Candy Cane

Candy Cane
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Today we got a Christmas tree at a tree lot. Z loved running in the
"tree forest". Here he is with a holiday favorite, the candy cane.
I'm still slightly in denial that we are in December already.
Despite my denial, I am doing lots of Christmas things with Z already. He is noticing all of the Holiday lights going up in the neighborhood. We are reading about "Frosty" and "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell". We are even listening to Jingle Bells in my car. Tomorrow we will decorate the tree. I love this time of year and each year it seems to go by quicker and quicker. Blink. 2009.

Getty

Getty
Originally uploaded by projectpink

We went on a mini trip to the Getty.
It was brief but beautiful.
Here we are by the garden. After going to the Getty cafe, the garden, then to look at some historical landscape photographs, Z was done.
We only made it to the one photo exhibit (one room), which is barely anything of what they have. I have to say it is more than I have done in a while so I will take what I can get. I love the Getty, so any little bit is a treat. It reminds me that I should try to go more often. When Z is a tiny bit older they have kids' activities I can take him to.

Batting Practice

Batting Practice
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here is Z last weekend doing some batting practice. He loves it.
When I asked if I could have a turn, he said "sure". He let me try 3 balls, then it was Z's turn again. We were using a Wiffle ball bat which is harder than it looks. It's a thin bat. I'm used to a big
ol' thick softball bat with a large softball to hit. I'm out of practice, but it was fun getting out to a baseball diamond and watching Z hit some balls. He likes to run the bases too. The first base he went to last weekend was the pitcher's mound (not a base), then to second base, then he makes his way back to home plate on the path of a bumble bee. Z just knows that at some point in the game of baseball the batter runs and that's what he does.

Z and Me

Z and Me
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here we are on Halloween at Z's daycare. Yes, I was a witch as promised with my red hat. I temporarily traded my Velma wig for my friend's pink wig.
I love this pink wig. Z didn't seem to mind it either when he saw me put it on with the witch hat. Later I wore it to the park by itself for fun. It was Halloween, so it seemed like the right thing to do. Z was a Ninja at the park.
After about an hour, he pulled the pink wig off my head. Later I put it all back on for trick or treating.

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Z had 2 costumes this year. He picked out a Lightening McQueen pit crew outfit and later on the week of Halloween he spotted this Ninja Warrior.

Halloween Fun

Pumpkin Patch
Originally uploaded by projectpink

We went to a local l Halloween event for kids.
Z had fun. We met his friend A, and his mom there.
Not much going on here except we are getting into Halloween.
I'm going to be a witch again this year. I'd plan a more elaborate costume, but I like the ease and simplicity of it. I love that a witch is so classic Halloween too. I almost bought a wig for long hair, but Z said it was too scary. It wasn't scary, but for some reason he thought long purple hair was scary. Not related to Halloween, he also thought that the long extension poles for painting at Home Depot were scary so I'm not sure.
Yet, on the other hand he likes watching scary movies on TV. Go figure.
More Halloween coming soon...

Mighty Tonka Truck

Mighty Tonka Truck
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here's Z with a friend's old school Mighty Tonka Truck.
The truck is mostly metal like how they used to make them.
It is still in great condition. Z loved pulling it over the paver stones
in my friend's backyard. It was filled with hotwheels. He is completely 100% boy.
*****
I've been thinking I should change the name of my blog to Project Z since it has been almost completely about Z. You can see where my priorities are, as they should be. I totally enjoy him.
For now I'll keep my blog as Project Pink Suitcase because I still have projects in the works. They just take longer to execute now.

