Dalan Chiut: July 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thursday's Thrilling Freebies

Templates:

http://carenasextravagance.blogspot.com/
http://curthsdigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://allthingsshazbutt.com/digi-scrapz/

Kits & more:

http://calicodesigns.blogspot.com/
http://sweetasmel.blogspot.com/
http://censloft.blogspot.com/
http://heyitsjustme-krista.blogspot.com/
http://imaginebyfran.blogspot.com/
http://jennilyndesigns.com/journal/

http://jessicagornydesigns.blogspot.com/
http://kimbsdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.tarasrokadesigns.com/blog/
http://sokkiesspot.blogspot.com/
http://krystalhartley.blogspot.com/
http://skittlesandscraps.blogspot.com/

http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com/
http://wenchdgrafix.com/yakkin/
http://digital-crea.fr/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1059
http://lgperspectives.blogspot.com/
http://www.digitalscrapbookingfreebies.com/
http://allaboutmeandabagofchips.typepad.com/my_weblog/

http://livelylaura.blogspot.com/
http://zavezditscrap.canalblog.com/
http://trishhdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.pimpyourscrapbook.com/
http://mycrazylekkerlife.blogspot.com/
http://livinginjensworld.blogspot.com/

http://designbydani.com/girltalk/
http://dittersfreedoodles.blogspot.com/
http://graphics-illustrations.com/
http://happyscrapgirldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://bethnixon.blogspot.com/
http://janinenezz.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Yep, that's right, I survived the trip to Montana. I haven't, however, been able to find any updates on the fate of the besieged Russian scientists. Perhaps they have all been eaten and word has yet to get out. I hope not. Much as I think bears should be entitled to eat those people who encroach upon their territory - the food chain should not be tinkered with - I think the people who are being threatened with being consumed, should be able to fight back.

In Montana, while driving from my father's house to the west entrance of Glacier National Park, I did pass this place.

"Your Car is Your Cage" is one of the very best slogans I have ever encountered. So good that I've had moments of thinking I should have it tattooed upon my body. I would have to personalize it: "My Car is My Cage." It says so much about life in Los Angeles. I suppose it also says a lot about me that I can write that, believe it, and yet I love living here. I guess that, much like a long term zoo animal, I have become habituated to my environment.

I could never live in Montana. There's just not enough variety, not enough noise, not enough people, not enough of everything. While I was there I had occasion to think about California. It is arguably the single most varied, diverse - geographically, geologically, culturally, socially, economically, in every which way - place on the planet.

Still, I'm happy to visit other places and Montana certainly was beautiful:

The "Going to the Sun" highway in Glacier National Park.

Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park.

McDonald Creek, Glacier National Park.

My father, Martin Stone on the trail. The guy is astounding. The reason that I, and the rest of the family, were there was his 80th birthday. He led us all on a four mile hike. He was a bit disappointed with that. He had a much more strenuous 12-mile hike in mind that he could normally easily do. But, due to a recent problem with one of his legs he had to settle for the lesser march. Good thing. By the last third of a 12-mile hike he'd have had to carry me on his back. The thing is, he probably could. Plus, if that had been the case it would have made it far too easy for the bears to eat the both of us.

My upcoming book, FLIGHT OF THE HORNBILL, is dedicated to my father. If you like my books, if you find some of what I write in this blog of interest, if there are things you like or find interesting about the way I look at the world and write about what I see, you can thank, or blame, my father for a lot of that. I, for one, thank and love him for it.

Wednesday's Freebies

Templates:

http://www.godigitalscrapbooking.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7543
http://dranet.blogspot.com/
http://curthsdigitaldesigns .blogspot.com/
http://dihickman.blogspot.com/
http://karaperriendesigns.blogspot.com/
http://ledigidechoukette.blogspot.com/

http://trishhdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://allthingsshazbutt.com/digi-scrapz/
http://digital-scrapbooking-japan.blogspot.com/

Kits and other goodies:

http://www.storeide.se/gunhild/index.htm 2x click on friday freebie
http://www.thedailyscrapper.com/issue004/featured_freebies.html
http://mycrazylekkerlife.blogspot.com/
http://oyurieagalera.blogspot.com/
http://censloft.blogspot.com/

http://lindsayjanedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://mrswresh.blogspot.com/
http://raspberryroaddesigns.blogspot.com/
http://timounette.canalblog.com/
http://songbirdavenue.com/blog/
http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com/

http://digiscraploloden.canalblog.com/
http://lgperspectives.blogspot.com/
http://kristincbdesigns.com/blog/
http://scripityscrap.blogspot.com/
http://elaineturola.blogspot.com/

http://digi-designs.blogspot.com/
http://sailorandlula.blogspot.com/
http://stoneaccents.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Template Tuesday

Templates:

http://gonescrappindesigns.blogspot.com/
http://allthingsshazbutt.com/digi-scrapz/
http://clickphoto-lien.blogspot.com/
http://curthsdigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://tracireed.com/teamblog/
http://moriginals.blogspot.com/

http://scrapmatters.com/wordpress/
http://petitmoineaux.blogspot.com/
http://weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/blog/ check out the fun challenge :-)

