Florida, Ft. Walton Beach

At Fort Walton Beach we were with George's old friends from Edwards Airforce Base in California. Fred & Marion were young marrieds there with Dee & George. Their 4 kids were friends.

Fred & Marion live on an inlet that reminded me so much of the Lively, Virginia inlet that George had a house on. The vegetation was pretty different, most notably the long-needled pines that were everywhere. With the needles that were as long as my foot!

Marion designed her house which is called The Treehaus, as her first family name was Hausman. There is no way I could do justice to this house which is set under and around a huge magnolia of a kind that is rare in Vancouver. I loved the stain glass window for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 Here are Marion & Fred. They were great hosts and good guides. Fred was shocked when Obama was reelected. 

                  

What struck me most was how there was no one on any of these fabulous beaches. That was so surprising to me.  For miles and miles & miles!!

That's it till New Orleans!

                                                    That's it for now.

After New York, DC

I am still catching up with myself, all the traveling done, sights seen, and friends visited with too.

Washington, DC's plans were changed in a big way because of the Hurricane-Sandy-Jitters. Everyone was in full-on-prep-mode for the storm. The radio talked practically Nothing But.

There were quite a few people we winded up not seeing as a result.
I was reminded of my friend who calls the USA The Excited States of America. 

We got to the supermarket to stock in a few things the morning of the day DC was going to be [minorly] hit. We had gas cooking available to us, so we could buy real food. 

By the time we got back to George's brother, Alan's place the lights were out way before the storm hit. Four hours later they went back on,  just as mysteriously.

                                View into Alan's back yard. Darkness at 4.

Two sections of Alan's fence blew out and a tree a few streets over went over, but Washington got off pretty easily. Oops, not that car!

We wound up having three nights with George's son, Ian, his wife Karla & their son, Jack. Even a trip out to Manassis, the site of the Battle of Bull Run & a run in a bowling alley.

 At the bowling alley which was completely fun. I was not a star, but I had an awesome time. All the pictures of Jack [above] are hazy because he is very camera-shy right now. But watch out, with his genes, he'll be super handsome.

Alan took us to see the Kreeger-- a house by Philip Johnson, a famous American architect [known for his Glass House]. This house is filled with art bought by the Kreegers.

Me, in the sculpture garden in a pretty wavy self portrait.
I have many of these! I mean self-portraits, not wavy self-portraits!


This a college roommate of mine, Laurie.  We've had some great times together since 1961.

I was the only one who liked this sculpture. To me this is where all tennis courts are eventually headed towards weeds & trees & surface break-up, so this piece was perfect!

Later in the DC visit Laurie & I went to the Textile Museum where we saw wonderful rugs and textiles from the Ottoman Empire, and to the Renwick where we saw 40 artists under 40, to see new trends in art/craft.   Both were terrific, but beyond their permission for photography with my camera! 

But I did get some allowable shots at the Renwick. 

A favorite set of chairs & a quilt by Michael James whose work I greatly admire.
Such a textile technician & artist.

It's the monkeys on the arm pieces that I love, & their spiral tails!

George & I also managed a visit with Alan to Dunbarton Oaks in Georgetown. This is another museum in a private home that is wonderful. They have an unusual collection of South American indigenous art, some Greek ancient art, but best of all I love the staircase & shadows.

My next blog will be about Fort Walton Beach, Florida & New Orleans. This was to be my first time in the Deep South.

                                                            That's it for now.

SO New York

I love New York City. It's always been a special place for me.

It was the first Other Big City I experienced. I went with my mother when I was 8 to see Copelia in NYC.  We stayed at the Westbury Hotel on Madison Avenue.  She bought me a new dress at Saks Fifth Avenue.  Oh, my!!

The city of my 4 college years. Weekly trips into New York for my cello lessons.
 Signe Sandstrom, my teacher, gave me lessons in her apartment near Carnegie Hall,
Two apartments of my brother, Michael. One on 101st street and one on Horatio Street in the East Village. And Annie & Bob up in Morningside Heights for a year or so.
Visiting and staying over at friend's apartments.

And now New York is my college reunion base, my friend-visiting place, my art-seeing place.  I love its openness, richness, the fact that it 'works' in all its complexity, and the amazing depth of its culture.

So here goes. These photos are for me soooooo New York. At the Guggenheim was a show of Picasso drawings. Both George & I had negative feelings about Picasso-the-man, as shown through his work. Definite misogyny there!

We went for our usual walk on the Skyline-- a garden walkway on an old El line on the lower west side where good foliage was starting to happen.

Life imitating art!!

                          New York is so good at making fire-escapes & trash on the sidewalk!! 

There are many great street scenes.

Special collections: this one at the American Folk Art Museum [where I always visit] about glitter, shininess, & tin foil.

Some one who catches my eye who I wonder about...

There are street after street of specialized businesses

And art, art art!! I fill up!

I also fill up on seeing old friends. 

That's it for now.