Pink Clouds

Pink Clouds
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here's a photo from a walk around the block at sunset.
I love looking at clouds especially pink ones.
I know I have mentioned my love for pink clouds before.
****
I'm still in shock about the loss of my brothers. I know it will take time. My posts have been brief and sporadic lately. I'm savoring time with my little one, plus he demands that I pay all of my attention on him.
*****
A group of surfers did a Paddle Out for Andy at Natural Bridges yesterday on Sat. Oct.4th.2008 at 1pm where Andy loved to surf. They said he "owned" that spot by the tide pools. Those who knew him are now referring to that spot as "Andy's". My mom brought burritos and Snapple for the surfers. I'm sure they were yummy.
I heard about it from talking to my mom. I wish I was there, but I'm in LA. It would be cool if I could travel at light speed and go for free. So many places I would go.

Funkey Frida

Funkey Frida
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here's a recent custom painted XL Funkey I did for a charity auction.
I did Funkey Frida. I was thinking of my blog friends who are also Frida fans (Patrice, Annie and Kelly to name a few...)
The auction takes place this Friday night 9/26. At work they held a contest for any of us to do a custom Funkey. How could I resist?
If you don't know what Funkeys are, here's a brief description,
"U.B. Funkeys™ - the collectable figures that unlock a virtual world filled with games and items. Each Funkey that you collect unlocks new zones."
http://www.ubfunkeys.com/index.html
To check out the info for the auction and exhibit see this link.
http://www.munkyking.com/gallery_home.php

Pony Ride

Pony Ride
Originally uploaded by projectpink

We had some fun moments during our week of being in Santa Cruz for my brothers' memorial. It wasn't all tears. Going to see the horses and "Buddy" the pony was definitely a nice break from mourning. Z loved "Buddy" the pony! Friends, Katie and Reenie took us to where they keep their horses. Intuitively they knew what we needed in our time of loss.
It was a neccessary fun thing to do.

Andy and Greg

Andy and Greg Holman
April 10th, 1971 - September 5th, 2008
Ages 37. They were twins.
Ohhh my brothers...I wish I wasn't writing this, but their lives came to a tragic end on Friday Sept. 5th, 2008.

I wrote an obituary for them with my dad that was printed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel on Sept. 10th, 2008.

Car crash took the lives of Andy, Greg and friend Ricardo Leon in Carmel Valley.

Andrew Carl Holman and Gregory Hebert Holman were born together on the same date to Bruce and Barbara Holman in Los Angeles. They were fraternal twins. The family moved to Santa Cruz in 1975. Andy and Greg have lived in Santa Cruz ever since. Andy and Greg will be missed by their parents, their sister Valerie Holman Gresham, Bruce Gresham and their loving family and friends.

Andy and Greg both attended Santa Cruz High and graduated in 1989. Andy was an avid surfer and shaped his own boards. Greg was a carpenter, handy-man and all around fix-it guy. Andy surfed as often as he could and once had a close encounter with a shark near the Waddel Creek area. Greg enjoyed fishing and being with his friends.

They both enjoyed being proud uncles to their nephew Zachery Gresham.

We will all miss their wonderful smiles, laughter and good times we had. Their memories are with us forever.

Here's the brutal news story version.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_10398840?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com

We had a nice memorial service for them on Friday, Sept. 12th, 2008.
We had an Indian "Smudging" ceremony by a special Indian friend of my mom's who knew my brothers. It was perfect. Prayers were read. Later, some Westside Surfers did a Paddle Out for Andy after the memorial service.
We pray they are at peace. Andy is surfing the Big Waves in the sky. Greg is fishing, smiling and hanging with his friends.

Flying Kites with A&K

Here's A and his mom.
They have a box kite from
REI.
Very cool kite, although we
both agreed it flew a little crazy at first.
A's mom, K, got control of it after a while.
Fun afternoon!

Flying Kites

Flying Kites
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Another fun day with A & Z.
We went to the beach to fly kites. A had a kite too. A's mom went and got a kite just for the afternoon so that A would have a kite too.
A had an orange/yellow box kite from REI which was very cool.
This photo shows the type of kite Z has. Friends have asked what kite it is, so I thought I'd add it to the photo. It's a classic Gayla Delta Kite. It's made out of nylon with a rainbow pattern. It's a nice, easy to fly sturdy kite. We love it. I googled them on the internet and found out that I used to fly the BAT kites made by Gayla when I was growing up. The one I had was a thick plastic black/white and had red "googly eye" stickers for eyes.
Gayla is a good solid kite company which has been in business for a while. They are still making them.

