Check out those pipes: Part Deux

Photo by AndreasC via flickr.

I've been away due to one of those lovely July colds. They are so hard to get rid of... you are hot (cause it is a thousand degrees out) so you put on the a/c but that just makes the cold worse. But all is better. Thankfully it came after our wonderful July 4th weekend to Cape Cod, namely Wellfleet and Provincetown. It was great to go to Wellfleet because that is a place from the Places I Have Never Been series, and now I can start my real vacation drawings for it.


Photo by Mark Grealish via flickr.

But to get on with wrapping up the Galway pattern... I just kept seeing pipe organs in all my sketches (see part uno) so I started to do a little research. I fell in love with the pipe organ at the Galway Cathedral. I couldn't believe the stained glass piece that was above it, because I had been drawing something similar to mimic the gorse flower that I wanted to be in the pattern.


Photo by Mark Grealish via flickr.

The organ was built in 1966 and then rebuilt and expanded in 2006-2007. The organ has 59 registers, divided over three manuals and pedals and the action is electro-pneumatic. That's a little techie for me and I have no idea what it means - but I just think it is beautiful. If you happen to be in Galway on July 29 you can attend one of the Cathedrals many recitals.

For more info about Irish Pipe Organs click here and for a "good laugh" check out the Pipe Organ joke page here, it is priceless!

It's a Chateau Dahhhhling...

I wrote about my love of the word Villa in my Cabo wrap up, well I have the same affection for the word château (and also Chalet). Basically any word that is a bit more romantic and dreamier than "house". There were 3 châteaus that I thought of when I did this pattern.


1. Petit Hameau: The original inspiration for the patten was this little rustic place built for Marie Antoinette at Versailles. Do you remember in the movie when Kirsten Dunst was running around in tall grass in the most beautiful sun light glow? Then she picked strawberries and poured the most delicious looking cream from a pitcher.... mmmm. After checking it out I decided i wanted it all to be a bit more in your face and not so delicate. So I went on search for more châteaus.


2. Château de Chenonceau: The château was a gift from King Henry VIII to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. The place is so magical the way that it extends over the river. It has some amazing geometrically designed gardens too. You can visit the château's website here.


3. Château de Villandry: The gardens here are amazing. There are all sorts of geometric shapes including one part that is all hearts, which is where I got the inspiration for the hearts in the Merci pattern. You can visit their site here and see some amazing pics here.

I wish someone would say "Bonjour Mademoiselle!" and whisk me off to a château today. It has been a rough couple of weeks. The kind that makes you say, "Holy crap. The universe is trying to kill me!!" It has involved print proofs gone awry, burned hands, head colds, unresponsive vendors, torture via dentist, crazy client phone calls, a broken cell phone (which is just plain maddening), and one mess otherwise known as our engagement party / wedding.
But I'm not gonna let it get me down no more! The sun is out and even if I have to sit in my yard (with a box of tissues) instead of a château's that will do for now. To make things even better Eric the UPS man just brought all the new Thank You, Hello! and Holiday cards to me. The printing is SO beautiful! Lots of new stuff to show you soon.

Doughnuts, Castles and Elephant Seals

Sasso and I spent our first affianced day with JBatt and Picy touring the Big Sur area, we did so much it is actually kind of amazing. The day began with a stop for pastries at The Big Sur Bakery. I could have eaten those homemade jelly doughnuts until I became ill.
From there we got on the road and then stopped for a brief "hike". We should have known when the description said "good for children" that this was more of a walk to a vista point than a uphill climb. But I like to wear cute jeans and carry a cup of coffee on my hikes so it was perfect for me. The view of the waterfall / ocean / rolling hills was so ideal it kind of looked like a set at MGM.

Mapquest said the drive to Hearst Castle was 60 miles or 60 mins, but Mapquest didn't know that you can only go 25 mph on this coastal road... so after what felt like 3 hours of switchback after switchback we finally arrived, JBatt and I in the backseat a bit carsick. The name Hearst to me meant socialites and magazines, which makes sense since this castle is the former home of the media mogul Willam R. Hearst. At the castle's base is a a disney world like visitor center, but the ride up the hill to the castel is beautiful. You can take 4 tours and we took #1 which included the exterior and a few rooms. Hearst combined his love or art and architecture creating a home that really is a museum (the temple facades around the outdoor pool are actually from ancient ruins). The styles are all over the place, but together they really do all work. Every detail from the drain pipes (yes they say ...MEOW...) and eaves to the indoor pool is considered. The tour lasted 2 hours but I think Sasso and I could have spent 2 hours in just one of the rooms examining all the detailed decoration. Just imagine the parties that must have taken place.... see a few pics below.

