Still A Kid At Heart....

Sometimes, after a looooooooooooong day
you just need to stop at the local art store
where they sell TOYS along with art materials...
and lay out a buck and a half
and just have FUN out on the deck ;-)

(hop and flip windup toys..my favorites!)

WooHoo...a perfect landing...10!!!!
(Action Photography by my granddaughter, "Cooper")

Ahhhh, the weekend......

All photos taken in Laguna Beach, California

Jump For Joy The Weekend Is Here!

High Five Guys!

Peace

Am I The Only One Who Sees The Face In The Tree??
The Week Had It's Thorns, But Beauty Was Found

...do I see you coming home :::::

...coming home to me, in your boat on the sea.
-Donovan

The Lynx is a square topsail schooner based in Newport Beach. She is a replica of an American privateer vessel of the same name from around 1812. The original Lynx played its part in running the British blockade, assisting the then almost non-existent American naval forces, and defending the American coastal waters and merchant ships against the Royal Navy.

She serves as an education vessel teaching seamanship to those who step on her deck. Often, when other Tall Ships come to our harbor there is a reenactment of a battle and the cannons are fired....which always grab the attention of those along the beach...I have seen many a tourist with a worried look on their face :-)

To me she is just a beauty to watch as I sit on the cliffs above the beach...this photo I took of her was last winter as she was sailing back into the harbor...I had some fun altering the photo in Photoshop.

Our Lady of the Lost & Found...

While I await word on a possible second job interview with a company in the creative industry I decided to relax by creating ART today -- the piece I created cannot be shared however--- because it is for a page in a friends Round Robin Altered Beatles Book...and to show it here would ruin the surprise for her...and trust me, she LOVES surprises...she is like a sister to me, and I LOVE her...so I won't show it :)

Instead I am posting a scan from my first ever Altered Book ...Our Lady of the Lost & Found...in this book I sort of tell a story of The Virgin Mary visting children (the pure) and one possible believer in todays world. I am not necessarily a religious person, a seeker rather - and what one friend has coined, 'a recovering Catholic'..I embrace many aspects of many religions - in my life I was taught tolerance- and I teach it in return...

The words on this page say:

...Sometimes, once your blinders have been removed, you find it....as if this were the most ordinary thing in the world to be doing at this time of day, in this part of the world...

I love the visuals those words conjure up...and what you are viewing is how I chose to illustrate it.

Weeeeeee Are Everyday People....

Veronica's here: We've Got Mail!

Think for a moment about the people you encounter EVERYDAY...and sure enough your mail carrier will come to mind...

On Heliotrope we have THE BEST carrier of all. When you live in a close knit 'hood like ours, where there is for the most part two homes on a lot with whole and half addresses... you would THINK everyone would get the right mail. Well, we only get the right mail when Veronica is working...because she CARES about the people on her route - and if you're lucky, she stops a moment to say hello and ask you about your day. WHOA...time warp....just like when I was growing up in the 1950's and people talked to one another!!!

Kimber and I have called the main post office several times...to let them know what an excellent employee she is...we all complain when things are wrong...but please, don't forget to call when things are right. Don't take THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE in your lives for granted.

We love ya Veronica --- and we appreciate you!

Sometimes, I just can't help myself....

HEADLINE ON MSNBC Bush: Immigrants Must Learn English.
“One aspect of making sure we have an immigration system that works, that’s orderly and fair, is to actively reach out and help people assimilate into our country,” Bush said in a speech at a local community college. “That means to learn the values and history and language of America.”

Immigrants: Bush Must Learn English.

"Because the—all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those—changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be—or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the—like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate—the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those—if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."—Explaining his plan to save Social Security, Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4, 2005

Something tells me it's all happening at The Bar...

Uh, that would be...The ARTbar...!

Located in the historic district of Santa Ana, California in the Village for Artists Santora Building you can immerse yourself in nearly every imaginable media of art where a diverse and eclectic gathering takes place. When you find yourself here on the First Saturday of each month you can meander through the many galleries, sipping your wine and snacking your way through a creative wonderland...but the best 'snack' is the eye-candy that virtually leaves your head spinning.

When I came upon 209 N. Broadway near the corner of 1st my eye and camera lens was immediately drawn to the architecture...it's in the blood I suppose, since Grandpa Andrea Mamola was known for his beautiful work - the Santora building was not one of his (his work was in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara). The Santora building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed in Moorish style by Frank Lansdown in 1926 the building was restored in the 1980's. If the building was the only manifestation of art I was to see I would have gone home happy.

We (myself, daughter and granddaughter) were here to enter the spot that lies beneath the ornate iron work...We were here for The Stampington Event at The ARTbar.

And now we get to the nitty-gritty...When you have the opportunity to meet and speak with the multi- talented actress/photo-artist Angela Cartwright it is worth leaving the beach where the fog horn is sighing and the temp's are in the mid-70's to travel the fifteen miles inland where the temp's were just shy of 100 degrees :) Angela was here to sign copies of the book she conceived with the people at Stampington & Company for a Somerset Studio Publication - TRANSPARENT ART. If you are an artist, or a lover of art -- grab a copy of this book and be swept away...

