OK. Enough of the travelogue, already. Time to get to some real news. I thought I'd highlight a few interesting items that have caught my attention, lately.
First, are you a geezer or geezer-in-training and wish that your Facebook apps were a little more, uh, your speed? Not into the "Trend Setter" or "Spark" applications? Here's the site for you--Pensionbook... http://www.straightfrommybrain.com/pages/right/pensionbook.html
Thanks to Rachel...
And, if you're a white person, here's a site to help you understand our "culture" just a little bit better. I think it's hilarious--and also painfully true, though I have no idea who Michael Gondry (#68) is--I guess I should. Oscar parties (#74) and musical comedies (#77) are on the list. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/
Rachel and NPR (#44) were on this one almost simultaneously...
Ha ha! Tired of the old, tired Mardi Gras or St. Patrick's Day celebrations? If you lived near Nederland, Colorado (and we used to--it's up in the mountains just above Boulder) you could join in the fun at Frozen Dead Guy Days, March 6-9. I love it! Apparently, some cryogenically preserved man was left behind by his family, who were deported to Norway, and was discovered in a shed in Nederland in1994 (too bad he couldn't hang until he got back to Norway, where they could've just left him outside). By 2002, they had a full-scale, annual celebration going to commemorate "Grandpa", who still "lives" in town, in a stainless steel coffin. Where else would men paint their faces silver with blue lips, vying to win the "Grampa Look-alike Contest"? There's a coffin race, Polar plunge, and a frozen pizza toss. Here's the site: http://www.nederlandchamber.org/FrozenDeadGuyDays/
Check it out--it's a hoot!
Found this in American Profile Mag, a freebie that comes with the newspaper.
So, Tom was able to set up breakfasts and a lunch with his chums on Thursday and Friday. When it was my turn with the car, I caught a few other folks off guard, as I swooped down on them for a quick visit.
Friday evening was the rehearsal and post-rehearsal party, the first of an impressive string of wedding extravaganzas. The rehearsal/wedding was at La Jolla Pres, a lovely, Spanish-style church near the art museum. It was there that we really started to get the gist of how beautiful and elegant an affair this was shaping up to be--and some of the old friends we were going to be spending some time with (I know...a preposition at the end of a sentence. So sue me). Scott and Jean Oas, were there, friends for 25 years and whom we hadn't laid eyes on for about the last 7 or 8 (they live in CO). So fun! We had met Julie several months before, with Devin, but we reacquainted ourselves. 
And it had been awhile since we'd seen Abby or Megan Long, gorgeous creatures. They were just two, however, of the 18 (eighteen) attendants who lined up on orders of the rather imperious wedding coordinator. Yow! Cast of thousands! The party was in Old Town at the Coyote Cafe. Terrie had put together the perfect festive table decor, the food was wonderful and the "program" was great--Devin and Julie handing out gifts to and acknowledging the friendships of each friend/attendant, plus a charming video of the happy couple. Very classy. Robin and Whitey, Patty Edwards and Calee Oas, also among those of whom we measure last sightings in years, were there, plus many CCCers we love. Cool party.
Next morning, we were part of a great brunch at Miriam and Andy's and where we had more time to catch up with all of the above and more church friends, including Devin, I might add. The Montessoros (that would be Miriam and Andy) have gradually been transforming their already nice house into Architectural Digest elegant. Very impressive.
The wedding was at four. It was beautiful. Devin and Julie seemed pretty coherent throughout--even looked like they were enjoying themselves. And we didn't mess up the song. Perfect! OK, the dresses: Julie in an amazing white dress, the attendants in elegant black sheath-type dresses. All carried reddish bronze calla lilies, the bride with red roses mixed in. Quite stunning.
The reception was held at the El Cortez ballroom downtown, a round room with columns and a rococo-style gilded ceiling. The cocktail time was held in a massive white tent, outside. Satin tablecloths and and linens, inside; exquisite flower arrangements on each table; cool dj; fun dancing! Late in the party, Kyle was able to make a quick appearance and...
