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May 31, 2008
Photo Hunt: Self
Because it's midnight somewhere and we have guests coming to town this weekend, I'm posting now. Forgive my jumping the gun.
You know how sometimes you do something so clever that you chuckle evilly every time you think about it? It doesn't have to be an evil clever thing, it's just that there's something about your actions that gives you this glee that lives somewhere below your belly and bubbles up into laughter every so often. But it comes from such a deep part of you that you sound a little fiendish when you giggle over it. Plus, these things seem to be hand rubbing moments (I think it's because I try to snuggle them close to my heart and protect them), which tend to add to the atmosphere of mad scientist/planner for world domination.
I had such a moment when I saw this next photo.
I wanted a shot of my earrings for this entry. Ever since I saw the theme for this week, I've wanted a shot of my earrings. (They're real sapphires, a gift from Dave several years ago when I was feeling sad. I love them. I wear them all the time.) And what you get below is a very simple overexposed photograph of my ear, due to my using the flash because I took it late at night, with basic AutoLevel corrections in Photoshop. That's it. Well, and some judicious cropping.
But I love it. It reminds me of Patrick Nagel, this artist from the 1980's whose work you saw everywhere at the time but which now, thanks to the hairstyles and accessories on his models, looks a little old-fashioned. (NSFW links, by the way)
Nagel's women are gorgeous. They're bone white, with bursts of color, like green eyes or red lips, and barely there details like ears and noses and collarbones. Shocking and eye catching and sexy in a cold, distant, femme fatale kind of way. I always wanted to look like the women in Nagel's prints.
And now I do.
Posted by sally at 12:05 AM | Comments (11)
May 30, 2008
Ta-Da!
After six trips to various stores for pieces I forgot to purchase, buying, examining and pondering three different types of latches (four if you count the magnets which I ultimately didn't buy) and discovering the need for a hand drill (which I now have), my button box is done.
Things I would change:
I would make the latch just a little bit tighter.
I would straighten out the elastic on the bottom strip (I'm not sure how it got so crooked).
And actually, that's pretty much it. Though I'm thinking about making some hinges out of elastic strips to keep the lid from flopping all the way back when I open it.
But it pretty much does everything I need it to. See?
Posted by sally at 01:20 PM | Comments (1)
May 28, 2008
The Art of Living
I don't know where it came from, but yesterday, I was a whirlwind of creative impulses. I did so much, tried so many new things, and all of it turned out cool. And today has been just as blessed.
For example. Yesterday I finished doing the paper collage work on my button box.
There is a very light low relief shape on the top that I wanted to highlight. You could barely see it in the original, and it was actually the thing that made me decide to get the box. The original colors and finish were ugly, it was distressed fake gold overkill, but that little raised design spoke to me of possibility. And I got to see that possibility realized this afternoon.
(In the photo above, you can sort of make the relief out on the lid under the red tissue paper. Notice that I left some of the original fake gold finish showing. It's not bad in small doses, just when it's the only finish option for the entire box.)
Today I used some charcoal and some Treasure Gold in Classic Gold to bring out the texture on the lid. Moments ago, I applied the first coat of sealer to the lid and spine, and this is what the box looks like now. (It's a little cloudy because the finish is drying, but you get the idea.)
Once it dries, I'll be coating the back with the same thing. The idea is to give it a couple of coats of the sealant, to protect everything and also to make it all shiny. Then, I'll be attaching a couple of elastic bands to the inside of the lid to tuck button cards under and dumping my buttons in it. I'm very excited about that part.
But that was just one creative thing I worked on yesterday.
I also finally booked my plane tickets for my trip to Idyllwild Arts Academy this summer for the book making workshop. I wrote a bit. I coffee dyed a white ribbed tanktop that was just too white for my tastes. I participated in a play reading. And I tried a new image transfer technique (new to me, anyway) using packing tape. Now I have these four animal images and no idea what to use them on. They'll probably become ATC's, but I'm not 100% on that yet.
Then, even though I was yawning so hard I thought the top of my head might fall off, I started messing around with my camera to see what the possibilities were for this week's PhotoHunt entry. The theme is "Self," and the idea is to take a picture of you or any part of you. An accidental overexposure turned into a gift from the Muses, and wait until you see the picture I have for you on Saturday.
So that was yesterday. Today I slept in. No alarm clocks in the summertime or any vacation at the Sallyacious house unless they're absolutely necessary. When we can, we sleep until we wake around here. So I didn't wake up until 9am. And then I wrote for over an hour. After that, it was back in the car to get some more art supplies.
Wandering through our local chain crafts store, I came upon their clearance aisle. I got a whole lot of little bunches of fake flowers of all sizes and materials for a quarter each. And three 20" x 6' rolls of acetate for a dollar apiece. Plus several rolls of glassine paper and some small rolls of Martha Stewart giftwrap for the same price. Also a distressing kit for half price because they had a "50% off any one regularly priced item in the store coupon." So I used it for something I would not otherwise have purchased and I think I chose wisely. I already used the charcoal, and figuring out how to use the rest of the contents will be a hooot.
