Mama's Visit

My apologies for the stasis of my blog lately....I guess I've been feeling a little word shy and otherwise preoccupied. I have been meaning to share these photos from my mom's visit, so getting to it:

One bright but grayish morning we drove into Seattle to visit the Seattle Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park. I get a little overwhelmed in museums (I think I prefer featured exhibitions and smaller galleries to museums with large collections on display) though I really enjoyed some of the Australian Aboriginal and Indigenous Northwest art. I thought these masks were really fun and might translate well into drawn characters.

Luckily the rain held off so we could walk down to the Olympic Sculpture Park. I think we were both impressed with how well the park is laid out in the landscape. I told Mom I wanted to call this series of photos "Everything's a seat" because that just seems so often to be the fate of modern public sculpture. And even when I can't sit there, it still visually registers that way. 

One of Dennis Oppenheim's Safety Cones

Perre's Ventaglio III by Beverly Pepper

Bunyon's Chess by Mark di Suvero

Mom looking at Eagle by Alexander Calder

Not art, just some nicely designed seats. Isn't the red cute?

Untitled by Roy McMakin 

(he's clearly joking about the seat thing too...pst...McMakin, really?)

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by Claes Oldenburg

Wandering Rocks by Tony Smith

Stinger by Tony Smith

Louise Bourgeois' Eye Benches

 Seattle Cloud Cover by Teresita Fernandez

(Extra close-up detail of a panel of her glass bridge over the train tracks)

Love & Loss by Roy McMakin

Mom and I found a real seat at the bottom of the park--and Space Needle! (We're both kind of grimacing for fear my camera would fall off the railing into the water)

There are a few more sculptures at park, including a huge Richard Serra piece which was so cool to see up close! It is a very lovely space. A couple days before Mom had to leave, we headed back into Seattle to visit the Frye, a fantastic small museum that was showing three special exhibitions. One was a large collection of engravings and artifacts from Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in the 18th century, a period known as "Egyptomania"! I should also note that the Fryes were from Iowa, and the renovation was beautifully completed by my favorite Seattle architects Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen.

With Mom's company I finally got to see the infamous Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University by Steven Holl Architects. If I repeatedly hear about how wonderful a place is, I'm all the more nervous to see it in person. But it was truly a warm, intimate, and inviting building.

Besides the art and architecture forays, Mom and I did a little shopping about, walked along the lake, ate lots of delicious meals, visited the farmer's market and Seattle neighborhoods.....it was a real pleasure. Not just a vacation for her but for me as well in my new setting. It is comforting to have someone so familiar help you get more familiar with a new place. And that was September.

Welcome October

the trees outside our apartment prepping for winter

I can't believe it is October already. September absolutely slipped by sight unseen. But I will say it again: I adore October. I am so excited that it is autumn! The leaves are turning gold, and it's getting chilly. This month there will be lots of soups, sweaters and scarves, and pumpkins of course (oh I wish I had a porch so I could set them outside). Nathan is excited too; because it is his birth month (Oct 28th) he thinks we will celebrate everyday! 

Let us not forget September though--I have lots of catch-up to do! Mom visited this past week and we had ourselves a busy little time. I have a few photos from our outings that I will post in a somewhat backwards order. How was your September?

September Catch-All

*I uploaded these photos on the 21st but didn't get around to writing about them until today...sorry for the date confusion.

The third week of September allowed me to finish a few of my own projects between wrapping up my thesis and getting ready for Mom's visit. I tried a cobbler recipe from Martha Stewart's website which was divine, and so easy! I made cute silhouette art of Nathan and myself--it's funny how telling a profile is. I got some frames from Ikea (with Mom) but am still deciding placement.

mm....the way to Nathan's heart is berries!

Also, I'm quite thrilled to share my new skirt...which I made! I picked up this fabric last spring for cheap when the Chicago Fabric jerk was having a big moving sale. For whatever reason I was really drawn to the bold stripes. It's a silk lining fabric, and you probably can't see it, but the stripes are made of an opposing chevron pattern. I looked up a few pointers and then made the pattern and sewed it up. The red, purple, and black make me feel totally 80's business woman! What do you think, keep the bun and wear a red lip like the Robert Palmer girls?


There are definitely some stitching imperfections but it is still quite wearable. I am kind of proud of it and can't wait to make another! I'm thinking a simple dress perhaps. Let me know if you need an apron. ;)

In Memoriam

Goodbye, Great Uncle Guenther

I'm so glad I could love you for a while.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I'm sorry not to be with my family today.

My heart especially goes out to these two...