Sunset in Low Res. # 2

Here's another sunset in low res.

Sunset in Low Res.

Sunset
Originally uploaded by projectpink

I finally downloaded photos from my "full" photo storage on my cell phone. Here's one of a cool sunset. Now I can take more photos again with my cell phone. I love these Low Res. photos. Things get simplified.
It can be very cool to see what it does to images.
More on Low Res. later. To be continued...

Henry Cowell Redwoods

Henry Cowell Redwoods
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Another one from 4th of July vacation. We went on the loop trail
at Henry Cowell Redwoods.
Here's one with Z, H & C sitting on a redwood tree log bench. H & C are Michelle's two boys.
Z is mine. I couldn't resist. If I had more time I'd turn all of them into
antique photos. (Maybe I will, eventually, as one of my many unfinished projects) It was fun.
Good times!

Ol' Buggy Ride

ol' Buggy Ride
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Here's one from 4th of July. I've been meaning to
Sepia tone it and put it in a faux antique frame since our trip to SC in July.
Actually the trip to Henry Cowell Redwoods and Roaring Camp with
Michelle (Green Kitchen) was the inspiration. It reminded me of
all of the sepia toned photos I did at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk one summer. Yes, I worked in the Antique Photo Old Time Saloon. It was actually kind of fun. I got used to the loud arcade sounds and thousands of tourists that stop by.
I still have great memories of the Boardwalk. This particular photo was taken in the backyard of Katie, who was my high school art teacher and continues to be an inspiration and good friend as well.
Everyone who knows Katie knows what I mean.

A & W Root Bear

We have been very into rootbeer floats this past month. Especially lately with the warmer weather. A&W rootbeer is still my favorite after all of these years.
It has to be regular A&W. Diet A&W is not the same. Although I do admit that I have come to love the weird taste of Diet Coke. It's just Diet Coke that I like in Diet. Most sodas I would rather have regular. I am trying to cut down on soda, but that is a whole other blog post in itself. Right now I'm just talking about the pure enjoyment of a classic A&W rootbeer float.
On a sidenote: I love these Wacky Wobblers. This "root bear" would be in my collection of bobble heads if I had more room to collect. I'm trying to embrace the "let it go" way of thinking for cleaning out space. Yet, I keep holding onto things. Yes, I do have some ol' Dodger Bobble Heads around. Will I get rid of them? No, probably not. I am tempted to go to the LA Dodger game this Tuesday for the Joe Beimel Bobblehead promotional giveaway. My husband thinks I'm kidding, but if he seemed the slightest bit interested, I would totally go just for the bobble head.
On a super side note: the Summer Olympics have been fun to watch. Go USA! I've been watching the swimmer Phelps win some medals. He's amazing.
That's it for now.
Oh, and my little guy Z got a big boy bed this weekend. Yep, a twin size. He's not so little. Well, he is little, but he's out of his crib now. Watch out. Potty training? That's still on the horizon. He is aware of the potty, but doesn't want to really use it yet.

Park Slide

Park Slide
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Another fun afternoon at the Park with A & Z.
They had too much.
Both of them did not want to leave and did their best to get in
"one last one" on the slide and playing in the sand.

Bobble Head Family

Bobble Head Family
Originally uploaded by projectpink

Go Dodger Blue!
I know, I couldn't resist! I get promotional email from Dodger
Stadium because we go to the games when we can (maybe 3-4 times a season, then we watch the rest on TV). One of the emails was to create your own bobble head graphics.
Of course, how could I pass it up?
They are smart... you can see their website on the base of our bobble heads. http://www.xmbaseball.com/
Check it out to make your own and customize it to your favorite baseball team...although I highly suggest Dodger Blue.

