Catch Up - Oct 27

Monica: (this is not Wilbur)

Catch Up - Oct 16

(Monica)

Stretched

Evelyn: It is Katy's birthday, and we meet at a different venue for some live swing-blues and dance. The place serves as an events facility and art gallery. I love the way it is lit, creating a sense of intimacy.

Housing Curiosities

Evelyn: I sometimes go outside at work, with the "smokers," to get myself a bit of sunshine and share in some of the social-work that goes on. This time I happened to be alone upon my return and saw this creature hanging from the door. He had parked there for several days. About the width of my palm, somewhat intimidating, we made the agreement not to startle each other and continue on with what we were doing.

Windows

Stand Tall

Evelyn: I spent the greater part of my day tied into a deposition in Orlando. It was exhausting, and stressful, and in some ways felt to me like another mark of disrespect. Taking a break to grab a sweater and a piece of cheese to help adjust the fatigue I was feeling, I was taken by the morning sunlight between the moving branches. I was a small serene moment to help me regain my sense of balance, and bring myself out of all the feelings and thoughts that were prone to stomping through my mind throughout the experience.

Historically Peculiar

Squares & Spirals

Monica: I've driven past the Getty Museum in L.A. so many times on my way between southern and northern California, curious about that enormous structure on the hill just past the exit for Hollywood and before the exit for Mullholland Drive. It was only 3:00 p.m. and Michael and I had no agenda of where we needed to be, so we stopped. We paid the $15 parking fee and took the tram up to the museum which has "free" admission. I wasn't too impressed with the art displayed there and the boxiness of the architecture did nothing to stir my soul. However, the landscaping was gorgeous. And it was worth the $15 for the spectacular view of the city and the curve of the coastline as it jutted into the Pacific. The buildings in the twilight created strong silhouettes against an impressively smog-free skyscape.

Evelyn: I have always been drawn to spirals in nature. My favorite shells the ones with twists and spirals that disappear into what looks like no end. They show up in my artwork, in my mind as I lull to sleep, in the doodles I mindlessly scribble while on phone calls, in conferences, and as decorations. This white one, about the size of a Susan B. Anthony coin, I found walking in Caladesi. Delicate, flat, and already a favorite at my desk.

Splash of Red

Monica: We drove to Oakland with Kevin and dropped him off at the hospital so he could finish up some work. He told us about Mountain View Cemetery just down the road, so we decided to check it out. I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoy spending time in cemeteries; they're peaceful and put me in a contemplative state of mind as I ponder my own mortality. This cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who also designed New York City's Central Park) and I was impressed with the beauty of the layout, the fountains of water, the ornate mausoleums, the rolling hills, and the spectacular view of the Bay Area from the top.

Evelyn: Late night homework. I think we are finally starting to settle into a routine, that dance between doing and getting done all the things that make up our days. I still feel a bit like days are a blur, busy and adjusting...however one thing is the same: the ongoing click of a Rubiks cube until the lights are out (after homework of course!)

Delights

Monica: I took my sister-in-law to the airport early this morning and had several hours to kill before heading to my friend Adriana's house to kick off her bachelorette party weekend. On the way to Petaluma, I decided to stop at the Marin County Civic Center, which I'd heard about but had never seen. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was one of his last projects, completed in the 1960's after his death. The building is long and narrow and distinctly his in its geometry and how it's integrated into the surrounding landscape. The main entrance was unimpressive, but when the elevator doors opened to the third floor, what I saw took my breath away: an arched ceiling of glass and different levels of open corridors with plants and trees growing in between them. I wandered through every level and took in every view with delighted eyes. The man knew how to create an impressive space.

Evelyn: A day full of questions and answers, friendships & connections, sunsets and beer... well, at least a beer shared among friends. I loved the warm glow of the evening sun landing on this California Amber Ale—which, for a beer, was spectacularly delicious.

Contravention

Monica: Development in the present is so often a contravention to the past. Walking in downtown Santa Cruz, I'm saddened to see all the new boxy buildings that have gone up in the last 10 years. This particular junction of Pacific Avenue and Cathcart Street holds fond memories for me. That hideous green/tan/orange building looming six stories above the street was once the home of a humble single-story building and parking lot where I worked for nearly two years: Gateways Books. Sometime in the early 2000's, a developer decided to put up a multi-use business/residential building here which now houses a fast-food chain and some high-end stores. The funky local flavor is slowly being devoured by ugly utilitarian buildings and all-too-familiar chain stores that blight so many American towns and cities. It makes me thankful for where I live now, a rural community on the north coast that so far holds no interest for big businesses. It's too remote and there aren't enough people here to warrant that kind of development. I know it only may be a matter of time...

Evelyn: Carrying his delicious funk of dead worms and squashed frogs with pride, his notable stinky Cheeto odor that permeates his aura after two weeks of freedom, eventually, I decide, the dog must be bathed. It is in the arms of the mobile puppy express that he puts on the most reckless of puppy-dog-eyes, gazing at me for a pardon, and staring back into the bathing cabin like I was throwing him to the gators. Such a contravention is almost criminal, yet the pleasant smell of baby-shampoo and his damp and fluffy fur make it a necessary sacrifice.

The Writing on the Wall

Explorations

Healing Tools

Getaways

Hotel Reminents