New photos - of old books

My friend J just got back from Shreveport & brought home a mess of kids books. I got to photograph them today - nothing great, just wanted to remember the cool illustrations. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sundays

Woke up with a desire to crack open a New York Times & then remembered how disappointed I am in that newspaper & in news in general lately. Apart from the upcoming election in France, the news was a bit too gloomy for a Sunday look see; the reduction in welfare & Medicaid is indicated in the increase in infant deaths, the ongoing issues with the dismissal of 8 US attorneys, the list goes on and gets worse.

I used to think that if more people knew something was bad happening, it would motivate folks to intervene. It may be more accurate to say that knowledge has little relation to what can be done to help.

So, no paper this morning. After breakfast, J got busy in the yard & has been out there all day. I've been inside, hanging new curtains and doing chores. It's so beautiful outside. We've got seeds to plant - vegetables & flowers. There are tulips out now, the dogwood tree is in full bloom and we harvested our first bunch of asparagus yesterday. There are so many things to do to get the ball rolling, not to mention we'll have our first actual harvest this year & will need to be ready to grab the food & share it.

Speaking of sharing, we have a plant we're hoping to have adopted. It's a pretty sedum, or sempervivum & it's crowded into a spot with rosemary & primrose. I have a picture of it below:



I've got a Territorial Seed catalog to pore over & dinner is almost ready. J is downtown so I'm getting the mashed potatoes & turkey meatloaf ready. We've still got spinach in the yard, that should round out the meal.

These last few weeks have been busy, with lots of change. I had been trying to schedule surgery and wasn't looking forward to it - I got a reprieve of sorts -
The doctor I'm working with has given me a clean bill of health & surgery has been canceled. That has sparked a big change - I can get back to work & all of the things that entails, I've been getting more active & honestly, I'm looking forward to rejoining the world in progress.

Last week we went down to a local park to have ourselves a beach fire. Hopefully, the first of many.

Spring is here

Just got back from Jr. Mom'ing with Paloma & Jennifer. We went to the park & P played on the swings & slide & practiced her balance. She did very well. Each day starts out super damp around here, but the sky was bright blue & the clouds were not obscuring the sun at all.

P at work:


I went out to windowshop for bulbs & plants for the garden yesterday. Between heading to a local nursery & pruning forsythia + magnolia branches to brighten our house up - I've got a real hankerin' for the beauty of spring. Since I'm not on the East Coast anymore, I'm asking folks back there to think of making the trek to Longwood Gardens, the botanical gardens on the mall in DC or the National Arboretum - just knowing someone back home may be going to those places warms my heart.

Here are two pictures of pretty plants out here:





That is all for now...

Sunny, instead!

Moll and I had a fabulous time at the sculpture garden afterall!

Here's the Neucom Vivarium, by Mark Dion - it's a "nurse log", a fallen tree that acts as an incubator of sorts for a variety of plant life. I've not yet been inside, but took this pic today:


Loved catching up with Moll, we spent the hours chatting happily. When I got home, J had just arrived from a long bike ride that ended on the Burke-Gilman trail. He was wiped out, but has been keeping himself busy listening to music tonight. I've been idling on the computer too. I'm hoping to shift gears in April, but don't regret the time I've spent tonight. Got to catch up with Eero, her orchid blossoms are not to be trifled with & I forwarded along her artist recommendation to a pal in Chicago. I was also able to confirm that the bakery Nerd's Eye View was referring to is indeed the one with the tasty baguette I enjoyed over at the Gulassa's a few months ago. So, time well spent afterall...

The Living - Annie Dillard

Epic stories expose the arc of life, with all the tucked sorrows and stretched out joys. The Living is no exception.

We've been on a bit of an Annie Dillard kick lately. J's Uncle highly recommends her, "...a fine writer", he'll say, "she lived, for a time, in North Carolina", he'll finish. He's right, she is good. For those of you familiar only with the book most used in college writing classes, Teaching a Stone to Talk, you should know you haven't seen anywhere near her best book. I remember gasping at the opening pages of Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek, over a description of an encounter between a bug and a frog. I won't spoil it for you, I will say it's typical of the immediacy she's able to conjure up and the bracing awareness she instills in her characters. J brought home Holy the Firm last year and has been recommending it to other folks who live, as we do, in Western Washington. J's Uncle sent this book to us, along with quilts J's Aunt made and sent that I'm looking to shift out here. It's the first book I've read through in a few years. I finished it tonight & am satisfied.