Then I went to Ross to find a container for all of the rolls of paper & acetate I'd just purchased. No luck with that, but I found four square mirrored/glass plates with four different flower designs on them in black and white. They're very 1940's. They were only $2 each, and I did not tell the nice woman at the checkout that I was not going to use them as either plates or wall art. I have a sneaking suspicion I will be wrapping them in an old pillowcase and dropping them from the top of a ladder onto the driveway so I can use them for mosaics. But she didn't need to know that.
After that, I came home and worked on the button box. I'm itching to make paper again tonight, but I don't know if I really want to get into that this evening. Even though I've got some great ideas for new things to try. Among other treasures I purchased on my recent trips to the local chain craft store (yes, it rhymes with Pike-ls, I resent that being my only option for art supplies unless I want to use the mostly overpriced university bookstore), I bought a bunch of teeny little fondant cutters in leaf, flower, heart and star shapes. I'm going to use them for paper molds. I'm so clever.
The thing is, I can't remember the last time I had all the time in the world to do creative projects and the energy to do them. It's really wonderful to be feeling this inspired.
Posted by sally at 03:54 PM | Comments (2)
May 26, 2008
I. Need to Vacuum the Living Room.
I.
Do not want to.
Posted by sally at 01:33 PM
May 25, 2008
What Have I Been Doing with Myself?
Well, today has been busy, in the most fun of all possible ways, really. But as any good storyteller knows, it's always better to show people than to tell them. So I'll do a little of both.
Remember that paper I made earlier in the week?
I spent a couple of days trying to figure out what to do with it. And then I got this wonderful book in the mail.
So I practiced a new binding technique. Very simple, quite decorative and not the sort of thing I'd use on just any book. But it works quite well for things like this, where I didn't want to create signatures because I wanted pages of a useable size.
Ignore the stupidness of the cover, by the way. I was doodling with markers. And I'm not particularly useful at the drawing/sketching stuff.
Of course, I didn't use standard linen bookbinding twine. I wanted something a bit showier. But I couldn't get it through my needles. So I went to the local chain craft store for needles and just happened to wander into their bead aisle. Where I found these awesome packages of buttons for $4.99 each. I bought three different kinds and sorted them, removing the pieces I would never ever use to put in the "art supplies you might not have thought of" box for my core classes next year.
Well, I knew as I was standing in line at the checkout that my button box was already full, even without a couple hundred more buttons of all shapes, sizes and thicknesses. So I went to Ross where they have the most awesome clearance aisle ever and found a larger box I liked. Only, what I liked was the size. I didn't like the finish at all. I'm changing that.
The box is designed to look like a book. It's going to look less like a book when I'm done with it, but it will be a helluva lot prettier. And it will latch.
I keep everything, by the way, in case I need it for an art project someday. The paper I'm attaching to the box? Is tissue from a Seattle's Best Coffee gift I got ages ago. I knew I'd need something in that shade of red someday. Just wait til the box is finished. You'll be so jealous.
I also did some weeding, some dishwashing, some pruning, some laundry. I took some photos. I did some writing. And I worked on my latest mask. He came off the mold yesterday and today I trimmed him down. I really need a file--which I think I can borrow from Dave if I ask nicely. In the meantime, here's mask number four, Imp Olite.
The stuff on his nose and horns is Paperclay, a cellulose-based modelling product that I wanted to use because I could not get the papier mache to work on the ends without folding oddly. Now I have to figure out how to deal with the fact that the rest of him is so rough and those bits are so smooth. I'll probably sand him. But maybe I'll see if gesso works first. Or maybe I'll do a light sanding and then gesso him.
I need to file his mouth down to what I want first, so I've got some time to figure out what to do surface treatment-wise. And wrap the edges, because they're all split. I'm not sure why this mask is so different from the others I've done. Possibly because I started him in April and then didn't have time to work on him until this week. That two month delay between layers one through three and four through six couldn't have been useful.
And now that Dave and I are back from our walk downtown for after dinner coffee, I am sitting on my ass, where I expect/intend to remain until its time for bed. It's been a long day. I deserve it.
Posted by sally at 08:00 PM | Comments (1)
Not So Still Life with Lilacs
What a beautiful example of how lazy and yet full of potential my Sunday is. I wandered into the kitchen to find this scene on the table. Of course, as soon as I pointed the camera at him, Poly started moving. He thinks it's the very best kind of attention, when I look at him through the lens, so he was flirting like mad with me.
Anyway, here is Polyphemos with Lilacs, the Series.
The lilacs smell gorgeous, by the way. It's no wonder he wants to hang out on the table with them.
Posted by sally at 10:24 AM
Unconscious Mutterings Week 278
As I get my life back together and nominally under control (take that last bit however you like), I'm starting up with the memes again. And as usual, I'm a little worried about what this stuff says about me and my mental state.
- Referral :: Psychiatrist, insurance, doctor
- Indiana :: Jones
- Foil :: Hat
- Horizon :: Lost, event horizon, haze, sunset
- Event :: Horizon (see!!), caterer, disco, music
- Sailing :: Christoper Cross (I know. I’m lame.)
