Adventuring in Art

Saturday my sister and I went to the 49^th Annual Rockport Art Festival.  There were over 100 artists and craftsmen, live music, and food everything from BBQ to Vietnamese.  It’s only held over one week-end and if you didn’t go, you should mark your calendar for next year.  It’s very well done and the majority of the artists are amazing.

If you’re not familiar with Rockport – it’s a smallish town (population of about 9000) located south and west of Wharton along the gulf coast.  This past August, Rockport sustained massive damage from Hurricane Harvey (a Cat 4 storm) but it survived and has come back strong.  It’s a popular tourist destination during the summer months.  There are many things to do there from beach going, fishing and boating to various fairs (Art to Oyster to Wine) throughout the year. 

And, it’s not a bad drive from Wharton.

The Art Fest itself was very well set up and parking was only a little challenging.

We left Wharton early taking the coast road and got there shortly after it opened. 

So, first of all – I can’t possibly post all the pictures I took.  Because, I took a bunch and my sister took a bunch and we shared.  So, I’ll try to choose the ones I liked best, made me laugh, or scratched my head over.  And, while I tried to pick up cards and match pictures to artists, I wasn’t always successful.  I hope the artists will forgive me.

CERAMICS

  

Ross De La Garza

Al Hoeksema

Wood

  

Steven Garza

No, these are not functional reels.
These are pieces of art and just beautiful.

Seabirds from driftwood

Mark Millia

Glass

  

Larry Pile

Shawn Steichen

Painting, Pastel, Drawing

James Offeman

Yan Lee

  

These were unusual – you could
buy one square or several to get the look you want.

Metal

Shawn Corder

This little guy spoke to me and now
stands on my desk.

Different – many were made from wagons

or wheelbarrows

Kinetic Mermaids

Odd things

Fred Fisher

Fish Rubbings!  It’s a thing!  Who knew!

Different

Aly Winningham
I had to look close at these mosaics as they have
a few odd things mixed in.

There were many Jewelry artists

This is one of the most beautiful beads

I’ve seen.  Making plain beads is hard,
making one like this, amazing.

I’m pretty sure only in Texas

do you find jewelry for your boots!

This is the one that spoke to me

The Goddess of Jump for Joy

by Suzanne Juneau

And, this little goddess came home with me too.

There were so many others.  All types of artists.  You need to make sure you go next year.

Our drive home was nice except for a great big rain that came along around Tivoli (a tiny place, smaller than tiny – 1 sq mile with 400 people).  Actually, we hit the rain on the way to Rockport and again, hours later, on the way back – and at about the same place.

Take care

Yep – a hill of oyster shells.

You just never know what you’ll see!

How Does Your Garden Grow? With …..

 My brother and his wife called me the other day – they were wearing long sleeves because it was in the 60-somethings temperature wise.  Sigh.  I was wearing tank top and shorts because it was in the 90-somethings with 90% humidity.  Obviously, they don’t live anywhere close to me.  They live in the wilds of Washington.  He always tells me though, they do have summer with temperatures in the upper 80’s to low 90’s – it just doesn’t start until after July 4 and ends a few weeks later.  This year he and Cathi sent me various pictures of spring at their house – blooming plants, many of which I can’t grow here …… well maybe can’t.

This is a Camas Lily (Camassia) and is a member of the lily family.

(Did You Know fact – many experts classify Camas Lily in the asparagus family. And that’s because asparagus was also classified in the Lily Family, however it’s now Asparagaceae – no longer the same.  Don’t know why – somebody needed something to do is my guess.)

It’s also called quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth.  Mostly it’s found in British Columbia, Canada, northern California, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and Montana.  You know – the frozen northlands.  It grows from a perennial bulb and is usually seen in great masses in moist meadows. 

"... our camp is agreeable  ….. the quawmash is now in blume at a Short distance it resemhles a lake of fine clear water, So complete is this deseption that on first Sight I could have Sworn it was water. ..." [Merriweather Clark, June 12, 1806]

One of the interesting things (and this is, oh goodie, another Did You Know thing) – they are edible.  So, if you are lost in the wilds of the northlands, starving, and come across these beautiful blue plants, you can harvest and safely eat the bulb.  Usually harvested in the fall after the flowers withered, the native peoples would pit roast or boil the bulb which looks and tastes similar to a sweet potato.  Now, I know, if you’re starving, lost in the wilderness, this might not be of great importance but eating too many of them can cause excessive flatulence. 

Warning: Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus) can be confused with edible camas bulbs and is toxic. Be sure of your identification of camas bulbs before eating them!

So far, I can’t find anything that tells me the Camas Lily won’t grow here but I suspect the bulb needs more cold hours than we normally have, meaning while the bulb might survive, it probably wouldn’t bloom. 