More Bubbles!

More Bubbles!, originally uploaded by projectpink.

He loves his bubbles!
We are breaking out the bubbles at least one or two times a day.
More bubbles please!
He takes his bubbles serious especially by the look on his face in this photo.
Usually he is screaming and laughing when doing bubbles. I caught him in a contemplative mood. He made sure I got his big bubble with my camera.
Fun summer days!

At the Park...A to Z.

At the Park...A to Z., originally uploaded by projectpink.

Fun at the park from A to Z....
Adam and Zach.
A- Adam
B- Bugs
C-Climbing
D- Digging in sand
E- Excercise
F- Fun
G- Going, going, going...
H- Humming
I- Insects
J- Jokes
K- Kim (Adam's mom)
L - Laughing
M- Monster roars
N- No
O- On the go
P-Park
Q- Quite a lot to do at the park
R- Ride the plane
S- Sand Hill
T- Temper tantrum, not wanting to go home
U-Up and down the hill
V- Valerie (Zach's mom)
W- water breaks
X- xtra Sand in the shoes (and diapers)
Y- Yeah, that was fun!
Z- Zach

Beekeeper

Beekeeper
Originally uploaded by V G.

David the beeman came to our house to take away the bees. http://www.davidthebeeman.com
He removes them without injuring them and takes them to a bee farm in Camarillo. We really liked him and his service.
Zach was excited about the whole process too. David asked Zach if he wants to be a beekeeper. Zach said "yes".

Aliki Grafft's Animation and Art

Aliki Grafft's webpage
Originally uploaded by V G.

www.alikicarbonmade.com
www.girlsotg.com
Here are a couple more webpages for Aliki.
Cool animation and art stuff!
Thanks for the comment Aliki!
I had to post a sample of your website.
I really like your carbonmade site. Very cool!!!

These are the previously mentioned websites for Aliki below.
http://frederatorblogs.com/yaki_and_yumi/
http://www.martianpictures.com/aliki/home.html

Love is...

Love is...
Originally uploaded by V G.

Love is...holding my son.
It really is. My back hurts but I still love it.
Last September my friend Aliki, who is a Disney animator, did this very cool drawing of my son and me. I've been meaning to post it. I saw Aliki today, so it reminded me that I been meaning to do this.
Thank you Aliki!
You can check out some of Aliki's art on her blog at:
http://frederatorblogs.com/yaki_and_yumi/
and at,
http://www.martianpictures.com/aliki/home.html
(I haven't had a chance to hotlink, so you'll have to do it the old fashioned way by copying and pasting these links into your browser.)
Aliki recently had a baby girl so her blogs haven't been updated in a while...but you can still see how wonderful her work is. She's been busy as a new mom and has started back to work.
She actually did this drawing in her last month of pregnancy. I feel so
lucky that she did this for me when she did. There's busy, then there is "really-really busy". New moms definitely fall into the "really-really busy" catagory. Thanks again Aliki! You rock! I will always treasure this drawing.

Bubbles

Bubbles
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here's my friend Kelly's daughter, Valentina who I got to meet for the
first time on our 4th of July Santa Cruz visit. I also got to see Louise and her baby (Felix-4 months old). And, another friend Anna who has a baby in the belly right now due in August.
Bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles...
I've been doing lots of bubbles with my son lately. He loves them.
So good to see you Kelly!!!
I wish it was more often. Z had so much fun with V!

Painting is painting

Painting
Originally uploaded by V G.

I'm taking another approach to painting.
Paint with son. Yes, it's a mess and doesn't last long...maybe
5-10 minutes...but it is so worth it.
He likes me to do a few brush strokes and drips.
Painting is painting and these days I take what I can get.
I did some painting touch-ups on the kitchen wall today...that's painting too. It's not the type of painting I prefer to be doing...but there is still that core: brush in paint on surface. Besides the pure material of paint, I love to see what my son actually does with the paint. It's amazing to see the freedom he has.
Then once we do painting, my son wants bubbles, then it's off to another thing, then another thing.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Henry Cowell Redwood trail
Originally uploaded by V G.