The story circles around the lives of several pioneers during the mid to late 1800's in Bellingham, Washington. The overwhelming forests and thickly clouded skies that the characters wrestle against still play a roll in daily life here in the Pacific Northwest and so are startlingly familiar. Anyone who has visited the Northwest has likely at least run into images of the huge Doug Firs that grew to improbable heights and were as big as small buildings at their base, the opening chapters catalog the impact of living among such monumental, living things.

In the earliest part of the book, Dillard describes their landing in Whatcom, like this, "It was the rough edge of the world, where the trees came smack down to the stones. The shore looked... as if the corner of the continent had got torn off right here, sometime near yesterday, and the dark trees kept on growing like nothing happened. The ocean just filled in the tear and settled down."

There is a type of loneliness that springs purely from being in a land that is dark for some portion of the year. The Living parallels that somber quality, in its beginnings by describing the solitary folks who are the first of what will be many settlers. There are so few folks around at the beginning of the tale that one of the main characters wins the position of midwife by being the only inhabitant with "string and a pair of scissors".

There is a bi-coastal feel to the West Coast now that I did not expect to see mirrored in a story that begins with the difficulties of cross country travel before railroads. Several of the characters make their way back and forth between the East Coast and Washington; to visit family, to become educated and then make their way back to live where they have found themselves. I remember thinking, when I first got here, that people out here needed to see how crowded the East is, to see beyond the dramatic natural landscape that made up their world. It took a while to see how many people are from the East Coast and how often those who were from here were sent back East during their college years.

I had never met indigenous Americans until I moved to San Francisco in the late 80's. In Seattle, I've felt the tearing away of this land from the folks who lived here when the U.S. was forming. It's not hard to meet good people who have come from reservations here, even today. Dillard describes the various relationships that pioneers had with the local tribes and her stories of armed-by-Russian Canadian tribes attacking armed-by-settler Washington tribes have parallel even the most modern warfare.

The West has been populated with a diverse mix of folks. In good times everyone was welcome, when times got tough, not so much. This truth is reflected in a plot thread that involves the changing opinions of white pioneers towards non-white emigrants.

Beyond the breadth of the land, the stories that Dillard chose to tell in this book are appealing to me - productive, against the odds folks and erratic intellectuals. There are enough pages to fit a good amount of time for character development and enough characters to make reading it enjoyable. The similarities to modern day Western Washington, where they exist, definitely added to the story & if you plan on coming out west, even if you've been here before, it'd be worth your time to check this book out.

Old days pic

I've uploaded photos from the '96 graduation of the Art Department at Cornish. Click the picture for more.

It's been a good weekend - more working out, we did our taxes & I actually painted. J just got back from a bike ride... I hope to paint some tonight. Next week is all about getting a paying job & catching up with friends I've not seen in a while.

Pretty city

Took a ride around West Seattle today. It was truly beautiful. Click the picture if you want to see more.

"Beings long to free themselves from misery, but misery itself we follow and pursue.

We long for joy, but in our ignorance, destroy it as we would an enemy."

Terrific weekend, though we were head down for the bulk of it. Seems like J & I are getting to enjoy the house now, instead of getting used to it.

Quiet night

I'm borrowing J's computer to catch up on email - I'm a few days away from getting my laptop fixed. Until then, I'm visiting internet cafes and borrowing...

It's been pouring rain here. Pineapple Express they call it, since the front comes from Hawaii. Jason and I have taken turns clearing leaves from the lawn - we still have bulbs to plant. There was no real closing down of the garden this year.

Some photos:

downtown Seattle, 2nd Ave. heading South



Mt. Rainier, on our way back to Seattle with J's parents a few years ago


Forgive me for this shot - I shot quite a few frames of the male lion. After a few seconds, I was surprised to see the female lion got up from behind him & then they rubbed noggins together before she walked away.


I've turned on the heaters in the studio. I'm heading out there tonight.

A post about a dog

Teddy, my sweet bouvier des flandres mix who lives with my ex, visited this week. He returned home Wednesday. We lived together 8 years ago, and in that time he's made it to 16 years old. It took a bit of adjusting to his new "old dog" ways to feel as though we could give him a comfortable time.

J & I took him on walks around the neighborhood, which was cozy and fun. I noticed that our new neighborhood is visually like a mountain town, with houses distributed in among pine trees and madronas. On the second day Teddy was here, I took him on a walk around Greenlake. It was a bit much for him, but he was a trooper & finished the 2.8 miles without appearing to suffer any injury.

