A Fireworks Bonanza

One of the sketches i did for the Vancouver pattern revolved around my slight fascination with the HSBC Celebration of Light - a fireworks competition. This year, July 23 - August 2 Spain, China and Canada will fight it out to see who can create art out of giant explosions. I love that it is countries battling it out too, seems like a setting for an 80's action thriller or something. Each country gets one night and the whole show is set to music, it lasts about 25 mins. You can watch the whole thing over English Bay in Vancouver.
I learned all about the different types of fire works: chrysanthemums, dahlias, spiders, fish etc... The colors are beautiful as are the shapes. All the sparkling... Check out the shows Flickr group here.
I do think they are beautiful, but I'm actually petrified of fire works. Explosions and fire in general scare me, especially when loved ones are lighting them off. I always expect it to turn into a Fox News reenactment where they show the mannequin with its hand blown off. My brother and sister live maybe a mile away from 3 fireworks stores, yes 3. The town they live in, Hinsdale, NH has one place to buy milk, but 3 places to buy fireworks and they are all right next to eachother. That's what happens when you live on "live-free-or-die's" border with VT and MA... you can choose from a massive firework selection, but you can't buy a New York Times to save your life.
On another note, posting here has been light for a few weeks because, well... I've been swamped. But with the help of a new super fast mac, a lovely intern and another great designer I am now able to come up for some air. Plus I'm learning to "manage" and keep the office clean so others do not need to endure my messiness, so it has all worked out in the end.

The Slim One in Chinatown

Did you know that Vancouver has the third largest Chinatown, behind New York and San Francisco?? I've visited NY's a few times and SF's when I was there 2 years ago for xmas. They were both quite big and I ate a lot of delicious food in both of them.
Well Vancouver has one thing over those other Chinatowns... the worlds thinnest building. It is 4' 11" wide at its base and 6' wide on its second floor. Yeah, you read that right: 4 feet 11 inches wide. So the story goes that at the turn of the century Sam Kee was a very wealthy business and bought a standard sized lot for his firm. Well in 1912 the city widened Pender St by 24' taking away much of the Sam Key property, without giving the owners compensation. Not one to be detered the owner thumbed his nose at everyone and built the 2-story building described above. According to my Insight Travel Guide (p 97) the building also included "... a cellar under the pavement lit by glass blocks. The latter accommodated a bathhouse used as an escape route from opium dens in near by Shanghai Alley..." Sounds like the building has had an exciting past. Now she is home to the Jack Chow Insurance firm. You can visit the Sam Kee Building at 8 W Pender St in Vancouver's Chinatown.
The above lovely images are by (clockwise from top) amareyui, Maxwell_Smart, SqueakyMarmot.

Suspension without Suspense

I started sketching out the Vancouver pattern right around the time of my big dental procedure. I brought my Insight City Guide: Vancouver to read during the breaks in what ended up being a very, very long dentist appointment. "You going to Vancouver?!" the endodontist asked. "Um... not anymore," I responded looking at the estimate for the 2 crowns and a root canal (one downfall of being self-employed and unmarried - no dental insurance). The dentist then told me all about his trip to Vancouver, and though my trip to Vancouver was about to be sitting inside my mouth, it was very nice to hear all about his.
There was one element that I included in all of my different Vancouver pattern sketches and that was the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge has been carrying tourists across the thickly forested canyon since 1889, it's 450 ft swinging 230 ft in the air. It makes me light-headed just to write that. There is also something called Treetop Adventure where you walk around on a series of bridges, some 100 ft in the air, linked together by massive douglas fir trees. There is something mesmerizing and beautiful about the Suspension Bridge above all those trees.