With my Opa and Great Aunt Genie 

celebrating Guenther's birthday, 2005

Babies, Woodland Creatures

My friend Amanda her baby on September 5th! Casey Cole is a healthy, peaceful little baby with a head full of hair. :) It sounds like it was a very rough delivery (after several hours they went with a C-section) but both mom and baby are doing much better.  Look at this sweetie! (That's Conner's head next to his.)

Omigosh, I'm so excited to meet him. Amanda says Conner is already stepping in as world's best big brother. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what happens once Casey is old enough to run around and roughhouse...I can just imagine what Amanda's going to have on her hands then! I like to imagine all the crafty things one can do for a new baby, like homemade toys and nursery decor. Let's not forget that Halloween is also fast approaching and little kids costumes can be so much fun. After the first few years that I went as a pumpkin, I got to be a gypsy, a Troll doll, a jungle safari-er, and a mime! I would like Amanda to consider this option for little Casey:

Yoda Baby!

My close second vote would be to exploit this new fraternity by sending Conner and Casey out as SNL's Hans and Frans in little muscled outfits! (hahahaha)  It's been a long time since I got dressed up, and I missed handing out candy when I was living in Chicago. This might be the year to resurrect the old dress up tradition. Is anyone making plans for Halloween this year? Any great costume ideas? 

On a side note, I've been trying to do more illustration lately. As a kid I loved drawing animals, and I've gotten into doing that again after some encouragement from friends. I draw them mostly for homemade cards.

The baby card I made for Casey's arrival, in colored pencil. 

A postcard I sent to my mom, ink and colored pencil.

Sorry about the blurry photos...I have trouble focusing my camera. Why am I fixated on drawing bears lately? I just don't know.

Finally, I have to include this picture that resulted from goofing around yesterday. Nathan might hate me for posting it, but I think it's HI-larious! Can you tell what's going on? (pst...it's my hair) We've decided Nathan should keep cutting his hair, short.

Re-Graduation

Guess what that means....

I finally got credit for my thesis! 

I dragged this thing out as long as I possibly could, truly--yesterday was the last day I could receive credit for my Advanced Interior Archicture Thesis course. I was afraid that with the beginning of a new school year my project would get lost in the shuffle, but sure enough, my professor pulled through for me! (I love Tannys) I didn't hear anything from her so I was pretty nervous. I checked the status of my grade online this morning and seriously jumped into Nathan's arms when I saw that my "No Credit" had been turned to "Credit" overnight! It was like a pumpkin turning into a carriage! :D

I'll probably have a few corrections to make after I hear back from my teacher, and then I'll send it out to the printers. Those of you who have been waiting to see the final product will get the chance pretty soon. Thanks for all your support and understanding through this stressful project. I'm so excited to move on to new things.

I guess I should have saved some of those m&m's for the real deal...

September Sun

How are all of you doing this first week of September? I can tell that the position of sun has shifted a bit, as even in mid afternoon the light has a soft angled feel. I want summer warmth and sun to last as long as possible here, but the approaching feeling of autumn also brings contentment for me each year. September is one of those months I kind of forget to appreciate (maybe for lack of an exciting holiday?) but it really is a nice month! August is hot, and while October may be my favorite month, it is guaranteed chilly nights. September is like summer's last breath.

Well, I didn't win the Nie Nie silent auction item I bid for, but I'm glad I tried! (I held a lead for 2 or 3 days and was outbid in the last hours.) I was vying for this lovely baby blanket sold by the blog say YES! to hoboken.



I love the yellow print. Had I won, I would have given it to my friend Amanda who is going to be having a baby boy this week! :D Conner, her 3 year old (4 years this month!), started preschool this week too, so she's got quite a lot on her plate! I'm praying everything goes smoothly, and I'm bummed that it will probably be Christmas before I get to see the little guy.

Nathan has also started school this week. He wouldn't let me take a first day of school picture, something about not having new school clothes. :P I think he's glad to be heading back, though I'll miss having a buddy in the daylight hours. I might head to the park this afternoon, maybe take a jog and do a little reading n' writing. I wish I had a puppy companion who would stick his nose in the air and enjoy the great outdoors with me. I imagine I'd have a lot of fun with this French Bulldog.



To make an occasion of the last weekend before the new school year, Nathan and I went out for dinner and movie last Friday. We found this great $3 Landmark theatre that mostly does second run shows and saw The Visitor. The ambience reminded me a bit of the Varsity theatre in Des Moines. :) I wish the theatre was closer (it's in Shoreline, about 20 minutes drive skirting the lake) so I could pop in for cheap movies on a regular basis! And, free refills on a large popcorn, perfect for movie-going with friends! Here's a photo from dinner at a Chinese restaurant just before the show. (We love any reason for Chinese food.)



I love those tiny cups. Have a beautiful weekend, see you on the other side.