It's my birthday. What will this year be like?

The clouds were moving fast over the moon at 5am this morning.
A nice start to a new trip around the sun.

For the first time my age number feels "old" to me. Of course my older granddaughter has been assuring me that I am old for some time now! She also tells her Dad that he is ancient which both he and I find hilarious given his obviously much younger age.

We'll see what the year brings, but is starting out nicely. Today I am going to SFMOMA with Hubby and older son and DIL to see the special Matisse exhibit and check out the museum as a whole to see if we want to go regularly. it is just a short walk from a BART station on the line we live near. We also will have lunch at one of the 2 restaurants in the museum.

The special exhibit looks like it will be quite interesting as it examines the influence on art of one specific painting. You can get a glimpse of it here (Matisse exhibit overview).

Art, butterflies & a walk by the bay - Thriving week 32

 

And lots of butterflies flitting around making for nice walks. This one was to our little neighborhood store to get marmalade and a baguette.

I walked to City Hall another day to see a small exhibition of art quilts. Then I kept walking to get a scoop of ice cream🤭

Another nice walk was an outing with the pup to nearby Richmond Marina Bay. A beautiful sunny and windy Saturday, lots of boats at the Marina, and it lots of good sniffing spots for the pup.  Once he noticed the moving water though it was time to leave from his perspective. I suspect it looked to him like the ground was moving (the water was on the other side of rocks and lower) which would be very disconcerting.

A recipe to NOT make and painting progress

A couple of snapshots of my day -

Sorting my Mom's old recipe box and found this one. Don't remember having to eat it and don't plan to cook it! Spam and cheese sandwich anyone?

 

Scheduled time to paint today and made progress so that I finally like where this painting is going. I paint in our sun porch so that is why so many windows, a fence and part of our front yard behind the painting. I'm going to studio the next three Tuesday evenings so I will have help to see if I can finish it without messing it up. The bridge and building on the right still need lots of work. That is tomorrow evening's goal.

Oops - forgot to do a January update so here is mid-February's

The end of January came and went and I forgot to do an update on how I am doing on some of my goals and challenges.

So far I am winning the battle on the 53 weeks of decluttering front having a net of 42 items leaving the house. I'm not counting things that replace broken or worn out things or consumables so those new walking shoes don't show up as the oldest pair in my closet were turned in for recycling.

WHAT HAS LEFT THE HOUSE - 66 items and counting
Week 1 - 12/1-7/13: Six Christmas cloth napkins
Week 2 - 12/8-14/13: Eleven cloth napkins & 10 place mats
Week 3 - 12/15-21/13: A plastic serving tray
Week 4 - 12/22-28/13: A pair of earrings, 5 out of date batteries, 2 orthodontic supplies
Week 5 - 12/29/13-1/4/14: 6 fluorescent tubes, light fixture, 5 out of date spices, book, plastic container, thermos, stirring rod, 2 forks, spoon
Week 6 - 1/5-11/14: candle holder, pedometer
Week 7 - 1/12-18/14: packing materials, 3 pairs of socks
Week 8 - 1/19-25/14: 0
Week 9 - 1/26-2/1/14: 0
Week 10 - 2/2-8/14: markers, 3 underwear items, wine bottle stopper (broken)

WHAT HAS ENTERED THE HOUSE - 24 items and counting
Week 1 - 12/1-7: One pair yoga pants
Week 2 - 12/8-14: Five soup/pasta bowls
Week 3 - 12/15-21: One water bowl for dog
Week 4 - 12/22-28: 5 books, 1 coffee mug, fabric for 2 skirts
Week 5 - 12/29-1/4: 0
Week 6 - 1/5-11/13: 2 books, 4 sewing supplies
Week 7 - 1/12-18/14: 0
Week 8 - 1/19-25/14: 0
Week 9 - 1/25-2/1/14: 3 pairs of men's socks
Week 10 - 2/2-8/14: 0

Exercising in improving in terms of frequency and how hard I am working out. Still a way to go to achieve my goal of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise, 2 weight training sessions and 2 stretching sessions per week. I do have a new and harder weight training circuit that I am struggling with at the moment but this too shall get better.

Painting class is a slow project. I went to one class, missed the next due to travel, the next was cancelled due to snow and the next I wimped out and stayed home. Fortunately I only paid for 4 out of the 8 so I can still meet my objective. This type of art is clearly no longer my passion LOL.

We decided to go with the $3,900 option of taking down our two at risk trees in the woods. The wood from the trunks will be left down there to rot. The bid to remove everything using a crane was lower but the cost of repairing the landscaping where the crane would tear up the yard made the total much higher. Sigh.