We visited with her at home shortly thereafter. But, she and Noel were up, again, at 4 the next morning to drive to Palm Springs for a meeting (though, by now, they're bopping around, uh, India). Many thanks, again, to them for their gracious hospitality! We went off to church, where we did our best to greet and chat with as many people as possible, hugging our way through the building. So difficult! It was great to see folks, and so frustrating to have so little time!
Then, we made a stop at the Long's for brunch, where the bride, groom, attendants, friends, and more friends were hanging out. Devin and Julie were planning to leave for Argentina the next morning, so they were having a good time. All in all, they, the Longs and the Ratchfords (Julie's folks) put on an amazing sequence of awesome celebrations and we thank them for including us! We wish Devin and Julie a wonderful life together!
About 1pm, Sunday, we started for home, arriving around 10:30. We made good time. Stopping for Twisters and shakes at Foster's was the cherry on the banana split weekend.
The photos are: Tic and Terrie at rehearsal, Devin and Julie at the reception, Terrie, Jean and Patti, John, Gwen and Abby, and the Craig and Karen.
Last Wednesday, we set out from Gold Country to Old Gold Country. The primary mission was to join in the celebration of Devin and Julie Long's wedding. WOO HOO! The secondary goals were to disrupt CCC choir practice, wreak havoc on the Becchetti household, eat as much free food as possible, and set the Guinness World Hugging Record. Missions all accomplished (not absolutely sure about the hugging thing, but we got close)!
The San Joaquin Valley was beautiful, with super-green hills and blooming orchards (just like a couple of days before, when I was driving home from LA). Here's a pic from the moving car. And it was eerie how easily we sailed through LA late on a Wed. afternoon. Actually, both directions were strangely free of maddening monster traffic jams. What gives? The Rapture? Bird Flu? Preparation for Oscar parties? So, yes, the timing for our assault on choir practice was perfect! We arrived just at starting time (traditional burritos in hand), so that, of course, it couldn't. Start, that is.
Ha ha! But Valerie smiled through it. It was sort of a smile. When our burritos were finally plugging our mouths shut, we listened to the lovely singing...to recorded accompaniment. Terry, their piano guy, was gone that evening. So, Tom plopped himself down and filled in. Just like old times. At the break, we got to chat a bit more with our friends and soak in lots of hugs. After the break--oops, there was no "after". It was time to go home. Ha ha! Sorry, Val!
Then, it was off to the Becchetti's B&B. Kyle was in Chicago, unfortunately, doing "Important Stuff" at North Park College/Seminary. But, Noel was there to greet us with yummy (sorry, Rachel) dessert. He's quite the Mr. Hospitality and runs a tidy establishment, for future reference. One of the advantages of staying there, besides hanging with our good neatnik friend, was that we had plenty of time to practice our song for Devin and Julie's wedding. No kidding! They asked us geezers to sing and play a beautiful song during the ceremony! Noel played the guitar and sang lead, while I added harmony and Tom filled in the background on the keyboard. Both Tom and I really do miss playing and singing (respectively) with other folks, so it was great to have such fun opportunities, last week.
Hmm. I've only covered the first day, so far. Tomorrow, if you can stand the suspense, there will be further Adventures of Tom and Sandy in Sandiegoland (Sandy wonders...did we take a wrong turn? What's with the rain!).
As usual, I'm completely overcome by my experiences at a calligraphy conference. And, as usual, my inclinations are to go complete-immersion-full-bore-ignore-every-other-earthly-activity-but-calligraphy or quit altogether, and devote my artistic proclivities to any other kind of artsy direction. And, also as usual, I'll probably land somewhere, a bit unsatisfied, in the middle.
I won't wax on too much about about the conference or calligraphy, itself, because most of it would make the eyes of even the most hardy of readers glaze over in a hurry. But, here are a few bullet points:
*It was held at Kellogg Conf. Center at Cal Poly Pomona. It was my first trip to the campus (we're familiar with CP/SLO, where Dylan attended) and, against the green hills and snowy mountains, it was quite a beautiful setting. I happen to know that it doesn't look like that every day, unfortunately. Also, great facilities and a minefield of wonderful food lurking around every corner.