Ski and Swim in the Same Day

When starting my research about Vancouver I picked up some some guide book and read the line, "you can ski and swim in the same day." Well, how crazy does that sound? And they aren't talking about skiing on some indoor mountain when it is 90 degrees outside either. There are ski areas just twenty minutes outside of downtown Vancouver and a few beaches right around the city. Now I'm not sure what time of year you can swim/ski... the guide book did not say this.... but I'm guessing we are talking a warm Spring here, and I bet the water is still quite chilly. But regardless, it is a great thought.
In a couple years there will be some great skiing going on in (or right outside of to be exact) Vancouver as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Sasso's parents went to some Olympic games years back and it is something that we would like to do too. I think it would be pretty unbelievable just to be around all those people of different cultures watching all those events.
The Olmpics worked their way into the Vancouver pattern. The Inukshuk used as the symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympics in the logo designed by artist Elena Rivera MacGregor. An Inukshuk is a large stone landmark used by the Inuit people. You can read all about it here. The Inukshuk became a texture in the sky off the Vancouver pattern. I actually really like the logo MacGregor designed as well as the little mascot drawings. Whether I watch the Vancouver games on tv or see them in person I'm sure they are going to be a great time.
Also, the skiing that was done this weekend may not qualify me for the Olympics... but it was close. After a small debacle of me not being able to take a lesson at Mt Snow this weekend, my new friend Will took me under his wing and taught me to ski. When I strapped on those heavy skis I said to Sasso "I think I'm just going to take right to this." "Sure," he said knowing how woefully uncoordinated I am. Well I'm very proud to say that I only fell twice and I even went down a blue intermediate trail. I absolutely loved it... the trees, the sounds of the snow under your skiis, the wind rushing by, the chair lift ride. It was great and I can't wait to go again. When we left I was talking of ski racks for the GTI and entering our future children into ski camp and timeshares near the mountains. Thankfully the house we rented had a jaccuzi and I took full advantage (until I heard that it wasn't totally "clean") and that helped a lot - apparently skiing uses muscles in my feet and arms that I wasn't aware of exisited.
On another note I've found myself quite sad at the news of the actor Heath Ledger's death yesterday. It isn't often that the death of someone I have never met really gets to me, but this one did. Perhaps it is all those pictures on PerezHilton.com of him with his little girl on his shoulders. I always loved his movies and wasn't it nice to have a young actor who was so amazingly talented. A real loss, so sad.
This lovely photo on the top right is by sathwick via flickr.

Ooooooh... Vancouver!

A few months ago I got a very nice email from Emily at Tourism Vancouver asking if I had any Vancouver cards. They were looking for something unique that promoted the city to send as holiday gifts to editors across the country. I did in fact have a Vancouver print which I did as part of the 2006 calendar... but it was all about how rainy it is there. That doesn't really send the right message. So I did some more research and did a new pattern for them which focused on the juxtaposition of the tall glass buildings to the tall green trees, a suspension bridge, and the symbol of the upcoming Olympics. It was a lot of fun working on a pattern for them and I have lots of sketches and comps to show you. I wish I could get hired to do custom patterns all the time, that would be a blast. So above is the final print and what was printed on the back of the card. I also learned A LOT about Vancouver and really want to go there, (Sasso has always wanted to go there because Nintendo is there and apparently that is like his motherland or something).
But before I gush about Vancouver I have to go away for a few days to Southern VT with some friends. And I have to try skiiing, something I've only done once when I was about 13, and MUCH more limber. The other day I wore this great back brace that I wear when I'm at the computer (I highly recommend it to everyone) but I got a bit carried away and put it on too tight and pulled a muscle above my left lung. If I hurt myself wearing a back brace how the hell am I going to survive skiing? Pray for me.

An African Sarong

I returned home from Cabo to a big ol' pile of mail. I passed over the kajillion credit card offers (some for a cards I already have - I don't get that...) and opened a package that was addressed from my dear friend Ryann. Ryann and I were BFF in high school, she went on to great things which currently includes working for good in Africa. It had probably been about 9 or so years since I had talked to her when I stumbled upon her blog "Dispatches from Salone" which is the documentation of her life and work in Sierra Leone. After getting back in touch we tried to make plans to meet over Christmas back in NH, but our schedules couldn't meet up. She said that she wanted me to see some of the fabrics from SL, that she thought I'd be inspired by them. So she sent me this lovely sarong (which fits perfectly, I was just modeling it for Mr Mischief) so that I could see a bunch of different fabrics in one piece. I asked Ryann to tell me a bit about it and here is what she sent:

Women will often wear one piece of fabric (the standard 2-meter piece is known as a "lapa") wrapped sarong-style around the waist, or a bit higher over (or under, as toplessness is still a-okay in the villages) the breasts. Another (sometimes matching, often not) can be used to wrap hair (you've seen the elaborate West African headdresses? I love them) or hold a baby on your back. The individual fabrics included in that patchwork are definitely day-to-day wear. The cotton factory prints (which are common throughout africa) are the cheapest and therefore the most common, and I must admit are often made these days in China. None are manufactured in Sierra Leone. The shinier fabrics are (I think) more common in West Africa, but are also likely manufactured outside of Sierra Leone. The local prints are either batique or tie-dyed (known as gara-dying), and printed by hand. I believe there are some of all in your mix, though I'm having trouble picturing it now.