"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, baby! Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing..." I couldn't help singing this song in my head.
I just got back from a nice trip to Santa Cruz, visiting family and seeing friends. It was very cool!

This photo is from a walk in the Henry Cowell Redwoods. I got to hang out with Michelle of "Green Kitchen" there and her 2 sons. The little guys took off running. If you zoom into the photo towards the base of the tree you will see them climbing over the rail together. Yep, trouble!

I saw some other friends I haven't seen in a long time too thanks to Facebook. I love the internet. But, as I started out saying, there "ain't nothing like the real thing". It is so true. I really loved seeing my friends.

I'll post more later...I'm up too late and have to get up too early.

Scary-cute

Trying to be scary, but looking cute.
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here he is again.
This time trying to be scary, but looking cute.
We were at the park and he was in a scary monster "grrrrr..." mood.
To me, he just ended up looking too cute.

Golf

Golf
Originally uploaded by V G.

We played golf this past Saturday. It was fun except for the parts that weren't fun. The fun part was that I played a tiny bit better than I did last time I played (although it didn't feel like it while I was playing...funny thing about golf). My husband shot his best game ever with a 79. The not so fun part was that the temperature was in the high 90's going up to 101, maybe 102 degrees. It was HOT.
I had the worst hole ever on the 18th going into the same water hazard 3 times ( or was it 4 times, I've blocked it out of my memory by now), right after I thought I had the worst hole ever on the 17th. Oh well... it happens. My excuse was the heat. Well, it was hot...it was kind of like survival out there that day. This photo caught me on a good moment...I think I may have just made a par...which was rare for me that day. On a positive note, I came close to making a birdie, but it eventually turned into a tap-in par. So, it gave me a little hope. I think I had 2 pars that day. Mostly boogies and double boogies. Anyway, I'm glad my husband got this photo of me. I look like I'm having a blast, which is just enough to keep me playing.

Wall-E

Wall-E Billboard
Originally uploaded by V G.

My little guy loves this character Wall-E.
He first saw it on a billboard and couldn't stop looking at it.
Poor little guy even had a melt down over it. The conflict was that I wanted to "get buckled" to drive home and he wanted to keep looking at the Wall-E billboard. It was actually another Wall-E billboard with a large image of Wall-E looking at a bug on a white background that my little guy originally fell in love with. The billboard has been changed to this one since when we first saw it. I don't think we will see it when it is released at the theatres, only because our little guy is sensitive to sound. I think the theatre would be too loud and he would want to leave. We'll wait to see it at home on DVD.
***
On a sidenote, I recently joined Facebook. I been spending most of my on-line time there lately, hence my lack in posting to my blog. Once the intial "newness" of Facebook wears off, I'll be back to posting more regularly. So far I have been enjoying Facebook and reconnecting with some friends I have lost contact with. To be continued...

Squirrel was here.

Squirrel was here.
Originally uploaded by V G.

A squirrel left this partially eaten peach on our fence.
Z, my little guy, has been amazed by watching the squirrel eat the peach. By the time I got my camera out, the squirrel had left leaving this on the fence.
Our neighbor has a peach tree which is producing little yummy looking peaches. The squirrel has been feasting lately. We are finding lots of peach pits all around the fence line of our backyard.

Mulch

Mulch
Originally uploaded by V G.

Last week we went and got free mulch. There are places around LA hosted by the city that is for mulch pick-up. It's the first time we went to one. Here's a photo of it. It was great. It's just a big pile of mulch. You bring your own bag, buckets and/or shovels to haul it away. So far I put mulch around the base of the roses, our couple of fruit trees, the baby Gingko tree and the tomatoes. I just put in the tomatoes today. Getting the tomatoes in was my one big thing for this weekend. I was glad to get them in the ground. Last year, the tomatoes went wild. They loved it in our backyard. We'll see how they do this year.