- Footage :: Film, shooting, tape
- Sunday :: Sports madness, Superbowl, Disney
- Breathtaking :: Scenery
- Dude! :: Jeff Bridges
And because it's now stuck in my head:
Posted by sally at 12:08 AM | Comments (2)
May 24, 2008
And But Also
So I did nothing this week. Seriously. I accomplished almost nothing. Part of it, I'm sure, was the weather. After a week of eighty degree days, rain and temps in the high fifties were a really depressing change. And even though things were a bit better weather-wise yesterday, the vet visits hit me hard, and I spent my day reading with various beasties snuggled up to me.
I did walk most days, heading downtown at least once a day. I helped celebrate a friend's birthday on Monday and we had dinner with friends on Wednesday. And I did make paper and work on my latest imp mask (Imp Olite). But the house is a shambles and the yard hasn't been touched and I really feel like I must be the laziest person alive.
And now two weeks of my already extraordinarily short summer are gone and that just depresses me.
However. The sun is shining and the cats have all eaten good breakfasts after having good dinners last night (i.e. they all ate their normal amount of food, so no one is experiencing lasting effects from the vet visit except me, apparently) and already this morning I've cleaned the kitchen and the comments are working and I'm going to get my ass in gear and hike down to the Farmers' Market to see what's new this week. Though I'm out of pots, so no more plant starts.
Posted by sally at 10:17 AM
PhotoHunt: Shoes
I posted these photos a couple of years ago, but the contrast still makes me giggle. I own both pair. Still.
I find them both sexy, in their own ways.
Posted by sally at 09:14 AM | Comments (15)
May 23, 2008
Oh, And Comments?
Should be working. Finally. I have to approve everything, because that's the only way it seems to work, but you should be able to comment now.
Posted by sally at 12:55 PM
Well That Was Fun
Wow, do I hate taking the cats to the vet. And today was even more awful than I'd feared.
Three of the four behaved really well, got their shots, complained a little and walked out of the crates with their tails high once we got home . Even Katala, who had blood drawn. (She is seventeen, after all; old cats get extra attention.)
But Quickly. Dear God, that cat.
This is a cat who takes everything personally. If you accidentally step on her tail because she moved up behind you and sat down and you didn't notice, it's quite clearly a planned assault. You did it on purpose, with evil intent, to kill her. So imagine what it's like when her day begins with the ominous sound of the crates coming into the kitchen.
I had to pull her out from under the bed. Once we got into the car, she began yowling like someone was trying to kill her right then. Painfully. With knives and claws and demon assistance. Which set Polyphemos off. All the way to the vet (thank God it's not a long trip) there was a wailing kitty duet going on in the car. (YEOW! yeeoooowww... YEOW! yeeoooowww...) And then we got there and she got weighed and checked and the thermometer--which was tolerated but only just. And she went back in her crate while Poly got checked and weighed and measured, and then we sat and waited for the vet.
When Q came out of her crate this time, I knew it was going to be hideous. And it was. She put up with the eye check and the ear check and the poking. But when the vet tried to stick her with a needle (and how fortunate we all were that she only needed her rabies shot this year, everybody else got two shots), she turned into the Tasmanian Devil. They had to wrap her in two towels and carry her to the back for the most experienced tech to needle her while the vet just basically hung on for dear life. Notice that I was not a part of the Mistress Quickly rodeo this year. I learned my lesson last time.
Knowing that she was going to be the worst of the bunch (and assuming Polyphemos would be a close second, though he was actually very sweet), I scheduled Quickly for the first appointment. So once she and Poly were done, I came home, let them out of their crates, drank some water and grabbed Imogen and Katala. Quickly slunk out of her crate like Death was waiting for her and disappeared under the bed. Later, I found her under the futon in Dave's office, and when I reached for her, she recoiled. I opted to leave her alone and just took the other girls in. Their stuff took slightly longer because of Katala's bloodwork. But when we got home, Q heard the crates and was still well-hidden. I found her under the bed, but opted, once again, to leave her be.
Moments ago, she slunk through the living room, dining room, kitchen and back into the living room, still acting like Death might be on her tail, though when I went back into the bedroom just now she was actually on the bed and let me pet her, so she's calming down a bit. Still, this is why I'm glad we only do the vet thing once a year and why I dread the day she starts developing old cat issues and has to go in more frequently.
Posted by sally at 11:57 AM | Comments (3)
May 22, 2008
Looking Forward
My favorite day of the year is tomorrow. The experience I look forward to for a solid twelve months is less than twelve hours away.
No, I'm not talking about my pap smear. Although that is also a joy.
I'm talking about the cats' yearly exams and shots. For all four of them. Trust me, I would rather have someone stuff an ice cold speculum in me than do what I get to do tomorrow.