OK – I can’t grow Trillium.  It doesn’t like our heat or humidity.  Fine. I researched and wrote about Trillium back in April.  I accept I cannot grow them successfully here.  Doesn’t make me happy but sometimes you just have to move on.

Then, they sent me a series of pictures …….

Rhoadies

The name Rhododendron comes from the greek words "rodon" which means "rose" and "dendron" which means "tree", hence Rose Tree. And how cool is that!  And, yes, they are related to the azaleas we grow here, however while all azaleas are Rhododendrons (note the capital R), but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.  If you want to know more, and it’s very confusing, may the gods and google help you. 

Rhodies are native to the Americas and actually grow in places like Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas!  Oh yeah – also in Washington.  In addition to being close cousins to azaleas, they are also related to heathers, mountain laurels, blueberries and cranberries, manzanita, huckleberry, sourwood, and a bunch of other things.  They are regarded as the best flowering evergreen plant for landscaping.  While it is a bush, Rhododendrons can grow up to 80 feet tall!  Believe it or no – it is considered an under story plant.  So, if you plant one here, it will do best in filtered bright light.  Otherwise I expect our sun will fry it in short order. 

One other thing – all parts of Rhododendrons are dangerous.  Eating them can produce stomach irritation, abdominal pain, abnormal heart rate and rhythm, convulsion, coma, and death.  Never good.

Last but not least, they sent me this picture.  Thunbergia, also called Black-Eyed Susan Vine, will grow here (and I have already ordered seeds for next spring).

Native to Eastern Africa, this climber has become naturalized all over the world. It produces an attractive, bunch of daisy-like flowers in colors of orange, pale yellow and white.  It can grow on a trellis, fence, or in a hanging container.  Here it’s considered a perennial and can grow upwards of 20 feet.  In some areas, gardeners will allow the vines to crawl all over the ground – as a ground cover.  Hmmmmm – I like that better than the idea of grass.  Plus, flowers and no mowing – bonus!

While full sun is recommended, in hot climates (and that has to include us here) growing in morning sun/afternoon shade is best. 

Its closest cousins may be things you’ve already grown like Skyflower Vine or Orange Trumpet Vine.  When I plant mine next spring, I’m going to grow them on an arch with the Star Jasmine or maybe on my gazebo with the wisteria.  Flowers in the spring and all summer.  How good is that! 

Take care

Memories 1992

Recently, a friend who was visiting in Estes Park, posted a photo that reminded me of my visit to

The Stanley Hotel

1992

Christine was parked in front back then.

So just to give you some Did You Know??? stuff – The Stanley is located in Estes Park, Colorado.  Estes Park is a small town on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, about 1 ½ miles up.  The hotel itself was built in the 1909 as a summer resort for the rich and famous.  It once hosted guests like Molly Brown, John Philip Sousa, and Theodore Roosevelt.

It was also an influencing factor for The Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s book, “The Shining”.  (Personal note:  to this day, that is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read!)  It wasn’t the hotel actually used for the first movie (the one with Jack Nicholson) – that was the Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon

But it was the hotel used in the second adaptation of the book, The Shining (a TV ministry staring Steven Weber).

Now, Once Upon a Time, back in May, 1992 ……

Michael and I vacationed in Colorado and stayed at The Stanley Hotel. 

The Stanley Steamer parked in the Lobby

How cool was that!  (I have to say, the hotel has upgraded quite a bit because the rooms back then were not nearly so nice as they are today.)  Our room was on the second floor – square in shape with two double beds in an odd arrangement.  That is – one bed had its headboard on the west wall and the other had its headboard on the east wall; one was pushed up against the south wall and the other against the north wall.  OK weird but was what it was.  The real negative thing about that room was, although the view of the mountains was lovely, it was located just above the kitchen with the flat kitchen roof just a few feet below one of the windows.  The room was filled with not so pleasant cooking odors and it was hot (no AC in the rooms back then – it’s Colorado, in the mountains, in early May – not supposed to be hot).  It was hot in the room. 

We had been out being tourists during the day so by the time we got to the room, it wasn’t pleasant.  Michael opened one of the windows.  No screens on the window.  Hmmm.  Checked with the front desk – ok to leave the window open a bit??? – Sure, it’s Colorado, chilly nights, no bugs.  Well, ok .

We went to bed, asleep, and then some time later, an odd sound woke me up.  I lay in bed listening for a while and finally decided the sound I was hearing was snuffling – like a big dog doing some serious sniffing.  So, I sat up and glanced over at the open window … and ….. something large and black slithered through the open window. 

NOPE!  I DID NOT JUST SEE SOMETHING SLITHER THROUGH THE WINDOW INTO THE ROOM.

I was next to the wall, so I sat up a little more, leaned over sleeping MHN and saw a large-ish black something scurrying around on the floor between the two beds.  Now, in the span of several seconds I thought

            I need to be calm.