Quirky but not Quirky

White Castle Burgers
Originally uploaded by V G.

Quirky? Depends on your definition of quirky.
To me this list of things about me is quirky but not quirky.
That is, it's not quirky to me, but may seem quirky to you.
I live for quirky things!

1.) I love taking photos of my food. Perfect example is this photo of
White Castle Burgers that we had in Michigan recently. I've been known for my "sandwich" series of paintings which is part of this
quirky fascination with food. Although, I'm not quite as obsessed now as I was when I was doing the "sandwich" series. But, it still pops up!

2.) I *heart* love. I love love. I am in love with love. Does this make any sense? Another reason I love the comic "Love Is..." so much.

3.) Sunsets. If I am in the a place to see the sunset I have to look at it. If I have my camera I will take photos.

4.) When I drink Boba Milk Tea I imagine I could mingle with Madonna, talking about music, kids, and storybooks. Then, I could help design the graphics for her next performance.

5.) Even though I love LOVE, I still have a worse case scenario
default that happens in my mind. I find "what ifs" and come to conclusions, then do mock problem solving. I attribute this quirk to my creativity working overtime.

6.) I actually aspire to be more quirky, but motherhood and working full-time has mellowed me out. Which isn't a bad thing.

Patrice,

thank you for tagging me. Click on Patrice, to see more on Quirky.
Anyone want to volunteer to be tagged and make a list of 6 Quirks?

POW WOW

POW WOW
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here's the Pow Wow at Walpole Island which borders Michigan and Ontario,Canada. The island is considered Canadian land.
Things are very green this time of year.
Z had fun with his cousin (in pink). They ran around like crazy.
I just tried to keep up with them all day.
We had fairly good weather. It rained for 15-20 minutes, then passed. Then it would rain again. Overall, we lucked out with the weather since this time of year you never know what you will get.
The Pow Wow was fun. I always enjoy the bright colors of the Native American dance wear. Since I don't go often, I at first felt very "white" even with my 50% of Native American blood from this specific tribe, Chippewa, who originated on Walpole Island. Soon later after eating fry bread, I found the sound of the pounding drums very familiar. This inspired me to dance with my son Z and his cousin out in the dance circle with all of the natives who were in their full dance wear. It was at a point in the Pow Wow when the announcer invites everyone to dance. It was fun and probably the most fun I had at the Pow Wow. The scattered showers cut our stay at the Pow Wow short, but it was just as well since we were travelling with little ones. Then we headed to a cousin of my deceased grandmother's who lives on Walpole Island for a bit. Upon leaving both little ones did not want to leave and both of them had meltdowns. That was not fun, but once we were driving it didn't take long for them to fall asleep in the car. It was interesting to see Walpole Island again. The last time I was there was 15 years ago. So yeah, I was due to go back again to see it. It was a nice time of year to go there.

H3 at the Ren Cen

H3
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here's my little guy climbing into an
H3. Of course, how could he resist. This model was a golf cart size.
I've never seen such a mini Hummer.
It was cute, like a baby beast. We recently returned from
a trip to Michigan for a family reunion (for my mom, her sisters and cousins). We saw this H3 in Detroit at the Ren Cen, short for Rennaisance Center, which is the tallest building in Detriot. They had a display of cars on the first floor, which makes sense since it is the "motor city".

DO ART ANY TIME

DO ART ANY TIME
Originally uploaded by V G.

I love this sign. This was in this past LA Times Sunday paper.
I usually don't get a chance to read the paper, but I was up early last Sunday just long enough to see this before my little man woke up. It is so inspiring.
http://www.islandsofla.com/
Go to this website to check out more about this. It is interesting and speaks to my inner actvist side that I used to enjoy expressing a lot during my art college days. It reminds me too that art is very much a state of mind and a point of view.
Here is the LA Times article. Copy and paste it in your browser.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-islands11-2008may11,0,840613.story

Back to Usual

Beach
Originally uploaded by V G.