Before he left, he managed to pull himself up our steep staircase & into our room. After a few panicky moments, I walked him down the stairs on his leash. There were a few tense bits, but he made it down ok.

There was something soothing about having him here. I was surrounded with old pets, sleeping everywhere in the house. Since I'm still way low energy, I take a nap on occasion. No matter when that was, Teddy or Jema would be there, sweet company & very welcome.

Jema was not pleased by having Teddy around, but was tolerant if she had an escort when traveling by him. We brought her food upstairs, which kept her from needing to go downstairs too many times a day. But a cat likes to wander the garden & so I was reminded daily of her particular frustration with having to deal with a dog, for goodness sake!

There are big doings this weekend, we are almost overbooked. We've been getting the house ready for company & Jason's been running errands to make sure there is enough food. I don't think things will settle down for a week.

Here is a lovely version of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, by Gilberto Gil:

for the video & the more polished version, click here

Big Sale

We're back from the beach - the trip was great. We took a side trip to the North Carolina Zoo and, with a borrowed camera, I took the picture to the right.

The seals were the best part of the zoo - it was blazing hot & their pool was cooled. The windows we viewed them through were covered with condensation. I think we each touched a window, as a means to cool off.

Tomorrow, or today really, there will be a big rummage sale down on Market at 17th in Ballard. The Ballard Seafood Festival is also on. Should be a fun weekend.

My camera is back. I've taken a few pictures & am looking forward to doing more. Here are a few pictures from last year's Ballard Seafood Festival: on Flickr.

Something old, somethings new

There's plenty going on these days - last week included events like; (music file) J & my 5th year anniversary, a Mos Def show, a trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory & Jen, Paloma & the zoo.

Work has been going well - tho start up is a bit slow, with research predominating and implementation coming later. I'm excited about the intricacies - it's great to be contributing on these projects.

I got to volunteer at a local high school, this week, to critique the senior year final project presentations. All of the kids we had in our class were great - lots of art & physical focus on the projects. The high schools out here leave East Coast public schools, that I knew, behind. I felt as though these young'ns were actually ready to join the larger community. It's been too long between volunteer opportunities, it always feels good to help out.

Today was all about mowing the lawn. It's been a while, so the clippings were pretty dense, clogging the bag after two passes. There are so many plants in the yard, my inclination is to mow over anything I personally haven't planted. Not that I was the mower for the most part - J takes that honor. I kicked in at the end with the last of the backyard mowing and took the rentals back to the rental shack.

The yard is really a joy, although it's a bit overwhelming. J is great about getting out there, antagonizing dandelions, etc. It is inspiring to me and I love to get out there & tear it up. We've got a fair amount of debri to get rid of now a days, we should be able to take care of that soon enough.

Tomorrow is a clothes swap/potluck. I'm jazzed to be going. There are more & more opportunities these days - I'm grateful for that & very conscious of where my limits are. I'd like to ride out an era of consistency, rather than consistency for "a good chunk of time".

Hope it rains tonight.

dandelions be gone

Folks came over this weekend and helped us with yard work! We got lots of pruning and dandelion removal help. The weather was good & it's wonderful to have the yard moving along.


originally uploaded by Lilbenne.

dusk is on it's way...

I couldn't ask for a better week. Lot's of fun bike riding around Lake Washington starting at Seward Park, having friends over to the house for the first time, cooking pupusas - food that reminds me of the brief year I spent in San Francisco and to top it off, a trip to the Average Joe Cat Show.

There's still more to go - the weekend is jam-packed with activities & friends in town. We're going to do a maypole celebration tomorrow, then off to Whidbey Island (the Whidbey Institute) for a Mevlevi event - then days of talking with friends from Portland/Hawaii/etc.

Jason gave me the greatest gift today - time to think about storage for the art studio. We got one shelf of a set that we'll get over time. He's out buying corn for the Chicken Corn Chowder he'll be making tonight for the potluck portion of our weekend (I'll help with the dumpling-like rivels) and I'm heading out to put the shelves together. It's been great working together - with folks coming to stay, it's good to know we've got each other's backs.

Twighlight is here. It rained today, leaving drops on all of the leaves, blossoms & veggies in the garden. Beautiful, but cold. I got a few shots before the sun dispersed & now the inky gray clouds are all that's left of the day.

Mostly done

We got further along than we expected after seeing what we were up against. Still a ways to go, but not as much as we first thought.

Here are the pics, right this way.



Splendid day.