*The 7+hour drive in each direction was easy and nearly painless (minor traffic issues). The SJ Valley is green and gorgeous, also edged with snowy mountains, and the orchards are beginning to bloom bright pink.
*I spent the nights at Gold Manor, Tom's Mom's home about 15 minutes from Cal Poly. I could have stayed at the conference center, but thought it would be more fun to stay with her. And I was right! We had all of Valentine's Day evening together (the day I drove down). The rest of the time was spent between 10pm and 8am, or so, each day, but we still crammed in some good conversations and a little bit of Pride and Prejudice on TV. Lovely!
*We had great fun in the class I took (there were a number of others). I studied black letter (often commonly known as "old English" or "Gothic") with the master, Ward Dunham, assisted by his wife, Linnea Lundquist, a world-class calligrapher and type designer in her own right. They were a hoot! Night and Day. Yin and Yang. In the photos, he's the big guy, she's the small red-haired woman holding the giant ink sticks--and the Hammer. He's very prone to launching into tangents and stories; she quietly and firmly reins him back in. The class was small-10 folks. We laughed a lot, learned a lot.
*Huell makes an appearance. Speaking of hoots, Huell Howser showed up to tape a show about the conference. I won't go in to how many years we have been laughing and groaning at Huell's expense (many!). He has the most embarrassing narrative and interview style humanly possible as he "Wow"s himself all over the state. And still we watch and learn a few things. Our conference was the target, this time. And our classroom was on his route, as you can see. He interviewed most of us, but my guess is, that Ward will be the feature and the rest of us will end up on the cutting room floor. Still, quite the moment. Airs in April, and I'll send a heads-up.
*Hedgehog corner: One remarkable woman in our class of other remarkable people brought her pet African pygmy (hard word to type) hedgehog to class one day. Anyone who knows me would know that I wouldn't be able to resist! SO cute! And prickly! I held her for about 15 minutes as about everyone else in the building filed by to take pictures. I took some after I gave her back (sniff) to her owner, Linda. Here's a website about them: http://www.hedgehogworld.com/
Who knew?
*I was truly happy to be in this warm, friendly environment, full of such gifted people, many of them the absolute best in their area. Really. There were so many calligraphers present whose caliber of work I will achieve only in my dreams. So, I guess I should sleep more...
That's it. It was good to get home. I'm full of inspiration! However, now I must do a bit of laundry and run some errands as we get ready to drive back to SoCal, San Diego, this time, for Devin's wedding. We'll be driving home Sunday or Monday, so, until then...
Southern California, here I come. I'm drivin' to Pomona for a regional calligraphy conference, for a few days. Yup. With a concentration in black letter and a couple of smaller classes, plus various demonstrations, new books to check out, new inks, pens, brushes...Can you feel it? And, to top it all off, I'll be hanging out with Tom's mom, who lives a few miles away from the Kellogg Conference Center at Cal Poly and has graciously offered her hospitality. I'm planning to be back home by Monday evening to write all about it. Pictures and everything. Tom will enjoy complete control of the TV and unlimited frozen pizza, while I'm gone. Don't think he's not looking forward to it, a bit, himself. So, off I go...
The weather's warmed up about 25 degrees around here, the last week, or so. The snow is melting where the sun hits it. That would exclude our front patio area, on the north side of the house, and through which we always enter and exit. There's still 6"-18" piled up, especially under the eaves. And it's not the friendly, fluffy, fun kind of snow. It's turned into the icy, hard, grumpy and unpredictable kind of snow. Maybe you can walk on top of it, maybe you fall through. Maybe it grabs your shoes, maybe it's like walking on banana peels. No telling. Leaving the house almost requires us to belay on and rope up. I tried to cut a path through it over the weekend, and gave up. It's all part of our winter learning curve. Shovel the path when it's new and light and fluffy.
From the Police Blotter:
"11:42 a.m.--A caller reported juveniles were building snowmen on Ridge Road near Zion Street. An officer was unable to locate the juveniles." [Diabolical!! Any sign of the snowmen?]