He's back to his usual funny self. You would never know that he was so sick last week. I'm glad for that. He is sleeping a little extra this week, but I think it's good for him. He lost at least 1 pound last week due to no appetite. Here he is full of energy stomping on an abandoned sand castle. He is very good at squashing sand castles.
It was an overcast day...a little cool, but not too cool. In a way it was perfect. Little guy loves the beach.

Happy Mother's day to all you moms out there!!!
Enjoy your day!

Kite

Kite
Originally uploaded by V G.

Nothing like flying a kite.
Z took over holding the kite string to find out that the wind really does pull.
He immediately screamed for me to take back the kite. He held the kite just long enough for me to get a photo which I am amazed I was able to do.
He liked flying the kite. We had another small dragon kite from Target that looked cute in package, but didn't fly very well. It spun around in a spiral and crashed almost every time I tried getting it to fly. Oh well, it's still a cute kite. Hmm... I still have the package. If I can find the reciept for the dragon kite, maybe I'll return it. It seems like a kite should be able to fly. I had a feeling that the dragon kite might not fly well, but I loved how it looked. So much for looks. The kite in this photo flys like a charm. It's simple and wonderful... I love it when things work.

Snail Speed

Snail Speed
Originally uploaded by V G.

I feel like I've been going snail speed lately, but at least I'm going.
Part of it has to do with my son being sick with a double ear infection, which includes periodic red ears, high fever and vomiting.
Any kind of art attempt gets put on the backburner (again).
So, like a snail I'm going at a slow pace, but I keep going.
Remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare?
Since my son is sick, I'd better get to sleep while I can before he wakes up and NEEDS me. He isn't sleeping well with a stuffy nose to add to his list of current ailments.
I hope everyone is staying healthy out there.

Camping at Refugio

Hiking
Originally uploaded by V G.

This was the reason for my recent lapse in on-line blogging activity.
It was camping at Refugio near Santa Barbara. It was a nice trip and went by too fast. We stayed 3 nights. We met long time friends Shanna, Mark and Max from SC there. Max is one year older than our little guy. They had extreme amounts of fun playing in the dirt and sand. It was a great trip. I give it high marks as far as campsites go.
My only complaint is that it was very windy at night. We were warm in our sleeping bags, but the sound of wind ripping through at all hours of the night makes for a light sleep. That's when the RV lifestyle looks appealing. I still want to travel by RV one day...just for a week.
I know they are gas hogs, but maybe just a little RV. That doesn't make sense does it, a little RV? You know what I mean, just one that isn't the hugest beast out there but has all of the cool RV things.
Anyway, there is still something cool about just a tent too. We enjoyed it. I'm fine as long as I am warm and the sleeping air mattress has air, I'm good. Oh, and my morning coffee, then I'm set.

Growth

Growth
Originally uploaded by V G.

I love that flowers are emerging and budding.
We have a tiny (right now) Ginko Biloba tree in our backyard that we
planted about 4 months ago. We thought we killed it. All of the leaves had fallen off. It looked like a Charile Brown Christmas tree, but even worse without any green leaves. Happily, we discovered
these new buds emerging just last week. I was so excited. They are even bigger now. I'm still learning about
growing trees and plants. I think the most important thing still seems to be regular watering.
This is what I do in between everything else. It's feels very rewarding to see a tree or plant thrive.
I'm still slowly priming my art panels...so no photos of these yet. I did a coat of primer today.
I have enough layers on a couple of them now which means that I could start painting. Hmm? Soon...I can't wait. In terms of my art at this time in my life, I can really relate to this little Ginko Biloba tree.

Wood Panels.

Wood Panels.
Originally uploaded by V G.