Sunny after all

Sunday brought plenty of sun - a lovely accompaniment to J's return home. Hope everyone had a good Easter - Passover - Mohammed's birthday and other festivities of this season.

Saturday's performance with Ahmet Ozhan went very well. The dervishes joined in two separate sections - Avery Fisher hall was full, tickets sold out and Ahmet Ozhan's performance was met with a standing ovation & encore requests.

We sent four local dervishes & were regaled with wonderful stories from their experiences in New York on Monday. I've been looking for reviews & will post when I find one, but so far - no luck.

J & I are gearing up to take on the garden this weekend. This week has so far been very pleasant, although it's grey again today. I've been getting out more & even made a trip to the zoo yesterday. An early visit was they way to go as most animals were out to have their breakfast. Photos here.

My neighbor, Margaret, invited me over to play scrabble any time I want. She's going to be 103 this year & I got to spend an hour or so with her yesterday. It's really something to spend time with someone who has decided to live on their own for the long haul. Margaret is very companionable & terrific to spend time with - I'll definitely take her up on her offer!

Bossy

Pics from weekend plant work follow:





Daisies that are alabaster white on the interior petals and smoky lavender on the outside, primroses that look like roses with flecks of gold on the petal edges, violas that are pale & sweet, trailing plants with delicate, tiny blossoms and ornamental sweet potatoes with dark purple leaves - beautiful colors in the containers in the front & back of the house. Lovely to hear the rain this morning & awaken to see plants energized and bright with water droplets on the leaves and blossoms.

I also weeded the container with the pretty pink and salmon cone flowers, which are growing back nicely from last year. This house has cone flowers growing around the patio & geraniums growing back already - primroses aplenty & flowers practically everywhere ya look.

On to bossy: I'm still backtracking - the picture cds are done, but not in the mail. The studio feels like a space built for me, but is far from functional. I'm going through my things to see what I need vs. what I bought impulsively & is now just taking up space. I've spent a week watching what I'm doing & as opposed to the last several months, I've stuck to the goals I've set - achieved a good portion of them.

My thinking these days is less tied up in the brutal-ish mania of overproductivity I still read about & admire on the web. I've dropped coffee, caffeine rather, and have done the same with cigarrettes and overall feel more solidly grounded in just what my body can provide on it's own.

Since I'm gearing up for hard work I can't quantify on the outset (readings, studio work on a production scale & studying) I'm nervous that the habits I built in the last 5 years will resurface as I engage. That's where bossy comes in. I'm acclimated to pushing myself & need to see what that looks like without crutches. At any rate, it looks like I'm back in business.

Note to self

Tulips in WA are at their peak in April, the bald eagles feed in the Skagit in Dec-Feb.

I bring this up because when my sister & brother-in-law visited this weekend, we took a drive up to Newhalem, Ross Lake area. We ended up visiting the wildlife center there & taking in the sights (and the sights are plenty, here's the pics from J & my last trip there.) . I was hoping that a few bald eagles would have lingered, even though the salmon run that feeds them ended in December. No such luck. We did see a golden eagle last year tho, pics here and below.

The visit was dreamy - we all had such a good time! It means heaps to me to have my sister see the new place & take some time to relax. She has always been incredibly caring and super responsible, sometimes overwhelming herself with obligations. There's nothing quite as popular in the world as a helpful person & a capable, helpful person is just going to be in high demand.

My brother-in-law is no slouch either. He has amazing stories about his youth in Nepal, Cyprus & Turkey - a super dry sense of humor (which I didn't get until I was well past my senseetive adolescent years) and is just a swell guy all around.

A terrific weekend to get me into the two week class on vocational astrology. I'm looking at Martha Stewart's chart and following the details that reveal the underlying desires that motivate folks to choose the work they do. Martha's chart is a great one to look at & I'll look at charts from recent readings as well, to help get into the swing of things.

Food Poison'd!

Back a week now, from our trip to see my mom for her 75th birthday. My sister did a fantastic job of rounding everyone up for the party. Even though the snow in DC brought the party numbers down, the calls from friends have kept coming & mom has enjoyed that tremendously. So much fun!!

In other mom news, J's mom is much better after wrastling a nasty bacterial infection. After two months of losing weight & not feeling well at all, she has taken a turn for the better & is sounding wonderful. J & I have been very concerned about her & so this is terrific news.

Whoa! Blogger's linking abilities have bombed, so no pics here. I'll update the sidebar, so's you can see pics from the recent trip. Egads...here's a link to the album for now.

