Mas Mexico y some other memories

Botanical Garden - El Charco

la Parrochia

garden at La Casa del Puesta del Sol

Mural

Mural

Instituto Allende 

In front of the rented casa

 We stayed up above the center of San Miguel de Allende in an area called Los Arcos, which was colonia Atascadero.

It was such a steep walk down, and then up, that I didn't even attempt it, though my honey and daughter did.  We took cabs or called a car. I always jumped in as co-pilota so I could have the "thrill of the ride" like a Montaña Rusa.

I was always able to have conversations with the drivers and learn about the city, the neighborhood, the people. I'm so happy that I can speak Spanish, because de lo contrario, not everyone speaks English there. Even though there's a large ex-pat population, it doesn't feel like it, but it makes it easier for people like my honey who has a small Spanish vocabulary.

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Now to some older memories - someone posted about a postcard company and they had great cards from my home town. I fell in love with the illustrations. And even though I make my own postcards for Mail Art, I ordered a bunch to send to my family and friends who grew up there, too. There's the theatre that did live shows and I ushered there in high school, and Navy Pier, which is now an amusement park but I went to University on it. We used to say, the only school that could be torpedoed. I think it went out 3/4 of a mile into the lake.
And the El train that I traveled on my whole life, as kids we took the train by ourselves to get to the ice skating arena and go to the beach. Who'd let a kid do that now? It helped us to be independent and comfident, for sure. And the fabulous Art Institute, where we were taken to see the art, even as little children, and my honey went to school there. I can remember the paintings by Seurat, Degas, Renoir, which I think is what drew me to study art. Such memories. The company has other places, too. Check out their website. It's actually a family owned business, which made it extra attractive to support. Click HERE to get there.

Adios, hasta luego, mas fotos de Mexico en el futuro, tal vez.

More about what's happened.

 I'm home bound for another week, with in-home PT. I'm doing well, getting stronger, walking with a cane.

People have been so kind and thoughtful. I've gotten cards and flowers, and candy, food, and visits.

My hunny has been very supportive.




And then another thing happened, last week on my birthday, my mother died at noon. She was old, as regular readers of my blog know, but still - on my birthday! It put quite a twist on the day.
She was 101 and left us in her sleep.

She lived 3000 miles away from me, and as I'm home bound couldn't travel there.

So I'm remembering and honoring her memory, here at home.

This is part of the headband she wore when she worked at the Orange Crush stand during the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois USA. It had an orange ribbon threaded through it that tied around her head with a bow at the nape of the next. She must have looked adoable with her engaging smile and big brown eyes.

 

N, J, and Z came over the evening of my birthday and brought me a lovely cake and we ordered Japanese food. It was lovely. 

M came in from NYC a few days after my birthday, and brought me two birthday gifts - they were perfect and just what I wanted.

A felt pigeon by Mother Pigeon  and a vegetarian cookbook The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook. I can't wait until I can get busy in the kitchen.

It's been an interesting summer, so far.
My sad and disbelief goes in and out.

The card from my friend in Ireland says it all, Speedy recovery, happy birthday, and condolence.
So it goes.

Mom is 100 today!

 
Today is my Mother's 100th birthday. 

Estelle has outlived her husband and all of her sisters.
She always said that she wanted to live to be 100 and she made it.

She was 18 in the photo upper left, and there she is with her parents and sisters. She was the oldest of the girls.

Here's Mom in 2008, she was seeing me off at the Van Nuys bus terminal where I was taking the bus to LAX to catch a flight home.  She's changed a bit from her 18 year old portrait but still smiling!








And here's mom in 2010, knitting scarves. She knit sooo many that we could hardly keep her in yarn. 

She knit, she sewed clothing, she was a voracious reader.

Here's one of my favorite childhood memories - I may have mentioned this before. We walked to the Legler branch of the Chicago library, which was only a little over a mile from our apartment, but to me, as a child it was so far away. To keep my attention on our goal,  my mother would say "we're going to get free books, isn't that wonderful?" And on the way back, with me carrying a couple of books under my arm, more in my sister's carriage, she'd say "Aren't we lucky, we've got free books to read?" Later, I'd walk by myself or with friends, always thinking how lucky I was to be able to have free books to read. And guess what? I'm a voracious reader, something that I've passed along to my own children. Thanks, Mom.

