"A Break in the Gray. Let's Play!"

Typically by the time May Gray is in full force, we have already migrated north to Tahoe. Sadly, that is not the case this year.

Steve and I believe that we have some of the symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons (namely anytime there is no sun for days on end). When Karen saw a break in the weather, she rallied the troops and organized a gathering in the vineyards. It was just the elixir we all needed.
"Let there always be a bright spot in your heart
for the people around you.
They might need a bit of sunshine.”
― Ron Baratono
Il più grande dono della vita è l'amicizia, e io l'ho ricevuto.
(The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.)

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Hay Fever at the Coronado Playhouse

I discovered, back in November, that for the last 27 years, the Coronado Playhouse offered a completely free Classic Series with this season's production being Noël Coward's Hay Fever. We were joined by David, Karen, Mark, and Carol, which made the event very enjoyable.

The Coronado Playhouse (1946) is the longest continuous running community theatre in San Diego County, and, according to the LA Times, is the longest continuous running playhouse on the West Coast. The Playhouse still features cabaret-style seating, which has been its trademark throughout its colorful history.
As for the production, according to the Playhouse description is, "Blissfully bad behavior. Coronado audiences will be transported to 1920s England to meet the outrageous and opinionated Bliss family in Noël Coward’s Hay Fever. In this biting script, a quiet vacation goes awry when David and Judith Bliss’s children Simon and Sorel crash their holiday, bringing along unassuming guests. A torrid game of charades, a whirlwind engagement, and dramatic fainting all occur in a single act! The characters’ emotive personalities and curt bickering play against the atmosphere of English high society in this layered comedy. The self-absorbed Bliss family fails to recognize their own petulant behaviors as the weekend unravels."
We all agreed that this would not have been our first choice in a play (as Lori said, who went the day prior, "Happy we went but two hours of arguing was a bit much!"). None of us are fans of the farce, a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. That said, we also all agreed that the actors were earnest and the theater was delightful. We, too, were happy we went.

Lunch was a return to Feast & Fareway at the Coronado Golf Course.

"My body has certainly wandered a good deal, but I have an uneasy suspicion that my mind has not wandered enough." -Noël Coward

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Julie's Italy Trip Kickoff...

With her first trip to Italy coming up rapidly, Julie came to Temecula for Estate Sales and some travel talk. What an ideal Saturday.

After securing some deals, we headed to Bottega Italia one of the most authentic Italian Sicilian restaurants in town.
Nothing can induce wanderlust quite like discussing someone's travels to Italy. Che divertimento!

My entrée of choice was the Insalatona Italiana: "Mixed greens, Italian canned tuno, Mozzarella di Buffalo, free-range hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomato, and corn in a balsamic vinegar dressing." Molto buono!
Here's to wondrous travels... even vicarious ones.

A tavola con i buoni amici e la famiglia
non si invecchia!

Italian to English Translation:
"At the table with good friends and family
you do not become old."

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A Colorful Dream at the Cannon

The William D. Cannon Art Gallery, at the Carlsbad Library, is one of my favorites. The exhibits are so unique and totally free. How very cool!

This long waited, family-friendly, interactive exhibition is from the creativity of contemporary fine art photographer Adrien Broom. The exhibit features a suite of photographs, some of them large in scale, detailing a young girl’s journey as she discovers a series of monochromatic fantasy worlds exploring the rich hues and associations that we have with every color in the spectrum.

Over three years in her studio, Broom constructed eight individual sets composed of objects evoking the essence of each respective color. She then photographed a young girl exploring and traveling through each world, passing through small portals that lead her on a journey through a red world, then orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and lastly a rainbow encompassing all the colors. Encountering creatures, characters, and vivid landscapes, Broom’s protagonist finds worlds lush, joyful, and even sometimes startling.

When we entered the gallery, we were given a packet of cards as a welcome. The cover reads, "As you stroll through the exhibit maze please use the enclosed cards at each color section to connect and engage further with the works of art. Enjoy!"

