Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Nevada City Weekend


We've been on the road for nearly a week!  This has been business and pleasure with the lines blurring to the point of indistinguishability.  We started by visiting my oldest friend (as in longest duration) down in San Luis Obispo (some nice B&W shots on Biondography just click the highlighted word here).  After a lovely cool night in Morro Bay we turned inland and headed to Grass Valley/Nevada City for a concert of the Nevada City Concert Band.  They put on monthly pops concerts at Pioneer Park, click here for their website. Oh My Gosh! I'd forgotten what hot feels like!


v and I had the honor and pleasure of being invited to photograph last weekend's concert "California Dreamin'".  I used to listen to the Boston Pops concerts on A&E every 4th of July.  It was a "new" tradition of my father's and mine after he developed dementia. I have a friend who is actually visiting Tanglewood this week.  This band, the NCCB, is as much a pleasure to listen to as the Pops band in Boston, truly. Lucky people of Nevada County.



The rehearsal was creekside in Pioneer Park.  A great place to stand barefoot and try to keep cool!

Something else v and I are working on, and I've been hinting at, is greeting card design, or note cards if you will.  We are going to start peddling them soon.



These are a couple that we've had printed recently.  In keeping with our "local" philosophy we are happy to have a printer three blocks from our house who is willing to do small orders. If we can figure it out we will start having designs available for sale on line in the coming weeks and months.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

(mystery night? m-e?)

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

To Read in the Summer


More summer windows.  I'm just drawn to windows right now. We have been so busy here and will continue to be, a window like this makes me think about the slow times with a good book. My favorite reads are mystery novels, and not the gory or graphic ones.  I sometimes go through phases of reading the early detective novels from England. I also love the Dasheille Hammett stories; The Thin Man and The Maltese Falcon.  I've read all of the Raymond Chandler novels and especially love the ones written of places I knew growing up in Southern California. And yes! I'll admit it: I was (am) a huge fan of Nancy Drew. On my book table I have Annalee Newitz' book Scatter, Adapt, Remember  How Humans will survive mass extinction and Alan Bradley's latest Flavia de Luce novel Speaking From Among the Bones.

v started his latest round of chemo today.  He's been at this for ten months now.  He is stronger, has more energy, but less hair, and a very good appetite.  The doctor saw him today and is very pleased (almost giddy) with v's continued progress and good cheer. The nurses have called him their "healthiest sick patient", but I'm beginning to disagree.  He's not sick.

We continue to work on our latest project (soon!) and the garden and the aquarium.  We have such a busy and tight schedule this week that I was afraid we might not be able to take advantage of our impending apricot harvest, but I was able to get up early the other morning and can some apricot/cherry jam before breakfast!  I keep forgetting that jam and jelly making is so much easier than pie!


So, here is a window with a cushion just inviting anyone who wants to just curl up with that book and a cup of whatever...

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Summer Window


We took a break down in Big Sur with friends on Sunday.  It was such a beautiful day for the drive down. It was a very good day to slow down and notice the details.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Sunday, July 14, 2013

A New Endeavor


Step 1: going to print tomorrow.  One of several designs we're trying out. So, does anyone know what this is?  Comments in any language are more than welcome. v is multilingual.

We are embarking on the unknown here, we're excited and having fun regardless. We are probably moving incredibly slowly...if only we knew more.  Good thing we are very fast learners! And that we have so much support from our friends.  Courage, you know?

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Musings on Time and Energy


This is one of those years that just flies by without giving one the chance to catch a breath! Here we are in July already!  v has endured ten months of weekly, at times daily, chemotherapy and despite being mightily beat up in the process he has only shown improvement in his condition.  He is gaining weight and has ever-increasing energy.  He rarely lets his enthusiasm and happy experience of life wane.  I have never known anyone who has gone through this experience without frequent bouts of depression and fear. He is fearless.  Again, I doubt we'd come through all of this without such loving and devoted friends.  Our energies are focused on his well-being.  Sometimes trying to focus outside of that takes more energy than we can spare.  Our garden is an example of what has been neglected during this process.  We are relying on our local farmers' markets to supply us with the sweet, fresh vegetables that we normally have coming from just outside the kitchen door.  I'm sad about that, but just can't push myself out there to dig and pull...as much as those activities have been such a joyful escape in the past for me.

It isn't all v's cancer that is pulling at our energies.  I've returned to school, albeit part time.  We also have a design project that we spend many hours on and are hoping to soon have in production.  Until that time, we aren't leaking any more info on that subject.

July! Summer!  How did that happen so soon?

In bocca al lupo.  m & v

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy 4th of July!


We've decided to celebrate with the crowds at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Over 60% of the visitors for the entire year come to see us during July and August. Extra hands are always welcome on the shifts, so that's where we'll be, offering the opportunity for little hands to hold a hermit crab and touch a sea cucumber. Hope we see you there.

In bocca al lupo.  m & v