One of many, as I will be on a crowded plane, first to Frankfurt and then to Athens. Wish me and my luggage luck. Unless I find an Internet cafe, this will be my last message until about June 13th. I am quite looking forward and quite scares about all the things that might go wrong.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Game of Life
This was my daughter's favorite game in the sixties. It is still very much the same; I was amazed to see that you still get the gender-specific blue or pink pegs to put in your little auto for your children. Now her college age sons are playing it during the visit of the older one. She made pizza and a pudding dessert and we all had a great time. And I stopped fretting about Greece for a little while. Good night.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Trillium wood on the way to Indian River
Tonight we went out for a bite to eat and a short drive. I remembered that the woods along Hwy 68 between Alanson and Indian River had been a good place to see trillium in bloom just at this time, or a little earlier. I knew this might be my last chance this year. And look at this! This photo shows only a small portion of this wood along the highway. We stopped so I could take pictures, and the very nice woman who lives there came out to talk to me about them. She said she moved here from Ohio a few years ago, and really loved these flowers. She asked if I wanted to pick some, but I said she should just leave them there. Gorgeous!
This pleased me so much. I thought she was going to yell at me to stay off her land--I was just standing on the edge of the road where the Road Commission mows the weeds, and peering into the twilit woods. And she just wanted to rejoice with me at the wildflower's beauty. THe trillium is the state flower of Michigan.
This pleased me so much. I thought she was going to yell at me to stay off her land--I was just standing on the edge of the road where the Road Commission mows the weeds, and peering into the twilit woods. And she just wanted to rejoice with me at the wildflower's beauty. THe trillium is the state flower of Michigan.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Jane and the emu
It seems to be both color and that slanted line, or something about the arrangement of shapes and spaces. What do you think? Compare with previous post. But the personality might have been a factor, too. I hope to get some more emu pix toward the end of the year, when we go back.And hopefully I will bring back some art of my own from Greece. Good night!
Emu in sepias
Emu rules! The hair look is astounding, as is the regal glare, I snap a few every time we take our dachshunds to the kennel near our son's home. I did a very slight fiddle on this one and I like how it came out. For some reason it reminds me of Toulouse-Lautrec's poster of Jane Avril. I'll have to figure out why. The colors? The personality? The trouble with these fiddles is that the first one is always the most interesting and when I try to make a similar one, it doesn't turn out as well.
Only three more days until I have to fly away for Greece. My suitcase will weigh just about 30 pounds if I don't bring the folding stool, which is quite hard for me to use. Then I have a backpack with two cameras and a few other things, including some spares if my luggage is lost. (Shoes, underwear, toothbrush and T-shirt, contact lenses and spare glasses.) And an adjustable pillow filled with those little plastic beads. Wish me luck!!
Only three more days until I have to fly away for Greece. My suitcase will weigh just about 30 pounds if I don't bring the folding stool, which is quite hard for me to use. Then I have a backpack with two cameras and a few other things, including some spares if my luggage is lost. (Shoes, underwear, toothbrush and T-shirt, contact lenses and spare glasses.) And an adjustable pillow filled with those little plastic beads. Wish me luck!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
At Last!
When we got to our place in the Michigan Woods, our internet had crashed! But all is well now, after 1)we got the DSL turned on 2)they fixed the local new equipment snafu and 3) Mike from ComputeRACC made a short visit to recover the lost secret password for the network so that S's new laptop could join up and fix my corrupted Device Driver so that my wireless card would work again! Breathless gasp!
This photo is from a rest stop before we hit the Plains. It's always pretty there. There is a sign to watch for snakes, but I've never seen any. . . .
I leave for a watercolor painting trip (arrow down to Greece) to the Greek Islands next Wednesday. My brother and his wife are coming, too. We'll visit five of the islands in the Cyclades and spend a day at the beginning and a day at the end in Athens. I'll get to see the Parthenon! I don't know why I do these things--it would be so much simpler (and cheaper) to stay at home. But I should have some new photos to share. I'm glad to be back, at least until next week. If I can find an Internet cafe, I might be able to post at least once from Greece.
This photo is from a rest stop before we hit the Plains. It's always pretty there. There is a sign to watch for snakes, but I've never seen any. . . .
I leave for a watercolor painting trip (arrow down to Greece) to the Greek Islands next Wednesday. My brother and his wife are coming, too. We'll visit five of the islands in the Cyclades and spend a day at the beginning and a day at the end in Athens. I'll get to see the Parthenon! I don't know why I do these things--it would be so much simpler (and cheaper) to stay at home. But I should have some new photos to share. I'm glad to be back, at least until next week. If I can find an Internet cafe, I might be able to post at least once from Greece.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The long and winding road . . .
through the Rocky Mountain West. Lovely weather for the trip until about an hour's heavy rain late today, coming into Fargo, North Dakota. As usual. Yellowstone, the high plains and the badlands of Montana and North Dakota were spectacular. The clouds, especially, are surpassingly beautiful! The light through clouds and the streaks of rain in the distance put on a constantly changing show.
Little David Archuleta is a semi-finalist on American Idol; I'd like him to win. But fear this attention may ruin his life. The shows about the final three singers were the perfect thing to watch in these mid-price motels at the end of a tiring day on the road. News from San Jose is that there will be a heat wave, with above 90 degree temperatures. I'm glad to miss it!
Little David Archuleta is a semi-finalist on American Idol; I'd like him to win. But fear this attention may ruin his life. The shows about the final three singers were the perfect thing to watch in these mid-price motels at the end of a tiring day on the road. News from San Jose is that there will be a heat wave, with above 90 degree temperatures. I'm glad to miss it!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The pink tutu
My granddaughter's preschool ballet rehearsal was a trip! The teacher had two teenage "helpers" who would actually lift the children and place them on the stage. As they danced, they also sang, which helped them to remember the steps and keep time. The children really seemed to enjoy it. I would never have thought it possible. We had a wonderful visit, which included preschool story time at the library.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Isn't he pretty?
Same guy as yesterday. He did a lot of posing and, since it was Saturday in a popular park, many other photographers were busily snapping. It's amazing how flexible the neck is!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Egret
This fellow was at the Japanese Friendship Garden scoring morsels in the pond for a long time today. We had our annual haiku reading, a haiku workshop and a really good visit with people who came from Southern California, Walnut Creek, Livermore and all over. I read some of the prose pieces I have been working on, that are lightly studded with haiku. Three other people were featured readers and we had a round-the-circle open reading afterwards. These prose pieces interspersed with related (but not containing the same information) haiku are called haibun, a word from Japan formed from the word haiku the same way as the word haiga, which means artwork with haiku as part of the art.
More and more, my respect for the haiku tradition--and the possibilties of expression in this simple-seeming art form-- is growing. And so to bed.
More and more, my respect for the haiku tradition--and the possibilties of expression in this simple-seeming art form-- is growing. And so to bed.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Artist Maida
Today was the last day for me of all-day printmaking classes until January. This was taken in the outdoor space where we have lunch together. This elegant lady is having a little trouble seeing, but she still makes the most beautiful sketches, always of people, and usually people doing something with another person or other people. Since I am struggling to draw teapots and trees, I respect and love the excellence of her drawings and the characteristic old-fashioned looks of her people. Her work is instantly recognizable from across the room. It's a great group of artists--everone works on different projects, using different techniques, and there is ever so much interesting new art to see every week! And so many new ideas about art and beauty to be gained by hanging out with this outstanding group of friends.
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