"12:54 a.m.--A caller from Colfax Avenue reported seeing something on fire. The "fire" was steam coming off the pool at Veterans Memorial Park." [sigh]
"8:11 p.m.--A man called 911 from the 14000 block of Highway 49 to report a possible heart attack. Paramedics responded, and requested deputies respond to explain proper use of 911 to the man. He said he wanted to reach his girlfriend at the hospital and he thought he could get through easier by calling 911." [perhaps those picky paramedics just need to adjust their definition of the word "emergency"]
[This one was selected as the Union's "Item of the Day"]
"Wednesday, 9:05 a.m.--A caller from a business on the 12000 block of Highway 49 reported a man wearing a white camouflage winter outfit walked into the business and started a fight. he then went across the street to a concrete pumping station and told people he needed help getting his truck back. The man returned to the business and stole the owner's dog. The owner was chasing after the man. Police arrested the man on suspicion of grand theft and making threats." [How'd the police find him in his full white winter cammies?]
Cool websites:
I love this art-morph of women! It's been around, before, so you may have seen it, but here it is, again: http://miraulam.multiply.com/video/item/38
Really. Check it out.
And, since I know none of you would DREAM of disposing of your electronic has-beens irresponsibly, you probably have it all figured out. Just in case, though, here's a fun site that is also the place to learn what to do when you have a phone, or TV or computer, etc., that you've just replaced with a zippy new model. http://www.gcycle.org/
The art and animation, alone, is worth a click.
...Dylan lives on the other side of Potrero Hill from the shop, an aerobic 25 minutes' walk up and over.
He, Charlie and Jim share the top floor of Rhode Island Manor, a San Francisco-funky Dracula-meets-Jane Austen with gothic arches, inlaid floors, and a chandelier in every room, bathroom included. There's a telephone booth-sized entryway featuring a little shrine of the house, itself, glowing red at night to match the outdoor lighting and hotel-style awnings. 
Random gargoyles lurk near the front door. Oh yeah, and there's a sun room (with chandelier) on the deck in back with a magnificent 200 degree view of the City. Dylan's Sweden-made chair is there (that's it under Dylan and his computer). In a city crammed with character-laden houses, this one can certainly hold it's own.
One of the best features is the location. We took a walk around the neighborhood, which includes the Mission, lively with music, Latino markets and taquerias. No shortage of good food and atmosphere. 
Anyway, it's a good place for them as they move ahead with their plans to rule the furniture world. We'll make sure to pop over regularly to watch a bit of the magic and munch some tacos...
Tom and I took a little drive to San Francisco, yesterday, to meet up with Dylan and poke our noses into his world for a few hours. We went straight to the heart of things--his shop. He spends most of his waking hours at a multi-storied warehouse-type building near the dry docks in the Potrero Hill district, a bit south of AT&T Park. The building houses a film school, photographers, bakery, chocolate factory, other artist-craftsperson types, etc. 
Dylan and his partners occupy a space on the third floor and call themselves Link Studios. Each of them does his own thing, but they also collaborate freely. One of the major features of the shop is the C&C machine (pictured below). It's a computer-run cutting tool that can cut many kinds of materials with super-high precision. Troy and Charlie are the experts on that baby. Troy, in fact, is, at the moment, working on a project (with another guy) producing carbon fiber travel guitars (some of the parts being fabricated in China). They're so cool and light and sound beautiful. I've included a shot of one.
Meanwhile, Dylan is all about producing a few prototypes of several lines of furniture and picture frames he wants to make commercially viable. He has a couple of bookshelf units completed (or nearly so) that come from a limitless catalog of drawings and ideas he's been working on for many years. He has fun ideas for children's furniture, which also reflect his quirky, unexpected design tendencies.
The dark set of shelves in the photos, which are further iterations of the white shelves in the other picture, are just one kind of idea, and can be configured in a number of different ways. But all of his designs contain an unusual "twist" (sometimes literally). The photos don't do the pieces justice, let me just say. It has always been so much fun to look at his designs and also the craftsmanship of the pieces he's made, so it's quite exciting to see how he's pulling his ideas into focus for a presentation to the home furnishings market.