 

Yahrzeit for my father.

Fourteen years ago today, my father died. I remember him with words he shared with me, which I'll share with you: Choose to be happy.

What a guy!

Skull Appreciation Day 2013

It’s time for the THIRD ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE SKULL

Notice - a change of exhibit date but not deadline:
The third annual Skull Appreciation Day event will take place in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 31 May 2013 from 6– 9pm, at the The International Museum of Surgical Science.

On June 4, the Mail Art entries will move to Design Cloud. for viewing in the evening. This is so exciting to get so many different people to see the work you will be entering.

Show your appreciation for skulls. Send your entry as soon as possible as we have a short deadline this year.

All entries will be exhibited in the museum during the event.

Send you Mail Art to:

 Skull Appreciation Day Mail Art
c/o Vanessa Ruiz
1033 W. 14th Place Unit 220
Chicago, IL 60608
USA


Format:
Standard postcard size – 4” x 6” (10.5 cm x 14.8 cm)
 Please include your information on the reverse: name, address, e-mail address, website/blog if any.

 Family Friendly please
DEADLINE: 
28 May 2013

No fee, no jury, no return, after the exhibit, works will be documented on the blog –
http://Skullappreciationdaymailart.blogspot.com

Mail Art, a memory & some exciting news!

#37

 My friend Ang in Illinois wrote me a note on a lovely note card. The front was a modern interpretation of an old National Park poster. I really liked it and decided to re-purpose it into a piece of Mail Art. I altered it by adding figures cut from a photo of a painting that is in our Fine Arts museum. I added a nice circle, which makes a terrific floating planet.

Dots all over Centre Pompidou! Dots rolling wild in Paris!

#36

 Starting in 1955 until 1968, my mother worked in downtown Chicago at a big department store, Goldblatts. She started her career there as a sales clerk and moved up to being the manager of the patterns and trimmings department. It was perfect for her as she was a sew-er. She made lots of clothing for her children, including many stylish dresses for me while I was in high school and beyond.  She was very helpful to her customers, including the ones who worked at a place called The Jewel Box Review. She helped many female impersonators choose patterns and fancy lace or fur trimmings for their costumes. She, also, helped Sister Celine with patterns for full nightgowns, which she made for her convent. what an interesting life Mom had.

 BIG SURPRISE - After the destruction of the last incarnation of The Shelf, the neighborhood children were very upset. Some adults were, also.  Today, while walking over to Joe's Inn for breakfast, we saw the NEW Shelf! Isn't it fabulous. So rustic!

The inside is so cozy and filled with interesting items. I'll stop by later this week to see if anything has changed. How exciting to see this. I hope it lasts a long time.

Update on The Little Library - we drove by the other day and it was packed with books. How exciting is that?!

Mail Art, rainy day and dots

#30

 I don't know what it is about this one, but I really like it a lot (and I made it!) and other people seem to have responded positively to it also. It's got scraps from an old Russian book and 2 different old French books. Old paper is so appealing. A couple of dots unify.

#31

I found a perfect head for Tiny Town. I'm reluctant to make these too often and use up my supply of cards.
Here's the story: Alice's glance at Mme Gilbert was perceived as disdainful. Whether or not it is, is questionable."
Got any other ideas for stories for this one?

 It rained yesterday. Here's a view through the car windshield as I waited in the parking lot for C to return from the art supply store. We arrived home just as the skies opened up and a huge rain with thunder came down on us. Yay for the garden plants! It looks like it might do the same today.

 You know how much I like dots - a lot - so when we came upon this window display at the Louis Vuitton store on Michigan Boulevard in Chicago last month, I was thrilled.

The displays were a tribute Yayoi Kusama. There is a big display in the New York City store also but with an even bigger dotty part. Here's a fun video by Bill Cunningham. Click HERE. You'll be glad you did. It'll brighten up your day.

Mail Art 365.2 - I begin again

#6

This is the 6th day card, when we got home and I used paper I picked up in Chicago. I liked that it was translucent and the text was fun for a piece of Mail Art.