At approximately 9:45, I will bring two cat crates into the kitchen. With any luck, the curious cat will enter his without difficulty and all I will have to do is latch the gate. Then I will need to track down Q, don protective gear, pull her out from under/behind the bed/couch/chair and shove her into a crate. Their appointment is at 10am and should take roughly half an hour for both. Then I will drive home, release them and repeat the process for the other two cats, whose appointment is at 11am. (The best part of this whole thing is that our vet is less than half a mile away.) Whee.
Last year, Quickly bit through my thumbnail during her vet visit. I am not looking forward to a possible repeat.
If you haven't heard from me by noon, assume the worst.
Posted by sally at 10:19 PM | Comments (2)
Oreckular
Yesterday, we got a new vacuum cleaner. Polyphemos got a new hideout.
It's amazing the attachments they send with appliances these days.
Posted by sally at 12:59 PM | Comments (2)
May 20, 2008
Look at What I Did Today
I made paper.
From paper. Old student writeups.
Today.
Twenty-Two Pages
First Bunch
The very first page I made is the top right piece. The one that's all bumpy.
I also worked on my latest imp mask, deadheaded all of the daffodils and tulips in the backyard and some of them in the front, and read a book.
I am really enjoying this summer so far.
And just now, as I was typing this entry, the Boy decided to jump up and go to sleep on me. Talk about a present, he never does stuff like that. Dave took several pictures, but given that I feel asleep twice while working on this entry, I think I'll wait to upload them until tomorrow.
Posted by sally at 10:42 PM
May 19, 2008
Recovery
I've had a busy couple of days. I worked very, very hard on the day that was supposed to be my day off, and then turned around and did something similar yesterday. (Plus, I'm kind of hungover.) So. Today I am taking it easy. Here, then, is a series of pictures demonstrating how difficult it is to be a cat in our household. Also, this is exactly how I feel as well.
Imogen Is Very Tired
Katala Is Very Tired
Polyphemos Is Very Tired
I don't have any good, recent pix of Q. Not because she isn't very tired, I'm sure she is. Because she never looks very tired in the photographs the way the others all do.
Posted by sally at 10:15 AM
May 18, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE
I love you, Sweetheart. I hope it's the day you wanted.
Posted by sally at 12:00 AM
May 17, 2008
Unconscious Mutterings Week 277
I'm doing this now because tomorrow is Dave's birthday and there will be no time for blogging. Also, I am so tired right now that I thought we might get some interesting responses from my brain.
- Concentration :: None
- Relocated :: Moved
- Clot :: Blood, stroke, Kennedy
- Joints :: Bones, knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, fingers, neck
- Satellite :: Radio, star, passing very fast
- Money back :: Guarantee, ripoff, scam
- Kittens :: Babies! Sweetest loviest fluffballs! Mysweetestbabygirl.
- Shady :: Slim (I cannot believe that was the first thing to pop into my head. How embarrassing.) Oak trees, coolness
- Drain :: Cleaner, clogged
- Stroke :: Ted Kennedy, back, breast, frog, dogpaddle.
So, what could possibly have been so exhausting in my life? Well, as you may recall from the last entry, I was just going to do a little transplanting and call it good. Maybe plant some seeds too. Uh huh. Here's what the rest of my day looked like after I posted that last bit.
Posted blog entry
Started loads in washer & dryer, folded laundry
Bought potting soil, mulch, tomato teepees & bird/cat netting for garden @ Moscow Building Supply
Transplanted eggplant, romaine & swiss chard, also avocado tree into new pots
Planted pumpkins, carrots, radishes & snow peas after raking out beds (& adding organic matter for mounds in the case of the pumpkins)
Watered everybody
Set up walls o water around pumpkins & other plants
Mulched garage bed & new patio bed
Went to store w/Dave & got new tevas & wasp killer, also groceries
Stapled netting to raised bed
Trimmed, weeded & mulched raised bed border
Cleaned off porch a bit, put my things away, mostly, rinsed out cooler, in preparation for tomorrow
Called people re: dinner tomorrow
Killed wasps
Cleaned out ice cube bin & composted stuff
Cleaned kitchen sinks & counter
Picked up living room
And then I was done. As in finished off, not as in finished.
Forgive the misspellings & oddnesses. That's cut and pasted directly from my list of today's accomplishments. I started doing that a couple of years ago, writing down everything I've done in a day, when I realized that I did more than I gave myself credit for. It's a great way to keep track of my workload & activity level, and ups my morale far better than just crossing things off a to do list.
But I'm babbling.
I'm lying on the couch with a glass of pinot grigio next to me and my feet way up in the air. I was on them all day. Combine that with the heat and you get swollen ankles, which I noticed in the shower just now. Not pretty. So rather than just climb into bed, I'm going to give the retained fluid an opportunity to go away. And then I'll go to bed.
Posted by sally at 09:55 PM
Walking
I'm trying to do some every day, now that I have the time for it. One of the few bearable aspects of this place is how close everything is. It's become a huge part of Dave's routine and something we need to take into consideration when we leave. We have to find another place that's walkable.