The first card reads, "Beginning of a Story. Take a moment and look at the very first photograph in the exhibit that is titled A World Without Color. If this photograph is the beginning of a story what do you think might happen next? What makes you think that?" My granddaughters would have loved this. It is truly an artistic Eye Spy.



The amount of talent that was needed for each of these 40 images was great. They hid treasures within, giving us time to pause and really study each thoughtfully.

"Invent a Headline! Explore the ORANGE photographs. Choose one of the artworks and invent a headline that captures an important aspect of the photograph. What does your headline say? Why would your headline capture someone's interest?"

Yellow with its sunflowers, giraffe, slide, and glow was mesmerizing.



Who doesn't want to be under the sea with an octopus teacher?



In looking at the images, it would be easy to mistake the effects as a digital manipulation of the original photograph. In fact, Broom creates each of these worlds by hand, much like a stage production. These images are not put together using photo-editing software, but are the result of hours of crafting tableaux, so what the viewer sees is in fact what was in front of the camera’s lens during the shoot. Thankfully, at the end of the exhibit, there was a space to watch a time-lapse video showing the engrossing process of constructing the live sets for the photographs, offering insight into Broom’s creative process and the production required to bring these images to life. It made everything that much more impressive. WOW. This was definitely worth the wait!

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My Wonderful Wednesday...

Today was my long awaited recheck with my orthopedist. I had so many questions and some concerns.

After ogling my x-ray, Dr. Schultzel said my healing was progressing and that it was time to start putting weight on my fractured foot... so scary but so liberating, too. He advised me to continue with my summer plans while listening closely to my break as I'm off exploring. Woohoo.
While out to lunch with my Mother-in-law, I discovered a hidden Mickey. It's always a good day when that happens. For me, it's like finding a four-leaf clover!
The highlight was being able to donate blood. I have tried often and I miss the cutoff with my hematocrit levels every time. Since breaking my foot, I've been really focusing on what I eat and I'm devoted to taking my vitamins. What a wonderful side benefit to my fracture.

I received this message from the San Diego Blood Bank (ironically after I had just donated), "With the dangerous three day weekend coming up, we are reminded of the constant need for donations. With less than a one-day supply on our shelves of your type O blood, we are asking you to please schedule your appointment to donate at one of our donor centers or mobile drives. Every two seconds in America, someone needs blood and only 5% of the population takes the time to donate."

This mobile drive just happened to be at the Carlsbad Library, our destination for the afternoon. Oh boy, how the stars aligned. I am one happy gal!

"Don't wait for the stars to align. Reach up, rearrange them the way you want them to be. Create your own constellation." -Pharrell Williams

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To My Tahoe Friends...

As we make our plans to return to Lake Tahoe, I had to share this with those I'm apt to be wandering in the forest with. Now that I'm certainly the 'slower' one, please heed CNN's warning.

Oh man, sometimes the obvious is hysterical!

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The Underground Railroad...

It seems this is the week of diverse and interesting museum visits. Temecula Valley Museum's current exhibit, Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad, was another not to be missed.

Exhibit creator and photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales spent more than a decade meticulously researching those fleeing slavery and the ways they escaped. While the unnumbered routes of the Underground Railroad encompassed countless square miles, the path Michna-Bales documented encompasses roughly 2,000 miles and is based on actual sites, cities, and places that freedom-seekers passed through during their journey.
"They left during the middle of the night – oftentimes carrying little more than the knowledge that moss grows on the north side of trees. An estimated 100,000 enslaved blacks in the decades prior to the Civil War in 1865 chose to embark on this journey of untold hardships in search of freedom. They moved in constant fear of being killed outright or recaptured then returned and beaten as an example of what would happen to others who might choose to run."
"Under the cover of darkness, ‘fugitives’ traveled roughly 20 miles each night traversing rugged terrain while enduring all the hardships that Mother Nature could bring to bear. Occasionally, they were guided from one secret, safe location to the next by an ever-changing, clandestine group known as the Underground Railroad. Whether they were enslaved blacks trying to escape or free blacks and whites trying to help, both sides risked everything for the cause of freedom. From a cotton plantation just South of Natchitoches, Louisiana all the way north into Canada, this series of photographs can help us imagine what the long road to freedom may have looked like as seen through the eyes of one freedom seeker making this epic journey."