On our way back to our lodge we stopped at a beach full of elephant seals. They definately walk the line of cute/blubbery and kind-of-gross/blubbery. It was cool to be so close to them and watch them do absolutely nothing. We were just begging to see some National Geographic type action...

Rain, Rain Go Away...

In 2005 I did a desk calendar that is different than the one I do today, still PIHNB - just a different layout. One of the places I chose was Vancouver, mostly because Sasso talked about wanting to go there so much. All I really knew about Vancouver back then is that it had the reputation for being a very rainy city. The image on the left is the first ever Vancouver pattern, umbrellas. When Tourism Vancouver asked me if I had any patterns about Vancouver I said yes, but it doesn't highlight something that would draw travelers to the lovely city. "It's about rain," I said. "Ah, yes... the rain. It is raining here right now," was the response. I reworked the pattern a bit and sent it over, but as I thought, it wasn't really the way that they wanted to promote the city. (image on the right).
I happen to adore the rain, especially in the spring and most especially in the summer when thunderstorms roll though. I tried to find stats on how much it actually rains there, but they were all over the board. Some say it rains a lot, some say it isn't much more than Boston. All I know is that the city is in a rain forest area and a weather system called "The Pineapple Express" whips through there and dumps water on the region. If we went to Vancouver it would be a great excuse for me to get this Orla Kiley umbrella I've been eying.

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.

Kites Abound!!

Kite flying is very popular in India. Pauline van Lynden describes watching kite clubs fight in her lovely book, Rajahsthan. I was so intrigued. The kite's string is covered with small pieces of crushed glass, and one opponent tries to slice the string of another leading to victory.
January 14th is the day of the kite festival in India and in Jaipur kites can block the sun from the sky. The three day celebration is separated into Kite Fighting and Display Flying (for the pretty kites). The air force drops kites from the sky, the finals of the Kite Fighting competition takes place on a palace lawn... I think it all sounds fantastic. You can read more about the kite festival here.
I thought the whole thing so fantastic that I made that the center of the Jaipur print, with emeralds replacing the cut pieces of glass. I haven't flown a kite in years and seeing thousands of them in the sky could be quite magical...

What's so cool about Tahiti?

It's snowing here. When I was walking the basset hound this morning, there were just s few little flakes but now it is a real snow flurry. It's really beautiful with the trees all orange and the green grass poking through the snow...time to dig out all that warm winter wear.
Let's talk about some cool things from somewhere that you don't need to turn the heat on - Tahiti.
Breadboxes: In Tahiti houses are equipped with a long mailbox, but forget the junk mail. They are filled daily with French bread. How great is that? I wish our mailbox was full of fresh bread instead of sale fliers from Stop 'n Shop.
Tahitian Tattoos: When I was in high school i got myself a small tattoo on my back. My mom said something about me turning into Madonna, or was it Roseanne Barr... I can't remember now, but she was NOT happy. If only back then I could have searched flickr and shown her a picture of this guy to prove that is could be worse...
Les Roulottes: Restaurant's on Wheels - this is Tahitian street food. Once the sun goes down these little places open up serving everything from Italian to Chinese. I want to try the local specialty, "Poisson Cru." A salad made from coconut, cucumber, citrus and fresh tuna. I imagine it to be a bit like ceviche which I love.
Brando's Island: Tetiaroa is the private island of deceased actor Marlon Brando. Mostly undeveloped this area is great for a day of sunning and bird watching. Better yet, it has a very dramatic history, read about it here.
Over water Bungalows: I've always dreamed at staying in on of these thatched roofed hotel room, but they seem to elude my travel budget. Some have glass floors so that you can watch the fish and coral from above. I just imagine falling asleep to the lapping of the waves...
Hawaikinui Va'a: "The Super Bowl of outrigger canoe races". Occurring in early November, each crew of 6 races 72 miles from Huahine to Raiatea to Tahaa and ends up in Bora Bora. This looks so fun, like the Tahitian equivilant to standing on Boylston St to watch the Boston Marathon. But you are in the crystal blue water and it is sunny, so I think this race wins. See the video below.

