RELAX, THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE

"I just put my feet in the air and move them around" - Fred Astaire

That's an oil pastel/charcoal and colored pencil drawing I did. You may be asking yourself, "self, why is she showing us a drawing of feet?" This should be about the holidays!!
Well, I'll tell you.........yesterday, "husband Bob, had his left foot operated on. Nothing too serious , but he is on crutches for 10 days. My feet............not bare this time (see last post)........are VERY BUSY. Any of you ever had a male of our species to take care of ? Need I say more????

I've been hearing more and more on TV and the radio what a stressful time of year this is.....not that I needed to be told. New studies prove that statistically, not only are Mondays a prime heart attack day, but the months of December and January are the top months. I say......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I"M STILL SMILING , but does anyone have any ideas how we can all calm down and make it less commercial???

"Once again, we come to the holiday season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes in his/her own way, by going to the mall of their choice." -Dave Barry



I suppose I'm giving away my age a bit here by showing this photo of little OLD me sitting on Santas lap....no I didn't photoshop it into black and white! Pretty cute, huh? Now THERE is a Santa I can live with. He looks pretty authentic. The ones I see at the mall these days are pretty lame in comparison.

I had a mixed religious upbringing. So I will leave you this time with a HAPPY HANNUKKAH greeting. and some history.



The History of Hanukkah:

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."
The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.
In 168 B.C.E. the Jews' holy Temple was seized and dedicated to the worship of Zeus.
Some Jews were afraid of the Greek soldiers and obeyed them, but most were angry and decided to fight back.
The fighting began in Modiin, a village not far from Jerusalem. A Greek officer and soldiers assembled the villagers, asking them to bow to an idol and eat the flesh of a pig, activities forbidden to Jews. The officer asked Mattathias, a Jewish High Priest, to take part in the ceremony. He refused, and another villager stepped forward and offered to do it instead. Mattathias became outraged, took out his sword and killed the man, then killed the officer. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked and killed the soldiers. Mattathias' family went into hiding in the nearby mountains, where many other Jews who wanted to fight the Greeks joined them. They attacked the Greek soldiers whenever possible.

Judah Maccabee and his soldiers went to the holy Temple, and were saddened that many things were missing or broken, including the golden menorah. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when they were finished, they decided to have a big dedication ceremony. For the celebration, the Maccabees wanted to light the menorah. They looked everywhere for oil, and found a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. This gave them enough time to obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit. Today Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night, thus commemorating the eight-day miracle.

A NEW SEASON

" I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape-the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show".
-Andrew Wyeth

In reality, I prefer those warm, sultry summer days. This quote evoked the proper image and I identified with it , so here it is for you to enjoy. If you think about Andrew Wyeths paintings, you can really hear him saying this.

The morning after Thanksgiving, our weather suddenly changed to what it was supposed to be this time of year, COLD. I went downstairs for my coffee, looked outside, grabbed my camera and without putting on my shoes and socks, I walked in my bare feet to take these pictures. Sometimes I just have to see what it REALLY feels like.



I am thankful for my ice cold feet and for all of you wonderful people I have met in Blogland
............among many other things.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!!




"Herbs" Woodcut by Karen Cole (1970's)

A TEA PARTY AND MORE.........

Detail from a clay platter by Karen Cole -Terracotta, slips and oxides


"The first cup moistens my lips and throat. The second cup breaks my loneliness. The third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some thousand volumes of odd ideographs. The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration - all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores. At the fifth cup I am purified. The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals. The seventh cup - ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of the cool wind that raises in my sleeves. Where is Elysium? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither." ~Lu Tung, "Tea-Drinking"


Yet another delightful journey. Once again I'll try to be short on words and long on photos.

The photo above is from a fabulous lunch that I was treated to at the Huntington Museum and Library in Pasadena , California. They have a lovely tea room in the rose garden that is more than just tea....yes, I"M STILL FULL!

The best part of it all was meeting two wonderful, artistic women and fellow bloggers, Kristen Robinson and Ruth Rae.

I was out there attending the wedding of the son of a dear friend and decided that what better way to spend my free time than to meet up with some fellow artists and bloggers. I can't recommend it enough.


We toured the museums. There is an incredible collection of original manuscripts and books from the 15th century and on........ and an art collection that is quite extensive. Below are just a few things that caught my eye.

Speaking of eyes....... detail from "Portrait of Laura" by George Wesley Monett (American 20th century)

"State Fair" by John Stewart Curry (American 20th century) Loved the colors and all of the action.


Detail from "Caller Waiting" by Kenneth Hayes Miller (American 20th century)
OK- he loved to paint women shopping........do you think she is happy? Is she happy with him? I was wondering if this is just an innocent gesture. What do you think?

We strolled around all of the beautiful gardens admiring everything and taking an occasional break to be silly........ take your own camera, turn it to face you and snap! Sorry about being SO in your face.....but we were having such a good time!


The Japanese Garden and Teahouse.... the bridge is for Constance :-)

The succulent gardens below were my favorite. The textures were simply out of this world.
A pink flower for you know who.


OH...and there was a wedding.....

Dear friends Karen and Barry leading the way (Karens' son is the groom).

Melissa and Stephen.....

May we all live happily ever after......

CAREFREE

This is a VERY OLD portrait I did while in college. See....the paint is already peeling. Definitely NOT archival. Even though I was "young and "CAREFREE" in those days, I still have a fairly serious look about me, don't I? Just trying to look "mature" I suppose.