People do make clothes out of the same sorts of fabric, but that takes money so is more usual for special outfits or wealthier city folk. The patchwork fabric is sometimes used for clothes. (Imagine a big African man in a one-piece patchwork tunic down to his ankles, often with matching trousers underneath. Spectacular.) But it's often foreigners who prefer the patchwork, and the sarong I gave you is definitely designed for a foreigner -- hence the extra strips to tie it around your waist. I thought it was a good way for you to see lots of different patterns.

Isn't that so interesting? I think it is absolutely beautiful and Sasso and I are talking about framing it. Though that will look very nice with my black bathing suit.... perhaps I'll have to get another one to wear. Regardless, this did inspire me and I'm currently working on a Sierra Leone print. This is good for me cause all the first things that pop into my head when I hear the name Sierra Leone (besides Ryann) are Kanye West and Blood Diamond. I'm going to do some research and poor through Ry's blog, I suggest you do the same thing at http://dispatchessierraleone.blogspot.com/

All That's Left...

All that is left of my lovely sunny trip is this half eaten (but still not stale - good thing the ingredients are all in Spanish cause if i could read them i'm sure i wouldn't be eating them) bag of tortilla chips and some faded tan lines. I think I ate 2 or 3 bags of these very fattening chips while in Cabo, they are sooooo good.
So after a week of a pretty hefty cold (which I have since passed on to poor Sasso) I am getting back into the swing of things. I am working on 2009 Places I Have Never Been and am thinking about places such as Laos, Austin, Santa Fe, Positano, Versailles, Portland OR, Sierra Leone, Tipperary County in Ireland and so on. (If you've ever been to these places and want to share stories or pics just send me an email.) I'm working on some new products, reworking the shopping portion of the website and attending one of the "big gift shows". Something I'm doing in the next couple weeks (hopefully) is hiring an intern. If anyone is interested/knows anyone that may be interested you can check out the full description here.

Also, it is really snowing here and I'm going to be procrastinating shoveling for the next few hours. Here is the view outside our door (unfortunately we didn't know it was going to snow today and we left mr grill outside to suffer) and here is Mr Mischief looking disgusted. All he wants is to go outside. He really is the optimist because he asks to go out every half hour or so thinking all the snow will be gone, but alas... it is not. He is stuck inside all day with me.

Chowing down in Cabo

When we first arrived Sasso, J.J. and John made a trip to Mexican Costco (Sasso loves Costco and always has his card on him) and stocked up on water/drinks and breakfast/lunch foods for everyone. So the few times I tore myself away from the pool was for dinner.


#1 The Giggling Marlin: We ate here the first night after everyone had spent hours traveling. I think I would have enjoyed this place about 10 years ago and with a few tequila shots under my belt. I'll eat just about anything but I didn't eat my meal here, the chicken scared me. There were grown men in their tiddey-whities on the dance floor. They also hang people by their ankles while they are doing shots. Their motto is "If our food, drinks and service are not up to your standards please lower your standards." (above photos from withoutta crown and mudsugar via flickr)

#2 Amarone: Well this was our second choice. Our first choice was some seafood restaurant and when we got there we were in line behind none other than John Mayer (dressed in the usual black zip up hoodie - the same thing I was wearing - he looked much more rested then he usually does on PerezHilton.com). I admit I was a bit starstruck and had to bite my tongue to not tell him how i think his blog is pretty funny. When we went to get a table we were told Mr. Mayer had taken the last one. C'est la Vie. So we ate at this nice Italian place instead. I don't remember too much of my meal cause I was busy having a panic attack (something I'm a bit prone too) brought on by too much sun and not enough water. I do remember finishing off some nice red wine though. Well, I remember when Sasso spilled the last bit on the table. We made him go think about what he had done under the sparkling palm trees.


#3 Mi Casa: Oh how I loved this place. The food reminded me of one of my favorites, Ole in Cambridge. The restaurant was open air, had a crazy Mexican clown who made balloon animals, a dancing lady, Day of the Dead dolls, a band and amazing atmosphere. I had some mole, Sasso had some great ceviche and I think J.J. just had a big bowl of melted cheese.


#4 Sunset da Mona Lisa: This is where we ate our New Year's Eve dinner. It was a lovely setting, right at Lover's Rock at the tip of Cabo. All 10 of us sat down at sunset for a four course meal and wine. We were there for hours.... (above photos on right by the photog boggey)
My only Cabo regret is that I didn't venture into the non-gringo area for some authentic cuisine. Next time...

