At first the girls had eyes only for dinner.
The guys, like guys everywhere, had something else in mind.
They had to show off. Strut their stuff.
Pairing up. Umm-hmmm. She chose this fella over the others ’cause she liked his car. Or something. The climax was anti-climatic. Trust me. Cause I’m not going to post photos of poultry porn. It would put you off turkey for ever.
First day back at work after two weeks vacation at the scenic Studio Grande. Hello world…back to teaching at the Neighborhood Center of the Arts, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities. I’ve been there forever, love what I do but still…coming back after vacation….
I decided to make it a productive play day. Had a whole bunch of brown craft paper sitting around the studio. I order most of my supplies online and they all come packed in this stuff. And who can throw away paper?
First thing we did was lay out the sheets on the tables.
Then we took crayons, plain old cheap crayons, and went to town SCRIBBLING. Lots of energy here. Had some salsa music on. Dancing, scribbling, nobody sat down.
Next thing we did was paint. I dribbled some acrylics in random patterns, gave the artists some rollers and let them have at it. But still, something was missing. Music at this point was North African Groove. Fun stuff.
Dots! And squiggles. Credence Clearwater Revival. Loud.
Then it’s time to hang ’em up to dry.
Hand painted wrapping paper for sale by the sheet. Just in time for the holiday show and sale opening next week.
Family was in town over the weekend. We took advantage of the opportunity and celebrated Thanksgiving Saturday night. The whole non-enchilada enchilada. Turkey. Dressing. Mashed potatoes. Pumpkin pie. And yes, there were vegetables. Lots of greens–mustard, turnip, collards, kale–all chopped up and lightly sauteed in olive oil and garlic–the only healthy thing on the whole table.
I ate too much, felt like crap and swore off all non-essential edibles for maybe 12 hours. Typical post Thanksgiving pig-out remorse. Before going to bed I threw the remains in the stockpot and set the stove to simmer. By the time we woke up Sunday the entire house smelled like turkey soup.
But I was sooooo DONE with turkey.
I drained the stock, stuck it in the fridge and hoped it would just go away.
By Monday afternoon I was feeling kindly towards turkey again. So I took out the stock, dressed it up and turned it into soup. Some sort of cross between turkey and minestrone.
Check it out. Carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, kale, beans, turkey and stock. This is towards the end, after I tossed in a handful of Italian herbs.
Here is is with some shredded Parmesan cheese. Sourdough baguette, a little butter and that was dinner. Another option is to drop a big spoon of plain yoghurt right smack in the middle. Mmmm…yum.
And by the time Thanksgiving rolls around we’ll be done with the leftovers. YAY!!!
Sunday night. I’m needing inspiration. When in doubt, pick up the camera. Aim it at something. Sophie was too busy but Benny, AKA Bean. AKA Precious Man Dog, was hanging out on the sofa. Been a long day for him, way too much football. He’s such a couch potato.
Just look at that face. At that ‘stache. Inspector Clouseau, no? Next thing I know he’ll be woofing with a French accent. But he is half poodle so I guess that’s to be expected.
And this is Benny’s ear, top of his head. Against the back drop of the sofa cushion. It’s a way comfy, squishy kind of sofa. I’m looking at this photo thinking there’s something arty about it. I was going to tell you to squint to imagine the painting. But I did one better. Went on photoshop and played with a couple of filters.
This is Photoshop cutout filter.
Drybrush filter. Monkeyed with the color too.
Paint daubs filter. Hard choosing the right level of squiggle on this one. Loved ’em all.
But this one is my favorite, the pallet knife filter. Played with the options to get this effect. Practically a painting, don’t you think?
Just a quickie. It was a looooong day and bed calls.
Opening reception this afternoon.
Sophie came. She was on a date with her first mom. It’s an open adoption. Visiting rights when the mood strikes, every six months or so.
Some people came. Even people I don’t know–but I didn’t take their pictures. And new friend Don from the on-line hot wax class showed up with a couple of beautiful handmade wax color blocks. They’re right in my pallet and will find themselves melted and painted on something soon enough.
After it was over we went home and had an early Thanksgiving dinner, turkey and all the trimmings. I ate too much and went up three sizes in half an hour.
I do not think I will ever eat mashed potatoes and gravy again. At least not before tomorrow night’s leftovers.
Speaking of tomorrow, that’s when sister Marjorie Ellen leaves. She’s hitching a ride to Berkeley with nephew James who drove up for the show. Or maybe he came for the pumpkin pie? She flies out of San Francisco Monday. Back to Norway she goes.
It’s been a good visit. Good talks. Fun doing art stuff together.
And now I’m heading off to bed. But first a reminder. The show hangs for another three weeks. If you’re in the area please stop by and check it out. Love to hear what you think!