The walking doesn't always happen. I've been doing a lot of work in the yard the past few days, and sometimes, what I need after a long day of weeding and hauling and digging is to not walk half an hour to get to dinner (and half an hour back). But today is Saturday, and I took the day off from the landscape to wander down to the Saturday Market and see what there was to see.
Not much, it turns out. There's some stuff. I did get an eggplant, some swiss chard and six tiny romaine plants to put in the empty pots on my porch, and I had an awesome peanut butter cookie with a hint of cinnamon in it (note to self: try this at home). And I saw a number of friends downtown, so that was good. But it's still too early in the season for all the fresh produce that starts showing up in mid-late June. However. It's about a 25 minute walk from our house. And on the way back, it's up some pretty serious hills. So I feel I got a decent workout.
And now I'm going to get some potting soil and some more walls o'water because I have seven new plants to transplant and a bunch of seeds to get into the raised garden beds now that I've weeded them and double-dug in chicken manure and organic compost (that was yesterday's job). Along with the stuff I bought today, I'm planting, snap peas, carrots, radishes and this year, pumpkins - I thought that might be fun to try.
What? You thought I was serious about taking a yard day off? Well, I'm not planning to spend all day weeding, for a change. But planting seeds and sticking stuff into pots? That's not really yard work.
Posted by sally at 11:53 AM
May 15, 2008
And Suddenly It's Summer
I swear to you, cross my heart and hope to die, that three weeks ago we were still waking up to snow on the ground. Granted, it would melt off by noon, but the fact remained that it was snowing every night.
And then BAM! it's summer. The weather that makes living here bearable has arrived.
I have spent the last two days removing things I don't want in my yard and putting in things I do want in my yard. This morning, one of my favorite fellas came over and helped me train the mother of all rosebushes. It took the two of us at least 90 minutes of loud swearing, weaving ourselves in and out of the various canes and a number of scratches and pricks to get the damn thing under control. Though now it looks much better. And we removed at least 1000 baby maple trees from between the bricks of the patio and replaced them with sand.
After that, I weeded along the back fence and seeded that bed with beneficial bug and hummingbird attractors. I hadn't meant to. I was just clearing an area so I could plant the volunteer feverfew that had decided to sprout in a pot I wanted for lettuce. And the next thing I knew, I had cleared most of the bed. So I weeded some more and planted the feverfew and also a whole bunch of other things I hope will grow so that the neighbor's cats stay out of my flowerbed.
The same sort of thing happened yesterday. As I chatted on the phone with a friend, I wandered outside to look at the place I wanted to train the rosebush. And then I meandered to the weed-filled beds that border the street. "I'll just pick these few here," I thought to myself. And by the time I hung up the cell phone, I'd weeded 3/4 of the smaller, less weedy bed. "Well, now I'm this far, I might as well finish the bed," I thought. So I did.
Then I figured I was done, because the bigger, scarier bed was what I faced next. "I'll just pull these few here along the edge," I decided. And the next thing I knew. I was halfway across that bed. So I just kept going until I was done. I filled two standard sized trash cans with those weeds yesterday. But the beds look great. And those were the bits I thought would take me all summer to get to. It took me three and a half hours, but those two beds are more or less weed-free now, and just need to be maintained over the summer. Which I should have time for, given the start I've made on the yard.
So anyway, that's what I've been doing instead of posting here. Well, that and art.
I promised myself I'd do one creative project per day this summer. Not just the writing, because I do that daily, but also something creative, so I can feed my artist and explore what I can do. So I've been drawing and painting. Today I planned to work on my latest mask after lunch. But then I decided to do that little bit of transplanting and now I have a new flowerbed in the works, and another half trashcan of weeds, and still no mask. I do think of that flowerbed as a creative endeavor, though, along with the potential pots of lettuce mix and nasturtiums. (Potential because nothing's sprouted yet. I just planted them.) They're just not drawing or painting. They are kind of like sculpting, though, in a different medium than clay or papier mache.
I just can't believe that one week of my summer vacation is gone and all I have to show for it is a trained rosebush, three large weeded (and one planted) flowerbeds, a small weeded flowerbed, a cleaned up patio, two new pots of food plants, a weekend at the beach, and half a dozen pages of art to show for it. Oh. Maybe I've put that week to good use after all.
Plus, I've done a lot of walking, and have discovered the ways in which weeding is like yoga. (My hamstrings and glutes will certainly attest to that.) And tonight I made a chopped salad so that I have fresh salad in the fridge for lunches. It's full of spinach, romaine, red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, scallions, radishes and alfalfa sprouts. And I chopped up but packed separately a tomato and three small avocados to mix in as I go. I also have a loaf of fresh bread to eat with it.
So maybe this week hasn't been a total wash. Maybe I'll actually be able to get things done this summer, instead of sitting like a lump per usual for my summer activities. Tomorrow I'm helping a friend out by reading some stuff from her latest play, but before that I'm going to weed my raised garden beds, add an organic soil mix and plant radishes, carrots, peas and pumpkins. I thought pumpkins might be fun to grow. I've never done that before. I'd love to have pumpkins to play with for Halloween.