Resort Living

Let's talk a bit about resort living, something I never experienced until my trip to Cabo. I always equated resorts with places like Sandals or ClubMed and to be frank they seemed a bit cultish to me. Well, until I got to ours.
When we stepped off the plane in Cabo I couldn't believe how "hilly" and desert like it was, beautiful. We went through customs where we pressed a button on a stoplight to see if we were going to get searched, thankfully we got green lights. After turning down all the shouting taxi drivers outside the terminal's door we realized that JJ wasn't picking us up and we in fact did need a lift. We hoped on a shuttle bus and headed off on a 2 hour ride that literally stopped at every resort in Cabo before it got to ours. When we got to the Pueblo Bonita Sunset Beach Resort they informed us that we were not staying at the hotel but at the Villas up on the hill. That sounded pretty exciting. We hoped on another shuttle and it swept us up to Villa #5 at the Montecristo Estates.



What's so great about a villa you may ask? Well for one it sounds so dramatic, "Come to my villlllllla dahhhhhhling." But besides that... here are a few things, well for this villa at least.

#1 Villas have private infinity pools overlooking the entire resort and beach. Lay in the right spot and it looks like the pool stretches into the ocean. In the morning and you can see the spouting of whales.


#2 Villas have staff. Not the infection, but people who take care of you. They have a concierge that helps you with reservations, cleaning woman who are sweet as pie and fold everything from napkins to toilet paper into different creatures, and death defying pool boys who stand on the infinity pool's ledge each morning. This was a bit weird at first, I did not grow up with cleaning ladies or pool boys, hell we didn't even have a pool. When seeing a random person roaming around the house I first assume they are there to rob me, then I think maybe they are lost, then my stomach drops cause I think maybe I am in fact the lost one, but then when I see them picking up a towel I left on the floor I realize that they are working and I instantly feel guilty and want them to sit down so I can clean up my own mess. But by the end of the trip I got pretty used to it and I only wish that I spoke more than 5 words of Spanish so I could have gotten to know the staff a bit more.


#3 Villas are sah-weet. They have things like fountains in the foyer, living rooms with cathedral ceilings, private jacuzzis, master bedrooms with mosquito netting and sliding doors that open you bedroom up to the infinity pool and an ocean view.


#4 Villas are just a short ride away from the resorts main pool. Complete with lounge chairs, swim up bars, happy hours and waiters that let you eat poolside. I think we ate lunch here at least 4 times. Both Sasso and I reminisced about how when we were young our families wouldn't let us eat poolside cause it would have cost them a small fortune, so we took full advantage this time around. It was so fun.


#5 Villas are a hop, skip and jump away from the luxurious spa where a lovely woman (with super strong hands) named Maria will rub away all the stress you have and then fill you up with cucumber water and send you to the woman's lounge to sit in the jacuzzi. (I wanted to use the swiss shower but it looked like a medieval torture device that Darcy and I couldn't figure out so I passed).
Sasso and my new goal is to work really hard so that when we grow up we too can afford a villa in Cabo, then we'll also be nice and let our children's friends celebrate new years there.

80 Degrees to 8 Degrees

Well we are back from a lovely-lovely-lovely trip to Cabo. We got to make some great new friends and spend lots of time with old ones. I feel like I got all I could out of it... even though we only left our villa like 3 times. Tequila shots - check, Tacos - check, Whales - check, Spa Visit - check, Celebrity Sightings - check, crying at the air port cause you don't want to go home - check.
I think subconsciously I was weeping because I knew it would take us 21 long hours to get from my luxurious Cabo bed to my mediocre Boston bed. Taxi ride from resort to airport - Cabo to LAX - LAX to O'Hare - O'Hare to Boston. Ugh. Though I did learn a few things on my long journey back East: You can soundly sleep on the floor of LAX for a few hours with just some ear plugs and a eye mask. Immigration in LAX is kind of a Cluster #*!@, though seeing soap stars helps kill the time. Just because you book a direct flight does not mean the airline will not pull the beach sand out from under you and send you otherwise. The skyline of Chicago is absolutely beautiful and that lake DOES look like the ocean!
I have lots 'o pictures to share and some amusing stories. I'm running a bit slow because of a very unlovely chest cold I took off the plane. Or perhaps my lungs are just protesting their return to the freezing temps of Boston....