"A keen observer might have detected in our repeated singing of "O Canaan, sweet Canaan I am bound for the land of Canaan," something more than a hope of reaching heaven. We meant to reach the North and the North was our Canaan." -Frederick Douglass
Through a series of images and quotations, we were given a glimpse of the journey endured, the places of rest, and the words that inspired, while searching for freedom.
Stopover Frogmore Plantation, Concordia Parish, Louisiana.
Decision to Leave Magnolia Plantation on the Cane River, Louisiana.

"The man I called Master was my half brother. My mother was a better woman than his, and I was the smartest boy of the two, but while he had a right smart chance at school, I was whipped if I asked the name of the letters that spell the name of the God that made us both of one blood." -William, slave and half brother to a US Senator


Look for the Gray Barn Out Back Joshua Eliason Jr. barnyards and farmhouse, with a tunnel leading underneath the road to another station, Centerville, Indiana.
Throughout, the images traversed a timeline, with the intense darkness slowly giving away to light (hope). It is a retelling of the stories of an estimated 100,000 slaves, who between 1830 and the end of the Civil War, chose to embark on this journey in search of freedom. While this exhibit was one documenting injustices and deep sadness, it also brought the history to light. And as George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 

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Oceanside Museum of Art Must Sees

There are two very specific artists whose works are leaving next month and I just couldn't miss them- Melissa Meier's Becoming Nature and Robert Xavier Burden's Relics. I am beyond excited to share them with you and encourage anyone who can get to Oceanside Museum of Art to go!


Becoming Nature is prefaced by Melissa Meier, “I'm continuously inspired by the beauty of the organic materials I use–the colors, textures, patterns and shapes–and it’s this sense of naturalistic wonder that drives my creative process. Whether I’m working with grains of rice, stalks of lavender, or pine cones, I find each and every wearable construction to be uniquely moving. It’s as if I’ve become a part of the material, taking on a meditative state as I repurpose what is already incredibly beautiful in its own right. My goal is for my audience to take on this same sense of wonder as they look at familiar, natural objects in unfamiliar ways. I want viewers to experience nature through a new lens - and to become a part of it.”
Ms. Meier was completely successful with her goal. How could I not look at familiar, natural objects in unfamiliar ways when her creativity is right before me?
With many of the pieces, the photographic proof of their wearability added another layer to the experience. Wow!

The nature was so vibrant and alive, this piece, constructed with moss, had to be watered.
More about the woman behind the creations. "Brazilian artist Melissa Meier is internationally recognized for her evocative 3-dimensional installations, found-object sculptures, collages and photography. In her current series SKINS (from which this Sunflower Seed Dress and Headdress come), Meier has created sculptural clothing hybrids, utilizing natural materials such as leaves, stones, fur, eggshells, wheat, crystals, scales, sticks, feathers, and shells."

I was very taken with Quills Headdress and Chest Piece, and its statement, "This construction was made with naturally shed porcupine quills. Porcupines were not harmed in the making of this artwork."
Looking at this dress, from a distance, can you guess what natural ingredients are being utilized?
The entire piece was formed with pistachio shells. The museum docent shared that the artist's husband was "luckily a fan of pistachios".

This was an ensemble that I could totally see myself wearing.

Meier states, “At first I was inspired by the legends of indigenous people and how they used the skins of animals to transform into them, creating a bridge between the human and animal worlds. But as my work matured, I became equally interested in the future of fashion as an extreme form of kinetic sculpture.”


"Inspired by Brazilian Carnival and Native American skin-walkers, her wearable constructions blend female empowerment with a self-created mythology, developed around the idea of ancient cultures of female warriors, exemplifying strength, beauty and unity of life lived in harmony with the elements. Her warrior women are breathtakingly sensual, while radiating a searing combination of purity and power."
This piece, made entirely of rice, is mind-boggling. As one who has tried to create art with glue, it is almost incomprehensible as to how these works are crafted.