At this rate (knock wood), I'll have the yard pretty much in shape by the end of next week. And then it will just be maintenance.
Posted by sally at 09:02 PM
May 13, 2008
Long Beach Penninsula (Warning: Really Long Entry)
What a lovely weekend I had. As I explained to fellow faculty members yesterday, my only responsibilites for four days were making it to my dinner reservations and facial appointment on time. It was restful and freeing.
I felt a little bit like a leaf on a river. I just let the current carry me, bumping me up against people and images and opportunities I could choose to experience or choose to drift away from. It was all very gentle and fulfilling and peaceful and pleasant. And somewhere along the line, a soul-quake occurred, because it feels like I've been away for a year or two, or several months at the least, and I'm waiting to see what shifted and how.
This, by the way, is where I went. The Long Beach Penninsula, in western Washington.
During one of my phone calls with Dave, I remarked that I'd forgotten what green could be. There are lots of greens here, since it's spring right now, but they are nothing compared to what you find on the Washington/Oregon coastline. I got shots of exactly the sort of thing I mean on Saturday, when I took my camera to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the lighthouse on Cape Disappointment.
Small Signs
Woodpecker Buffet
Signs of Life
Unfurling
White Vine Blossom
Salal Pink
Life Finds a Way
Dandelion Showered
Disappointment Purple
Wild Raspberry
The weather was pretty rough on Saturday, which is why I was glad I'd decided to leave the driving and the scheduled appointment stuff for then. I spent all day Friday on the beach. As in, I got up, had breakfast (apple-huckleberry pancakes with a cranberry orange sauce & creme fraiche, with a small side of scrambled eggs with watercress and bacon and this amazing walnut carrot bread), showered, put on sunscreen and my questionable weather gear and headed out the door. It took about 20 minutes to get to the beach itself, and once I was there, I turned north and started walking, stopping when I felt like it to look at things.
At one point, I had to give myself a mental shake to remind me I was on vacation. Because I found myself working really hard to be sure I wrung as much out of every moment of the walk as possible. So I wouldn't just look at some funky weathering on the beach, I would also make myself think about how it might have happened and then I would spend some time trying to figure out how I would draw or paint it and what I could do with a photograph (though I didn't have the camera with me) and then how I might be able to work it into a teaching experience. Seriously. And then I thought, "What the fuck? Sally, you're on vacation. Vacate. Walk when you feel like it, stop when you don't, pay attention to the things that interest you and fuck everything else." Things got better after that. Once I finally remembered to step out of very busy person mode.
The weather was lovely the whole day. I wore Tevas without my feet getting cold, and yet it was still cool enough that my shell & windbreaker were perfect choices for outer wear. And the sun shone the whole time. I walked along the beach up to Long Beach from Seaview (where my bed & breakfast was located) and wandered in and out of the businesses, including Marsh's Free Museum, which is quite the tourist trap, Campiche Studios (where I got a birthday present for Dave) and the Cottage Bakery where I had this thing called a Devil Dog that is heaven's answer to the chocolate eclair.
And then I wandered back down to the boardwalk and lingered. I spotted three or four California Gray Whales moving fairly quickly up the coast. That was nice. All I really saw were spouts and a bit of back, they were busy traveling, so no tails or spyhops. But it was lovely just to see bits of whale, like a present.
In fact, the entire weekend was like a present. I'd hoped it would be relaxing and enjoyable, but it really did seem like a gift. Moments and image like jewels. A series of surprises and enjoyments. The whole trip was just wonderful.
So I got my beach day on Friday, a long afternoon spent out of doors in the sun. I got tired about three or so, and toddled back to the B&B where I sat on the balcony (the private one that opened directly from my room) and did a little drawing and writing in this awesome new sketchbook I got before I left Moscow. It's 50 sheets of 6" x 12" 130lb paper and just begging to be used. And since I promised myself I'd try to do some art every day this summer, and since my legs were really tired, I sat in the sunshine and played with pencils and pastels and enjoyed the view into the garden.
View from My Balcony
I stayed at the Shelburne Inn in Seaview, WA, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The food was amazing. I've already described Friday's breakfast, Saturday I had a huge piece of potato and salmon frittata with the carrot walnut bread and Sunday I had huckleberry and ricotta stuffed french toast (a croissant) with a cranberry biscuit. The coffee was perfect, the juice was tasty and there were grapes and strawberries and pieces of melon on the plates as well. Plus, the staff were all tremendously friendly and helpful and the rooms were fabulous. My room wasn't big (as you can see from the photos below), but it was at the back of the house and really quiet and cozy.
From the Door to the Balcony
(The bathroom is on the other side of that glowing stained glass window.)
From the Bed
On Saturday, I had a facial at the Azure Salon & Spa in Ilwaco, and again, I cannot recommend them highly enough. At least, I cannot recommend their aesthetician, Judi, highly enough. She was fantastic, and gave me some very very helpful skincare advice. I went out into the stormy morning all dewy and fresh afterwards and wandered through the teeny artists market. On the way back to the hotel, I made a wrong turn and realized I was headed for Cape Disappointment. I had no plans, so I just kept going. Went through the interpretive center and then hiked to the lighthouse. And just in case you don't believe me about the weather...
