Plans change. Instead of taking it easy my husband and I headed over to Asheville because, why not? Have you been? This was my first visit but not my last. What a great, laid back, artsy hipster town (or at least the parts I spent time in). Check it out…. Continue reading “Take you riding in my car…”
Even though we are experiencing summertime temperatures today is officially the first day of fall and I am more than ready for autumn. Between weekend travels that have taken me north, south, and east to see my children and preparing for the opening night of an art installation next week I haven’t had much free time to explore the web but did manage to stumble upon the following:
I am looking forward to having the next few days off and hope to finalize my Halloween mantle decorations (see last year’s design here), watch the new Kingsmen movie, catch some football (go Eagles!), and cook (I am hoping to make Smoky Pasta alla Vodka and Slow Cooker Honey Lime Ginger Pork). Hope you have a relaxing weekend doing the things that make you happiest…
I have not been a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction since reading The Road (which still gives me occasional nightmares) so I was surprised to find myself engrossed in ‘Bannerless (Bannerless Saga #1)’, by Carrie Vaughn, from the very first page.
After finishing Bannerless I decided if I survive some world-altering event I hope to end up in a Coast Road-like society, where conservation is king, tolerance rules, and government is low-key and localized. Individuals must earn the right to breed and crimes are primarily crop surplus or ‘bannerless’ pregnancy related. That is until a murder occurs, and Enid of Haven (our protagonist) is charged with figuring out what happened and by whose hand. Bannerless alternates between a coming of age love story and whodunit tale while exploring the meaning of family, responsibility, and shared history.
Ms. Vaughn is categorized as a YA fiction writer. Is it wrong that this Grey Goddess still enjoyed her tale? I hope not, because there are more Bannerless books to come and I want to read them all.
How about you? Do you like post-apocalyptic fiction? What are you reading now? I just began The Driver (by Hart Hanson, which I am also enjoying) and would love to know what books are keeping you up and reading late into the night…
If you are a ‘dedicated follower of fashion’ you know the Spring 2018 shows are in full swing at NYFW. In the real world it’s time to think about fall, the upcoming holidays (Halloween! Thanksgiving! Christmas!) and replacing tiny bathing suits with oversized sweaters.
The 2017 fall colors and trends include red, burgundy, navy and grey (four of my favorite colors) featured in furs, velvets, winter florals, midi skirts, and statement earrings, to name a few. I’ve been browsing through the September issues of Bazaar, Vogue and Porter, along with surfing the web, and found a few things that check my Grenadine, Tawny Port, and Ballet Slipper boxes.
Over the next few weeks I will check my favorite navy, grey and spruce ‘boxes’ and show you how to recreate some of my favorite runway looks. Stay tuned…
Even though fall doesn’t ‘officially’ begin until September 21st Labor Day always marks the beginning of autumn for me. I am ready to put summer behind and embrace the fall – for me the season of football, oversized sweaters, hearty meals eaten fireside, and lots of reading. Here are a few of the books I am looking forward to reading before the arrival of winter…
How about you? have you read any good books this summer? Are you looking forward to reading anything special this fall? I’d love to know…
I can’t pinpoint when my love of fairs began but it started at a very early age. Community fairs, school fairs, county fairs, state fairs – I love them all. While each style of fair is unique all fairs have things in common, including entertainment, contests, rides, pageants, games of chance and food… Continue reading “Greasy gears on a carnival ride…”
I spent a lot of time last week exploring ‘all things eclipse’ prior to viewing the big show on Monday, along with preparing for a one-day geneticists meeting, planning a water conservation art installation for September, and driving to Indianapolis and Mobile to help my children get settled into their new apartments and another year of college. What little free time I had left was spent watching pre-season football (Go Eagles!) and web-surfing. Here are a few things which captured the totality of my attention (and hopefully yours as well).
Hope your week (and upcoming weekend) leave you inspired…
On August 21st everyone in the US will, weather permitting, experience some part of the total eclipse of the sun. Here in Nashville, we are expecting 500,000 visitors to join us residents in watching the totality, which is expected to be a two-hour show from start to finish.
Since I forgot to buy glasses I plan on going old-school and make my own out of a Lucky Charms box. If you purchased glasses check to make sure they are ISO 12312-2:2015 solar glasses to avoid damage to your eyes. There are a lot of fakes out there (in our area, a local school district and college just destroyed thousands of dollars of non-ISO solar glasses purchased by accident).
I’ve been spending a lot of time checking out NASA’s Eclipse 101 exploring all things eclipse. You can find interactive maps and eclipse activities, enter the eclipse quilt design contest, learn about eye safety and even watch the live feed on August 21st.
Check out astrophysicist (and my sewing buddy) Natalie Hinkel explain why she loves space, the stars, punk rock, and drinking. Her enthusiasm is infectious (and is partly to blame for my own eclipse excitement)!
Did you know the Monday’s eclipse has been nicknamed the ‘Great American Eclipse’ because it will cross through the United States and no other country. Check out more fun eclipse facts and indulge in some sweet planet lollipops at the same time.
I wish I had some little ones to share the eclipse viewing with. If I did, I would get them ready for the big event with a game of Solar Bingo or by reading Dr. Seuss’s There’s No Place Like Space (sadly, minus Pluto).
Special events deserve to be remembered with special art. To commemorate the event I plan on buying a t-shirt and poster (or two) from artist, astronomer, and night sky ambassador Dr. Tyler Nordgren at Space Art Travel Bureau.
Finally, I am going to keep Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon on rotation as I watch the eclipse in all of its epic totality. I can’t think of a more perfectly suited opus to accompany the earth and sun as they perform their eclipse duet.
How about you? Are you psyched about the eclipse? Will you watch? Do you have any special eclipse viewing plans? I’d love to know…
I just returned from a lovely holiday where I did nothing but hang out with my family, sharing meals, conversation, competitive Scrabble games, and binge watching TV (I’m looking at you S4 The Great British Baking Show).
When I purchased my flights I had not realized that the return portion was with a carrier that charged for the ticket AND for the seat, overhead bin, checked baggage and in flight snacks. Hell, I was ready to bring along a roll of toilet paper in case they charged for using the loo.
Inspired by Project 333 and ‘33 articles of clothing = 25,176 different outfits‘ (not to mention my ‘everything has an up-charge’ flight’) I packed a super light carry-on with my clothes and a tote bag with my books, laptop, and drawing tablet. Surprisingly, I had plenty of outfit options – and relaxing activities – to get me through the week.
I am intrigued by Project 33 and think I am going to give it a try once fall arrives. How about you? Could you survive with only 33 items (including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes)? Let me know if you want to try along with me…
I recently changed jobs and now get to work around and with art every day. I’ve always been good at incorporating my own graphic and stylistic sensibilities into whatever project I am working on but its been many years since art was truly part of my day-to-day responsibilities. I’m not going to lie: it feels a little like a treat each time I open my office door and realize I get to spend the day surrounded by drawings, paintings, photographs, and sculpture… Continue reading “I could make a transformation…”
The Grey Goddess 