Bodhisartva ..... Art/Spirit/Life

All in the Family

It's somewhat of a sad week for me.  My family is having our every-three-year reunion at the beach and for a number of reasons, I am not there.  This gathering of 2 parents, 9 siblings, spouses, children, grandchildren and significant others has been going on for 40 years now.  

Alas, the Delgados will not be in the group shot this time around.

I'm missing all the traditions:  the crab feast, searching in the dark for "ghost crabs", midnight meat, kites, trips to Outer Banks Fudge.

Another tradition, for the sisters, is to bring "sisty-ugler" gifts.  One must buy 5 of whatever, so we can all match during the week (and after).  So, how happy I was to find this in my mailbox yesterday.

How clever.  Sunglasses, crabs, fancy drink....looks like the beach to me.  And orange to boot.

And to open it to find this.

I'm wearing it now.  And it's "my" color.

But I still want to see who has what other color, as that is always part of the fun.  Let me guess.  Chris is turquoise blue, Mary is light blue, Katie is green and Lisa is pink.  Hard to know, as Chris is also a "green" and Mary can be a bit pinky.  And Katie..well, she's kind of rusty sometimes.  But Lisa will always be pink. Or baby blue.  I'll let you know if I guessed right.

Here There and Everywhere

I haven't been here in a while, have I? There is a reason for that.

I have been here:

And then HERE:

 And then HERE:

With THESE disreputable folks:

Obviously, there are stories to go with this, but I am waaaaay too tired to share them right now.  Patience.

 

What Day Is This Again?

It actually got a little chilly tonight here in L.A.  A friend in Baltimore commented yesterday that her garden is looking a little "tired" and some leaves are falling from the trees. She wonders if this is signalling a change of season.  I walked past a store today with jackets and coats in the window.

Really folks.  It is July 25.  The summer officially started June 21.  It lasts more than one month, I'm pretty sure.  

A few weeks ago, this was me in New York, Washington and Chicago.  Sandled toes blistering on the cement in 100+ degree weather.  And now autumn is coming?  

I don't think so.

Do you?

However, on the art front, talking about seasons reminds me of a class Gina Armfield is offering online that sounds engaging.  "Journaling the Seasons". Check out the first one - "Smashing Autumn", using a Smash journal.  Ha.

Livin' the High Life - or Line

Headed into Manhattan on Monday and made a bee-line for the High Line. I love this place!  If you haven't heard of it or visited, I highly recommend it.  What used to be an abandoned weedy elevated train route is now an oasis of beauty and peace.  

Beautiful flowers.

Restful greenery.

And some very strange plants I have yet to identify.

Add in the intriguing buildings and you can see why I look forward to the opening of the third and final section.

But, I have to say that the highlight of the day was the requisite visit to .....

Heavenly black and white custard shake.  Great burger.  Sigh. I wish they would come to Los Angeles, but then I would have to eat there once a week and I know that would not be good.  

Are there places you must absolutely go to eat when you travel?

Brooklyn Wanderlust

I'm in Chicago now, working.  I'd much rather be back in Brooklyn, even though the heat was so bad.  Katie and I did our share of wandering, despite the rain and humidity.  Think of what we might have accomplished had the weather cooperated!

Breakfast on Sunday - Pies and Thighs.  I had already had their famous fried chicken and waffles, so this time I opted for the over-easy eggs on a roast pork hash. Pretty spicy, but excellent.

Katie had grits, fried catfish and eggs.  Now this is a breakfast.

Mimosa, anyone?

 

Brooklyn Flea Market

I love the Brooklyn Flea Market.  It's small, but such great stuff! Now, if I could just carry all of it home!

We started the day at the Brooklyn Larder for breakfast. Possibly the best food I have ever had in my life. Homemade biscuit with frittata and bacon.  I wish I had one right now!

Also wanted to buy everything off their shelves, but luckily couldn't carry it all.