Above photos clockwise from top Bread Box by ThePreismans.com (check out there site here for some GREAT photos), Tattoo Man via flickr by thelastminute, les roulettes via flickr by zug poof, Tahiti via flicr by Matt Mihaly, Brando's island. Video via YouTube by zanawear.

Las Vegas : Part Tre : Nighttime Fun

So our usual plan in Vegas includes staying at one of the nicer Casino's (this time it was Caesar's Palace which was very nice, partly because of our sweet upgrade) - but going out at the little guys (why pay $10 for a gin and tonic when there are $1.50 drafts across the street). No Brittney, Paris or Lindsey hunting at Pure or Tao for us! Oh no... I'm too old to stand in line in too little clothing just to pay $15 a martini.
You would have found us at Imperial Palace where they have Impersonator Dealers. A great game is to try and guess who exactly these dealers are supposed to be... is that Lisa Minelli or Michael Jackson in a short wig? Or at Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon (formerly the Barbary Coast) to check out Big Elvis's performance (which we sadly missed). Or at the drink cart out side the Flamingo which has the best tasting Miller Draft I've ever had (I haven't drank that since high school).
We went to Old Vegas off the strip (which I didn't even know existed) where we indulged in fried twinkies and fried oreos (i made out ok on this because I only had a bite of each... Sasso, however, was not so lucky).
One thing I love about Vegas is you can dress up as much or as little as you want. One evening we capped off our look with fake eyelashes, which I've never worn before. I've always wanted to try them (in college I worked at Starbucks with a couple of GREAT drag queens who wore them daily) but have been afraid that I would glue my eyes shut. JBatt happened to have some shu uemura ones so I gave them a shot. They were tricky to apply and at first a bit cockeyed, but we I ended up loving them. The next night we barely gave it a second thought eye when we went out to dinner in sweats after a hike.
Speaking of going out... tonight is the release party for Sasso's game that he has worked very hard on, Rockband. I'm pretty excited, it should be a lot of fun. The company was bought by MTV this year and I am hoping that Mr Kurt Loder will be at the party, or Tabitha Soren, or Downtown Julie Brown (wait they don't work there anymore do they - see what happens when you don't have cable). I've played Rockband once and it was soooooooo fun and addictive. Plus very cool looking (Sasso is a video game artist). Check out it out here and I'm sure that it will be available for trial at your local Best Buy soon. It fulfills my dream of being a drummer.

Las Vegas : Part Deux : Daylight Fun

We needed to do something to counteract all the materialism and craziness of Vegas. So we rented a car and drove off strip to Red Rock Canyon. First we took the road in the wrong direction, luckily it just ended (like the road stopped and there was nothing else) so we turned around and went the other way. I am no hiker and am usually not dressed appropriately (see previous post about looking for crocodiles in Costa Rica in high heel espadrilles and a mini skirt). I'm lucky that my jean capris had a bit of stretch in them to make my "rock climbing" possible. The Red Rocks were pretty amazing. Their texture was so soft and dry, Sasso said they looked like a deflated elephant because of all the wrinkles which was spot on. It was like climbing around on huge overturned terra cotta planters. The sand (this is the desert after all) was super fine and bright red. The contrast with the blue green shrubs and bright green moss was so lovely that it reconfirms my belief that nature is the greatest designer. (note: no matter how pretty the cactus do not pick it up. It will bite you and leave prickers in you thumb for a few days). There were also all these cool little "animal condos" worn into rock. "This would be the best place to play G.I Joes," Sasso said. We had a blast and on our way out we said "what's up" to a few actual rock climbing doooooodes barely feeling like impostors (though I think my jean capris gave that away).

Well after all that nature one does need a little materialism and I have to say Vegas has some killer shopping. Most of the brands are a little (by that I mean a lot) out of my league but window shopping here let me really fulfilled (except for wanting that red dress in the Christian LaCroix window, or everything in the Marc Jacobs' window...). We have some of these brands in Boston but where else can you find Louis Vuitton, D & G, Marc Jacobs, Anthropolgie, Custo Barcelona (who I love), Agent Provocateur, LaCroix, Gucci and Pucci under one roof?! Actually you can at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. Then there is Sephora and BCBG across the street at the Venetian.... good thing we only won $100 on the slots or I would have traded my millions in for a bunch of over flowing shopping bags. If I hadn't wanted to spend the day hanging out with Sasso on Monday I could have walked around those stores for hours just looking at the colors, textures and especially he different materials that are used in the shops constructions.

Shodoshima Wrap-Up

I thought I'd wrap up the Shodoshima postings by showing some more of Darren Ruane's amazing fall foliage pics from Japan. You can check out his site here or his flickr site here.
I think this weekend, (besides watching more baseball - these weeks of late nights and crappy bar food are really taking their toll), I'm going to try to catch some New England foliage. I live right near J.P Pond and there are some amazing fiery red trees over there that I'd like to take a look at.
As a side note... 7 more days til vacation. Thank God. So Sasso and I are flying out to Vegas to meet JBatt and Picy to celebrate their birthdays. Since we'll be there for four nights (you have to take advantage of company paid hotel rooms when you can - even if it means spending more time in Vegas than you normally would consider) we are thinking about renting a car and doing some exploring outside of the city. We've both been to Vegas a few times and each of those trips has involved some slot machines, cheap drinks, and Cirque de Soleil shows so we want to do a little something different. If anyone has any suggestions leave a comment or send me an email, I'd love to hear them!

Kouyou = Autumn

As noted in the previous post, Kouyou means "red leaves" or "changing colors" and is the name of the Japanese foliage season. The Shodoshima kouyou pattern is the cover of the 2008 calendar, but an enlarged version fills the month of September. I always think of September as fall + folliage, but in reality it was almost 80 degrees in Boston last week and the trees that fill the park outside my studio are still green. (I know this foliage season has been pretty slow here in New England because of all the warm temperatures... maybe Al Gore has something to that global warming thing, huh).
Daniel Altman's NY Times article was the best resource, (and most inspirational one), that I found when researching Kouyou. He says the most popular trees are "the Japanese maple, whose leaves turn bright red, and the ginkgo .... whose leaves turn yellow", but there are more species of trees that change color too. That is why the Kouyou season lasts so long, different trees change at different times in different areas. Places that Altman points out as perfect Kouyou viewing spots are the Daisetsu volcano group on Hokkaido and Kanakei Gorge, a valley on Shodoshima Island - this is the valley that the Shodoshima pattern is about.
Apparently foliage viewing is a low-key event in Japan. Not here though, growing up in NH, the traffic backed way up once foliage season started. "It's all those damn leaf peepers," we'd say! Well I've seen 27 1/2 folliage seasons and it still does not cease to amaze me. Infact, I'm even a bit excited for my afternoon drive to NH tomorrow to go visit family. I'm taking Route 2 out of Boston to lovely Route 63 to Hinsdale and I'm hoping that the foliage is in full bloom up there. Yes, since moving to Massachusetts I've actually become a leaf peeper in NH. Ironic, I know.
The top image is from flickr and is by darrenawayagain, he has some AMAZING photo groups of Japan. He's quite talented. See more photos here too. Next year I'm planning to go to Marrakech to visit Maryam, but these pictures have already got me thinking about my next big trip... hopefully to Japan!

My favorite playa

Our blindingly white New Englander bodies laid on A LOT of beaches in Costa Rica, (see little sketch of memory of each beach below). My favorite beach of all time is Playa Ostional a ways outside of Nosara. Why you ask?
First off it was deserted, partly because it is a wildlife refuge, (this is where baby turtles come to be born, I wish we were there during that time), and party because the rip tide is so strong you can't swim there. But it looks like paradise untouched.
We explored around the rocky Punta India area which you can see below. There were pools of deep purple sea urchins, all sorts of pointy sizes. There were masses of dried pink crabs everywhere, like they had laid out for a tan, fallen asleep and just withered right up. There were rocky cliffs and natural bridges (which I was petrified Sasso would fall off of and pummeled by waves). There were massively huge prehistoric-like pelicans, or "pellies" as I like to call them. Millions of multi-colored snails sauntering about. The beach was covered with black, sparkley sand. There was even a bat cave. So that is why it was my favorite. Check out the pictures below.