Our trip to S CA was a success. The dog's slipped disc seems to be healed. The weather is warming. Etc.
So there you have it - the first month of the year was ok on the goals front.

Oh, I do love the internet for information gathering

However I must read more carefully! We headed off this afternoon to see a Picasso, Braque and Leger exhibit at a small university art museum near by and, we thought, to hear a jazzy Christmas concert. Well the concert is tomorrow afternoon so we will have to head back. However we enjoyed the exhibit which was quite unique.

I had researched costs in advance - $5 each for admission to the museum & $10 each for the concert. I noticed that for $30 we could get a one year dual senior membership so we did. Once we attend the concert we will have broken even and any other visits will be free.

Otherwise just hanging out and preparing to eat our leftovers from Thanksgiving as even the restaurant portions were too large. What is Thanksgiving without leftovers?

The week that was just fine

As I sit here on Sunday morning with both Hubby and Poodle Princess still asleep I have been reflecting on this past week. It was fine despite a day off sick. It was fine despite some rainy weather. It was fine despite nothing memorable.

So why was it fine? I did some non-routine volunteer work for the library which had me interacting with some different people (happiness points for spending time with others). I made it to the gym twice including trying an introductory yoga class (happiness points for exercise). I walked the dog almost every day (happiness points for time with a pet). I went out for dinner and shooting pool with Hubby (extra happiness points for date night). We finally figured out how to visit sons in both S. CA and N. CA by giving up on the idea of doing it in one trip and also picked our dates for a Road Scholar program in Key West (happiness points for something to look forward to).

And then there is something only problem solving, recycling environmentalist, budget happy people like me would find happiness in although cleaning floors is not high on my list! The internet told me I could find a replacement sponge/scrubber piece for our floor mop just up the street and it was less than ordering one through Amazon. Bonus points: it was hard to change out the old one but with teamwork and a few words we managed to do it (really engineers no one person could do this by themselves - you need to design things better).

There were other things - talking, or rather listening, to my 92 year old Mom who is having a really good week and was quite cheerfully chatty about books she was reading and other things. She wasn't well for many months so this is so uplifting. Finding out the Bob Dylan is a welder who makes gates out of scavenged metal parts and that my friends are going to book a welding workshop at there N GA lodge. I've always wanted to learn to weld as an art form so hopefully I will be in town that weekend and go to the workshop. I'm excited about that possibility!

Such an ordinary week that was perfectly fine. Today we are going to see The Dallas Buyer's Club and maybe stop for coffee afterwards. A good start for another fine week.

Brrrrr - A good day to stay in and catch up

I live in Atlanta where the forsythia has bloomed and gone, the azaleas are blooming and it was SNOWING at 8:30 this morning. Teeny, tiny flakes to be sure but there they were. I decided it was a good day to stay home as nothing really required going out. Time to finish things, catch up, and clear up.

Yesterday I almost finished a color pencil drawing so I put the final touches on it this morning. I am very happy with it!

I have had the paperwork for my Friends of the Library volunteer work sitting out since our last board meeting on February 11th. I went through everything, sent emails including scheduling the next meeting, organized a project plan for the May 25th book sale and generally caught up. It will move off the desk as soon as I receive some answers to those emails.

Picked up a few things in the house and played several rounds of fetch with Poodle Princess who is not getting a walk today but did yesterday. I didn't know that poodles were retrievers until I go her but the standard poodle was bred to retrieve from cold mountain lakes. So she loves having me throw her squeaky toy squirrel or a tennis ball and bring it back for more. It is an exercise program for days we don't take a walk and just plain fun for her any day.

My Dad's portraits in pastel

My Dad did an amazing job of creating portraits of my maternal grandparents and paternal great grandparents. He worked in pastel and drew from old photographs. It helped that we had professional photographers on both sides of the family even in the early days of photography.

I recently received photos of three of his works. If only I could be as good an artist as he was!

 My maternal grandmother who's middle name, Juhlin, which is her mother's maiden name became my first name. Quite the stylish 1920's look isn't it?

One of my paternal great grandfathers who was a professional photographer and artist himself. My Dad must have inherited the genes from him!

His wife who looks the most similar to me of all the ancestors for whom we have photos. One of my nephews initially thought it was a portrait of me in period dress!

Stretching my brain: Colored pencil drawing

I have felt this year that I was not challenging my brain enough (or at all?) so I signed up for a colored pencil drawing class focused on the summer vegetable garden.  I've taken drawing and painting courses but this is a new medium for me.  Last night I finished my first drawing.  Sorry the photo is a bit dark (its on white paper) but using a flash created glare.

