Monthly Archives: May 2012

ARTIST ABROAD: Bellevue Washington

Leave a reply

May 27, 2012

Week 20

sunny

Tomorrow we head home, all ready everything looks familiar, low clouds, soft greens and cool damp air. A few thoughts on the week: South Oregon, was  delightful must return and visit the wineries, book tickets for the Shakespeare, and  Britt festival.  I am always sorry to leave  San Francisco, I don’t know what is it about that city that just grabs, me because the city  certainly has its problems.The best was just hanging with family,and all of us celebrating Stacey’s graduation.

haiku # 13

Memorial Day Sunday

stars and stripes lie still

sorrow wraps the spring bouquets

life gone forever

ARTIST ABROAD: Jacksonville Oregon

Leave a reply

May 21, 2012

Light rain

Jacksonville is a 5/6 hour drive  south from Portland, then about 20 min west off the I 5. We are staying in the charming TouVelle House bed and breakfast.The town was a1850’s gold rush phenomenon.It seems that most of the historical buildings have survived.They are a combination of  stone,brick,and wood. A lumber yard,barber shop, town tavern with pool hall. What is amazing is the size of all the buildings, they are small,small ,small one or two stories at the most but have all the flourishes and embellishments of grander. Then tucked in between are little cottages with white picket fenced, country gardens,chickens and roosters,how has this place survived?

Haiku #7

old oak tree with moss

screened in porch with rocking chair

drops on young green grass

ARTIST ABROAD: Portland Oregon USA

1 Reply

May 20,2012

Week 19

Light rain.

Well, yes we are on the road again.Nice drive down  through Washington State, picnic lunch in one of the great by-ways off the  I 5 and we pulled in to the Red Lion Inn on the River at Janson Beach Portland @ 5.15. The complex is massive. It was built in the mid 60″s, on huge grounds running along  the Columbia River , with views looking towards Vancouver Wash.Very Bayshore-Harrison Hot Springs-mid century feeling. Our  bathroom in the room is larger than our room in Tokyo actually I think the huge bed, four feet off the ground is larger than the Tokyo accommodation. The reception rotunda,dinning room and bar rooms have an astonishing collection of plastic – sudo crystal drop prism chandlers with bronzed glass inserts,complementing the  twelve foot plate glass windows looking out onto balconies with small round tables,and wrought iron ( black) chairs in a basket weave pattern.Each floor has several sitting areas, with views of the river. Below our balcony is a large tennis courts, slightly past its prime, and vaguely sinister.Next to it is the pool complex which has turquoise cabanas, and palm fronds,I kept looking for the Tiki swim up bar.The rhododendron and dogwoods on the property are massive.All in all it is quite a find.To bad we won’t be here on Wednesday, free Texas hold’em classes!!!Tomorrow we are off to Jacksonville Oregon, a gold rush/mining town. I will keep you posted.

ARTIST AT HOME: Victoria

Leave a reply

May 13,2012

Week 18

Not a cloud a cloud in the blue sky,hot and sunny.

Victoria is postcard prefect this Mother’s Day, warm air,blue sky and every imaginable shade of green, punctuated with hot pink rhododendrons,yellow azaleas and white lily of the valley flowers. Lawn mowers  buzzing,the luscious smell of dinners being barbecued, and children outside laughing. I can still remember having to learn how to walk slowly with my children, there small soft sticky hands held in mind. The importance of never stepping on a crack (you will break your mothers back) looking out for worms, caterpillars and lady bugs. The adventures we had after a  spring rain as we would  follow the  instant stream that ran along the edge of the side walk between the gravel and the buttercups then following the newly formed puddles to the end of the block, carefully poke the edges with our toes, mudding the reflection of the blue sky and white clouds above us before we turned around and headed home.

Happy Mothers Day

ARTIST AT HOME:Victoria

1 Reply

May 6,2012

Week 17

Sunny and warm.

I have been back in Victoria for almost a week and I am startled at the amount of space I have in my visual and personal life. Some of the neighbourhood cherry and plum blossom trees  are still in bloom, I must get a bottle of saki,some sushi and have a picnic under one of of them and think about all the interesting things that I saw in Kyoto and Tokyo . My  first cultural activity this week was attending  Buffy Crams book launch. She read from her new  book RADIO BELLY . A collection of funny, quirky and slightly dark short stories. I am enjoying reading it, just when I think I know where the store is going  there is an unexpected  twist.Hey, I could sit under the cherry blossom tree, drink my saki  and read Buffy’s book, now that is living a luxurious life!

Haiku #7

green shoes push the air

          letters scatter like blossoms

    words slide around me.