This is a recent purchase. These are Mahogany and Birch panels to paint on. I love this surface to paint on.
I got them from a local panel and canvas maker (www.cksart.com).
Chris at CKS does an excellent job making these panels.
Little by little I am getting back to my art and it feels SO GOOD!
Tonight I even made it to an art reception at Bergamot Station for
a former teacher of mine, Tim Ebner. He's a painter.
He is showing at the Rosamund Felson gallery.
To be continued on the art panels...
This photo shows them lined up to get a coat of sealer.
I'm excited. I can wait to put a couple more coats on them and start painting-painting.

Hollywood Sign

Hollywood_sign_web
Originally uploaded by V G.

It was a magical morning hike in Griffith Park. We saw the Hollywood sign in the distance with some fog lifting over the hills. Things are looking so lush and green right now at this time of year. The mustard seed plants are adding color too.
We are reminded that it might be a good time to see the poppy fields out in the dessert soon. I think my son would like to see that.

Headless Peeps

Headless Peeps
Originally uploaded by V G.

My son loved eating the heads off the peeps. We ended up with
almost a pack full of headless peeps. It's toddler thinking at its best.
He gave me all of his headless peeps. "Here mommy! Eat it!" He'd give them to me all sticky and freshly bitten off with toddler drool.

Bunny Ears on Mommy

Bunny Ears, close-up
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here I am as mommy in bunny ears gearing up for the Easter egg hunt. We had an easter egg hunt for little man at grandma and grandpa's (husband's parents) house. It was fun. Classic Easter!
Chocolate bunnies, candy...speaking of which I can't seem to stop sneaking bits of chocolate. I love chocolate. It is my other weakness after caffiene.

Bunny Ears

Bunny Ears
Originally uploaded by V G.

I tried getting more shots with my little man wearing the bunny ears, but they fell off almost immediately. He jumped around like a bunny which made them fall off. Or, he started running.

Green Hands & Eggs

Green Hands & Eggs
Originally uploaded by V G.

Here he is again.
He liked the egg holder but getting green hands was too much fun.
It took a while for it to come off, but it was worth the pure dipping
fun.

Toddler Talks Art

We went to the Rosamund Felson Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, CA this past weekend and saw the work of Steve Hurd.
Click here to check out the Rosamund Felson Gallery

This is my little man talking art describing the globe shape and how it is slightly deflated. It was once a fine plastic global ball shape fully inflated and pure. Now after some time has passed a slow leak has produced a deflated piece of plastic which is not holding it's former shape. Actually I don't know what he is thinking, it just looks like he is seriously describing this painting. As you may have guessed, my appetite for art is again being fed. My standards are
being raised back up. Sorry Starbucks.

Starbucks Bathroom Art

Starbucks Bathroom Art
Originally uploaded by V G.

Ok, you know I'm getting desperate for art when I begin to admire art in the bathroom at Starbucks. When I saw this I had to take a photo on my cellphone. First of all, it is a print of a painting mounted onto a frame. So, does it even qualify as real art? Either way, I have to admit, I still do like it for it's simple
graphics combined with an abstract quality. Somebody, somewhere painted the original, Photoshoped it or created it. Plus, I'm a coffee addict.
I know it's better to keep it in moderation, but I still tend to overdue my coffee intake at times. I do like the coffee cup symbol. A couple other things I like about them are their size and shape. Ever since the Sandwich series, I have favored a small square format. There is something nice about it. The other thing that seems funny to me and very modern art in a Duchampian way is the air freshner mounted to the top of the first painting. Odd, funny and reminds us we are in a bathroom. It is a very space specific piece which also has roots in
a lot of installation type of art. I could write a ton more on this, but to get back to my point, I have been a little starved for art.
The heart sees what it wants to see. I'm happy to report that since my last post and before I saw this art at Starbucks I did start a painting. It is a square shape almost the same as these I saw at Starbucks.