I'm feeling a bit melancholy at the moment. I just came back from visiting my 93 year old mother. There is definite evidence that in the past few weeks a few more lights have dimmed, for lack of a better term. I'm an only child, it's not easy to watch. I know it is all a part this thing we call life.

Sometimes it helps to see what other people think.......I traveled the net to find some quotes on aging. These are just a few that I wanted to read more than once. It's a mixed bag.

"Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." ~Mark Twain,

"The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left." ~Jerry M. Wright

"The great secret that all old people share is that you really haven't changed in seventy or eighty years. Your body changes, but you don't change at all. And that, of course, causes great confusion." ~Doris Lessing

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."

- Sophia Loren

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations. -Anais Nin


"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" ~Satchel Paige

My "ODE TO AUTUMN"

"AUTUMN IS A SECOND SPRING WHEN EVERY LEAF BECOMES A FLOWER" -ALBERT CAMUS

Pastel drawing by Karen Cole

Many of you have made some reference to autumn in recent blogs. I took a walk this morning, marveling at the array of color that exists in this landscape and realized that it is far more in tune with my own palette, than any other season.


HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

CHILDREN

There are only two things a child will share willingly - communicable diseases and his mother's age. ~Benjamin Spock, Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, 1945

So....I am about to dispute Dr. Spocks findings. Both of my children, now full fledged adults, BTW, have blogs. I've linked my son, Daniels blog for some time. Emily has just started. Two very different blogs.......two VERY different people. It "bloggles" my mind sometimes.

I LOVE THEM BOTH VERY MUCH!!! Take a peek.......


Emily the photographer/designer - Click here.


Daniel the writer/cook - Click here.


Again................. let me just say, they are adults now.


Our genes make us immortal. ~The Secret of Life, PBS

HALLOWEEN HISTORY....and how to have fun on Halloween...BOO!!

HISTORY-

Halloween or All Hallows Eve, originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-wen). Its name means summers end and marked the beginning of a new year in the Celtic calendar. At the festival Celtic druids appeased the spirits by leaving food outside their houses; they wore costumes to disguise themselves and frighten the spirits away.

The first celebration of Halloween in the United States was recorded in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921. The tradition of the Jack O' Lantern was adapted from the old British practice of carving out turnips and potatoes and lighting them for their Halloween gatherings.

WHOO HOO, BOO HOO
HOW TO HAVE FUN!-

1. Choose a place
2. Decorate

3.Choose your costume


4. Dress for success


5.Go to the party , trick or treat and have a blast with lots of great people.......have a designated driver, of course!!

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted;
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place."
-Emily Dickenson


I'd like to thank the city of New Orleans for the inspiration!

Charcoal drawing by Karen Cole

NEW ORLEANS- THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY.....THE BEAUTIFUL

"In a STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Blanche Dubois said it best: "Don't you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn't just an hour, but a little piece of eternity dropped into our hands-and who knows what to do with it?"

"Musicians" in pastel by Karen Cole.


Yes, this "travel slut"....and thank you Ms."pinkflowers" for coining this term and for the award...... was just in the "Big Easy". There is some debate over where this term originates....a movie, a street corner....but EVERYONE should be aware of the fact that life isn't so easy at the moment. I'm glad you all had the opportunity to just sit for awhile.....this post is a bit longer.

Husband Bob and I were lucky enough to be able to combine a wedding of friends that are dear enough to us to be considered family and a business trip. Below, you will find some of my impressions. The biggest message here though, is .....PLEASE VISIT NOLA (NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA) AND SUPPORT THEIR ECONOMY. There is not nearly enough that has been done to get these dear people back on their feet. IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS GUYS!!!!




Yin and yang, doesn't even begin to describe the mix of what you will see and do on your visit to this city that is trying to come back to life......1. Voodoo shop window 2. Sign on Bourbon Street 3. Homes in the French Quarter.



We went to the wedding of dear friends David Sobel, an incredible drummer with the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars and Jenny Bagert, a talented photographer and manager for Herman Leonard, a photographer famous for his photographs of musicians.

The beauty of this wedding is indescribable. We were told in the invitation to wear "Mardi gras/funky/picnic type clothing. The trees were draped in colorful fabric. Seating was bales of hay covered in the same fabric. The talent attending was mind boggling....musicians and artists.



1. Jenny and David getting married 2. Jennys parents walking her down "the aisle"...Herman Leonard photographing from behind....note Jennys decorated camera! 3. and 4. Artsorted guests 5. Bob buying a hat to wear to the wedding 6. Bob wearing said hat......pretty cute, huh?


No post about a wedding would be complete without a fashion statement section. I could be here for weeks.....but, I hope you get the idea. First picture.....the brides shoes!!!










This last photo above, is me....feeling ridiculously under dressed without a hat. I took some of the moss from the tree and proceeded to weave a "ring" of moss to wear.

REALITY SET IN.....when we were taken on a tour of the areas of the city that were and ARE STILL DEVASTATED by hurricane Katrina. Two years after this storm, most remains the same. Below is a house with a table on the roof. It floated there.


This mop, leaning against the railing at Jennys parents house seemed to be mocking our visit. They can no longer live there. If you look closely towards the top of the photo, you can see a brown line on the white part of the house. THAT IS A WATER LINE. IT SAT THERE FOR WEEKS.

THE GOOD NEWS is that the merchants I visited said that business has just started to pick up.

We ate at some GREAT RESTAURANTS. I saw some wonderful ART EXHIBITS.
BELOW.....sign on a street corner.

If the following quote weren't so sad.....it would be funny.

"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005