More art at home from a happy customer!

How cool must it be to sleep here?

Cactus Flower

We're off to Northhampton, MA for a show tomorrow. Will probably miss a few days since we have a free place to stay that may not have internet access..... how will I survive? I'll take some pics to share on my return though. The cactus flower above is right in my office. Sort of a big ugly, spiny, sharp plant that just sort of sprawls across my window sill ----- growing in a pot that fell over several years ago. You don't think I'm going to try to set it straight do you? Very regularly big 3" across by about 5" long flowers appear.... sometimes several at once. Always a great day when I spot one! Started from a little piece about the size of my thumb salvaged from the floor of my lawyer's office about 20 years ago!

Carolina Duck

Several years ago, my brother Dave found a rubber duck on the path to the campsite while at Merlefest. He kept the duck, called it Carolina Duck - the americana music festival is in North Carolina - and rubber ducks became a part of family history ever since. Carolina Duck went to every Merlefest after that, and was joined by quite a few close relatives. Dave is gone now, but rubber ducks remain, along with memories! I found several "hippie ducks" at an anti-war store front, and added them to my van dash, and also thought why not take one along on on my bike rides. I definitely do not want to become one of those old guys with flags, pinwheels, and even bumper stickers on their bikes, but thought this was a nice touch. Someday I may need to move him to my future walker or wheel chair, but for yesterday at least Carolina Duck's hippie friend and I went for a 22.8 mile bike ride. Dave would have enjoyed the ride!

Riveting

A canal image I never would have imagined in advance, but here it is...... a tiny detail of one of those huge bridges built to carry trains, or cars, or whatever across the canal! The sun was just right..... looks like something on Mars? Below is a slightly bigger section of the same bridge. Click on the one above for a really cool larger version!

Another new thing from Louise's Daughter

Another "Look what we made" day. This simple automata's dancers move back and forth to whatever rhythm you move the front lever to. Looks marvelous just sitting there, and is fun to play with! About 10" x 10" x 6". To see them in person come to our up coming shows - schedule on the web site.


And in honor of Spider-man 3, and if you are keeping up with "nature in the back yard", here is a spider I met the other day!

New Dancers!

Our catalog, etc. mentions checking here to see new work before anyone else sees it, and here is one of those moments. We worked up dancer # 6 about a week ago. To see them in person come to our up coming shows - schedule on the web site.

A weekend with Wyatt!

A few weeks ago Wyatt invited me to see Spider-man 3. In our world, that is code for wonderful time together, and we proved it again this weekend! Spider-man was indeed part of the formula, but this abandoned bridge over the Erie Canal was probably the highlight! We rode our bikes along the canal path that I ride several times a week, and I got to show him things I see regularly, and tell him stories about my rides. But something made us venture off the path, over a little hill, and right to a bridge to nowhere! Notice that there is nothing but flowering bushes at the other end ...... same thing on this end. Not sure what went over this bridge. There is a railroad bridge right next to it..... tracks not in use any more, but at least they are there. The picture below indicates the future of that bridge too, but this one has no deck, nothing but the frame. Nothing but an adventure for a couple of guys out for a ride. 50 years apart in age, but both ready for the joy of discovery, the vertigo of stepping out over the water, however briefly, and the pleasure of someone to share the story with!
We also saw Spider-man 3, cooked Mother's Day bruch for Aunt Cheryl, Grandma Peg, Cousin Deanna, Cousin-in-law Linda, etc.

It all ended too soon, but but being an uncle is just about the best there is. The only thing better might be in a few weeks when I get both the neice and the nephew for a weekend! Uncle x 2??

Recycling again!

In a way yesterday's story was about recycling. That cool couch found a new home, and a ride to that home on the back of a car that was being lovingly cared for after 34 years instead of rusting away in a junk yard. This man, and his father-in-law, drove along that same street tonight, the night before the weekly trash run, and collected anything with metal in it. The truck sure looked full, but they found room on top for a gas grill abandoned after several summers of family picnics. All this stuff is off to the junk yard for recycling instead of off to the landfill. I watched amazed as this guy mananged to get just one more piece on his load, and remembered my grandfather who made some significant part of the family income collecting stuff from the "dump", and recycling it, back when there was no landfills, and no recycling!

Another wonderful story!

Went for my longest bike ride yet of the spring - 18 miles, and along with the exercise, I got a great story. Almost back home, I stopped to take some pictures of some huge logs left on the curb for the city to take away --- I doubt they will do that because they probably run about 3/4 ton each for the 3 or 4 biggest ones!

While doing that a 1974 Pontiac Granville convertible went by, but I missed the picture..... almost. As I headed on down the street toward home, the wonderful car was parked along the way, while the owner surveyed a couch that had been on the curb for about 3 days. I stopped to get the picture of the car, and talked to the owner who was very interested in the couch. Turns out that as a car buff, he knew the couch design was based on the 1956 Chevy Belair! He had called a friend to help load the couch onto the back of his car and was waiting for his arrival. The friend turned up moments later in a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible! Two grand old cars, two friends, a grand old couch, and me all arriving at the same moment in time. I love it when parts of the world all converge in a moment, and I happen to be there, and happen to recognize that something special has happened!