To that end, he and his shop partners, along with some outside folks, as well, are planning for a big gallery show of their work. This event will take place in San Francisco in May, and is slated to include the work of several artists/designers/musicians, and they are using all of their considerable contacts to attract the necessary attention. It's a big basket into which they are putting a lot, though not all, of their beautiful eggs. We're excited about it. He is too. And he's putting huge hours into the production of these pieces, plus some of the promotional materials.
I'll continue to post updates of his work and progress toward the show...Meanwhile, a few blocks away...
This is a Special Edition Two-Day Blog Entry, since I won't finish it until tomorrow (Friday) evening. That's just because it's already after dinner and we have to start catching up with Lost (bad timing with the power failures last week).
Rachel was here for a few days, this week; she took herself off to Tahoe to drop her stuff off over there, and tomorrow we're meeting up in Sacto (on her way back to SF) to do Something Interesting. For the most part, we just hung out, each of us working on our own tasks, but we also got some snowboarding/skiing in yesterday up at Sugar Bowl. Here's Rachel, obviously amused by an item in "Intelligent Life". And here we are, having just burned up the slopes at SB. By "burned up", of course, I would be describing Rachel's zooming to the bottom, and my, more leisurely pace, catching up with her at the lift, usually by one Song Unit.
One "Song Unit", you say? Rachel carries her life's sound track with her most places, even on her snowboard, and the new safety equipment, these days accommodates that style by wiring up the helmet so that she just plugs her iPod into it and takes off. It even has a "mute" button on the outside of the ear flap. Hm. So, now, I guess I have to be wondering if, when I'm chatting away on the chairlift, she scratches her ear...
Today (Friday), Rachel and I planned to meet in Sacramento to view an exhibit called "Bodies Revealed". If you are not familiar with this kind of exhibit, here's the website for this one: http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/
I have seen two versions of another, similar exhibit called "Body Worlds" with my good friend, Kyle. Here's the url for that one: http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/exhibitions/questions_answers.html
I hope to catch up with the new, third edition of Body Worlds sometime soon. Basically, they are all exhibits which display real human bodies which have been "plastinated". Plastination is a complex process by which the tissues are preserved exactly as they are by turning them into plastic. No formaldehyde or whatever has been used thus far. So, the bodies, or the parts thereof, can be "posed" and viewed in 3D, up close and in great detail.
When the first of these exhibits popped up a few years ago, there was Great Consternation about the ethics/ghoulish nature of such a phenomenon. Now, it seems to have died down quite a bit. The Body Worlds guy (Gunther von Hagens) vows that all his "subjects" volunteered their bodies to be used in exactly this way after death (he says he has quite the waiting list, even). There has been a bit of extra controversy about the Bodies Revealed exhibit, even given the same claims by the promoters, because the subjects are all from China, and, well, it might or might not be more difficult to verify such claims. I choose to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I can't seem to get enough of looking at the heart valves, vocal chords, sciatic nerves, gall bladders, etc. Such complexity! SO interesting! A knee, a dissected ear, an ovary. It's just a marvel! We gawked at an entire disembodied circulatory system. The capillaries are so tiny and numerous, they look like fluffy cotton fibers. We found ourselves trying to feel our own deltoids, elbow joints and metacarpels as we looked at those parts of the exhibit subjects. And these are just the structures of the body. Doesn't even touch the biochemistry! I won't go on ad nauseum (like I already haven't!), but here's a bit of a review. Of the three that I've seen, this one, Bodies Revealed, was the weakest. So, while was still pretty amazing to see Bodies Revealed, Body Worlds is a much classier production, if you have a choice.
A fun week! Sunday, we'll mosey down to SF to visit Dylan to see what he's up to.
As I write this, the Super Bowl has just gotten underway and is providing background, er, noise. Tom is watching, with limited interest. I believe he wants the Patriots to beat whomever the other team is, so that they will eclipse the snooty Dolphin's season record. Doesn't everybody? I will probably wander in, from time to time to watch a few of the more amusing commercials.