The snow was beautiful. It did stop flights out of National & so we took advantage of the extra day to hit the Mall & see as many monuments as we could. Good times. We capped it off with dinner from the marina - fresh, steamed crabs. They were out of season & my brother was lukewarm about partaking, but I bought a half dozen for fun & a taste of home & headed to my brother's house.

J & I ate the first two out of the bag. Mine was off, so after a nibble, I tossed it into the garbage. Crabs can be watery when cooked, which ruins the experience, but I didn't think much of it as I went on through dinner. J stopped after one, we wrapped up dinner & hung out with my brother, his wife & son. So much fun!

I started feeling rough around midnight. I laid out, trying to figure out what was wrong. J got ready for bed & joined me. That was the last of the awesome trip as I began a 7 or so hour spat with food poisoning. I missed our early flight home & spent the next day (and a good portion of last week) exhausted and nauseous. Fortunately, the seventh day adventists had a store nearby & so I was able to get charcoal tablets to rid my body of the poison. It was a relief to get home the next evening.

Well, onward & all. I plan on regaling soon with tales of astrology & art. In the short term, this will have to suffice.

Creakshow

It's just now warming up. With the chill in the air - I feel creaky. I've gone out to get more space heaters - and the furnace folk are scheduled to come at two this afternoon. Funny how constraining the cold is - I feel less able to think & certainly less motivated to do things.

I took a walk around the garden & into the greenhouse today. Talk about restoring yr spirit - It's raining and winter, so the plants in the food garden have mostly given up the ghost. I did walk by what looked like cilantro - still green and lovely, but can't be sure. Also, the blackberries don't seem to be weakening at all. There are some without thorns that are pretty weeds.

The laundry room needs cleaning and stat. I'll get back to that, but wanted to post some pics from the trip - (for the set, go here):

Almost decent

Whew, time sure does fly. It feels like yesterday I was contemplating leaving life in the corporate world & striving to do right before I departed. Now, it's almost 6 months later & things are revving up for our trip to Turkey.

The show was lovely, plenty of folks came by, including some peeps & my initially critical views of my own work were softened by repeat views. I'm not there yet, but if I work at it, I think I can do justice to art.

J & I went running this morning. A temperature inversion has created the typically enigmatic fog that is so attractive & J made sure to take me to a footpath through the tall cedars & other pines that dot our neighborhood. The water in the muddy grass gave a slight edge to the ethereal surroundings.

I'm wrapping up a job with a cancer ward at a local research facility. It's been very humbling to be present while others receive experimental treatment that surely causes them suffering. I try to stay modest as I move through the waiting room & to smile as I see everyone - knowing that feeling unwell, as they most likely do, would lead some of the patients to be impatient with my joy & gratitude. I imagine myself in their position & feel myself steeling my body, as though to ward off an impact. None of us know when we'll be struck down & I hope I can be graceful, but will settle for honest.

The job is to write code for excel. Fun stuff. I've learned lots to flesh out my already substantial knowledge & a new appreciation for the various layers of coding folk who automate what would inevitably be dulling routines for busy people.

I'll be glad to be done, though. I'm ready to get back to the work of unpacking. I was able to sort out the remainders of the upstairs that J hadn't gotten to this weekend. It feels more peaceful upstairs & with the reduction in space, we don't have the spartan digs that we did for years and years at the rental place.

Our home is still so enchanting. We have gone outside at night to shoot photos many times, in fact J has some awesome shots from Sunday night. The greenhouse sits vacant tho - all I can come up with in the time I have to do research on the web, describes our greenhouse as a coldframe system that is best used in the fall or spring. I'll wait until I get a clearer picture of what needs to happen to make it useable & what plants will benefit before I set up shop there.

I'll sign off now, have to get back to work. With a bit of rest, I now feel almost decent...

Hurry up and wait - the too much at once version

Spent the weekend on the road, with firm intentions of spending most of that time in Twisp. Twisp, east of the mountains. Right off of Rt. 20 and accessible by either 20 or 2, depending on the weather. The weather, as in other parts of our great nation, has been erratic. A few details: snow storm in the North Cascades closed 20 this weekend, followed by a rockslide closing I-90 both ways just a day or two later.

Five of us went, in two cars. Laura and I spent two hours at the spa before meeting up with Lee, Tricia and Laurie at noon. When it came time to vote - 2 or 20, we all chose 20 & off we went. DOT site suggested that 20 was clear, but neglected to mention the planned avalanche control closure that would start, ironically enough, just as we arrived at the turn onto 20. So, at 3pm, we retraced our steps to 2. I was a bit fussy, but game to keep going. When Tricia suggested we stop at the Bavarian Village themed town of Leavenworth for the night - I was able to drop the fuss.