It's always interesting for me when meeting someone like Angela - someone I felt I grew up with since Make Room For Daddy, and of course who we all fell in love with again in The Sound of Music (I admit, I rarely watched Lost in Space...apologies Angela!). An actress like Angela feels 'bigger than life'...and then...if we are fortunate... we find them to be extremely genuine, open and kind. Angela is all of these qualities and more. In the photo below: my granddaughter, Marissa...Angela...my daughter, Jill. (Be sure to read Jill's Blog for her perspective of the artful evening!)

We were drawn to (no pun intended..oh, okay..it was intentional!) the amazingly colorful art of Traci Bautista. Traci's work (and personality) is an expression of pure freedom and joy-- and you cannot avoid getting caught up in it. Jill and Marissa truly 'connected' with Traci, and her art .... Marissa left the event with a demo sketch signed by Traci :) Pick up a copy of Traci's new book...Collage Unleashed...eat it with a spoon...I will go out on a limb and tell you it's BETTER than chocolate! :)

The Stampington & Company Event at The ARTbar presented the opportunity to meet the people behind the scenes. Holding one of its first ever live jury art recruitments artists from all over the area came to enter their work in hopes of being selected for publication. By the evenings end nearly 175 pieces of art were submitted. And I was one of 'em :) Initially there were to be ten pieces chosen. With what looked like a treasure chest of creativity gone wild the editors decided to extend their limit as they pondered 2 hours past the original deadline announcement. When all was said and done (whoops Angela...it just came out...honestly!) the piece I exhibited was chosen. If you backtrack in my Archeological Digs on the sidebar to May look for the post titled Show & Tell... you will see my mixed media Storybook Clock. When I know more details, and what Stampington publication it will appear in I will let you know :)

The photo above of Marissa and Jill is taken at the front entrance of The ARTbar. The story of Jill''s jeans cannot be told or illustrated better than the way she told it on her blog. It is worth the read! And yes, the jeans will be in a Stampington publication as well :)

What are these figures on the Santora Building....gargoyles? ...or were they icons for the muse of each artist that would one day enter this historic building....? All we can do is wonder...

A Conversation In My Heart

Me: "Mom, I met so many cool creative people yesterday evening!"
Voice inside my Heart: "Yes, I know."

Me: "We even met one of your favorite actresses from The Sound Of Music.
Voice inside my Heart: "Yes, I know."

Me: "Mom, we're having our artwork published,...can you believe it?...but why now, why not when you were here?...you encouraged us and were our biggest fan."

Voice inside my Heart: "Because, I had to be HERE to help make it happen."

( I will tell YOU all about it tomorrow)

What Are The Chances....?

This afternoon on my way back home from doing some running around with my daughter I gave my Pop a call from the cell phone, telling him to get ready for a walk to LookOut Point when I got home in twenty minutes or so.

Once home I had to take care of a few last minutes things...and I was getting slightly annoyed at my delays...but of course I had to go with the flow, called life :) Finally, we are out the door (I take Pop on these 'walks' in his transport chair because he has Parkinson's Disease).

The waves were really peaking at The Wedge over at the west jetty and Pop and I were enjoying watching the 10 foot swells breaking on shore. All was quiet for a while..and then a gentlemen approached and jokingly asked.."Can I share the bench with you?"...being my usual self I had to ponder it, be wishywashy..let him beg...then say.."Oh okay, I guess"...lucky for me this guy got my humor immediately and we hit it off. A moment later his wife comes to sit next to me...as if we have known one another all our lives we begin to chat about the day, the surf...the usual beach-talk. I am thinking to myself...these are really nice people, so I move Pop in closer to the bench so he can join in the conversation better.

You know how these kind of chats go..."where you from originally?", "how long have you lived here at the beach", "oh! You're Italian too?!", she mentions losing her Dad a few years ago, I tell her about Mom...on and on as we get to know these wonderful friendly people...

Then we started talking about more specific neighborhoods and really narrowing things down. My Pop then mentions how he used to have to drive the freeways to Burbank each day to work. The woman, who we now know as Nancy says..."My Dad worked in Burbank too"..okay, not that unusual....then after a pause she says...."he worked for an aircraft company called Weber"..only before she got "Weber" completely out I could not catch my breath! Dad pipes in.."Well I retired from Weber Aircraft after 37 years there!"..and Nancy's eyes widen and says.."so did MY DAD!, sir..WHAT is your name?" and when Dad said his name....she literally LEAPT off of the bench we were sitting on, grabbed him in a huge bear hug and said.."George, I am Marty's daughter!"...then her and I looked at one another...crying..and she ran around Dad and grabbed me in a bear hug as I was sobbing saying.."oh my God, your Dad was like family to us!!!". Pop and Marty were friends and co-workers since....get this...1945!!!!!! I grew up as a kid thinking Marty was an Uncle! Yet, I had never met his daughter!!! We were kids, always busy doing other things when our parents would get together!!!!

Now, our town is a small 'village' beach town..but still, the population is about 13,400. And Nancy and her husband Hoyt go to LookOut Point a lot..but always in the morning..NEVER, EVER, EVER in the afternoon..and there were plenty of free benches to sit at...but Hoyt chose our bench.

When we were all getting ready to go back home Nancy gave Pop another hug and said..."George, you are like my second Dad"...the smile on my Dad's face was unbelievable.

And here is the kicker....they live around the corner from us. No kidding.

What are the chances........?