell we fancy. So I announced with confidence that they were not, in fact crackers. They shall now be called "Rustic Thyme CRISPS". Viola! That's what you call "rolling with the punches".

The other thing about baking 50 loaves of bread, is that you then have to SLICE 50 loaves of bread..... in my case just happened to be BY HAND.

If you consult with anyone who has ever known or worked with me, they will tell you: Combine Faith with sharp blades and there WILL be blood. This day was to be no different from the others.

In between batches, there was time scheduled in to stop and breathe. And knit.

That would be me, trying to finish the dish cloths I was knitting for a wedding gift for the wedding we just happened to be catering. Every bride needs a good set of knitted dish cloths! They lovely and absorb well, not to mention you can bleach them. :) 

Anywho. I now pause with the photography documentary to share yet another Video Diary shot for your enjoyment. 

Now I caution you, this particular video may not be as riveting as the others and does include slight moments of irreverence, please do not take offense..... in the spirit of honest documentation, I included it anyways. 

The day had it's ups and downs. The downs had to be combated in the fashion you see pictured in the next series of pics.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DAY: FRIDAY, D-DAY

TO DO LIST: MARINATE, GRILL, AND CHILL 22 POUNDS OF WILD CAUGHT SALMON. MAKE PEACH CHUTNEY. FINISH RUSTIC THYME "CRISPS". SPICED CANDIED PECANS. HERB THE GOAT CHEESE. STAGE ALL MEATS AND CHEESES FOR QUICK ON-SITE PRESENTATION AND HANDLING. PACK BUS. TAKE SHOWER AND LOOK PRETTY. 

TIME OF SHOW: 6 PM

I went to bed the night before at 12:30am, after the last loaf was baked off finally and I had cleaned the kitchen. Britt, who is a MUCH earlier riser than I, went to bed at 10:30pm. Upon waking up at 7 in the morning, this is what greeted my eyes.

The marinating of the Salmon. This Tuscan Chilled Salmon is a delectable addition to any meal and is fairy simple to prepare. I have posted the recipe for your enjoyment HERE. You simply HAVE to try it! Daniel, who previously claimed to not like salmon LOVES it. 

In agreement with the bride's wish to keep everything relatively local, we purchased this wild caught salmon from the lovely chaps at the world reknowned Pike Place Fish Market. 

The bus being packed with all the table props:

So here, with this video diary excerpt, I shall now take you through the last little bit of the catering adventure. The final moments of brilliance and candor. Grab some popcorn, this ones a mite long.

And finally, the finished product!!

* CATERING ADVENTURE OF MAY-MAY AND ROSE GOLLY, THE FINALE *

The lovely bride and groom, taking their vows.

The Golly Girls, operating out of the back of the "cater mobile", frantically but cheerfully trying to get the food out before scheduled. Complete with blue car mechanic gloves, courtesy of Josh, Britt's BF. 

Jeremy, our beloved "fat asian" (never fear, he calls himself that. It's a term of endearment), Daniel's BFF. He's here giving me my seriously overdue dose of harassment, as well as sampling the goods before they went out. Quality control is always needed of course. 

 Faith's beautiful man, Daniel, lends a helping hand. 

Work pauses for cute photo op.

I'm Salt, she's Pepper. 

The final product.

I believe that is a very candid picture of me forcing myself to breathe. ;) Not the most becoming, I might add.

Salt and Pepper Catering. Faith, aka May-May Golly, and Britt, aka Rose Golly. Business owners, masterminds, creators, artisans, think tanks, grunt work, cooks, bakers, clean-up crew, best friends..... all wrapped up in two cute, but very sassy, little packages. We took names and kicked butts. People ranted and people raved. The bride, Colleen, said we "surpassed her wildest dreams" for the perfect wedding in the food department. The mother of the bride, who I might add was a tad bit apprehensive about  the whole idea of hiring two caterers who had never actually catered a wedding before, came up to both of us with the biggest smile, saying that she had gotten so many compliments already on the food and was then asked "who were the caterers??".

I don't think I can properly put into words the feeling of complete and utter satisfaction the Golly Sisters shared after the whole thing was over and the cater mobile was packed up to go home. We were positively giddy. There were high tens in the air and silly little jigs danced. We had successfully taken a hair-brained idea and made it a reality. We proved to ourselves that, when we put our  minds to it, we can do anything really. And do it all flying by the seats of our pantaloons. A new business was born. (Hopefully one that will take off in the near future.) A friendship was strengthened. Confidence was increased.

And I shall conclude this little story by saying, BRING ON THE NEXT ADVENTURE!!!!!!!!!

So whats in store for the rest of this year... Well we have Notting Hill Carnival this weekend, a scheduled session of paintballing in October at some stage, and infamous Falloutboy concert (sad i think not). So plenty of blogging left in me yet and more pictures to come!!