Kits & more:

http://livinginjensworld.blogspot.com/
http://mirandascrapdesign.blogspot.com/ 2x
http://beckiewallacedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://opalscraps.blogspot.com/
http://sweetscrapsblog.blogspot.com/

http://sd-kaylek.blogspot.com/
http://www.dorothyscreations.com/blog/
http://elaineturola.blogspot.com/
http://digitalscrapgarden.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3062
http://angelwingsnthings.blogspot.com/
http://scripityscrap.blogspot.com/

http://cesstrelle.wordpress.com/
http://digiscrapdesigns-by-lorie.blogspot.com/
http://chrissywdigital.blogspot.com/
http://lilbitsandberries.blogspot.com/
http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com/
http://taradunstandesigns.net/blog/

http://galiscrap.blogspot.com/
http://designsbyhelly.blogspot.com/
http://scrapmatters.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=15009#15009
http://purescrap.blogspot.com/
http://mamrotka.blogspot.com/

http://vicki20.blogspot.com/
http://matahatiseni.blogspot.com/
http://silverrocketscraps.blogspot.com/
http://mercasdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.godigitalscrapbooking.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_dnld_info&products_id=2516&

Monday, July 28, 2008

Monday Madness Freebies

Templates:

http://www.jbzwick.blogspot.com/
http://just2morethings.blogspot.com/
http://curthsdigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://simplyyin.blogspot.com/
http://scrapmatters.com/wordpress/
http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/comm unity/showthread.php?t=12044

Kits & more:

http://scarletheels.com/blog/
http://scrap-a-lot.blogspot.com/
http://lindsayjanedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://moriginals.blogspot.com/
http://passionfraisinette.blogspot.com/
http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/shabby_prin cess/

http://scrapgoo.lliella.com/
http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com/
http://missviviscrap.over-blog.com/
http://abcdelfscrap.canalblog.com/
http://ellielash.com/blog/
http://www.pimpyourscrapbook.com/

http://myscrappinevolution.blogspot.com/ 2x
http://bethnixon.blogspot.com/
http://melslightbulbmoments.blogspot.com/
http://www.danielleyoungdesigns.com/teamblog/
http://timounette.canalblog.com/

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Mysteries Of World's Lost Cities

Machu Picchu, Peru

Although the archaeological discovery of Machu Picchu came nearly a hundred years ago, historians are still unsure of the function of this ancient Inca citadel.

The Inca had no system of writing and left no written records, and archaeologists have been left to piece together bits of evidence as to why Machu Picchu was built, what purpose it served, and why it was so quickly vacated.

Petra, Jordan

The breathtaking city of Petra was a vibrant trading hub that vanished from most maps in the seventh century A.D. It lay beneath a thousand years of dust and debris when, in 1812, a Swiss scholar disguised as a Bedouin trader identified the ruins as the ancient Nabataean capital.
Spread throughout a series of remote desert canyons in southern Jordan, Petra arose more than 2,000 years ago at the crossroads of key caravan trade routes between Arabia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. The Nabataeans carved most of the sprawling city's buildings, including temples, tombs, and theaters, directly into the region's towering red sandstone cliffs. Here, a Bedouin walks his camel past Petra's most famous building, Al Khazneh, or the Treasury.

Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan

The Indus Valley civilization was entirely unknown until 1921, when excavations in what would become Pakistan revealed the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro (shown here).

This mysterious culture emerged nearly 4,500 years ago and thrived for a thousand years, profiting from the highly fertile lands of the Indus River floodplain and trade with the civilizations of nearby Mesopotamia.

Palmyra, Syria

There is evidence that the ancient city of Palmyra, also known as Tadmor, was in existence as far back as the 19th century B.C. Its importance grew around 300 B.C. as trading caravans began using it as a way station between Mesopotamia and Persia. Palmyra's strategic location and prosperity attracted the interest of the Romans, who took control of the city in the first century A.D.

Palenque, Mexico

The earliest Maya began to settle the dense rain forests of southwestern Mexico and Guatemala some 3,000 years ago. For nearly 1,400 years, settlements arose throughout the region, with some, like Tikal and Palenque (shown here), expanding into large, vibrant city-states.

Ancient Troy

Myth, folklore, mystery, and intrigue surround the ancient city of Troy like no other ruin on Earth. Once thought to be purely imaginary, a prop in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, excavations in northwestern Turkey in 1871 eventually proved that the city indeed existed.

In 1871, German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann began digging at Hisarlik, Turkey, (shown here) in search of the fabled city. His roughshod excavation wrought havoc on the site, but revealed nine ancient cities, each built on top of the next and dating back some 5,000 years. At the time, most archaeologists were skeptical that Troy was among the ruins, but evidence since the discovery suggests the Trojan capital indeed.

Sunday's Super Freebies

Templates:

http://scrapandrea.blogspot.com/
http://www.digitalscrapbooking.co.za/blog/
http://lisawestdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://scrap pindigistyle.blogspot.com/
http://flergsblog.blogspot.com/
http://galiscrap.blogspot.com/

Kits & more:

http://www.designerdigitals.com/ddgallery/showphoto.php?photo=69186
http://www.ninascraps.de/blog/
http://digiscrapdesigns-by-lorie.blogspot.com/
http://www.designerdigitals.com/ddgallery/showphoto.php?photo=69121
http://pamleforsdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://censloft.blogspot.com/

http://heddesmama.blogspot.com/
http://karladigi.blogspot.com/
http://sabdesbois.blogspot.com/
http://mistycatodesigns.blogspot.com/
http://rachelyoung.typepad.com/my_weblog/
http://shutterfly.typepad.com/digiscrap/

http://www.sugarplumpaperie.com/
http://elegantwordart2.blogspot.com/
http://nathylilblog.blogspot.com/
http://vicki20.blogspot.com/
http://sunshinestudioscraps.com/blog/ daily download day 1
http://natashanastscrap.blogspot.com/

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Sunny Saturday Afternoon Freebies

We are having some friends over this evening to BBQ, so I won't be able to look for freebies. But I just couldn't leave you with nothing, could I? so here are the freebies I found this afternoon. Enjoy :-)