My photos from the trip aren't up yet. I'll admit that in Leavenworth I took photos of the hotel pool - to my amusement, it was in a bubble and heated. The usual fodder for photos of that lovely spot are more mountainous and bavarian. I was able to get some photos of the taxidermied deer & bear in the local Twisp grocery store too, but my batteries were drained by the time we got to the cabin. So no aspen and snowfall, no beaver dam or playing in the snow...

With the night's stay at Leavenworth, it took us a nice, round 24 hours to reach the cabin. We had a blast over the weekend - I brought my canvases for this week's show opening & got up to the usual hijinks with the girls. 'Course, time to go came too soon & after leaving at noon on Sunday, Laura and I were pleased that we got to the pass so quickly. That pleasure was shortlived tho... the final tally for this (typically 4.5hr) trip came to a rousing 7 hrs. The best was that when we got home, I didn't have the right keys to get into the house.

J was at the last of the Earshot Jazz shows & I missed him since our trip home took so long. Laura left a message on his cell phone for me - mine was in the house. I was so pent up from spending too much time idling & so I turned down Laura's offer to come with her to her place. I could get into the garage & I was sure that something would shake loose & I'd be able to enjoy the evening. That said, I did ask her to ask J to come on home, the sooner the better.

I was fussy now, but determined to ride out the night. I started unpacking the many boxes in the garage (which I could get into), noticing that J busted butt this weekend. I stubbornly tried to move my flatfiles on my own, earning myself a sore hip & shoulder this morning. I swept the patio free of leaves, which I deposited on the lawn (couldn't find any bags in the garage). I manhandled the catdoor and tried anything I could find to get me in the house.

Time passed.

I sat on the front porch, debated painting in my non-painting clothes and waited.

A little more time passed.

Ok, really, a lot of time passed. J came home at 11:30 and parked behind me. I don't think he was expecting to see me pop up in front of him. Talk about a sight for sore eyeballs. I was really pleased to see him. He got through the stories of the night, with my story tumbling out at the same time & we walked around inside the house - with him showing me what he'd done.

Nothing is quite as sweet as knowing that at some point, you'll be clean and cozy and wrapped up in quilts after being cold-ish, alone (even when you want that) and locked out. We talked and talked, catching up on the weekend and the grind that is coming for us in this week. Then, I got to sleep.

There's an astrological configuration right now that is all about hurry up and wait & it'll be in effect through the 5th of Dec. In fact, things are likely to get more confusing and less clear in just the next week, through the end of the month. For everyone, no kidding.

The funny thing about this weekend is that, with all of the blocked bits, I only barely got a sense of the frustration J's been dealing with lately. I can't even think of the rest of the folks I know. Haven't asked anyone, but I'll wager I'm not the only one thinking things could go a bit smoother.

Well, I should wrap up now. I'm in an internet cafe, our wireless is out at the house. Of course, we could make that a priority - but, um, that's so far down on our list it's not funny. So the periodic entries will be sparse-ish.

This week'll be a complete bear. I wish y'all luck if you'd do me the same courtesy.

cleaning up

Today we went over the list of things that the landlord should know about the old place. It's been cleaned, mostly. We didn't get to the fireplace & the basement floor could use waxing, but it's way empty, swept & we're out of there:



It's Halloween at the new place. Intermittant knocks or doorbell ringing have happened all night. I'm taking a break at the computer before launching into an all out attack on the new garage. I've got to finish the work for the show that is less than two weeks away. I feel really good about it, but cannot get to the paint, canvas or anything else.

Which is why it's such a relief to be through cleaning at the old place. I didn't go in today, just visited with the landlord. But I cannot tell you what a drain it has been to have something to go for back there for, night after night. It seemed as if it would never end. And the new place has been needing attention.

I unpacked the kitchen today. It's been mostly habitable - first room really. But I was able to completely unpack it today. There was a pot full of coffee there tonight, along with some dinner. Feels homey. I look forward to getting the rest of the house set up.

Work is still happening. I'm building code for scheduling and it's going well. Very laborious proceedings. Lot's of habits to be shifted around (how is it that people can thrive on such variety - for example: people can write 7:30a, 730, 7:30 am or 7:30 - no big deal, but can excel tell the difference?) and code to test. I've got about a week left. Then another project will begin.

