The vase

Another creation by Chris Kelsey; I particularly like the way he uses bone ash as the outer layer of glaze to achieve the wrinkly effect. It reminds of something really ancient; something you might find during an archeological dig. Pieces of this type always sell quickly so I asked if he could make more just like it. He informed me that the effect is not exactly reproducible and comes out differently each time, often disastrously, part of the charm I guess. Anyway, one day a friend and I were looking at a similar piece and she asked “what do you put in it…flowers?” He gave us this contemptuous look that read something like ‘you soulless philistines, how dare you presume to debase this work of art…’ but after a pause finally said “it’s fine the way it is, nothing goes in it”. Oops--and that settled that.

I had never cared much for pottery, always thought it kind of a lesser art. A while back I started frequenting the Trackside Studio where Mark Moore and Chris Kelsey create and display. Now…well…as you can see from the photo…pottery is way cool.

Indirect Reflection

Here is another painting by Tom the Artist; from his ‘Indirect Reflection’ series. He tries to explain to me how, what, and why he does what he does, and sometimes...I understand some of what he says-bonus!

Talkie Walkie and the Totem Arro

I scored a great deal on a pair of the waif-ish Totem Arros and started playing some of my favorite CDs. They all sounded pretty good as the Arros put out a huge soundstage, but then I got to Air’s Talkie Walkie from 2004. It had always sounded somewhat cutesy before, I mean, they’re French guys after all. But now, I’m totally floored…c’est fantastique! I finally realize why they named themselves Air. They throw out dense, swirling layers of sound that are at the same time totally ethereal; I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like it. It is similar to what Roxy Music achieved with the 1982 release of Avalon but with significantly improved recording and playback technology that allows one to really hear the skill and craft these guys put into their music.

French Pop + French (Canadian) speakers = a sonic revelation...an aural ephiphany..."wonderful, wonderful, and yet again wonderful".

ArtFest/ElkFest

A piece from local potter Chris Kelsey's 'Origins' series. From the photo, you can't see the glazing inside the egg-like things but the piece is fantastic--this guy is good.

Public art on Riverside Ave.

My daughter Kerry and friend Tom, formerly known as 'The Artist'; neither cared for the raucous and overly crowded Elk. Actually, Tom IS a very fine artist (he did the fab Lake Painting and this gem). We both carried cameras and I was fascinated by his skill or talent in composing shots. That 'creative vision' thing again.

A Quote

I borrowed this from The Naked Soul (great blog, check it out) as it just kind of fit how I felt today-so here you go:

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Do Si Do

Here is a photo of Gram (Caryl Byrne) and one of her good friends ‘Red’ doing what they did best. The local paper reprints old photos from their archive and this one happened to show up. I requested any other photos of my grandmother and father the paper may have and they found about 20; but they wanted $50 a pop for each photo-ouch! Anyway, I knew Red pretty well from my time living with gram as he would often visit with his partner ‘Frenchy’ and I though them both very distinguished, if a bit odd, gentlemen.

The Gav...

...does it again. So there I am at Huckleberry’s waiting for one of my best friends to show so we can have a talk and a ‘juice of the day’ (yea…we are really tough guys, so watch out) and he rolls up on this monstrous thing. Hello!...is it just a reaction to the mid-life crisis or a very shrewd move; only time will tell and I’m betting on the latter.

The Fish

My daughter gave me the fish and water plant for Christmas since she thought I should have 'something alive’ in my place. So OK, now I have a lovely fish that I dote on…really! Even though being confined to a vase seems cruel and unusual, the fish appears to be thriving. A friend who is also a vet told me that the fish would live two years at most and my thought was ‘it’s a miracle this thing is alive at all’ as I keep things a bit cool during the winter. Did I name my pet? Of course, its name is ‘The Fish’.

Tortillaphilia

Tortillaphilia-what will he think of next? Remi’s latest blog is all about the tortilla…in Spokane! Being an unrepentant tortillaphiliac myself, a site like this is manna from heaven. I grew up in Cali, so of course I have an excuse for being a tortilla junkie. Remi is from Norway and has no similar excuse; he is simply a genuine cosmopolite and absolutely correct about De Leon Foods-the revolution begins there.

Only in the USA

Where else do we obsessively stay the course…thumb our collective noses at global warming, etc?

Where else in the world can one see a fridge, in the middle of summer (almost), on a street corner, dispensing ‘the official soft drink of NASCAR’...nice touch, eh?

The hidden hand, the 'genius' of the marketplace at work I suppose, don’t really get it….but, hey…it’s been fun...

The KYRS Outhouse and Receiving Station

The juxtaposition of KYRS and an outhouse is in no way meant to demean a very fine community radio station. It’s just that I will do anything to receive the signal during weekends in the country. Note the antenna attached to the outhouse; in order to receive the weak 50 watt KYRS signal at Newman Lake in hi-fi, drastic measures must be taken...finally...the outhouse is good for something.

See the original post about KYRS for more info.

The Fast Runner...

...is the first and only film made in the Inuit language. Using an old Inuit folk tale as the basis for the plot, it is a stunning, almost surreal, and superbly crafted film about the lives and ancient culture of these incredible people. Popular culture has silly notions about the Eskimos and their existence on the ice and snow, but to see the reality is a shocker...I mean, where is the nearest Safeway? At times I have this conceit that my life is tough-what a joke…it’s just a game I play. The Inuit hardly seem miserable, quite the opposite, but they do lead very strenuous and difficult lives. Me--I go to the grocer and can’t decide what fruit or veggie to eat that day--the Inuit eat raw meat, when they’re lucky.

Imagine a life living in a house made of ice…impossible (for me at least)…watch this great film and see for the first time what it’s really like.

Herzog

Moses Herzog: Self-absorbed middle aged intellectual goes through mid-life crisis. Hey—that’s me!...with the exception of the intellectual part. No, really, this is a modern classic and a great book to discuss with friends (self-absorbed middle aged pseudo-intellectuals like myself...you know...birds of a feather etc). Anyway...Herzog ponders at length such weighty topics as 'how should a man live his life in the modern world'. Fair enough question, don’t you think?

Moshe spends his time writing letters he never sends, tries to exorcize the demon of a disastrous marriage to a beautiful, but uh…difficult woman, and finally finds himself (yea!) while at his wonderful, but semi-abandoned and derelict house in the country.

Wow! I think it’s time for a retreat, of sorts.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Once you tire of the ‘coffee shops’ etc, try the Van Gogh Museum. When I used to think of Van Gogh, it was of his out of this world mature style-the sunflower series, Starry Night, self portraits. Until I visited the Van Gogh Museum, I had no idea how much effort went into developing the style that we’re all familiar with. This man was not just a nutty creative savant who whipped this stuff out …he worked his ass off! The process of how he arrived at his highly articulated creative vision is fascinating and all on display in more or less chronological order in the museum. In the span of 8 years of intense labor, he progressed through a multitude of differing styles, until arriving at Arles primed to create the masterpieces he is known for, just 2 years before the end of his life.

Started painting at 27, dead at 37. Perhaps prozac would have helped, then again, Starry Night may then have looked like something done by Thomas Kinkade.

Another monkey story

I look at this and ask myself…what were you thinking of? My normally discriminating taste in objets d’art was apparently absent the day I spied it. Well, the artist was a cool guy who was really putting it out there, something that should be encouraged, right? So, I wanted to support him in his quest and thought I should get something and the monkey pic was the least expensive painting he had on display. At the time I thought it was great...oy vey!

I suppose I’ll put it next to the family portraits at the lake place.

Mi Familia

Here is dad, the grandfather, sis, gram with doggie, my very lovely mum, and me at 10 or so (in a rare shot of manual labor). My little brother is missing as he hadn't been made yet.

