Do I Love NY?

When brother-in-law, Fritz Stewart invited Andy and me to visit him in NYC, we leapt.  Not only would we stay with him in the city, but we planned to cross paths with co-worker, James McMullen and his wife Katy while on Spring Break.  The opportunity for time in the city and a planned maritime field-trip to Mystic Seaport was almost too good to be true.  My first and only other trip to New York was 20 years ago and less than 24 hours in duration.  Enticing experiences and sights beckoned me back. My list of desired activities was way too long, yet Andy and I managed 4 packed days in the city and 3 in Mystic, Connecticut, including the driving time.  The fun/satisfaction ratio on this trip was high!  After looking back through thoughts and images I may be able to answer my question at the end of this post.

Here's one way to get around Greenwich Village.

The Walking

I have to say because of all the walking and yes, fresh air, I slept more soundly in that week than I usually do at home. Only one day did I make a bad shoe choice. Yes, there are scars and blisters to prove it. That was the day we took the 1 Train all the way south and visited the Financial District.  Wall Street, Ducatti Park, Ground Zero, the Ferry Terminal for Staten Island, The Battery Park, and through the narrow deep canyon streets famously define the image of Gotham.  Most days my feet were happy in my waterproof walking boots.  The walking was good, most of it at a comfortable pace.  Luckily most of the major distance was passed by subway, quickly and efficiently.  We never found ourselves pushing against of tide of people below or above ground.  Good timing I guess.

Enjoying the sights from the Highline.  Former tracks of the train that carried goods from the Meat Packing district

James along the tracks.

Iconic Bridge in Central Park.  Spring was just starting to get a hold

Statue of Liberty near the Irish Hunger Memorial, Battery Park

Past the Brownstones on the way to Central Park from Fritz's apartment

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park

Mid- town, near MoMA. Hot dogs of course!

The Food and Beverages

Of course, because of all the walking we get hungry.  We ate Turkish, Belgian, bagels and lox, pizza, falafel from the Halal carts, succulent clam strips (better than Ivar's I must say), delicious seafood and Italian in Mystic, and a very fine home-cooked meal made by our host, Fritz. The meal was built around a venerable vintage red. The  kale salad, filet minion, and wild rice salad from Zabar's held up their end.

On our last night, Fritz's friend Richard was our host for a most amazing meal of Chef's selection at Varelli, which is Greek for barrel.  Trios of small plates filled with amazing creations kept arriving!  A fantastic thunderstorm raged most of the evening.  In fact, Andy and I were lucky to have a break in the storm as we made our way to the train and then the restaurant from Fritz's apartment.  I have never heard thunder echo like that.  It snapped in and out of the buildings, clapping on and on!

We sometimes got thirsty and would have to find a place to have a pint or glass of wine along the way.  In Fritz's neighborhood we found The Parlour and the Firehouse.  The Parlour had great allure, as it also showed the day's Football matches. We had a nice lunch while watching Barcelona beat Paris St. Germain.  A large group of French people shared the fun with us.  In the end, they were a bit sad, Barcelona won. Our first day, we enjoyed the tiny and casual Blind Tiger in Greenwich Village with James and later Katy.  It was a place with a homey feel, no t.v. screens and one patron knitting socially.

What caught my eye

Besides everything in MoMA!  We visited an special exhibit on the beginings of Abstractionism, with a focus on Kandinski.  It was a wonderful trip through an art era.

A friendly fellow along the Highline

Subway Mosaics

Window Display in the Village

Thinking of New York, we might Imagine....

Strawberry Fields across from The Dakota

You know it!

Washington Square

Empire State building framed by tower

T-REX!!!! Natural History Museum

Ground Zero construction, new tower going up and up and up

Bull!

Central Park

Is it Love?

Do I find myself day dreaming about what I'd be doing there now?  Do my eyes open wider thinking of the sights seen and yet to be seen? Do I find myself making plans of how I'd spend future time together?  Does the thought of eating at a sidewalk cafe watching people make my heart flutter? Do I have a desire to watch the movie,  I Love NY?  Am I looking the city up on the internet searching for maps, images and seeing what the weather is like? Yes, to all those questions. In actuality, I've made a very good new friend.  I want to visit again soon and see what else there is to explore.  Maybe the love will grow!

Shakespeare's Garden in Central Park

Love on the Highline

You can't stop the weather

Now that all the Christmas decorations are put away for another year, we journey deeper into winter.  I hunker down and do a few projects I've put off for years (?).  I'm sewing cloth napkins, finishing some curtains for the bathroom, recovering the  cloth seats on our dining room chairs.  This makes me feel all homey and cozy.  I like to light a few candles and put on some music that is soothing and inspirational.  I choose Radio Paradise for my soundtrack.

With a forecast that looks like potential snow, I created an Etsy Treasury with cool, frosty images to help get me in the mood.  As if I needed that!!!!

Will it snow?

Into the West: It's all about the Rocks!!

In the Garden of Infinite Wisdom  
Botanical Garden: Haily, ID

This summer I was fortunate to experienced my first road trip in decades.  Andy and I left Anacortes for Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana on a day when thunder and lightening seemed to follow us everywhere.  We were on an adventure traveling through some familiar territory and to some places we've never been!