            I need to wake up Michael.

            I need to turn on the light.

            Calm.

And, simultaneously, I turned on the light and shrieked – MICHAEL, THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE ROOM!

Perhaps not so calm but I did get the light on and wake up Michael.  He hit the floor with fists up and encountered ---- a raccoon, which he chased around the room and ultimately out the window.  Slam – down went the window.  Hot room. 

OK, he sez, I’m going downstairs to talk to the night manager.  And, leave me in the room with raccoons knocking at the window.  I’ll come with you.  Down we went.  Now the night manager was really an unpleasant, rude, annoying little woman.  MHN explained, very calmly, what had happened.  She followed us back to our room (although why I cannot tell you).  Her first comment was – well did you do something to entice the raccoon into the room?  (REALLY?????).  Did you have food in the room?  Well, yes, I replied, we have a bag of cookies (2 – two – 2 only).  Well, she said, - there you go COOKIES!  I lost it.  And, while I didn’t call her any bad names I did tell her that (1) if food is not allowed in the rooms, they need to hang up a big sign; (2) that room was unreasonably hot because of it’s location above the kitchen; (3) we asked about leaving a window open because of the hot, smelly room and nobody said fine but beware of raccoons; and (4) I wanted another room – right that minute or things would get really ugly.  Well, she could give us the room right across the hall.  Same problems.  Nope, I want a room with no access to the windows, a room that is cooler, and a room that does not smell like old food.  We were moved to one of the tower rooms.

The next morning MHN was ready before me and said he’d meet me in the restaurant.  He got down to the lobby and the hotel manager came up to him to apologize for the nights happenings.  He looked at the guy, smiled and told him – My wife is right behind me and she’ll want to talk to you and I’m gonna sit right over there.  The manager and I had a conversation that at least made me happy.

That evening, as we came down from the tower room, we stopped on the landing and looked out onto the flat roof of the kitchen to this this little guy.

Take care

Packrats, Magpies, and Collectors of Oddities

You know, my sister and I are estate sale attendees.  It is always an interesting day trip to (1) find the actual location (some have been lost in the wilds of the country – sometimes Siri is lost also) and (2) see what others acquire (somethings are a little weirder than others) and (3) wonder at the pricing (who sets the price – owner or agent - and based on what?).  My general feeling about estate sales is that they are glorified garage sales – usually held in the home of the owner who is severely downsizing or deceased.  But mostly, it seems the purveyors of estate sales seem to think of them more as a movable

Curio Shoppe

and price accordingly.

One of the more unique ones we visited was this – more a permanent flea market – an expensive flea market BUT, it was 60% off day.  Oh goodie

Note the tag on this little tacky little bisque doll -

$140 (dollars 1 4 0.00)

but a bargain that day at $56.

Or this treasure

Do you see why I wonder about people sometimes?

OK, yes, I’m a bit of a packrat, magpie, collector of oddities myself.  BUT – I really try to keep the “I neeeeed that” urge under control.  And, my stuff is not odd – not completely odd – not everything in the house odd.

Others? – well, maybe ...

Yep – Barbies and Kens

Decorative Tins

Cookie Jars

Just a quick note – the tins and cookie jars came from the same sale which was held in a smallish garden-type home.  Smallish dining room – smallish kitchen.  I couldn’t figure out how they were displayed without every surface in either or both rooms covered.

Obviously a Patrick Swayze fan

Clothes generally do not catch my attention at all, however I think this woman must have had a closet the size of my house!  Evening gowns and fur jackets covered the walls and there was a good-sized hanging rack of other clothing items.

OK – yes odd but I like this!  Except it’s pink and slippery and pink.

This rack was stuffed with shoes – stuffed full.  How can one person wear so many pairs of shoes.  And, while it wasn’t quite a fist fight, it was a mob scene – for used shoes.  Designer name shoes but still, used shoes.

OK – I like hats but where in the world do you keep so many.

Then there are the Oddities, like

Nope – don’t know what it is.

Two blunderbuss handguns –

Did You Know

A blunderbuss in handgun form was called a dragon.  The soldiers that carried them were called Dragoons.  Useless info fact.

 A wall of cross stitched signs, many of which said the same things – nicely framed.  Don’t know where I’d have hung so many signs.

Now, no matter how it may sound, I’m not being critical (well, maybe of the naked Barbies and Kens - that is so weird), I just have to wonder at people.  I think I’d like to see these things in situ before the agents rearrange everything.  For instance, was there really only one or two signs out and the owner changed them monthly depending on her frame of mind?  Did the cookie jar collector think – these will be my old age pension and kept them boxed up in the attic.  Were some of these things loving gifts from a grandchild?  A bingo or door prize?  Who knows.  They were special to the original owner and special to the new owner.  

Take care

 

Yep - I like teapots!  This is not
odd - not very odd.