My grandparents would plant a fruit tree for each of the grandchildren in their backyard. Mine was a cherry tree that was massacred by an over-zealous pruner when I was 20-haven’t felt the same since.

craigslist

craigslist, just a bulletin board…simple, direct, and utterly brilliant. You need to move to Amsterdam for six months-find an apartment here. You have a junk fetish-satisfy it here. My favorite section is the best of craigslist. Ranging from the hilarious to rants (…from a UPS driver), mawkish, I’ve so been there stories (The Perfect Craigslist Girl, Or So I Thought), oddities, lots of oddities (My Turtle Needs A Booty Call), and instruction guides (Advice to Young Men from an Old Man), all written by people far more clever than myself. The only downside is that it takes so long to update the best of list that I run out of things to read.

Only in Finland

A church built within a huge rock—wow! The Temppeliaukion Kirrko or ‘Rock Church’ was built in 1969 out of a block of solid granite. I’ve never been but now I know where to go if I should ever find myself in Helsinki. It’s suposed to have great acoustics-think Laser Floyd on an aurora borealis kind of night.

Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill, Wiltshire. About 5,000 years old and no one knows who built it or why. They do know how—with chalk blocks formed with deer antlers and moose shoulder blades—incredible. Archeologists calculate it took 18 million man-hours to create. We climbed to the top and looked around-pretty cool. When we go back to the car park Kerry wanted to take a picture of a lovely Alfa-Romero and instead of ‘pressing the button’ inadvertently opened the camera and exposed all the film. I yelled at her and then we both felt bad. The End.

Private Dancer

From the recent copy of "The Word". File under 'why didn't I think of that?' Perhaps it would give me something to do on Friday nights.

Monkey Attack!

...a tale, told by an idiot, signifying...nothing...but monkeys...

We stay in an old gatehouse near Bath and the proprietor is very kind and spends a lot of time talking to me about where we are going etc on our UK trip. Since my traveling companions are an 11 and 12 year old, the itinerary has to be somewhat kid friendly, so I tell him we’re going to drive through Longleat Animal Park. He becomes very specific at this point and said, ‘do not drive into the monkey enclosure’. So, OK. We get there and drive through the place, the kids like it, and then we get to the gate of the monkey enclosure, which is plastered with all these warnings and disclaimers. I figure, hey, we’re on vacation and they’re just monkeys, what could they possibly do? So, we go in, the monkeys all rush to the car and jump on and I’m thinking they’re friendly little buggers. As we're watching the monkeys one jumps on the hood, removes the little plastic device that directs windshield wash water and pops it into his mouth! The little ******* are eating the car! I’m thinking, oh no, it’s a rental! The kids start screaming and I pop the car into gear and screech out of there. Once we were safe, got out to inspect the damage: 3/8” deep tooth marks on all the high-impact (and hard) plastic pieces of the car, some were chewed up completely and everything removable was gone.

Apparently, monkeys, even small ones, are not to be trifled with. Some just have to learn the hard way...a wise person out there invented rental insurance for people just like me--thank you.

Andrew Wyeth

‘Christina’s World’ was completed in 1948 and hangs in the MOMA in New York. I have a copy hanging in my office and I’m repeatedly fascinated by the way this painting captures an essence. So much is said, but so much is also left to the imagination...in short, a wonderful painting by one of the greats of the last century.

LA Story

Nobody (guys that is) likes a chick-flick, since most are mediocre and not really worth watching. I’m no exception. To be fair, most movies are mediocre, just ‘product’ and not film. But, every so often, a romance comes along that hits the mark, and when it’s good, it’s the best! LA Story is one such film. Up there with the likes of ‘A Room With a View’, ‘Moonstruck’, and the BBC version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, it is one great movie.

Tucson

Spent last week in Tucson, it snowed (bummer) and then I broke my camera by dropping it on the marble floor of the hotel lobby (total bummer). Other than that, it was great!

Seven Devils, Idaho

I like this pic of the kids-it was taken about 5 years ago.

Situated between the Salmon and Snake Rivers in west central Idaho, the Seven Devils offer high alpine hiking that is second to none. Really steep and difficult hiking at times, it is one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been. This stark and austere environment is something you cannot appreciate unless you experience it firsthand.

