A Day of Art with Craig

Palin's friend, the artist Craig Kosak, graciously toured us around Seattle beginning with the Gage Academy and then his painting studio that you see here.


He also introduced us to a few of his other artist friends in their wonderful studios. This one is a letterpress art studio of Lynda Sherman.


Craig took us to a fabulous seafood dinner on the waterfont where we watched the sunset!

Art in Seattle

At the new Olympic Sculpture Park at Pier 70, we spent a morning wandering through sculptures by giants of the art world, Tony Smith, Oldenburg, diSuvero, Nevelson and more! Here's Palin among 3 of the 5 Serra pieces. And Calder's Eagle (which Palin cleverly photographed with the Space Needle within)

The new SAM downtown had this impressive lobby display by Cai Guo-Qjang!



The Art Deco Asian Art Museum used to be the entire Seattle Art museum until they opened the new one downtown this year. We loved the contemorary Chinese book show and the Tibetan Buddhist art!
And here is Palin in front of Gehry's Experience Music Project. Yes that little black stick figure is her.

A Day in Seattle

After another delicious breakfast at our B&B and a relax in the parlor, we set off for the park and conservatory.

Of course we had to go downtown to the fish market and Pioneer square.


Ending up with the troll holding a volkswaken in his hand under a bridge. The usual Seattle sights!

Vacation at the Hoh Rainforest

Out on the Olympic Peninsula last week, Palin and I stayed overnight at an Ozzie and Harriet-type bed and breakfast so that we could get up early and travel to the Hoh Rainforest. It is the only one of it's kind and gets the most rainfall of anywhere on the continent. But it was sunny and perfect the day we visited. Here are a couple of Palin's photos, including Lake Cresent, with it's marvelous lodge built in 1916 and it's clear turquoise waters with barely any human visitors! Also, the harbor at Port Townsend where we stayed in a beautiful old Victorian hotel. Stay tuned for more - our visit to Seattle

A visit with Alice

Went to see Alice Watterson's new studio in her former garage... what a terrific transformation. So now she has her studio in the back yard to weave the fabric, as well as the back room studio space and now the new space for power tools...drill, bandsaw and sanders, as well as storage for the many materials. And I was just in time to see her new art ready for a show! Great treat! Here, have a look...

Folk Art Market day

Made it through 3 hours in the hot sun. Had a delicious horchata drink to cool me for a while. Seems more crowded that ever this year! But take a look at the photos to get a feel for the market! This woman from near Biejing sold me a beautiful tie die fabric.
Two beautifully dressed women working at their crafts

Here's a look at a couple of the booths

These boys were playing a game while 'dad' played the drums

Aother craftsman drom Mexico and a Malay musician

Taos

Saturday, spent a day in Taos with friend Ann. Weather was perfect! Ran into PJ there (Bob was somewhere, too) Had a great dining experience at El Monte Sagrado and strolled their beautiful gardens. Forgot to photograph anything until on our way out of town when we cruised a bed and breakfast locale with a wedding cermeony (thats the groom behind the pole) of people we did not know. Then spied a palimino mare and her nursing offspring at 912 dirt road. Those are the only shots to show you of Taos.

Palin on Ladybug

Here is Palin out riding her favorite horse, Ladybug, in the hills of Cerrillos. This day, she and her riding buddies rode for seven hours! Ouch.

backstage opera tour

Palin and I toured backstage at the Santa Fe opera. We got to see models of current season sets and observe construction of the sets and props as well as demonstrations of lighting, audio and stage managers boards/equipment. The costume shop was just getting set up, but a few initial pieces were on display. It is a huge operation - very impressive.

Top left, costume shop and impressive gown for wide doorways, center, muslin mockups, right, our tour guide and and a costume head for the opera, 'Plateé'.
Bottom, candelabra props and part of the prop room.


One of my favorite items was this chandelier they constructed from plastic. They made molds to create the leaves and flowers and the central globe areas are made from thrift store bowls and vases!
Ya gotta love it!

matsuri

The third annual Japanese festival held in Santa Fe - another success for JIN. So much fun! We saw beautiful clothes and crafts for sale and watched some interesting stage performances (including aikido practitioners demonstrating unnatural ways to punish their bodies). Ate good food, especially the homemade mochi - mmm. By far the highlight was Art Lee with two women of his wadaiko group, Tokara. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing - his performance was intensly magnificent! Great show.

reclining dream

I dreamed I was reclining on my pink plastic daybed, listening to T.S. Eliot recite the Four Quartets... "I said to my soul, be still, wait without thought for you are not ready for thought". Then, I thought there was an owl, about to tickle me with his wing. Motto cards floated down from the past. Was it really a dream? Or just playing around with Photoshop!

Chaco goes to kitty cat heaven

Beautiful, playful little Chaco left this earthy plane on Friday, March 16. We'll miss him dearly.

The Saga of Fritz

Recently I created a card describing Fritz's situation




The card contained the following information:
Rehabilitation of Fritz, "Special Needs Cat"

Diagnosis
Spraying and peeing on household items

Therapy, Phase One
• daily dose of kitty prozac
• a five minute routine using specially
designed chartreuse exercise pad


David S., a sincere fan of Fritz, replied with this interesting information about his incognito life which just may help understanding his current situation: