On The Road To Phoenix

Think back to the 1800's when settlers in America were pushing west, walking along side their wagons pulled by oxen or riding on horseback. This was what they saw:

It's a very jerky video because we were going nearly 80 miles an hour (the legal speed limit). At about 22 seconds into the video you'll see a tall signpost with a small green image with white on it - 334. At about 1:07 into the video you'll see another one - 333. That means we are 333 miles away from the state border of Texas. The mile markers start at 830 on the east state line along Louisiana and count down to 0 at New Mexico. In the background you can hear faintly the music we are listening to, which at this point happens to be La Vie en Rose from Christine Albert's Texafrance album.

People think we are crazy for driving to Phoenix because it's one whole day just to get out of the state and then a second day to get into Phoenix (and the road from Tucson into Phoenix is baaaad). But we love the drive through Texas. It isn't really boring because at 80 mph the scenery changes fast, from Hill Country to mountains. Yes, Texas has mountains, the picture above is Tit Mountain, which I am sure has another name but that's what I call it. I also love the drive because I can let Susan drive and take a nap and not have to listen to her curse at other drivers. Other drivers? We like to see how long a time span we can go when we can't see any cars in front of us and no cars in our rear view mirror. Try doing that on IH 95 on the east coast!

If I look carefully I swear I can see Gene Autry and Roy Rodgers riding off in the distance, chasing the train robbers and worrying about Indians. John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood are somewhere out there too.

The one bad thing about the road trip is finding a place to stop and pee. Even if you are of the gender that has "outdoor plumbing" it isn't simple - you can't just pull off the side of the road because it isn't allowed unless it's an emergency, which a bladder usually isn't, despite Susan's arguments. Texas has some of the worst rest stops in America. They put interesting mosaics in them but the quality is dubious because they are open-air ventilated. In defense of TexDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) it's probably pretty hard to find someone to drive 103 miles into the desert to service a rest stop.

I'm not sure if I'd want to be taking a small poodle for a walk around this New Mexico rest stop.

Amun

Amun is almost life-size and is supposed to be mounted on a base. That didn't happen because I've decided I'm not that interested in making realistic looking heads. But I do like the colors in his head wrap and plan to try to do more pieces with those colors.

The Best Skeleton Ever

Check back here to see what Susan gave me for Christmas last year. He now sits on a bench in our living room with a fake crow on his shoulder. He is the best present ever and now he can be yours! Susan has advised me she just got the catalog with Ray in it and he can be yours for $79 + shipping. Nope, we aren't affiliated with Grandin Road, we just get their catalogs because they have cool stuff. And if you are a Halloween fan, THIS is the catalog for you (do a search on the word "skeleton"). If you plan on getting one, order it early because last year they ran out quickly. Be advised, it's a cool gift anytime of year.

Susan wanted to get another one because she thought Ray needed a girlfriend but I said no, one child is enough. Neither of us has any idea why Martha Stewart thought she needed to crap up her skeleton with glitter. Bones are beautiful just as they are.

A Necklace

I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how I want to make a jewelry piece. Later, when I'm working I tell Susan not to come in the room, which is hard for her because that's where all her stuff is and where Pandora is playing. So I remind her that Calder made jewelry for his wife, Louisa, and to stay out.

When I'm finished with the piece I have a One-Man Show and she gets to see it. All the pieces I've made are tacked up on a bulletin board for her to admire because she doesn't actually wear jewelry except for her watch, wedding ring, and sometimes earrings.

The watch gear spins and is in a tiny little hole I drilled after learning the technique from Keith LoBue. The face is a resin-filled bezel that I learned how to do in a class with Susan Lenart Kazmer. The base of the piece is etched nickle/silver that I learned how to do in a class with Stephanie Lee. Notice this: Women tell me what to do and I do it. Sometimes.

Sketching

Awhile back Susan gave me a sketchbook she made. It was nice to have a sturdy "manly" looking sketchbook. I've actually done a number of sketches in it as I planned some clay pieces and some jewelry pieces. She suggested I try some color and gave me some cheap watercolors, just like that plastic box you had you had in grade school. After seeing the 1000 Journals documentary I was more open to using other media into the sketchbook. I don't know if I'll ever make these clay pieces but I liked adding the color to the sketches.

1000 Journals and Someguy

We were in Phoenix earlier this month and were fortunate to attend a screening of the documentary 1000 Journals. Even better than that, Someguy, the Project Creator, was there and did a Q-and-A after the screening. Even better than that, he signed his book (click here) for people. AND, even better than that, he brought some of the Journals with him and we got to put stuff in them! Actually, Susan did all the writing and even added a small sticker photo of us (the one in the blog from our anniversary) and also a sticker of a graffiti hand.

How could he bring journals for us to put stuff in? Easy - he's received some back and they weren't totally filled in, some blank pages were still waiting for their words and images. Which one did Susan write in? We have no idea because the line of people behind us waiting for their turn was getting restless so she surrendered the Journal in a hurry.

How many Journals went out into the world? 1000. How many have come back to him? Around 30, but over 235 of them have pages that have been scanned and uploaded (click here) so he knows they are "active". What is Someguy like? A nice, easy-going, gentle soul. What does he look like? Here's your chance to see:

Inessa

This is Petya's sister, Inessa. If you are wondering where the names come from here's your answer: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. It's a book I read this summer and to keep track of the characters I write names down. Sometimes I write down minor characters' names just because they sound neat. Then I have a list of names to use for my people I make.

Both Petra and Inessa are about 20 inches tall. The picture below shows her back.

Again, Susan claimed these pieces and attacked them with her stencils and spray paint.

Pingo

Pingo is one of my favorites. The photos below show his creation: 1) shaped piece, 2) underglazes applied, 3) underglazes wiped down and clear glaze (pink) applied in the last step before firing.

Felix and Oscar

Three guesses, and the first two don't count, to decide where I work and where Susan works. Susan looked at the picture and declared her space was looking pretty good because all she had to do was move the grey plastic bin and she had another spot to pile stuff on. The table in the back is actually supposed to be outside for messy painting work. We brought it inside this winter and she started piling stuff on it. When it came time to take it back outside... I had to go buy another one (Wal-mart, $29, 2'x4', fold-out legs).

Felix and Oscar, the original Odd Couple, would feel right at home with us. If you are thinking of feeling sorry for me, crammed into the corner on the right, don't. I've claimed the entire 2-car garage for my ceramics work. This is a very bad thing when the temperature hits the 100's and you have to get in a car that has been sitting in the heat all day. Those shiny silvery dashboard folder things do not keep the car cooler, they just let you hold the steering wheel without burning your hands. Women over a certain age get very cranky when their cars have to sit in the sun all day and yes, definitely yes, I know the correct answer to the question "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

Petya

This was a piece I made that I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to do the glazing. After having it be in the way for over a year Susan gave me an ultimatum: "Either you do something with it in six months or it's mine to mess up."

Then she gave me a second six-months grace period: "Either you do something with it in six months or I'm going to spray paint it." Obviously I couldn't get my act together. Petya looks terrific now and she has a sister that you'll see in a few days.


In the photo below you can see Petra in the background, prior to be attacked. Susan's a maniac with spray paint. She hates wearing the respirator mask (it's hotter than hell and it messes up her glasses) but it totally elimintes the paint smell so she uses it faithfully.

Varlam

Varlam was created in a ceramic sculpture class I took from Alejandra Almuelle. He was originally going to be about 5 feet tall . But the kiln I use takes pieces only under 27 inches tall so that meant segmenting the piece. The legs/lower half never got made so Varlam does have a belly button but nothing south of that.


The ceramic eye and shoulder patches are supposed to look like leather and they were fired with real nails in place.

Fyodor

Fyodor is made from Longhorn White clay and painted with underglazes (Black, White and Redwood). He was bisque fired before painting and then glaze fired. He will eventually acquire a slight sheen from waxing him or firing with a clear glaze. It's easier to take pictures when there isn't a glare from the piece.

Disintegration Finale, Part Two

The backing sheet of the diploma showed a lot of rust but not much else. Susan did some kind of tricky cutting where the whole piece came apart into one huge long strand. We just hung that as ShovelHead's hair. We'd thought about leaving the long strand hanging from a tree but it was too much trouble to get out the ladder to do that.

So, the final part of my Disintegration piece has gone back outside to continue to disintegrate. The nasty plastic film on the paper will probably keep it from being useful to the birds but I'm contemplating rubbing peanut butter on it to see what the squirrels will do. Since the squirrels gnaw through the metal on my "squirrel-proof" bird feeder, I'm sure the plastic will just be an appetizer for them.

I made the ShovelHead people when I was taking welding. There are about 3 more stuck around in our yard. They don't particularily have personality and therefore they don't have names but they do a good job as sentries.

Thank again, Seth, for getting us all involved in Disintegration Collaboration.