#3

Here's a very busy composition. The substrate is a piece of cardboard I'd cut from a something while I was in L.A. in April. I liked the crudeness of the shape, which I'd cut using a child's scissors.

#4

In the background of this card is a piece from a painting that I'd torn from an Amtrak magazine, I think. I found it tucked in the travel kit. Since Chicago is the home to the largest collection of impressionist paintings, I thought this would be a good image to use.

#5

I made the 5th card on our last day in Illinois. It was a successful trip, though by the end of the day, or rather night, since we arrived home in Richmond at 11h30 p.m., we were quite exhausted. 

#6a

This card was a second one that I made on day 6. This is an altered art show card. The substrate is from a card that I picked up in Paris last winter.

I can see that, as per the first go around, I won't just be making one a day. I have way to many people that I want to send mail to these days.

It feels good to get up and just get to play in my studio again.

Back on track!

 We went to Chicago for a quick visit with my honey's cousins. The five cousins came together in the city for 2 days, then 2 days out in the corn and soy bean fields at the home of one of them. It was a lovely trip and I felt inspired to begin my 2nd 365 Mail Art project. Here is card #1 using some scraps I had in my traveling Mail Art kit. I'm labeling them 365.2.

 This is the second day, using scraps from things that I picked up plus some bits from the travel kit. I had taken blank cards with me, knowing I'd be making Mail Art. I just didn't think I'd make the commitment to a daily practice again. But I did.

 This is a view from the Charles City Tavern. It's a lovely location on Route 5 east of Richmond. Very historic area of the country, this route leads to Jamestown where the earliest English settlement was established.

 I never tire of taking cloud photos, or photos that include Robinson House, on the grounds of VMFA.

These are glass pieces, reeds, set in place behind the museum's main building. They are, in my mind, one of the nicest installations of Chihuly glass pieces. The red glass is gorgeous in the sun and the reflections are so nice.

Dad

The Phone Lady's post about looking for a photo of her father sent me looking for one of my Dad. I didn't do a good job on the scan so it's not all that clear. Can anyone date the car? Notice the bullet bumper detail? Dad has been gone for over 10 years. The apartment building we lived in, in Chicago, is gone also. I looked for it on Google and it's an empty lot now. I have no idea how long it's been gone. It appears that a building is now on the empty lot across the street so the view of those back porches (behind the tree) is obscured. I think one of the girls looking at the ground in the background is my older sister. My Dad was a very nice man. He was a good husband and father, kind, funny, playful, musical and inquisitive. He loved to learn new words. He loved to fish and bowl. He taught us to ride bikes, ice skate, roller skate, fish, and treat out mother with respect. He told me once that he chose to be happy. Thanks Dad.

Chicago, Chicago....more images

The Bean (Cloud Gate, Anish Kapoor) is just so neat that I took lots of photos of it. Taking pictures underneath is especially neat! In Millennium park this is a fountain with faces that change, eyes open and close, and periodically "spits" water out of the mouths onto the people waiting below. The old band shell is gone, the new band shell is called Pritzker Pavillion and the cross over structure is a sound system. It's great looking and the sound is all around you.

There's a big red Alexander Calder sculpture in a plaza, and a BIG sculpture of the Grant Wood couple (from the painting American Gothic) in another plaza. See tiny me? The photo of the elevated train station is for my nostalgia trip. How many times I went up and down stairs like these while growing up and while working in the city. When I wore high thin heeled shoes, these steps were treacheous! They were well known for their ability to catch and break off a heel. And in Chicago ART IS REAL for sure, it's all around.

Chicago, Chicago

This is my very own photo of The Bean, which is really named Cloud Gate, a sculpture by Anish Kapoor. I took lots and lots of photos of this which you can check out on my Flickr set here. This is the new wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, designed by Renzo Piano. C went to school here. We did reminiscing, seeing what was the same and what had changed.




I loved this little sculpture of a monkey mom and child, and the nice view of the big buddha. The Wrigley building is a very famous Chicago landmark (C worked in it) and behind it is the new Trump Tower. Our hotel was very close to this location.