Jonathan Extraordinaire

                           

Jonathan Addy at Barneys in SF spent time with Dan and I in the men's cologne section. He reminds me of a fragrance wizard that pops down to Earth and casts his sense extraordinaire spell on us. He is like a sponge absorbing words my husband was tossing out to him. "Scents that last, not too sweet, that one is complicated".  Jonathan can listen and mange to whip out suggestions at the same time. I was not sure I could hit the SFMOMa after his education on men's scents. He even taught my husband to walk into a fragrance to make it last. My cat and I will never be the same. A trip to Union Square cannot be made without visiting Jonathan at Barneys fragrance department. The vote is in. Vetiver Extraordinaire, fresh, complex, and clean. Dan likes the Frederic Malle scents. They do not go away after the initial walk through.

African Plastic Kettle

This is a nice gift to take to a friend's home  It  is an African Plastic Kettle. I came across this on the Priscilla Woolworth site. It is a great object to keep in your kitchen to recycle water. These are kept in kitchens in Africa for water that can be recycled for other things.  They are decorative and can be great reminders to recycle water.

Arlene's Gift

       

Arlene Diehl is a fantastic artist. My husband Dan and I own one of her pieces and proudly hang it in our living room. When we travel to San Francisco, Dan always enjoys visiting Arlene at Red Umbrellas, a Non Profit Organization of Independent Artists, who organize art exhibits in public spaces. I love the white space in Arlene's drawings. She is an amazing artist of the human form. Her drawings are timeless.

The Capital Hotel

One of our favorite travel spots is the Capital Hotel in Little Rock Arkansas. I love to go there with Dan and Deb and take medium format Hasselblad photos with Portra 400 S film. The Hotel is very large and has these massive elevators. After studying the history of the Capital Hotel, I found out that President Ulysses S Grant was able to take his horse to his hotel room. Now that is what I call accomodation. What I love about photographing this great Hotel, is the lobby of the hotel has the feeling of day to day life in that it was built to house offices, shops, and apartments for businessmen. The decor is lovely. It is so much fun to go to the bar in the Capital Hotel and sip a Brandy Alexander with the ones I love.

Spring Break

Spring break always reminds me...why did I not work with kids in the school district? I get so jealous when I think of my friend Lorie running around SB having a bit of free time, and my sister Deb getting in her garden and planting and noticing the new growth, and my other friends trying to work and run their kids around town, to have a bit of  family fun. I always think of my mother during Spring. Maybe it has to do with bunnies and babies and chicks and new life. A great time to slow down and enjoy the window of special things to come.

Wikki What?

Jo Ann's daughter Brit made this out of wikki sticks and I think it is so pretty. Kids are natural born artists. They are not intimidated. She sat down in our clinic and strung this shape together in just a few minutes. Wikki sticks adhere to any surface and can be re-shaped into anything. I shot the design with my macro lens. We made a brooch out of her design.  That was fine until the cat found her art.

Pretty Powerful Stuff

  

I love Bobbi Brown's makeup line and I love her story. There are so many different lines to enjoy, but I am drawn to Bobbi. Her makeup looks great on everyone. I am so in love with her eye brow gel that I cannot see straight. I use it for brow finishing and covering unwanted grey side hairs. Her new formula has very rich color so if you are a brunnette I recommend the rich brown vs the mahogany. Call Nicole from Bobbi's online store to answer any of your Bobbi questions. I found Nicole helpful and non intimidating.

Happy Birthday Bro

This one is for you Larry. Happy Birthday and many more.

Happy St Patricks

These are my Filipino friends from AGCC and one year I took their photo for our men's calendar. Now they have top of the morning spirit. Love these guys.

Meet Louie the Art Patron

Plan is fly out of Arroyo Grande, California to go to Little Rock, Arkansas to see the M2-5 Anniversary Show at the M2 Gallery March 16, 6-9 pm.  Louie had a private showing with Mac and the gang and he has decided to purchase the entire show. Alas, not everyone can be a rich ragdoll.

Mission Possible by Jessica

Meet Jessica. Artist/designer of the Mission Possible Mission Project that Harloe Elementary School does every year. I think that this is a fabulous project that really gets the kids to actively design, plan, and create a project that is innovative and historical. Jessica used Styrofoam, tooth pics, cardboard, a pill cup, twigs, rocks, sand, a branch, moss, and wood. Cameron her brother did his own mission art 2 years ago. Her Mission was the San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, Ca. Do the parents help with this? Surely and what a wonderful thing to have parents involved in Art and History together with their kids.

Mineralize What?

             

My friend Lorie is current with her makeup. She bought me this cool mineral eye shadow by MAC that I love. A trick that I learned many years ago,  is to layer the eye shadow instead of dragging it on the eyelid. This eye shadow blends nicely.  The color I have is Cloudy Afternoon. It is a mixture of blue, pink, purple, and green. I love modern looks.

Style Bubble

                                              




                     


   Style Bubble is one of my favorite fashion photo blogs. It is by Susanna Lau known as Susie Bubble. She is a writer and fashion editor living in London. She started her fashion blog in 2006. I love her personal experiences and observations on fashion. She is a fashion genius.

M2-5th Anniversary Art Show

M2 Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas is having their 5th Anniversary

Show March 16, 6-9pm. This 5th Year Anniversary Show will be featuring the work of Evan Lindquist, a great artist and master printmaker. The show is a way to celebrate great art, framing, and loyal customers. There will be new works by Jeaneen Barnhart (Kentucky), Cathy Burns (Little Rock), and Dan Holland (California). We wish M2 and the artists a fantastic show. I think this will call for a special pinot noir for Friday March 16 at 6pm.

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

            

See the documentary Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. It has 14 full  length performances with interviews with Smokey, Pete Moore and Bobby Rogers. I remember sitting in our living room and watching my sisters Deb and Anita groove to Tears of a Clown and Shop Around. I still can sing all the lyrics. Relive the hits from 1965 to the famous Cruisin in 1980. The younger crowd will cry hearing Smokey sing Cruisin.