Stormy skies in Northeast Oregon

This trip was very social in many ways. We stopped to visit family and friends in Sun Valley, Salt Lake City, Boulder, Colorado, West Yellowstone, Wise River, Montana.  We camped, hiked, stayed in a hostel, and dipped in a hot spring pool.  We had two rock chips in our windsheild in two days, our car turned 100,000 miles, and entrusted our cats, garden and house to our teenage son.  Yet, in this post, I want to highlight one of my favorite topics:  Rocks!!!  Sun, wind, water erroded, exposed, crumbling, prominent, still forming, smooth, sharp, dull, brilliant, gigantic and tiny!

A tenacious tree growing through lava flows at Crators of the Moon Idaho


I know we drove past places where they find opals, sapphires, and quartz crystals.  Maybe some other time I'll go on a gemstone tour of the west!  For now I'll have to be happy with the pictures of amazing formations and geothermal wonders we encountered.

Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls  (you can see kayaks in the bottom left)

Heading East from Salt Lake City, UT

Near the Flat Irons, Boulder, Colorado

Wyoming Colors

Surprising to me was the variety and scope of the geology of Wyoming.  We saw only a slice of Utah and didn't get into the heart of the Rockies in Colorado.  So much saved for another year!

Wyoming Approaching Teton National Park

Vedauwoo Rocks in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Wyoming

More Vedauwoo, Wyoming

I have always loved observing geologic wonders; holding, finding, touching rocks large and small, shiny or dull, heavy or light.  I love to see how they landed thrown from a volcanic blast, were shaped and eroded by wind, water, or flowing glaciers, or see where they tumbled to into some canyon or became polished by waves on my favorite beach.  This trip was a feast for my latent rockhound self.

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park, Montana

In Montana, experiencing a very different kind of rock

I like to think inspiration for my craft comes through the exposure on trips and adventures like this.  I feel renewed and invigorated looking back through the images and recalling the new sight, textures, smells, and sounds.  Let's fill that experience library with wonderful new memories!

New Beadwork and Enameled Jewelry

As life settles in to a new routine, I have found time to create new jewelry: beaded, enameled, and strung. I am especially excited about this peyote stitched bezel around a Labradorite Cabachon with some serious blue highlights. Next I'll bead the bail and decide how to hang it.  Beaded rope or chain?

With so many projects in progress, a few that have been on the back burner recently called loudly for completion.  Quite a few are still in various stages of becoming but the momentum is building and the satisfaction of finishing is pulling me forward.  Here are some that I like a lot!

Enameled Pendant Choker

     Enameled Earrings with Blue Niobium Earwires

Scrafito Technique Enamel Pendant Necklace

 Earrings with Sterling Silver Spiral

Outside the window I'm finally seeing the signs of spring with something other than a gray background!  Huge cumulous clouds with billowing white tops and ominous looking undersides are hiding Mount Baker.  The Red Flowering Currant is So in the pink this year! Appreciated doubly, as I had one bush die last year. Across the street the neighbor has yellow Forsythia and the last Cherry blossoms are giving way to maroon leaves.  The blue sky is doing my soul good today!!

Happy Spring!!

Traditional Rowing Boat Blog Post

In my new job at Emerald Marine Carpentry one of my tasks is to keep the blog humming along. Below is a link to my first post.

After wanting to work at the family business for many years, the time arrived!  Part-time work in Anacortes allows me time to keep up with my jewelry business, exercise, gardening, and projects around the house.  The short bicycle commute is a nice addition.

My office skills come in handy, in addition to marketing and promotion as well.  The learning curve involves retail wood sales, pricing, shipping and receiving and general inventory.   Part of the fun is learning customers and their boats names, adjusting to general shop routine, and training on how to help maintain tools and equipment.  I tend to be most happy with a variety of hands-on tasks so the good balance between shop work and office work is perfect.

There is, of course, a large well equipped shop with lots of tools, bronze casting equipment, a forge waiting to be set up, metal bandsaw, almost everything except for the perfect jewelers torch and the precision rolling mill I dream of!  There is always great music playing on the stereo and a general good feeling.

I have been listing new items on Etsy slowly.  Making a few new items and taking a lot of pictures.  I have so much still to learn and explore with my kiln and as my new routine takes hold, more space and time are opening up.

Emerald Marine Blog Island Star post




Photo by Phil Eley

Been gone too long!

First beading project for 5 months!!!  It is a peyote stitched bezel around a small oval Labradorite Cabochon.  It feels good and strange but I wanted to dive right in and start creating again!  My job was cut to half time, so I suddenly have a portion of my life back!!

I have been missing from my Etsy shop and from blogging.  I lost my way and got caught up in a new job. Waking up earlier than normal, driving 25 minutes, adjusting to a hectic pace with lots of change and transition took about everything I had for about 6 months.  I am happy to say I am back and have just been updating Etsy shop again and hope to add some new items soon.

I will take a picture of my new project as soon as it looks like something!  Last weekend I started to unpack my enamel studio stuff again and am so excited to get enough time and space to pick up where I left off there!  I don't think I ever enjoyed any thing quite so much as creating pendants and earrings with fire and glass powder!!

Dusky Owl Eyes

Here is another Etsy Treasury Team Collection with owls, brown, gray, gold, and blue in a calming collage.