Meanwhile, here are some more snow pics, taken yesterday and today. Can't get enough of these, can we?
I'm also in the process of making a new recipe, chocolate bread (a yeast version), for a neighbor, Scott, who faithfully snowplows our little neighborhood each time even a couple of inches builds up, which has been quite a bit, lately. It has snowed all week and we have about a foot on the ground, with piles up to three feet under the eaves and at the edges of Scott's little snowplow path. The chocolate bread is experimental, so if it doesn't turn out, I can make some quick cookies, instead and take them over before the end of the game, I hope. Tom just called me in to watch a cute squirrel commercial, after which the Pats scored a touchdown. Looks like the Giants are the other team, with 3 on the board
So, Tom was laughing, a minute ago, and called me in to watch a Cars.Com ad. Funny. The bread is in. Now, he's laughing, again. I'll check it out, later. Can't be running in there every three minutes, now, can I? I've got this important blogging to do.
We had another power failure, last night. About 10pm. We were nearly to the end of a recorded episode of "Monk". They had just figured out the scoop with the Russian art dealer. We sighed, and turned in. It came back on around 5am, I think (the power, not Monk). It's our 4th of the week, and the 6th since New Year's Eve. They seem to be getting shorter, at least.
Heard "Oh, no!", just now, from the living room. Who knows why. Just lent our snowshovel to other neighbors who are stuck. 
My dad, King of Forwarders, sent along another set of amazing photos, the other day. These come from a cool site that collects, uh, amazing photos. It's at http://www.whatatop.com/
They tally votes and keep a list of the most popular. Incredible pictures! They run the gamut of subject matter. Here's a sample. That's crazy cute!
OK. The bread is out. It smells fabulous. Tastes good, too! So, I'll wrap up the other loaf and trek on over to the neighbors. If you're interested in the recipe, I got if from the NPR site (where else?) here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18183909
Meanwhile, Tom has gotten bored with the game and is watching an old "Closer" rerun, the snow-stuck neighbors are unstuck, and I'm off to make a bread delivery.
Now, I'm back. Scott says they've never had this much trouble with power outages, and they've been here since '89. That's good news. It's not a winter routine. And he's tired of the snow. Not me.
Watched the last two minutes of the game. Giants win.
And, that's my Super Bowl commentary for this year.
Again. Huh? Last evening, about 7, we were stopped in our tracks. Tom was still working upstairs, on the phone. I had just finished making a pizza from scratch and was 60 seconds from popping it into the oven. Third time this week. I think it might be a test. I've got the routine down pat--I pulled out and placed the candles in their usual locations, cranked up the radio, put the flashlights and battery lantern out, put on my headlamp, put a jacket on, and, this time, wrapped the pizza and put it out in the snow (essential power-outage resource).
Oh, and we have our water-rationing pattern in place. Where do we need to improve, I wonder?
How do we pass? We ate crackers and cheese and apple, instead of pizza (which was fine--but when your tummy is expecting pizza...). It was, fortunately, a short one. Came back on about 3am. I'm tempted to walk our power lines to the local station and look for possible tree issues, myself. I met a neighbor whose lived in the 'hood for thirty years, and he's never seen anything like it. Gave his generator away a few years ago. Just part of the adventure.
Hey, here are some pictures I took of the snow, around here, this morning. The first is our pizza-preservation area. The rest are how piled-up it is around the house. At 43 degrees, today, it's been falling out of the trees and off the roof like crazy (snow-bombs!).
And, lastly, my dad forwarded some cool (VERY cool) photos going around of the Herbin Ice Festival in northeast China. I found the website, which is owned by a guy, R. Todd King, who has produced a book of these amazing constructions. Truly entertaining to see. Not so sure about visiting, at 40 below, but, maybe...Here's the url: 
xhttp://www.rtoddking.com/chinawin2003_hb_if.htm
(I tried to capture an image, but R.Todd must have some kind of cloaking device around the site. Check it out, anyway. It's incredible! Now, I need to study for my next power exam...)