Things are so busy now I can hardly register the quantity. I sleep and get an isolated image or two, when before I would dream whole stories. I go to work & come home and work and either go back again or work more at home. There are good bits & lots of them and I'm grateful, but mostly it's a blur. Perhaps it will be this way until the Turkey trip...

Don't forget to check out the pics on flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/47503589@N00/58350473/

More pics available

Diablo Lake pics are up. We had a great time, after a few initial discussions about who wanted to camp when and where and what we wanted to do. The campsite was peaceful and beautiful, we'll go back a bunch of times, I'm wagering.

Everywhere we went, we were traveling alongside folks taking much fuller advantage of the beauty of the North Cascades, lots of fishermen, hikers, folks with canoes, etc. Our car looked way less utilitarian compared to others loaded down with all manner of mountain appropriate equipment.

Even without crampons or a tent that could hang on a cliffside, we were able to enjoy the mountain range, the clean air and critters. We were beset, of course, by stellar jays and douglas squirrels, the latter chiding us as they do when we were eating (not sharing) and when we were putting food away.

It rained almost the entire time, which really put me off, but once the tent was up and we were in it, it was obvious that the rain was falling on the trees mainly and hardly at all on us. Our one hike along the river was easy and dry, even though we could hear the rain almost the whole time.

Diablo lake, Ross lake are both strikingly jade/turqouis colored -- due to the rock "flour" found in the water. The sunbreaks were very bright and made it tougher to capture that color, but it was still amazing to shoot.

Flickr, Diablo lake and more...

I've opened a Flickr account - you can see the latest photos from the Woodland Park Zoo, Bumbershoot and various polaroids there. I'll keep doing galleries on this site, but Flickr loads images in their original size, and that's a real benefit for sharing.

We're heading out to Diablo lake tomorrow - after a work picnic for J's crew. The hikes we have been able to research for the area around Diablo all look daunting - which hasn't stopped J before, but he says he'd like to enjoy his time with me there, so I imagine we'll not do the Sourdough hike (5 miles at a 20% grade, for an 11 mile hike) at the very least. Here's an album of folks who did a 10-day hike around nearby Ross Lake that I just got from J. Dig the suspension foot bridge over Devil's Creek.

Surface tension

Latest favorite lyrics - reminds me of the importance of being present...

"i bet you're hoping that your heart will send up the white flag this time --
or some sign that the coast is clear"
Here for now

It's been a very eventful week, we got back earlier tonight from the peninsula perseids trip. I clocked six or so meteors - not bad but nowhere near the folks who were able to get back up at 3am to watch them pour down.

We awoke to llamas, which we were told are very curious, sniffing at John's tent and then ours -- but we zipped our tent up when Ursa, the great pyranees local, came to greet us around 6:30am.



Earlier in the week, John got to sit through band practice - visit potential employers for job shadowing - bake bread - camp with llamas and sample artichokes for the first time. I am baffled as to how all of these events coincided with his trip (apart from the one that was custom designed for him) but whaddya gonna do? He's had great experiences & will go home with plenty to think about. I can only say that I wish I had folks direct me to such things when I was 14.

I, myself, am a bit saturated in the stimulation dept. We've been going at a fair clip on a daily basis. My brain just piles thoughts upon thoughts without processing on those occasions. I've had to take time outs during the day just to keep up with the three inhabitants of our home, not to mention catching up with old friends - painting - thinking about a show with other friends and getting ready for another trip - this one to Ashland for a few days retreat next week. I may act like I'm on retreat starting this week, just to give my brain time to process.

Pics from August are here, I'm off to check in on the guys.

Today's photo

Last Sunday I wandered about the Ballard Seafood Festival. I took a few pics, which will go up when I've prepped them all for the web, but here is my absolute favorite:



Ok, back to work.

Bashville, USA

Tonight's adventure: I went to the Henry Art Gallery's Bashville bash. I missed the auction preview, but got to catch up with old friends, Art teachers & took a very few pics of the cowboy themed party. DJ Riz spun the sweet tunes & I got a few good pics of him, but haven't purchased the recommended flash & so the rest of the pics are fairly random. I am very grateful that Jen gave me the ticket, what a swell gal!

I've loaded the rest of the Emerald Downs race track photos here.



I went to an herbalist this week, next week is the physical therapist & the nutritionist. I'm still working on my physical health & got a lot of good information from the herbalist. A few more walks around greenlake per week, maybe some yoga & weight training should do the trick.

The painting I'm working on has moved forward significantly. I'm ready to wrap it up, but not in a hurry. I plan on painting tomorrow & hope to move on to a new piece in this next week. It was great to reconnect with folks who can speak to what they see in my work. Tonight's event was really good.