I'm going to work on one more drawing using a more "painterly" style and see how that goes.

My next brain stretch challenge was created after I read this NPR article - You call that a beach book? Really?

The topic of String Theory caught my eye.  I have tried to follow TV shows about the topic but get lost early on and can't go back and listen to the previous part again.  I've requested a book from the library that claims to explain it simply - we'll see! 

I also learned that there are Science Cafes held in town with guest speakers.  I'm going to look into signing us up for one.

How do you keep your brain "stretching"?

Going someplace new in my town

We just got back from a fascinating (yet cold - we have our first wintery day today) artist studio walk in a nearby area of town that we have never explored.  They call it Rail Arts District studio walk because it is an old light industrial area of a town next to the tracks in a small town (suburb of Atlanta) called Avondale Estates.

I had lovely conversations with several female artists - one, Su Abbott, a self taught painter of abstract art who is surprised to have become an artist at all; the link takes you to one of my favorite of her works on display today.  Another just back from a very successful gallery show in New York with one coming up in Key West and then Switzerland and a partially finished commissioned piece on her work table; no more art festivals for her.

We also so lots of unexpected little surprises.  A frame shop where they are building a wooden hulled boat in the lobby; show up any Wednesday at 7:30 and you can work on it too.  A meat shop where they make their own sausage on site.  A drumming circle - just sit down and join in.  A food truck selling great tamales.  A small bakery with an artist showing intricately painted rolling pins and bowls.  Did you know the rolling pin with moving handles was invented in 1884 by John W. Reed, an African-American?  We also stopped by The Beer Growler where you buy a refillable bottle (2 sizes to pick from) and then bring it in to purchase your selection from an unusual list of beers.

I wouldn't know about any of this if I hadn't headed out to someplace I had never been! And I made progress on one of my 12 in 2012 goals - 4) Go 4 new places in my city - only 3 to go.

Art and golf

 Yesterday we went to an art exhibit at the High Museum of Art called "The Art of Golf" which was way more interesting than the title might lead you to believe.  The exhibit started with paintings from the 1600s that showed people playing Kolf - a Dutch game played on ice skates with a club and ball that looked about the size of a tennis ball!  Lot of works related to Scotland and especially St. Andrews including the photo above and this painting of the early course.  We visited St. Andrews once which made seeing these art pieces even more interesting.

Then there was Andy Warhol's work of Jack Nicklaus  and a variety of cartoons some of which were laugh out loud funny.  I didn't expect to enjoy the exhibit so much but it was great.

Now I doubt I'll say the same thing about the Super Bowl.  Every year I think about having a party for Super Bowl Sunday but I don't even like watching professional football.  So I'll probably wander off and do something else like the free Bach Bowl! at Emory just a couple of miles away.

How are you spending this day?

My custom belt is done!

This is the belt my Mom received as a teenager in the late 1930s when her brother sent her a buckle from Albuquerque for Christmas and her stepfather had a harness maker create a belt to go with it.  It has been sitting in a drawer at my house for decades because that has been how long it didn't fit me.

I asked my cousin to design and make a new belt using the old buckle and I'm delighted with the result.  I've been wearing it all day.  What fun to have a double heirloom that is wearable.

The story of my Mom's belt

I wish I had taken a picture of the belt and buckle before I mailed it to our cousin for advice.  If he remakes it I'll have him take before and after pictures though.

I called my 90 year old Mom to get the story of the belt straight.  In the late 1930s her younger brother was sent from Illinois to Albuquerque to live with an aunt and go to high school.  He sent my Mom the buckle as a gift.  Her stepfather found a harness maker(!!!) to make a custom belt to go with the buckle.  Out of curiousity she asked me to measure it to the smallest hole to see how small her waist was in her late teens - 26".  I was able to wear it too in my 20s but never on the smallest hole.

She thinks it is a great idea to remake it or make a new belt part.  On closer inspection I'm not sure if the buckle is silver or silver plate but it has Navajo designs etched on it.  The belt leather is tooled and is cracking in one place.  I talked to our cousin who thinks it would be a fun project and mailed it to him.  We'll talk about it when I am in LA in a few weeks and see if it makes sense.

Have you ever had a special art item made just for you?

My husband's cousin-in-law makes beautiful, high-end leather belts and guitar straps (check out his leather art).  I have a 1930's silver belt buckle and hand tooled leather belt that belonged to my Mom in her youth.  There was a time I could wear it, but it is too small now.  I've been thinking about asking our cousin if I can hire him to remake it into something I could wear.  I think I should.  Perhaps he could piece together the old belt and other leathers like he did in these.