Disintegration Finale, Part One

Seth started it with his Disintegration Collaboration and we all put our bundles and whatever out into the environment. My diploma, which gave me the right to add a 4th set of initials after my name (don't get excited, they don't include PhD), remained pretty resistant to the elements which included only about 3 days of rain over 6 months. I had actually hoped it would burst into flames in our summer heat.

Once Susan took it out of the sculpture (bottom photo) it had been sitting in for 6 months and started picking at it, we discovered why it wouldn't disintegrate. The diploma was printed on a heavy paper which was fused to a plastic film and then fused onto a backing sheet. It seemed like just one thick piece of paper but the plastic film in the middle kept it from any serious damage. She ripped and peeled and got it all apart and the backing sheet is being cut into strips to make "hair" for one of my outdoor ShovelHead people (will be shown in Part Two).

The front was transformed into the piece you see, with detail photos. I had nothing to do with it other than to say "Needs more... something" as she worked on it. The miscellaneous painted pieces collaged on are papers we worked on together in the past. The whole piece is stitched, wired, and glued onto black canvas. I like it. (As opposed to hating the job that required the damned thing.)


Grateful thanks to Seth from The Altered Page for an interesting Collaboration.

Original attempt at disintegration, Feb 12 - July 26, 2009.

Dry, Dry, Dry

July 29 - After

We are unhappy here. We are having "Exceptional Drought" conditions. This is not a school report card so it does not mean we are doing well. Unless you count brown leaves and dying plants. I've had to sweep dead dry leaves off our deck several times now.

May 30 -- Before

Even my Garden Guards are tired of this weather. So are all the ranchers and farmers. Let's not even talk about the record 40+ days over 100 degrees. Let's not talk about the new air conditioning unit we had to buy. At least it works.

Late edit: A very demented blogger, who knows we look at her blog, has put up this evil post. Her own personal form of waterboarding, so to speak. Central Texans, do not let your children see her video clip: "Daddy, what is that stuff?"

Late, Late edit: As Robyn suggested, we did some rain dancing which was horizontal (better known as a "nap"). It worked. Sort of. We got a total of 17 minutes of rain. That's like spitting in the ocean and thinking it will make a difference.

Graffiti Guy Once Again

We have a new sighting of Graffiti Guy! The picture above came from Angela Cunningham and he was spotted in Davis Square in Somerville, MA. Congratulations, Angela, on your sharp eyes and thanks for the picture. He looks a little different now but it's still him. Blog Readers, be on the lookout for him!

Who is Graffiti Guy? I have no idea but we've spotted him ... correction: Susan has spotted him in New York City on 53rd St (seen in photo below in April 2008 and then again, looking a little bit worn down, in April 2009).

The last sighting (below) Susan made was on 17th Street in Washington DC in April 2009. Somehow she thinks having a camera up near your face makes traffic automatically stop for you as you stand in the street. Wrong.

Finally, who is Angela Cunningham? Go here to see some really cool stuff she has done and go here to see what I've said about her before. And, for a preview, here is sample of her work.

A Quintessential Austin Experience

I'm lucky enough to be married to a very, very good cook. Back in the dark ages, when pasta meant only spaghetti she learned to make many kinds of pasta (we still have the pasta roller which has not been used for rolling out clay). And when anything other than white bread was hard to find, she made bread. She took cooking classes, bought, read (of course) and used cookbooks, and subscribed to numerous cooking magazines.

All of this was great and it made for some fantastic meals. We used to have a big hot tub in our back yard and we'd throw big dinner parties on Sunday night that were called "Smoke and Soak". This was the 70's. Enough said. But after about 10 of years of doing them Susan got tired of spending all day Saturday shopping and prepping food and then all day Sunday getting ready, She didn't "smoke" so she was the only one with enough logical brain cells to clean up (and pass out the kazoos to the idiots in the hot tub). So we quit doing that and focused on working 80 hours a week instead.

Fast forward a number of years -- Austin has developed Central Market and is the World Headquarters of Whole Foods. Gourmet food is easy to find and both stores offer many different take-out options so we do a lot of take-out, which Susan can't resist ramping up the quality on (see previous post).

But we very, very rarely eat out. Hardly ever. Two reasons:

Reason #1 - Susan can cook me a meal better than most restaurants.
She doesn't do things like "Oyster Gonads Napped with a Pomegranate Suspension of Fuzzy Wahoo Cheeks" or like "Fresh Bermuda Grass Marinated in Moose Cheese Reduction Goosebuds and Adorned with Blueberry Oatmeal Chaff" but I don't eat stuff like that anyway.