I've got to run and catch the Sox game. I have my fingers crossed that this playoff game doesn't go until 2am... I can't tell if my heartburn is from lunch or from Red Sox playoff nerves.

Whats so cool about Albuquerque?

Well one cool thing is the spelling. I mean how many u's and q's can one word have? And some other cool things...
Doug West Serigraphs's Doug West seems to be to the West what, (my favorite), Sabra Field is to New England. I love his graphic prints and his use of color. One image may use up to 80 screens, (this makes me feel a bit lazy, if a print uses more than 3 screens i count it out). Andrews Pueblo Pottery in Old Town has a great collection of his work online, but it would be wonderful to go see these prints in person. Andrews Pueblo Pottery, 303 Romero St NW # 116, Albuquerque NM (505) 243-0414 www.andrewspp.com
Ghost Town Trading Co. This store is filled with their own colorfully muted rustic furniture. I spied a few tin mirrors that I wouldn't mind having in my bedroom. The really amazing work is the custom pieces they do for their clients, such as doors and kitchen cabinetry. What I would give to have beautiful cabinets like this instead of the home depot special my landlord installed. Ghost Town Trading Co. 111 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM www.ghosttowntrading.com
La Casita de Kaleidoscopes is a small gallery featuring artistian kaleidoscopes and teleidoscopes. This is something I have never run across before. The only kaleidoscopes I know are made of paper and come from Chinatown. The gallery's pieces are beautifully sculptural, but you can't see the inside online so I guess we'll all have to pay the gallery a visit to see for ourselves. La Casita de Kaleidoscopes, 326-D San Felipe NW, Albuquerque, NM www.casitascopes.com
Jackalope I love import/craft galleries. When I was young and we'd travel two hours to get to "the mall" I always wanted to stop at Pier One. It was like a mecca for foreign things for me, (little did i know). So when I saw this store's lovely website I immediately put it on my wish list for visiting. Plus the owner's story is something out of a movie. His mother was responsible for Grandparents day, he is a former weed smuggler turned drug counselor, and he lives on the premise with 130 white doves roosting on the second floor balcony. The store carries a line of wood carved and painted pieces by Oaxaca artists Alejandrino Fuentes Vasquez, I totally adore these little animals. Jackalope has 4 locations so best to visit their site to see which one is easiest for you. www.jackalope.com

Hot Air Balloons in Flight

Besides rainbows, the main inspiration for the Albuquerque print was the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The event starts tomorrow and goes until October 14. In the pre-dawn hours you can watch the "Dawn Patrol" as the balloons float in the dark sky. Have one of the balloon operators whisk you up for a private balloon ride. Then from 7am-8am you can behold the "Mass Ascension" which is the launch of all participating balloons and I would imagine it to be absolutely amazing watching all that bright color drift into the blue sky. I've talked to a few Albuquerque-ians who've said, "when you see it every year it isn't that cool anymore." That's so sad, I've seen the fall foliage peak around me 28 times and every year I drive further north just to stare at the colors. You just can't let those annual regional things become ordinary, (though I admit I annually ignore my hometown's pumpkin festival).
I found these GREAT videos of the festival on youtube. This first one, (shot by ericjsimon), kills me because the man running the camera is on the verge of a panic attack, I recognize that shaky voice anywhere, and he confirms it at the end.

This second video, (shot by rpellicciotti), shows soooo many of the great colors of the balloons.

One last great thing about the Balloon Fiesta is that each year they have a different artist design their poster. On the left is last years designed by artist Russ Ball and on the left is this years poster designed by artist Darryl Willison.


Top image from corvair owner via flickr

Dia de los Muertos

Well first let me say that I think my blog is inspiring some kind of magical travel. The week I wrote about Savannah my mom called to tell me she was being taken on a last minute trip to Savannah. Guess where Sasso is off to this morning? I brought him to the airport at 4am to catch a plane to... Mexico. He bought a ticket Monday night after our weekend in the Berkshires and he is off to a town outside of Guadalajara. Last minute trips are tricky when you freelance so i had to sit this one out. Hmmm... is "Places I Have Never Been" turning into "Places I Have Never Been but My Family Just Went There"? Possibly.

