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.

Fussy

I painted today. Not a lot, but it felt very good. Now, to keep that up through the rest of the week is the goal. Felt fairly luxurious to focus on details. The piece I'm working isn't new, but is very detailed. It's even on canvas, about 2'x3'.

This last week was a doozy. Got to reconnect with folks who I very much loved seeing, got to visit Vancouver, BC for an extraordinary class on Rumi's Mathnawi, got to go to the racetrack. I cleaned the house like a fiend over the weekend, except for my art space.

Instead of cleaning my art space, I had a fit all over Jason. I'm chagrined - but have to note that the fits I have these days are so short-lived, so mild compared to anything I was able to rouse out of myself in days gone by, that I am very, very pleased. The content of the fit? Well, I was going nuts because I wanted everything perfect before I started painting. I'll let y'all figure out how possible that is...

Today's tasks included getting a hat to keep my face out of the sun & then checking out my office & studio. It's amazing how quickly things come together when they are in the way of being creative. I can't wait to FINISH one piece, then another, then another... it will mean the world to me.

It's been lovely here in Seattle. Right around 80 degrees Fahrenheit & breezy. Yesterday, the 3-day Breast Cancer walk (60 miles from Issaquah to downtown Seattle) walked by our house. I noticed a row of port-a-potties in the parking lot across the street on Friday night & thought about sticking around the house the next day - no telling what it meant. The worst of it was around 10am, when the neighbors in the duplexes on either side of our house had rental trucks full of furniture, the cheering squad for the walking women were joined by ambulances, buses and vans of supporters and traffic on our normally busy road was almost at a standstill, while folks tried hard not to hit each other.

More soon...

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:

Good Day

Good week, too. I'm in the middle of cleaning with J & am stranded, momentarily, by the printer as the Library of Congress Class list prints out. Well, I'm so not stranded, but am rather enjoying a break. We're cleaning the house today & we've knocked out the first part of our project, but are just starting this next bit.

It's going through my office/our library. We've just cleared out all of the furniture & are going through the bookshelves & while I believe we'll maybe never need to organize our books on the "Leeward Islands--description & travel", I'm unconvinced that we're coming up with a suitable replacement.

This has been so much fun, this week. It's also been a lot like sitting next to a board that I keep smacking my head on... I feel more prepared to get into the newness of my life in the world of the marginally employed, but am really struggling with structure.

The good: met with Lolly & also with Jess, finding out that there is more openness to my desire to relax there than I had expected. Did an astrological reading, which reminded me that I'm good at that & was with a lovely person to boot. Put my office together, I mean my laptop, really, as we're still working on my office. Sorted out my art studio storage space, early on.

The bad: feel a bit helpless & so sad about the continuing violence in the world. I'm thinking about London, Iraq, etc. Also, have been feeling very dumb about how to fit together the elements of livelihood that appeal to me. It's not easy to describe what I'm envisioning right now, so it's a bit like "stump your supporters". A bit, I say, more than I like, really.

Three pages left on the LCC before I turn the pages over...

More... I've been too interested in the internet & suspect that I'll have to drop that along with my other crutches (caffiene & cigarettes, for example). There's no longer a reason for me to keep up with the latest software, media, news, etc. & so dropping it may come easier.

I've watched Kinsey & Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, recently & can recommend the former. The film is attempting to be as shocking as the man, Kinsey, in the first part of the film & succeeds throughout. It's amazing the effect of his studies, which I've never really thought of much, until getting the distinct feeling that they've shaped a lot of popular culture, at least, in the last fifty or so years.

k, I think I've scammed enough time away from chores... I'll be heading out now...

New photos are up:


Fourth of July Night shoot at Holy Names

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

While visiting with our landlord today, I heard a useful phrase. I asked her what she was up to today & she said that the problem with retirement is that you can have a great plan for yourself & then you suddenly realize -- I can do this tomorrow.

The last week has been sort of a bumbling time. I've spent serious time clearing out my art studio storage, only to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work it'll take to get through the resources that I've put aside for that purpose. Half-started work or finished work that's not been framed are stored in about 5 or 6 places.

Before I dived into the studio, I spent a few days sick - after quitting cigarettes for good. Before that, I took a day at the spa with a friend, getting the last year scrubbed off me and soaking in hot water/steam for hours. Today, I'm heading down to get a treatment for weak lungs. Still feeling my lungs work is great, now I just have to pull together something to help them out while recovering.

I can see the work ahead, but am taking stuttering steps - vs. The strides I'm accustomed to - it's a bit frustrating to see time fleeing while I try to prioritize the distractions that swarm around me. I've definitely enjoyed the time without pressures, but am getting a bit impatient nonetheless.

Last week, I found an old Neruda poem, a line in it has been haunting me:
Since without leaving the present
That is a fragile thing
We touch the sand of yesterday
And in the sea
Love reveals a repeated fury

J & I spent time with the fabulous Nalbandians last night - funny & fast talking, they were a treat to be with. Ralph cracks me up - he gave the fireworks two thumbs down & asked if it was worth it for me to take photos of the crappy fireworks. He's an AP photographer & I wish I had his mad skills & so I answered "No" & kept shooting.

In leiu of a photo album from me on this, I'll leave y'all with a link to fancy sparkler doins I saw on blogdex (via Flickr):