Tacos Y Mariscos

Tacos Y Mariscos
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here's a cool Food Truck that I have been seeing lately.
I haven't tried their food, but I love the painting of the mermaid. It's the best art I have seen on a Food Truck.
Usually this type of truck is referred to as a roach coach, but this one seems to be unusually clean and refreshing.
I may have to try it just because.

Mobil Station Skeleton Mural by Anonymous

Mobil Station Skeleton Mural by Anonymous
Originally uploaded by V G.

I've just been corrected on the identity of the gas company which used the pegasus logo. I was saying Shell, but it is Mobil. Duh, I should have known this one. The yellow and red coloring of the cigarette price sign threw me off. Anyway, this painting is on an out of service Mobil Station.
I love it. It says so much. I took this photo of it last September in 2006. The painting is still there. The building is still unoccupied.
I drive by it at least 4-6 times a month.
So much can be read into this that I don't want to mess it up with words. One last note on this, the sign for cigarettes says $2.35, which gives an indication of how long this service station has been out of service.
The red pegasus logo was found here on the internet...www.cartype.com

Spider City at LA Zoo

Here's a photo from the spider exhibit, "Spider City" at the LA Zoo.
My husband took this photo of my son and myself sticking our heads into a painted board that gives me a spider body and my son a fly body. It was at the conclusion of the exhibit right next to the "Spider City" t-shirt sales booth. I decided to face my fears head on and see the spider exhibit. It wasn't so bad. In fact, I had no fear. I think a big reason is that all of the spiders are well kept behind glass. My fear is the fear of randomly running into a spider at home. You know, reaching behind something and getting biten. Since living in our house, I have seen 4 black widows at different times. I remember each one specifically. Each time, I was slightly paranoid and could not sleep soundly until the black widow was terminated. My husband thinks I'm crazy. I'm not afraid of Daddy Long Legs, they are not poisonous.
I have not seen any black widows recently, but it is spider season so I wouldn't be surprised if I come across one. I've become better at knowing what their webs look like. That is usually the first sign. I'm way more cautious of old boxes and stacked chairs that have been sitting around for a while in the garage or backyard.
I'm starting to see the Orb Weaver make it's way onto the scene.
We had our first Orb Weaver sighting in the front yard roses and also one in the backyard roses.
Since finding out more about spiders via the internet, I am not so scared of them either. In fact, the good thing about spiders is that they are great at keeping the flying pests under control.

Orb Weaver

Orb Weaver
Originally uploaded by V G.

This is the second Orb Weaver spider I have seen so far in my backyard. As the summer goes on, there will more frequent Orb Weaver sightings. They tend to be in full swing by late August- September. They build webs right before your eyes. Usually they are large webs too. I've noticed they prefer to get busy building their webs at sundown, then by daytime their webs are usually partially dismantled or up for just a while before something knocks it down. I also just found out via the internet that the spider in Charlotte's Web is a type of Orb Weaver. Orb Weavers are known for their magnificent webs.

Plein-Air Paintings at the Malaga Cove Library Art Gallery.

Plein-Air Paintings at the Malaga Cove Library Art Gallery.
Originally uploaded by V G.

I went to see an exhibition of Plein-air paintings at the Malaga Cove Library Art Gallery in Palos Verdes, CA. The exhibition features a group of artists who call themselves the Portguese Bend Artist Colony. Here is a water fountain that is just outside the library. My son immediately found it and climbed up to put his hands in the water. I met my artist friend Wendy there who brought her 3 1/2 month old son in a Bjorn pack.

http://www.pbartistcolony.com
Here's the website to the exhibition for more information on the Portguese Bend Artist Colony.

I really enjoyed seeing Daniel and Vicki Pinkham's work. They are all extraordinary painters in the PBAC, but I kept coming back to the Pinkhams' work. They are a married couple who go Plein-air painting together. I think that is so cool. It was so inspiring to see the paintings. They have an excellent website which inspired me to see the exhibition (as well as my friend Wendy who told me about it in the first place). However, once you see the work in real life there is no comparison. It is truely great work. I'm inspired. I may have to find time to get out my Plein-air easel even if it is only to paint flowers or toy trucks in the backyard.
It's another spare time fantasy...but crazier things have happened.
Hmmm...
We'll see. It's amazing what a mom on a mission to create can do
during naptime and late night time. I've seen it in my artist friends who are moms and in myself. Go artist moms!

Batman Action Figure and Puppet.

Batman Action Figure and Puppet.
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here's something new and something old.
I like both of them for different reasons.
I'm a superhero fan from way back. I like Batman and his
Bruce Wayne self. This new Batman action figure by Mattel is great because it uses the extreme block-like sculpting which today's cartoon superheroes are using. I think it's a fun style. The puppet I just got from my mother in-law is probably about 20-25 years old, maybe more. She has a fondness for toys from
other countries, particularly hand-made toys. She had this Batman puppet and let me keep him once she saw my interest in him. His strings need repair. He was made in Mexico, but she said she thinks she remembers buying him in downtown LA at Olivera Street, the street dedicated to Mexican culture which has shops with trinkets and souvenirs. It sounds very likely. In my spare time (which is extremely rare and super limited these days) I want to eventually re-string the puppet Batman. If I have more time (in my dreams) I want to make a puppet. Also, in my dreams, I want to make a little puppet theatre stage. I would have so much fun. We'll see. It might happen in the distant future. I have another friend who has some string puppets from Spain. We could stage little puppet shows. Anyway, those are some fun things that I would do if I had unlimited time to just do stuff. I'll keep it in my list of fun things I want to do.