Anyways, about the Dia de los Muertos. What a fantastic holiday this is. It is celebrated in many countries but started in Mexico. It takes place on November 1 & 2 and emphasizes celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life.
People decorate the graves of loved ones with ofrendas, or offerings, which often include "Flor de Muerto", or "Flower of the Dead". These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead. People also build altars in their homes, leave out food and bedding for the deceased, and celebrate the lives of their deceased loved ones.
One of the symbols of Dia de los Muertos is the skull, and the sugar skull at that. The sugar skull was a big influence on the skull and flower pattern for Mexico City.
I think the Dia de los Muertos is great and wish it was something that happened more in the US. My dad passed away almost 2 years ago and yesterday was his birthday, (September 11 - which is a strange day for a birthday now). I always try to do little things to honor him on that day, but 2 whole days... he would so enjoy that! This year I'm going to attend the Day of the Dead event at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, right down the street from our house. It sounds like a lot of fun, check it out at www.foresthillstrust.org, but being in Mexico for the Dia de los Muertos, that would be amazing!

Ms. Frida

I knew of Frida Kahlo's work for sometime before I saw the 2002 movie. I had always loved her colorful paintings full of clues into what was going on in her life. Her self-portraits are amazing and in the age of retouching and waxing seeing a mustache on a lady was shocking. I didn't see the movie until it came to DVD mostly because one of my friends was adamant that the movie didn't do her justice. Well, I never knew Frida personally so I don't know if it did her justice or not... I do know that it showed an impassioned Mexico City full of color, music and artists. I so wanted to experience that. I wish I could find some screen shots of my favorite screens in the movie: her vibrant courtyard, husband Diego Rivera's murals, dancing and singing at parties. Well I guess you will have to just see it for yourself!
Fortunately you can experience a bit of it in real life, too. Frida's home has been preserved and turned into museum. (They have a website, and maybe if I had taken Spanish for 10 years instead of French I'd be able to tell you what it said). The Tate has a great site where you can see a virtual tour of Frida's childhood home, see it here.
Three of the images below are from the site www.fridakahlofans.com. It's a great site with images of Frida, her paintings, a bibliography and more. Have a lovely long weekend!

What's so cool about Savannah?

What am I going to do when I get to Savannah? Glad you asked, here are a few things from my list:
ShopSCAD: This is a unique gallery store that features only the work of faculty, staff, students and alumni of the Savannah College of Art + Design. What would I pick up? Well everything I could from Working Class Studio, (WCS is a product development venture of SCAD), including their melamine plates and note cards. Check out the ShopSCAD site for some great fine art finds too.
340 Bull Street view site here
Paris Market and Brocante: Their site's navigation, (boudoir, garden, powder room), is so intriguing, it makes you want to visit the actual store. They carry all things luxuriously European and they even have a patisserie on-site. The store looks amazing, like you could spend hours browsing all the treasures, check out their blog to see some more pictures and to find out what is going on in the shop. 36 West Broughton Street view site here
Mmmmmm....: After all that shopping I know I'd be famished, so I would take myself to lunch at Mrs. Wilkes. One of my favorite foods is fried chicken and I don’t remember having it since JBatt made it for me for my birthday 3 or so years ago. Well, Mrs. Wilkes has it on the menu every day along with collards, potatoes and more. Plus they change the menu daily (though that fried chicken stays!), only serve lunch and don’t take credit cards. Those places always great. 107 W. Jones St view site here
Something Old: I’d also need to get my historic fix by visiting Bonaventure Cemetery, the Mercer-Williams House, and the Telfair Art Museum. Maybe I’d go recite the girl scout promise, (which I still remember word for word), at Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace too.
Well there are so many others places, I could ramble on for a while, but I'll wait until I get to Savannah to continue. ‘Til then check out Grace from Design*Sponges’s slide show of her trip to the historic area of Savannah and Holly from Decor8’s Savannah shopping guide.
Images from top left are: ShopSCAD window front, Mrs. Wilkes and her lovely spread, patisserie counter at the Paris Market and Brocante (how cute is that dress?), Bonaventure Cemetery from via CNN by Amanda Moulson.