Dead Man's Cove
Cormorants
Cape Disappointment Light
The wind was so high at the lighthouse that I had to use the chainlink fence as a tripod to get the cormorant picture. Even so, it's fuzzy because of the mist. I do not understand how it could be windy and misty at the same time, but it was.
Once I felt done there, I got in the car and drove almost to the other end of the penninsula, to Oysterville. It had been recommended to me as a place to visit, and I'm glad I did. It was so quiet, and I spent the afternoon wandering around taking pictures and then having coffee with one of the residents. I cannot even begin to describe the peace there. It's the sort of place we all need to be able to visit sometimes, I think, to remind us how to listen to ourselves. I also took what I think is the best picture of the entire weekend there.
Oysterille Fence
So that was my weekend. On the way back I did indeed get to visit Maryhill and see the Rodins. I don't know how I missed it before, but Sunday was the first time I realized how much effort there is in all of his sculptures. Every single piece of his that I can think of--save one--is full of the energy expended striving agains all odds to survive. That one exception? A sculpture I saw during a Rodin exhibition at the Boise Art Museum back in the early-mid 1990's. A female dancer, leaping free of earth. She looked so light and so free that it took my breath away. I just looked for it on line. I can't find an image of it.
Anyway, I'm home, my holiday was lovely, and now I need to figure out how to continue to be true to myself and my wants and needs and still get stuff done. Good luck with that, Sal.
Posted by sally at 01:41 PM
May 12, 2008
Back! (Sort of)
Sorry.
All day faculty meeting followed by photo editing and email checking.
Followed by party at friends' house.
Followed by sleeping.
I'll post tomorrow.
Promise.
Posted by sally at 10:58 PM
May 07, 2008
Here and Away
I've answered emails and addressed last-minute grade-related worries.
I've cried in front of my students as I tried to find the words to thank them for being such wonderful human beings.
I've hugged so many people, listened to their summer plans and said good-bye to those who aren't returning.
I've fixed a glitch in the attendance records for one class.
I've graded everything and submitted final grades.
And now I am going away. Two glorious days on the Pacific Coast, sandwiched between two days of driving. And if it's open, I'll be stopping at Maryhill. Because it's packed with Rodins, and I cannot get enough of that man's work. I've always meant to visit the museum, and this trip would be a good opportunity to do just that.
Anyway, what with two days of driving and two days of R&R, I won't be taking the laptop. So don't expect to hear from me again until Monday evening at the latest (all day faculty meeting on Monday), though I might post Sunday, depending on when I get home.
Have a lovely weekend. I fully intend to.
Posted by sally at 09:06 PM
May 06, 2008
Still Here
It feels like I've lived a week in the past few days. Sunday was relaxing but busy--all stuff I wanted to do, mind you. I took the entire weekend off from the teaching thing. Didn't even check my email until yesterday morning.
Yesterday, on the other hand, was crazy. The day began with a 7:30am final and ended when I got home sometime around 6:30. I got a bunch of grading done, fit in a brunch/discussion about this semester and next semester with my teaching partner, actually proctored/participated in two finals and then collapsed. I wanted to do something creative and interesting with my evening, as a break from the school stuff, but I was too tired to think of anything. So I read. And talked to my brother on the phone for about an hour because he's in the area on a shoot. Hopefully I'll get to see him this evening.
Today is completely up to me. I have no commitments to anyone, no solid ones, anyway. I do have about 30 final exams to grade and a handful of papers that got turned in on Friday. And that's it. I also need to do some shopping and make reservations for a trip to the coast this weekend, I leave Thursday for three glorious days of being both not here and at the ocean. No responsibilities, no schedule. I'm hoping that will get me set up nicely to come home and start doing the huge amount of stuff I need to do this summer. Because, wow, do I have a lot to do before classes start again in the fall and my free time goes away.
I was actually thinking about not going because the preparation seems like so much work. I need to rent a car because ours will most likely be in the shop and it's a long drive and I'm not sure how I feel about going all that way alone to be alone, etc., and mostly because the weather on the coast is looking not so happy. Rainy and chilly. And then I looked at the forecast for here, and realized that it will actually be slightly nicer on the coast this weekend. Warmer by 5-10 degrees. So I'll be leaving first thing Thursday morning.
And now I'm off. Walking to campus because the weather is gorgeous and my schedule is open and I can. Grading, making photocopies and doing some more grading. Hopefully I'll be able to get all the stuff that needs doing done by mid-afternoon or so. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life grading, and I'm not sure I have the patience to do much more of it, really. Though the finals had several questions that involved making art and then examining/explaining the impulse behind it, so they should be fun to grade rather than work. I'd like to get it all done before I leave on Thursday, even though grades aren't due until a week from today. I just want it out of the way so I'm not thinking about it the whole time I'm gone. The whole point of the trip, after all, is to get away and focus on taking care of me and to maybe wash the sticky residue from the semester off in the surf.