But the best thing is... it's friday theres only 3 hours left of work... and i'm heading out on the town with the lads tonight... Should be full of fun and games decision do i take the camera for evidence of what could be a rather mess night or not!!

So, I went there and it looked like an interesting concept.  That concept being that they publish the "best" post that they have received from their "band of bloggers" every day.  In theory then, you should be able to read a great post at that site every day. Neat!

 I registered and then submitted one of my early posts (Is That Where That Eyebrow Was Yesterday?).  And now, something kind of exciting has happened -- I was the featured post yesterday!  It was fun to have one of my old favorites enjoyed by a whole new group of people.

BTW, I have already gone there today, and today's is about a little emergency a mother and her children had and how her 7 year old handled it. Very cute.

I think you bloggers and readers both might want to look at Blogger's Annex.  I'm putting it in my blogroll for your convenience.  I've just started going there myself, but it sounds like it should just about guarantee a "good read" every day!  And we all love that, don't we?

Another interesting experience in the blogging world.

I'm totally hooked.  It was one of the most beautiful thinks I've seen in LA.  The falls were amazing and the people we went with were pretty cool too.

I'm definitly going to keep an eye on the calendar and trail guide and go again soon it was better than my coke rewards! lol!

When I was finished and walked into the garage to put everything away, I heard a fluttering sound.  I looked toward the sound and saw that it was coming from the top of one of the windows, where there was a beautiful large butterfly fluttering against the window, trying to get out.  I have no idea what kind it was -- it had markings that reminded me of a Monarch, but it was more beige or light gold with black in its markings rather than the orange and black I associate with Monarchs.

My first "new photographer" thought was GO GET THE CAMERA!!  I rushed into the house, grabbed the camera and rushed back out.  But I was disappointed to see that when I returned to the window the butterfly had not only quit fluttering, but had folded its wings together and was just sitting at the very top of the window.  No longer a picture there.  But, my next thought was, had he given up?  It must have been my imagination, but it even seemed to me that I could see him breathing, like he was trying to catch his breath.  Then a fly that was also in the window walked very close to the butterfly, in fact it looked from where I stood like it had actually brushed against the butterfly's head, but the butterfly barely moved.  I don't know much of anything about butterflies, but I took that as a very bad sign and thought, "Oh no!  He's giving up!  I have to do something!" 

I needed to somehow "catch" the butterfly and take it outside!  Several problems -- how to get to it way up in the window and how to catch and release it, without injuring it.  Think quick.  I didn't know how long I had!

 I rushed into the house and looked in the closet where we keep the cleaning supplies for "butterfly catching" equipment. 

I grabbed the little utility step ladder.  I thought if I stood on the very top of it I could probably reach the butterfly.  I've heard that you must never touch a butterfly with your hands.  I have no idea if that's true, but I wasn't going to take a chance.  Not a hard decision, because I don't think I could have reached it with my hands anyway.

Next, I looked for something to capture him in.  A butterfly net would have been nice, but I had nothing like that, but the mental picture of one made me think of an old wire mesh colander I have way in the back of a cabinet, because I never use it any more.  (Garage Sale fodder?  Maybe.  But, that's another post.)  So, I got it out. 

But now, how was I going to "sweep" him into the colander without injuring him?  I returned to the cleaning closet.  I immediately dismissed a broom as too hard. And then I saw what might be perfect for the job -- on the bottom shelf was the perfect "butterfly pushing" tool -- the new, improved version of a feather duster -- a micro-fiber duster.

So, I rushed back out into the garage with my "equipment" -- the step ladder, the colander and the duster.  The butterfly hadn't moved.

I set up the step ladder as close to the window as I could get. (Like most garages, we have lots of stuff sitting on the floor around the edges of ours.)

Then, holding the colander and duster, I climbed to the very top step (which you're technically not supposed to stand on because you might "tip").  It would have been nice to be a little closer, but I didn't know if I had time to move stuff from in front of the window, so I "made do."  Carefully standing on the very top step, I extended my arm holding the colander toward the butterfly.  As soon as I placed it over him, he let go of the window and moved to the mesh of the colander.  Perfect!  Then I took the duster and gently placed its fibers against the butterfly.  When I drew the whole thing back to me, I was pretty sure I had him in there, but was afraid to move anything to look.  Then I did a little shaky descent down the step ladder without holding on, because both hands were occupied with the colander and the handle of the duster.  When I got to the bottom, I walked outside, removed the duster and at the same time raised the colander skyward, and the beautiful butterfly flew away!  Hooray!!!  I like to think that he's out there now, enjoying his new lease on life, but hopefully a little smarter about flying into buildings that he then can't figure out how to get out of!

So, instead of getting to photograph a beautiful butterfly, I got to save a beautiful butterfly.  Without a doubt -- a great trade-off.

And, while I didn't get a photograph of the butterfly -- the Butterfly Catching Crew did agree to pose for a group shot before returning to their normal duties.  Good work guys!