Reason #2 - I hate the pomp and circumstance.
That encompasses the tedium of be waited on (and I have been a waiter myself), of waiting for someone to pay attention to me, of waiting for it to be my turn for the server to bring the too hot-too cold dinner, of listening to a menu being recited and trying to remember each Special, of waiting for a check, of having to do the math for a tip, of having to tip for mediocre service, of having to pick an overpriced wine I know nothing about, and having to yell over the din of the other people because the room is loud and echo-y because they know that will move people out faster, or having to whisper because the place is as quiet as a tomb and you can hear the people at the next table chewing. Oh, and valet parking. I HATE valet parking.

So when Susan told me we were going out to dinner I was a little dubious. It was a 30-minute drive away from town, it was a fixed menu and a fixed time, and a small room. Maybe even we'd have to sit at a table with Other People! I splurged and bought a $15 bottle of wine and off we went.

The result? The best meal and best evening we've had in years and years. A small quiet room with only a few people gathered, casual but attentive service, and a gracious host. There is always an alternative vegetarian offering (Tempeh with Chimichurri the night we were there). If you ever come to Austin, go to Ronnie's. You might see us there because we'll be going back.

The picture at the top of this post shows how happy I was with my meal. The picture at the bottom shows the two main dishes (we had Ronnie split them for us) and obviously we were too busy eating to bother with the pictures until halfway through the meal.

Ronnie's Real Food Bistro at Elysium,
Menu for July 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mediterranean Dip with Flat Bread
I
Watermelon Gazpacho
This is a savory soup with a subtle, teasing flavor and great color. It makes a terrific opening summertime dinner course. Served cool.
II
Roasted Port Tenderloin with Chimichurri
or
Mahimahi with Cranberry-Ginger Sauce
The pork tenderloin is rubbed with sea salt, ground cumin, ground coriander and fresh ground black pepper and then roasted. It is served with chimichurri, a thick herb sauce of Argentina, and organic couscous. Mahimahi fillets are grilled and topped with a cranberry, ginger and mirin sauce and served with organic couscous.
III
Seasonal Salad of Green Beans and Tomato with Pumpkin Seed Dressing
Green beans, tomatoes, and salad greens are enlivened by a thickened dressing that's almost like a Mexican pesto. Its body and creaminess come from ground toasted pumpkin seeds.
IV
Espresso-Rum Creme Custard
Satisfying and creamy, this espresso-rum creme custard is a divine way to finish a summertime meal.

Complimentary Coffee
BCYOB (bring chilled your own bottle, no corkage fee)

Seating is at 7:00 p.m.
Cost of the four-course dinner is $25 and includes all taxes and gratuities.

Books and Laura Bush

Yes, Yours Truly, arm in arm with Former First Lady Laura Bush. If you'll look closely you'll see that not only did I put my arm around her (she's not the Queen!), she put her arm around me. Yes! The charm still works.

The occasion was the grand opening of the Laura Bush Community Library here in Austin. Susan and I have donated money to the Westbank Community Library for nearly 25 years, both as just plain donations and also as donations In Memory Of. As the community grew, the library got more and more use so finally it was time to open this second branch.

We ignore politics when it comes to books. Laura Bush, a former librarian, is a definite asset to writers and libraries. When she was First Lady of Texas she started the Texas Book Festival and when she becase The First Lady she encouraged the development of the National Book Festival.

Susan comes from a family of Readers and if you are a Reader you'll understand why that word is capitalized. Readers read books, as children they read books after lights-out with a flashlight, they read magazines, they read newspapers, they read maps, they read instruction manuals, they even read the back of cereal boxes as they eat. When Readers take plane trips they plan carefully the number of paperback books to take. For example, a 4-hour flight means 4 books -- one carefully selected to read on the 4-hour flight, one to backup the first one in case it turns out to be a lousy book, one to read after the first one in case the flight is delayed and the first one is finished, and one to read once you arrive just in case there isn't a place to immediately buy another one. Kindle is not an option because you can't stack it in your bookcase and admire the stack, you can't make pencil underlines of your favorite lines, you can't fold the corners down, and it looks strange if you take a Kindle into the bathroom.

My Mother thought reading was a waste of time and my family ridiculed Susan for reading books so much she learned not to bring them out when she was around them. I never cared that she read all the time, in fact I was envious I couldn't easily do that. Years ago I was just a "slow" reader, but today it's identified as a particular form of dyslexia. Even reading a newspaper front page can take me over 30 minutes.

Susan kept patiently giving me books, pulling me into bookstores and libraries and encouraging me to just "practice" reading, telling me it would eventually become more natural and I would learn to love it as much as she did. She was right. Today I finished Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 and I fell in love once again with words and books and the magical worlds they create for me.