Posted by sally at 09:51 AM
May 04, 2008
Comments: Issues **UPdated**
I just heard from a frustrated commenter that for some reason my comments are shutting people down. I have no idea why, but I'm sorry if this has happened to you. I double-checked my settings, and as far as I can tell, if you have a valid email address and can type, it shouldn't be an issue.
I also used the help function for the platform I use. Absolutely help-free, it was. So I'm going to shoot an email off to them to see if they can assist me. Because when it comes to computers, I'm all about using the software and throwing my hands up in despair when it stops working. I am the world's greatest living example of a technological naif. If there weren't templates for these things, I'd still be using drums or semaphore or smoke signals or messages in bottles or something.
So please, accept my apologies. It's not you, so it must be me. I'll see if I can get it figured out.
**Update -- I made the only changes I could think of. If some kind soul would try it now?
Posted by sally at 08:22 PM
Unconscious Mutterings Week 275
- State :: Secrets, Secretary of, of the Union, union suit, underwear
- Lively :: free, fun, enjoyable, energetic, passionate
- Valet :: servant, furniture, Jeeves & Wooster
- Traction :: sand, tires, snow, melted
- Official :: parchment, forms, stamped, triplicate
- Red hot :: Chili Peppers
- Powder :: loose, translucent, setting makeup
- Replies :: answers
- Flagrant :: obvious, unavoidable, must be dealt with
- Tweet :: Sylvester
The sun is shining, I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep, it's a lovely day and I'm going to go play in the garden.
Have a lovely Sunday!
Posted by sally at 08:56 AM | Comments (2)
May 03, 2008
Garden Day
You know, I actually got quite a bit done today. I did some straightening of the back porch, cleaned out all of my pots and got my tomatoes planted.
I grow most of my veggies in pots on the back porch instead of in the ground. I can control things like pests & watering better that way. Every year I dump the old potting soil into various flowerbeds and scrub out the pots, rinse them with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to kill any lingering nasties and add new potting soil. I also have a special trick to both save on soil and keep the pots from becoming too heavy to move. I put three to six empty plastic water bottles in each one (the number of bottles depends on their size). So, since my tomatoes came on Wednesday (one each of Koralik, Glacier and a plum that I can't recall the name of right now), along with a Mammoth Sweet Basil, I spent a good chunk of the day getting the supplies I needed to plant them and cleaning out the pots.
It's so nice to look out onto the porch and see three little green teepees surrounding the tomato plants. And since I also cleaned out all of the other pots while I was working, they're all ready for new stuff too. I don't know what else I'll plant this year. I'll have to check out the farmer's market to figure out what else I'm going to grow.
The sad bit of this is that one of my pots had to be retired this year. A year or two before we left Portland, I bought a bunch of large-ish, plain terracotta pots from Home Despot. They're in three different sizes, all of them pretty big (three of them took about 2.5 cubic feet of potting soil today). I coated them inside and out with a waterproofing agent and then painted them all differently. The yellow pot with the blue rim and the mottled blue stripes wound around it lost about half of its exterior over the winter. Snow must have got into a crack and just forced its way through the pot. It's now only about half as thick as it needs to be in several places, and I just don't trust it to hold plants and soil.
What's funny is that it's not the pot I expected to lose first. Another one of them, this one yellow with green leaves, has had a big crack in it for two years now, but I keep managing to plant tomatoes in it. I'm betting this summer is its last gasp. Just as long as my tomatoes survive the season, that's all I care about.
If anybody has any suggestions for what I can do with the old, unuseable pots, I'd appreciate hearing them. I know they can't be composted, but I hate the idea of just tossing them.
Anyway, what with the pots I painted (in various patterns and combinations of yellow, pink and sky blue) and the other pots I've picked up along the way, one big, round low purple one that will hold salad greens and a square red one that is destined for the basil, the back porch looks pretty eclectic. Funky. But I kind of like it that way.
Posted by sally at 05:47 PM | Comments (2)
PhotoHunt: Time
What can I say? I don't have much of that commmodity today.
This is one of my two portable timepieces. (The other is my cellphone.) I like this watch because I can attach it to a beltloop and always know what time it is if I'm teaching a class or leading a rehearsal in a clockless room (like a theatre space). The whistle is also handy, as it allows me to be heard through the loudest of acting exercises. I haven't found a use for the compass yet.
Posted by sally at 10:18 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
May 01, 2008
Tired. Long Day.
And tomorrow will be longer, given that it begins at nine and ends whenever Doubt is over.
Today started with clothing-related disasters (more than one, yay!) and me getting to my office just after 8am. If that sounds incredibly lazy of me, just remember, please, that I don't have to be in the classroom until 9:30am and that I usually stay up until eleven or twelve working on any number of things. But I got everything done before class started and had time to read a final student paper that made me cry it was so sweet. Including the following line :
I may not remember who first taught me history, but I will always remember who taught me to respect myself.
Meaning my teaching partner and me.
Yeah, that makes the job more than worth it.
Posted by sally at 11:37 PM
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