Paris, Mon Amour

View of the Seine from the Solferino Footbridge

Rodin Museum
In front of D'Orsay
Art student sketching a statue
Richard Serra's sculptures framing the Obelisk
A beautiful fountain at the Place de Concorde

Sunday at the Cluny

We spent several hours at this lovely Medievil museum. They are famous for their unicorn tapestries, but there were many other works of art that were absolutely stunning. The museum itself is a medievil structure and built on the site of Roman baths.

Eiffel Views

Afternoon clouds framed by iron arches
night view from the street
Eiffel strobing out
Sunset view of the Seine from Troisieme Etage

Street Scene

A photoshoot was in progress at Place Vosges.
The easiest way to get around is on a scooter or motorbike. Captured this young woman in a stylish mini and boots.

I came upon these fair-haired waitresses in their lacy headdresses taking a break between shifts.

Rooftops on the 16th

We stayed at a bed & breakfast in the 16th arrondissement. The view from the kitchen window was typically Parisian with rooftops and chimney pots. The clouds were puffy and full of moisture.

Reception at Hotel De Ville

After an all-day conference on human rights at UNESCO, we went to a mayor's reception at Hotel de Ville. All the conference participants were given the red carpet treatment, including fine wines and delicious hors d'oeuvres.

Arriving in Paris

Walked that first day around Rue de Bac and Blvd St Germain, soaking in the aroma of Paris and dodging rain showers. Lots of fashion in this area, including my favorite redhead designer, Rykiel. I was also taken with the chocolatier, Chapon, which had an all-chocolate icecream on display in their front window. I went inside and bought a bar of very dark chocolate by the name of Equateur, which had a hint of jasmine in it. This bar was to sustain H and I during our next three days.

King's Mountain

This Labor Day crafts fair is nestled amongst redwoods. The fragrance of redwoods is heavenly and the crafts are interesting to see. I purchased a curly redwood barrette at one of the booths.

Fireworks All Day

A's pull off an unexpected win over the Twins with Sweeney's bunt walk off RBI.
Fireworks after the game, courtesy of Chevron (they got some boos from the crowd)
Fiery chile peppers on sale at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market.

Slow Food Nation

One of the lovely organic produce booths
Victory Garden right in front of City Hall!

Ran down to Civic Center this morning to check out the Slow Food Nation fest. Got there just when they opened, so didn't have to fight the crowds. The victory garden was impressive - I wonder how they got the crops to grow there so fast? Two booths exhorted us to stop using bottled water and to use tap water instead. I got a "I Love Raw Milk" button even though my stomach doesn't digest dairy. Also some non-wheat bread that tasted sourish and herbal. Will try it as a bun with grilled veggies tonight if I can talk M into it. Another booth had a delicious sour cherry conserve and I also replenished my brown rice supply. Tourists, who had no idea this event was on this weekend were delighted by all the wonderful choices and free food samples.

Glass & Che

Underground Comic Spain Rodriguez. Behind him are drawings by Paz de la Calzada
Newly published graphic novel by Spain Rodriguez.
Gallery 94124 Opening of Public Glass Artists

Went to two events last night - Gallery 94124's show of glasswork and photographs and a talk by Spain Rodriguez at the Mission Cultural Center. These photos look like they were taken in heavy fog but it's actually M's Iphone that has gotten very smeary from use.

Insectos

Back in June I went to Creativity Explored's show, Insects/Insectos and purchase this pen & ink drawing of a mosquito by Ka-wai Shiu. I picked up the drawing today and fell in love with it all over again.

Birthday for Stan

Stan H celebrates his 60th birthday in Noe Valley.

Serpentine

A girl plays on the back of a giant serpent in a Mission playground.

Papercut Mural on Hampshire and 24th

We were doing a self-guided mural walk in the Mission yesterday when we came up on this amazing ephemeral mural made of paper. It seemed like the background halo was made from just one piece of paper. The subject of this mural is immigration.

Ripening Grapes at Chappellet

Napa Parade

A parade on Napa's Main Street started with these men on horseback. It was a lovely hot summer's day in wine country. We visited the Chappellet Winery and went on a 1.5 hour tour and tasting. Afterwards we had lunch at Go Fish in St Helena, then dinner at Ubuntu. A very indulgent and laid back Sunday.

Ballpark Entertainment

We visited the Reds' Hall of Fame next to the ballpark and saw a lot of Pete Rose memorabilia. Though he is beloved in Cincinnati, he continues to be persona non grata on the baseball field. His presence was noticeably absent during the 2008 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies where Cesar Geronimo, Barry Larkin, Joey Jay and August Herrman were honored. We did see cheerleaders, teeshirt shooters and the Reds' mascot, Mr Redlegs. The Mets lost to the Reds in both games that we attended.

Chili Dog at the Park

They have a thing for chili in Cincinnati. At the Great America Ballpark you can sample a chili dog made with hotdog, chili and a huge pile of cheese on a bun. I was totally mesmerized but ended up eating a pizza instead.

Tailgate

Kebab tailgate at the Mac yesterday. We had about 50 friends having a great time. Chef as usual was El Diablo.

Growing a Pie

At Mission Pie, yesterday afternoon. The list behind the boy says, "Harvest strawberries, ollalie berries; chicken coop, eggs; plant; goat fencing; wheat; pie bake." This seems to be a list of summer activities planned for kids living in San Francisco's Mission District. The pies baked here were made with ingredients grown, raised and harvested by urban youth who go to a farm near Half Moon Bay and learn how to be farmers. I tried the mixed berry pie made with strawberries and ollalie berries and it was delicious!

Fire Blooms

Enjoyed a beautiful fireworks night at the Mac after watching the A's defeat the Angels 9-2.

July 4

A tiny parade on our street today! I don't know most of the people who turned out but enjoyed the festivities that included balloons, dogs and children dressed in costume, free hotdogs, lemonade, chips & dessert and the reading of the proclamation of independence.

Young Fan

A young fan at a recent ballgame.

Beyond Knitting at SJ Quilts & Textiles

Went to an interesting knitting show at the San Jose Quilts & Textiles Museum. I enjoyed the all-body knits by Mark Newport. The one on the right is called argyl man. Also on display are some incredible knitted wire pieces by Blanka Sperkova.

View From Nickel & Nickel

The Napa winery's garden had a lovely view of Mt. Tamalpais. We toured the grounds and tasted their selection of cabernets. Afterwards we had lunch at Don Giovanni and then took a cave tour at Del Dotto Caves. It was hot in Napa yesterday but no quite so stifling as Friday.

Joy, Migraine #5130

Buru Book

I've been making a book for the "Banned and Recovered" show. My banned author is Pramoedya Ananta Toer, an Indonesian writer who was imprisioned on Indonesia's Buru Island for 14 years without any charges made against him. The book form is a vertical accordion, with strings made of sinew running down both sides of the book. The inside pages are made of oiled paper, upon which wayang images are adhered using iron-on interfacing. The images and words are lifted from inkjet prints using gloss medium. The covers are made of mat board covered with brown paper, the clasps are abalone buttons I got in Argentina.

Green Fire

30x30 Reception at Varnish Gallery

Artspan's 30x30 reception was a resounding success. Works were selected from California College of the Arts graduates. It was a first Thursdays night so lots of people were roaming around, partying at gallery openings downtown and south of Market.