J is in Bend this weekend, camping with friends. I've rented movies to watch while I work. I enjoyed Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso & Castle in the Sky. I'm watching Arsenic & Old Lace just now. I am fond of classics, remembering going with Mom to the AFI theater to watch her favorites when I was young.

Study Time

Good progress on my painting, although I'm still stalling for no good reason. The cactus is coming along nicely.

I've posted some photos from the races here, although you'll have to scroll through 23 photos to get to the new pics. My bad, really. But editing isn't coming along, not at all.



Studying was the name of the game today. I checked in with a friend who came to visit, on notes from last week's class in the Mesnevi & then checked election credits at Kepler. Finally, I went on with the painting - then dinner & now I'm heading out to meet with pals to chat & talk about stuff we can do together, studywise.

Today has been very good, like walking across a tightrope over a street about 30 stories down -- if you're good at that sort of thing. It felt important to gather myself, to be focused & intentional. Like I'm operating on a different kind of fuel. I talked with J about this & he agreed that things feel like this.

So, a glass of wine sloshing in the belly, I'm on my way out the door. My schedule for today worked. In the words of the Mayor of Deadville, "huzzah!" and in the words of Martin Luther King, "It is something that runs the whole gamut of life, so before we condemn (those who want to be first), let us say we all have the "drum major instinct", the desire to be important, to leave a mark & not judge them".

toodles.

Bits & Pieces

Got back from camping late Sunday - we were at Wish Poosh, I've posted photos here. We had a great time, J hiked up Paddy-Go-Easy with Jory - I've done the hike twice & not been especially good company. So I went with the rest of our crew to to Cooper Lake & did a much shorter hike instead. Click here for some views of the surrounding area, scroll down to see Cooper lake - it's the fifth pic down on the left.



The short hike we did ran us right through a creek, where we met the first of many fly fisher folk. Here's a pic of the trail through the itty-bitty creek:



I'm so glad to be back home & have started to feel more productive. It's touch & go, last week was all about bringing myself to a complete standstill. I forget I need to be still, and I believe it's good for me on occasion, but it's alarming nonetheless.

I'm heading out to a coffee shop, to review my plans for the rest of the week & then get some errands done. We're going up to Vancouver, BC later this week & to the racetrack for a birthday party this weekend, so I can't put off everything thinking there's plenty of time...

Shout out to all our peeps in NC. We miss being with you this summer!! Nothing's better than spending lazy afternoons watching the Tour de France & seeing everyone hanging out at dinner.

Seattle Skyline/Crescent Moon

Two of my favorite things:

New photos are up:


Fourth of July Night shoot at Holy Names

Solstice Parade



Primarily photos of Saints of the World, Unite! They are playing "When the saints come marching in" and are joined by folks with mirrors, who are showing the crowds their own images among those of the saints on the banners. A bit of liberty was taken with the overall mix of saints.

There are also pictures of Artis - the spoonman (think Soundgarden), some people in peat masks, giant robots and some clowns.

Dans l'histoire du monde, ce n'est pas grands choses.

some photos to re-visit while I ponder.

Useless with films that showcase the weaknesses of humankind, that's me. I'm watching Insomnia - post-band rehearsal. I'm well creeped out & thought about bringing to light the eerie but beautiful work of Ralph Eugene Meatyard. Like the painterly portraits of Julia Margaret Cameron, Meatyard focused on the ephemeral moments of life -- but unlike Cameron, Meatyard was focused on the plainly creepy in life.

Graciela Iturbide brings the lyrical side of ephemeral life, with the minimum of creep. Nan Goldin does the creep, minus the ephemera. Lartigue provided an entertaining view into his life in the early 1900's, minus almost entirely the creep.

Stieglitz was the master... Levitt is charming, Muybridge was a badass...

All of this is just to say I'm awed by this work. I'm awed & angling for it. I've recently re-read this work on "how to think like a genius". Beyond just being a genius, which I can't see the E ticket to, the key is productivity. Which for me is frustrating because I'm pooped. I'm keeping up with photos, but if you saw the stack of painting concepts and unfinished work in my studio...you, like many of my friends would say "put on a show". Which I'm not ready to do, even years after I thought I was.

Patience is the ticket, I'm sure. I plan on shifting the focus from work to art this summer & even tho I've stated that before, it feels more real now. Patience is the key, so I'll add to that persistence & figure out how to get those two to converge...