One of my cousins makes beautiful high end jewelry along with being an interior and fashion designer (check out her artisan jewelry).  My style doesn't fit what she makes although I think they are beautiful.  I haven't asked her if she could make something to fit my style - perhaps I should and buy and wear to the wedding or rehearsal dinner in 2013.  I know she would be thrilled.

Another of my cousins husband is a pastel artist who does beautiful work - I've seen one online that is a picture of a boy holding the reins of two farm horse.  I've never asked to see his work and I would like to see it.

Many others in our family have also participated in the visual arts.  My Dad did wonderful pastel portraits and landscapes and my Mom did watercolors.  One son did a wonderful wood carving of a leaping dolphin.  A great-grandfather was an early professional photographer and carved a beautiful marble statue of an American Indian by a canoe - using dental tools so the family story goes!  One of these days I'll drive to my Mom's (a long trip) and bring it home.  I've liked it since I was a child.  I'll pick up some of my Dad's pastels then too.

Another of my grandfathers was also a professional photographer including doing early aerial photography during WWI.  My Mother-in-law painted beautifully in oils and my father-in-law tried it too.  Another cousin is a photographer and her sister teaches art. In fact almost all of the artwork in our home is work by family members including my husband and myself.

Over the years I have painted, drawn, made hand built potter and otherwise dabbled in visual arts.  Here's three of my paintings we have hanging in our house.  Sorry I can't get that last photo to turn right side up!  You can see I am a happy amateur.

But the relatives above are truly professionals and I will be pursuing deeper conversations with all of them and seeing if I can get customized works of art from these talented people.

Saturday Pictures - Callanwolde Arts Center

Just 3/4 mile from my house is the county's Callanwolde Arts Center.  Built by one of the Coca-Cola heirs who thought what Atlanta needed most was a Tudor mansion, the house and outbuildings and a small portion of the original grounds now serve as a visual and performing arts center with exercise classes thrown in for good measure.

I've taken drawing, painting and exercise classes in the house and carriage house while my husband took pottery classes in the basement of the house.  We've been to concerts in the house and pool house (jazz on the harpsichord!) and I went to a poetry reading in the greenhouse.  It's also lovely to just walk around the grounds on a nice day.  On Monday I went over to see the current exhibit in the art gallery and enjoy another beautiful fall day in Atlanta.

 The front of Callanwolde

 The ceiling above the staircase in the house.

 The back of the carriage house.

 The greenhouse that didn't survive

 and the one that did.

The pool house complete with balconies!

 Formal gardens near the house.

An invitation to the gardens and amphitheater.

Yard sales and clutter as art?

Today I went to see an exhibit of photos called "Faces of the Yards of Clutter" - check out the artist's thoughts and art at Artist with small lamp or Yard Sale Addict.  Here's my favorite photo - don't you love the toy piano?

I found the photos interesting and enjoyed his comments.  Of course this particular exhibit was also timely as I renew my efforts to remove the final layers of clutter from my life.

The artist, Tom Zarrilli made this written statement about the exhibit I saw.  "Yard sales have long been an integral part of modern American culture.  On any given Saturday morning thousands of Americans fill their yards, garages, driveways and stoops with an unruly mass of unwanted clutter and accumulation to engage in a day of micro commerce.  Possessions previously only visible in the privacy of homes are now assembled and put on display for whoever may wander be, be it annoying early birds, eager resellers, nosy neighbors or struggling emigres seeking to furnish their homes.  The photographs I present here document local Atlanta sellers amid this clutter with some of the objects they no longer want or need in their lives."

I don't go to or hold yard sales anymore.  We donate or recycle what we no longer need.  Years ago I did help my older son furnish his first apartment by buying from yard sales and both my sons loved selling their outgrown toys at yard sales we had in the past. 

Saturday Pictures - Art on the Beltline

It is a beautiful early fall day here in Atlanta so we packed up the dog and went to check out some of the art on the Beltline near Piedmont Park.  (The Atlanta Beltline is a former rail line that circled the city and now there are parts that have had the rails removed and are open for walking.  Eventually the plan is to have public transit as well as walking.  A work in progress.)

You can see how windy it was - those are Buddhist type flags with quotes from human rights leaders, but we couldn't read any of them as they were flying almost horizontally.

We admired these ceramic tiles depicting nearby scenes.

Also this vibrant painting under a bridge was fun to see.

Have you seen any outdoor art displays recently?

Saturday Pictures - Sculpture at the botanical garden