Look away from the bright light…

Hello all. I apologize for the radio silence. I got a little discouraged with the low response to my last post, which made it easier to just procrastinate. The good news is that I have a few things to report.

Leif

First, Leif, lord of the flickers, is installed!

I LOVE HIM!

It’s also interesting to watch people discover (or not discover) him.

Horiya

And along this same vein, I started another project: My horse, Horiya. Horiya means “woman of the gardens”. I always wanted a horse!

Horiya is still not finished. First, I have to add some “bulk” so she more easily reads as a horse. Second, I will have to wait a few years for the honeysuckle plant to work up her legs and across her body. Look at her back legs to see the (tiny) plant. The goal is to have Horiya in a little pasture of clover and pollinators with a path to the Little Free Library alongside.

While neither of these are paintings, they were definitely fun and therefore I am calling them art. I intend to enter Leif in the next online show of ISEA. And maybe Horiya when she is more finished next year.

Paris is 10 Days Away!

I’ve been having trouble getting started on painting because all my attention has been focused on elements of preparing for my 10-DAYS-AWAY trip to Paris. I mean, obviously, the yard and house must be spotless. All projects (ever) finished. And I couldn’t possibly start a new series with this big break happening.

That’s my story, anyway.

I am so excited about this trip. I actually packed two weeks ago because I was driving myself crazy trying to decide if I needed a new suitcase or if everything would fit into my current bag. I’m sure you will be as relieved as I was that it all fit.

There has been a small amount of last-minute drama about the pet sitting situation. Two friends were going to sit the house, dog, and cats; friend A the first week, Friend B the second. Friend B called me last week and explained she was having a family thing and said she could not take the last four days of the trip. So, I’ve been scrambling to find a solution. So far, I have three, but I’m still looking for the perfect one to come along. Anyone want a few days at the coast with a short black dog and pair of stand-offish cats?

When I went to England in 2008, I had each day of the trip packed with events or travel. I arrived in London, where I hit the Changing of the Horse Guards, British Museum, and National Gallery. From there I went to Strafford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle. Then to Birmingham and two days of Crufts. Then to Cheltnam and two days of horse racing. Finally, back to London where I only had time for Kew garden before returning home. It was a great trip, but I’d like a chance to linger if necessary.

For this trip, I am staying the entire two weeks in Paris. I am not adverse to an overnight trip, but I haven’t scheduled one yet. Here is the itinerary.

• Day 1 – Travel
• Day 2 – Travel, arrive, wait to check in at park across street from hotel, the Jardin des Plants
• Day 3 – Louvre
• Day 4 – Musee d’Orsay
• Day 5 – Braderie de Houilles 
• Day 6 – Musee de l’Orangerie
• Day 7 – Versailles
• Day 9 – Louvre (again)
• Day 9 – open
• Day 10 – Auteuil Racecourse
• Day 11 – Montmarte & Sacre Coeur (if not previously done)
• Day 12 – train to nearby bird watching
• Day 13 – errands and re-see
• Day 14 – Travel, return home

Missing from this itinerary are the following items, which I would also like to work in:

• Musee De Cluny
• Musee du Quai Branly
• Musee Eugene Delacroix
• Musee Picasso-Paris
• Musee Rodin
• Eiffel Tower (just to see)
• Notre-Dame Cathedral (will not be open, but I’d like to see anyway)
• Arc de Triomphe (just to see)
• Boulevard du Montparnasse / Montparnasse Tower
• Champ de Mars
• Trocadero
• Place de la Concorde
• Tuileries Garden
• Palais-Royal
• Ile de la Cité
• The Pantheon
• Sainte Chapelle
• Père Lachaise
• Les Marais
• Centre Pompidou

I have purchased two six-day Paris Museum Passes and I intend to use them!

To survive the next few days without looking like this:

I am going to try to not think about it.

Expect to see me running around the block!