Drive to the campground at about 8,000 feet and go up from there. While we were up on the 3-mile-wide bench that forms the Seven Devils high country, a goat followed us for about 30 minutes; it must have been looking for food, but a strange occurrence in a strange place nonetheless. As we were up on the ‘bench’ a storm looked like it was headed our way and I thought I could hear it screaming towards us-like something out of a movie. So there I am, totally mesmerized by it all and two A-10 war planes come roaring from behind one of the peaks-impressive, but the spell was broken.

The Lofty

Why sleep on the floor when you can recline on the stainless steel ‘Lofty’. They have got to be kidding, I mean, it looks great, but aren’t humans supposed to use these things for relaxation? Form follows….nothing? It's enough to make me lose faith in nihilism.

Window Drops

Window Drops-a great idea! Just imagine what you could do with a large window to make it more interesting, especially on those gray winter days. Each set includes eight drops of various shapes and sizes The largest drop measures 5" x 2.5"; smallest drop is 2". All for just $13.

P.S. They suck! They don't look like the photo and won't stay on the window.

Time Out

One of those great French films that break down barriers and show us a portrait of domestic middle-class life that is instantly recognizable. After an education and life spent immersed in a somewhat chauvinistic Anglo-American mindset, where the culture of Latin Europe is almost completely ignored or at best downplayed, to see a portrait of life so familiar, here on the frontier of the western world in Spokane WA, is a revelation.

Time Out is the story of Vincent, a consultant/bureaucrat type…etc who loses his position and cannot bring himself to tell his family. The film examines the interlude between positions and the evasions and turmoil of Vincent's life. One of my favorite scenes is of Vincent walking, in the dark, along the outside of the building housing his old firm, watching his former colleagues give presentations and so on. I guess one has to walk in those shoes to know what it feels like. You may feel like your work is dull and repetitious at times, but when seen from the outside, it seems like everything.

This film has an emotional honesty and resonance not typically seen in your typical Hollywood production. Again, to feel that this person could be me from a culture I’ve always been taught to regard as so foreign, so yesteryear, gives the lie as to our supposed dissimilarities. The makers of this film are depicting a world of values and practices more true to my own than almost all the homegrown crap I’ve seen lately. Crap that at times meets its goal of providing entertainment, but doesn’t enlighten. Time Out does just that.

La Evolución

Way cool lighting…when can I get it at Target???

La Evolución provides an exceptional lighting experience to enhance the ambience of a living or work space. These wall-mounted light panels measuring 50×50 cms can be used as single units or can be clustered together to create a striking strip of light. The panels are available in primary basic colors or bearing works of contemporary artists, designers and photographer to create distinctive panels. The light panels are hand-moulded and the surface is polished crystal-clear composite resin.

Atomised

“…all you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be…” Pink Floyd ‘Talk to Me’

I used to sort of believe that, but it wasn’t good enough…it seems as if too many of us are just wasting away in this so-called paradise. Except it’s just a vision of paradise for the many and ends up being a living hell. Not the gut wrenching reality of medieval life, the ‘vale of tears’, but a separateness…a hell with no explanation, no closure, no meaning. Such is the world we have inherited. Lo and behold, miracle of miracles, this is the document that attempts to tell all. After reading this, I am all a quiver with hopefulness and dread. Such is life…this book gets right to the soul of our modern dilemma....society's listlessness as it slips away in a sea of boredom inversely proportionate to our materialism and diminishing fundamental values or belief's in anything. It is a sophisticated and unsparing look at where we're headed.

A good read and translation, full of laughs but deadly serious--highly recommended. I first came across it while reading the top ten lists in The Guardian. Purchased it used on Amazon as it apparently hasn’t been published in the USA. Atomised and Houellebecq are the most thought provoking pair I've met in many a moon. I mean, who would have thought that John Paul II was right all along! I certainly never did, until now. I am confused.