Then, on to the flea market, where we had to pace ourselves; bloody HOT in the sun. Luckily, there is lots of food and beverage and ice and a bit of shade for a rest.  Katie found the coolest lighted globe.  Having non-buyers remorse for some things I did not get, but happy with what came home with me.

The folks from Radio Lab were there giving out free posters; I'll get better pictures than this later, but they are really cool.  The number 3 is from a game of Flinch. Why I continue to acquire these, I don't know, but I do like numbers, so that could explain it.

Speaking of numbers, these little brass pins were cool. Hmmm...someone out there knows she will be getting that #5, I do believe. 

On the way home, we stopped at Junk and another thrift store, but really ran out of steam because of the heat.  Barely made it back to the airconditioning to collapse for a few hours.

We ended the day at Prospect Park again, fireflies and all.  This is a terrible picture, but look what we found.  The swans have babies!

Sweet and fluffy.  Why do swans and cygnets always look mad?

L.A., D.C., N.Y.C.

I've been on the road and a bit jetlagged.  LA to DC for a meeting on vision, a visit to the National Eye Institute and a congressional reception.  I did not do much sightseeing because it was bloody HOT and humid the whole time.  I'm a wimp with heat, I'm afraid. Washington is such a beautiful city; I'm sorry I didn't have more time and better weather.

Next leg of the journey - take the train to New York for a visit with my youngest daughter.

Met her at her office and went to lunch around the corner at Gottino.

Delicious sandwich, served with...caper berries?  Have you ever heard of these?  Tangy, yummy. We've been searching all over for them since!  We also ordered a shaved brussel sprout/walnut/pecorino side dish which was beautiful.

Sadly, it tasted as though someone had knocked over an entire salt shaker into the bowl.  I wish I had taken a picture of the replacement, which was a baked beet dish wrapped in filo and topped with some kind of rich cream.  I guess I was too busy eating it to take a photo.  Delish.  Kato went back to work and I wandered.

Did you know that Andy Warhol is now watching over Union Square? 

 

Family Craziness - Part II

With 8 siblings and numerous nieces and nephews, I suppose it was only a matter of time before more than one of them arrived to stay with me.  Sister Mary (#7 of 9) brought her three to visit California for a week.  It's been hectic, but fun - and they've seen more of L.A. than I have!

The first stop, naturally.

"Did" downtown on arrival day; Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier the next.  Easter Sunday found us at Paradise Cove.

Nags Head West.  Beach foolishness.

"I am krushing your head....".

Easter rabbit in the sun.

...and the beauty.

Given a choice and the right weather, I think they would have preferred to go to the beach every day.

 

The Journey is the Destination

Not to get all woo-woo on you, but really, getting "there" can be as important as wherever there is. In this case, "there" is Santa Barbara, where my friend Maggie's friend Jane was having a photography exhibit. They haven't seen each other in a while, so we thought we would surprise her. Maggie has been dealing with some major health issues and a road trip seemed to be just the thing.  

The weather as we drove was what I guess they call a "lowering" sky - gray, ever moving, dropping some rain - very cozy actually.  The hills were a surprising green (we haven't had much rain this year) and there was that wonderful yellowy haze of new leaves on the bare trees.  Up hill and down brought us breathtaking vistas around every curve until finally we were running beside the ocean.

You can talk about a lot of things in an hour and a half.  You can get hungry too, so we pulled off at Summerland, a little roadside community.  And ran smack into "Sacred Space", a magical garden of peace.  Be sure to stop if you ever have the chance. You will never want to leave.

We finally did get to Santa Barbara and Jane's fabulous exhibit.  I enjoyed their reunion almost as much as they did. 

Luckily, I am a better driver than I am a photographer.  We did arrive back safely and the smile on Maggie's face was worth the entire journey.  Or maybe, that smile WAS the destination?

               

Maui

 

Does this flower clash with my hair color?    If it does, I may be forced to stay in my room -  to look at this.  Too bad.

 

 

Every day, there are flowers in the lobby for guests.  Perhaps tomorrow, there will be plumeria, which will go so much better with my coiffure, don't you think?

Aloha!