The Voice, Now Silent

In 1994 we were in Normandy for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day, with Susan's step-father in a special tour with his military veterans' group, the 29th Division. Our three large busloads of veterans and their families had been feted and honored for a week (the 29th Division went on Normandy Beach on D-Day and then on to liberate St. Lo and many other small villages). A typical day with the veterans involved visits to as many as six separate villages, each visit involving a parade, speeches, floral presentations, French and American national anthems and songs, elaborate meals, special wine (even at 10 a.m.), many, many toasts, and many hugs from the local French. By the end of each day we were stuffed, drunk and exhausted but the veterans, mostly in their 70's, were energized by the excitement and the warmth of the French people of the villages.

These were the days of the presidency of Bill Clinton, a man who did not serve in the armed forces. This fact did not sit well with these veterans. Not well at all. In fact, there was grumbling and harsh comments made by a number of them. This surprised us because up until that point we had seen the veterans being pretty polite and docile as they were being herded around. (This Youtube video will give you an idea of how it was and what the average veteran looked like). Our generation was the one to protest and make loud accusations, not theirs.

The day of the anniversary we were processed on to our buses at 7:00 a.m. for the ceremonies at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy Beach, which didn't actually begin until about 1:00 in the afternoon. There would be traffic jams, bus jockeying, long lines to stand in and numerous strict security checkpoints before we could even get to our reserved seat section. On the way to the ceremony the buses for all groups were pulled off the road and active duty French and American military officers got on and proceded to sternly lecture us all: Under NO circumstances would any negative statements or negative actions about President Bill Clinton be tolerated.

Evidently word had begun to filter out that the veterans in many Divisions and in other groups also were not happy about Clinton's appearance at the ceremony and might do something public to demonstrate their disapproval of his lack of military service, something like boo him or stand up and turn their backs when he spoke. We were told any "controversial" actions would result in immediate "ejection" from the ceremony. This was a little frightening and the bus was pretty quite and subdued for the rest of the ride.

Having to be to our seats about three hours before the ceremony gave the veterans plenty of time to go up and down the aisles and visiting the veterans in other Divisons, units and groups. They reminisced, told stories and began again to grumble about Clinton.

What was the grumbling like? "That s.o.b. had better not have anything to say." "We won't listen to any draft-dodger." "Who does he think he is to talk to us? Nobody ever fired on him." And the worst part: "We're going to let him know what we think about him." This was really making us nervous. What would happen when the speeches began? Would the veterans shame themselves by making a disturbance?

No, they didn't. They behaved with dignity and showed respect to the gathered leaders and dignitaries. How did they manage this complete turn-around in attitude? The opening speaker did it. One magic, reassuring voice came out over the loudspeakers to begin the ceremony, one immediately identifiable voice calmed them, one voice that they knew was the heart of all the daily stories that defined their America: Walter Cronkite.

One Step

Diane asked "Where Were You on July 20, 1969?" as man first walked on the moon.

Don: It was Day 176 in DaNang, Vietnam for me. I set up my big reel-to-reel tape recorder to tape the broadcast of the moon landing that we were able to get there on the base. I wanted to have a verbal record of history being made. (One of the "spoils of war" most Vietnam vets recall is being able to buy cameras and stereo equipment incredibly cheaply at the base/post exchanges. Many long, tedious, exhaustive conversations there had to do with the various pros and cons of the equipment being contemplated for purchase.) The recorder reel would tape for about 2 hours so when chow time arrived I left it running and went to grab a bite. The chow hall had the broadcast on so I listened there to the actual landing. When I came back, the recorder was shut off! My roommate had come in, seen the recorder going and thought I had forgotten to turn it off. So he turned it off for me. So much for the recording of history.

Susan: I walked out into the parking lot of the apartment building I lived in and looked up at the moon with binoculars. It seemed as if you looked hard enough you'd be able to see someone there. I knew history was being made but all I could think of was that Don was probably looking up at the moon the same time I was, halfway around the world, away from me.

Don: A movie that is still makes be hold my breath as I try to white-knuckle the space module down is Apollo 13. For a real kick, download Google Earth. Click on the icon for Moon and in the Layers box click on Apollo Missions, Apollo 11 (the moon landing). You'll be able to watch old video clips of the landing transmissions and see close-up photos. Cool stuff. And it's interesting to scan the surface of the moon and see all the little national flags showing the landings over the years. I had no idea there had been so many hits on the moon by other countries.