"This is where the work creates a bridge to the present and allows us to connect with and find ourselves reflected in her images of hidden, treasured cultures, heroines and spirit guides, imagined and real."

And because I'm such an Italophile, this pasta outfit really called my name.

Next was the diverse and incredibly talented artist Robert Xavier Burden who  shares, “In 2006 I began a series of large-scale oil paintings depicting the small action figures that I played with as a boy. Initially these figures were set against fabric, wallpaper, and rug patterns from my childhood home. Over the years the decorative motifs have become more complex and derived from historical references, often incorporating toys from various generations, but the motivation behind the work remains the same. I am inspired by the amorphous line that is drawn between imagination and reality, childhood wonder and adult practicality, and the ineffability of what can turn a piece of plastic into an almost talismanic object."
What made the entire visit almost surreal is that Mr. Burden was there, painting his current work, The Alien Painting. He was patient and answered many questions that left us even more intrigued by his work.

I asked about 'easter eggs', those hidden objects artists hide within their works. His is the homage to M. C. Escher with the image of his own self, painting, in the above left corner.
I know my boys would love The 20th Century Space Opera. "This painting took over 2000 hours spread out over 18 months. It depicts nearly 160 different vintage Star Wars action figures (mostly from the original trilogy). It also includes toys and icons that are said to have influenced the Star Wars Universe. The decorative motif was inspired by Persian and Moroccan rugs, eastern mandalas, illuminated manuscripts, gothic stained glass, French tapestry motifs, and invented designs." Putting Leslie in the image gives you an idea of the grandness of Mr. Burden's pieces.

Some made me laugh, Rudolph Reliquary has built within it, a shadowbox which contains the actual skull of Rudolph. I know it's true. I have the photo to prove it.

According to the description next to this wonderful piece, the artist wrote, "The Battle Cat was the first giant toy painting that I made back in 2006. It was the painting that started all of this absurdity."


I wish we had more time to study The Battle For The Arctic.
"This painting depicts over 140 different toys related to the Arctic, snowy worlds, or one of the five countries that are currently vying for control of arctic territory: Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), and America. The painting also depicts a number of taxidermized arctic animals, as well as a political/royal representative for each country: Queen Elizabeth for Canada; Vladimir Putin for Russia (below with no shirt on); Prince Frederick for Denmark; Prince Haakon for Norway; and William H. Seward (the man who brokered the purchase for Alaska) for the USA. Centered in front of each flag is a superhero for their respective countries. Lego is a Danish company, and Denmark has a claim to the arctic through Greenland, so their representative is a Lego Greenland-tern. The painting took over 2100 hours spread out over four years."

"The Ape Painting took approximately 1400 hours of studio time spread out over two years. It depicts Charles, the iconic silverback gorilla of the Toronto Zoo, surrounded by over 70 different ape-related toys from various generations of pop culture. The pattern is primarily influenced by Gothic stained glass windows." Don't you love the descriptions? Wow.
Mr. Burden said of his work, "There is an obvious irony in spending thousands of hours to create a single painting that glorifies a cheap, mass-produced toy. And while that irony could reflect issues of commodity fetishism, consumer addiction, Peter Pan Syndrome or even shallow idolatry, I want these paintings to represent something positive in my life. Although it was sheltered and naïve, there was a freedom in my childhood. It was free from the politics of race and sex and religion. It was free from the weight of history. It was free from rhetoric and paranoia, shame and regret, cynicism and despair. There is nothing profound about commenting on the minor tragedy of losing one's innocence, or the struggle to maintain one's idealism. I just want to renew my faded sense of awe.” Seeing these paintings and meeting the artist, my faded sense of awe is thoroughly renewed. Thank you!

Dinner was had at the Sunset Market. Oh man! Oceanside possesses some amazing treasures.

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