Baby, it's cold outside It's finally feeling like winter. Am I celebrating? No. It's just . . . well, it's December and it's finally cold. Reality is catching up with the conceptual template of our calendar. I may not have enough warm clothes of the proper size to wear this season. I really do need to clean up the bedroom, shop in my closet and see ( Read more... )

I've been looking for creative outlets the last couple of months, things that are deliberately not writing, because writing is really loaded for me right now. There is no way I will not write fiction again, but right now it's so freighted with stuff for me that it's just on hold. I've turned my attentions to painting and making jewelry ( Read more... )

I went to what was billed as an "expressive painting" class last night. The teacher is an art therapist. She wasn't there to be a therapist to the class, so much as she was there to facilitate our creativity. I painted for more than 90 minutes. Based on last night's dreams, things were unearthed ( Read more... )

I have been rearranging and reorganizing the art in my great room, almost certainly as a precursor to rearranging the room and the furniture. I've taken out a framed photo of old Seattle, circa 1917, that was turning green, and replaced it with a print of a David Delamare mermaid, a gift from friends. I also removed two fantasy prints. I moved my ( Read more... )

I was, indeed, at the Amsterdam Hermitage when it opened--15 minutes before, in fact, and was the first person in the door. I checked my bag (taking my notebook and my wallet with me), got my audio tour equipment, and made a beeline for my intended goal: the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. Remember how I mentioned that 2012 seemed to be the year for ( Read more... )

I had mapped out my day's itinerary via tram and bus with the help of the kind gentleman who switched me into a nicer room the night before. He flirted with me while we talked and tried to give me the best advice on how to get to my destinations. As I left the hotel, when I began to think about how I walked the city on Tuesday, it occurred to me ( Read more... )

Another day, another roadtrip. skidspoppe and I were up and out of the house by 8 AM, heading south toward a resort town called Druskininkai (say "drush-kin-in-kay") where, on the outskirts, lies a park that I had just had to see ( Read more... )

After yesterday's grand disappointments and frustrations, we decided to take it easy today. We woke a little later, ate a nice egg and cheese breakfast, and followed a Rick Steves walking tour from the Place de la Bastille through the Marais to the Pompidou Center. We had perfect, clear weather (which we've had since Friday morning--Wednesday and ( Read more... )

Morning businessThe original plan for yesterday (Friday) was to go to the Musee D'Orsay in the morning and then spend the afternoon at the Catacombs. What we realized when we rose was that we were pretty much out of groceries (we've been eating breakfast in the apartment each day to save a little cash), and had to do something about that. We also ( Read more... )

The day started early. We got up at 6ish with the sun still set, washed up, had a light breakfast, and headed over to Notre Dame to finally see the interior. Folks, this is the way to site-see: Get up early and beat the crowds. I got to experience what this church is like when it's populated mainly by the clergy and the sparse and scattered ( Read more... )