Memories are Made of This Tuesday, May 3 2011

 At a restaurant in Nice recently I came upon this photo of Audrey Hepburn in the toilette, no less. So I placed a rose on her photo and snapped the shot. You can find beauty in the oddest places, and Audrey Hepburn has been a blogging icon since my friend Mary Elizabeth and I started using her image in our work blog from time to time, inspired by the story I once heard about her only allowing herself one piece of chocolate cake a year. i just had my second piece of Molten Chocolate Cake at a restaurant in Nice last night, albeit mercifully small in the French style and served with refreshing Tangerine Sorbet. I had tried it first at Isle Sur le Sorgue on Easter Sunday. Ah well, when in Rome as they say. Now I find myself nearing the end of the vacation. Too quickly it has passed as all good things do. And yet I’m feeling grateful to have been able to spend this time in France after so long, and with family. As we get older it becomes more important to treasure the moments we have with each other. In retrospect, we do treasure moments, but then we call it memory. The trick is to be present to the moments and feel the joy and connection we have with each other while it is happening; sometimes easy to forget in our day-to-day lives. That’s what I like about seeing new places and having new experiences. It’s like a kaleidescope of present time and memories in the making all jumbled together. The eyes are capturing everything to record and remember the richness of life that’s occuring in present time. Comme c’est extraordinare!

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Le Jour du Depart! Monday, Apr 18 2011

It’s official at last. The best Monday in a long time. It’s the first day of my trip to Europe, after a mere 30-year delay. I’ll be meeting my brother and his wife Jane there. They’ve been renting an apartment in Nice for several months, welcoming numerous guests (location, location, location), and it sounds as though they’ve been having a wonderful time.  I’m taking my computer and am planning to chronicle my adventures by practicing my blogging skills. Why not? If a picture is worth a thousand words, then surely some words AND pictures will help me remember the trip. Funny how I don’t really get excited until the last minute. I even slept well last night, a rarity for an insomniac like me. I woke up for a minute, but listened to Gangaji on my iPhone and she seems to be my miracle tranquilizer.

So I’m packed and ready…just need to navigate the road to the San Francisco airport (an adventure in itself) and drop the car at the park and fly, and of course there’s the long flight across the U.S. and the Atlantic. If I remember that every step is part of the adventure, perhaps I can keep my equilibrium even with the  indignities of modern travel. It will be lovely to see Nice again.

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My January Birthday was a joy Saturday, Feb 20 2010

My beautiful birthday gifts

Can’t believe it has been almost a month since my birthday, and I’ve meant to write this blog since then. This was a most blessed of birthdays in so many ways..I am happy that Simon is back at home in Prince Rupert after some intense time in the Yukon (personalities more than terrain, I think). He described a beautiful helicopter dawn flying from the Yukon to the village and hence by plane (or is it thence by plane?) to Vancouver BC where he stayed in the Sheraton with nice clean white sheets and ate delicious fish and chips at a pub nearby. And now he seems happy to be home for awhile…we talked a long time on the phone and it was so good to hear his voice. I’m glad my sister Kim just got married, and I know her heart is healing fully in this new “big phat” love, as she calls it. It was great talking to my sister KT at 8:30 AM on my birthday morning just as I was awakening from a dream. And of course, who would I rather “have lunch with” on my BD than Maria in Puerto Rico…thank God for cell phones. Got some nice Irish stories from my Aunt, and a dishtowel with beautiful red hearts on it that reminds me of Denmark (it’s one of their trademarks), love, Valentine’s Day, and mostly of her–my faithful Aunt who has sent me something on my birthday for years and years. How great is that? And my friend Lynne from Kauai (those days of spiritual bootcamp and “don’t park in front of the Buddha”, as well as a tropical paradise), sent me a book about women and confidence (a lifelong issue of mine–and does she know that! We spent so much time sharing when we were in Kauai). My sister Kim sent me some wonderful cassette tapes from the 1940s–my favorite time period) of famous actors reading for a mystery/suspense hour–including the amazing (and short lived) noir actor Laird Cregar—as well as a glittery, sexy mermaid candle, a red grass house blessing icon/doll (or whatever it is–we couldn’t quite figure it out– but it matches my witchy red broom)–I got three beautiful scarves when I arrived at work this morning, and some fancy femmy sticky notes–all my gifts have been super feminine this year!) My friend Patricia gave me a spangly little coin purse with movie ticket money inside–and for three days  I spent at least four hours a day on the phone with people I care about….and others called, emailed, and Facebooked their loving wishes, too. My brfrother Kraig and sister in law Jane gave me a nice red glass bracelet, and other gifts of all kinds (thoughts , wishes, prayers, lovely gifts) have come my way since then. I’m grateful to have so many loving people in my life….that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? And now January is past and it’s mid-February with some pink blossoms on the trees and spring bulbs popping up….the beat goes on…quickly, quickly passing. Be Here Now as Ram Dass said so many years ago…..

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Jeanette Boyer on Women’s Voices Nov 30 Thursday, Nov 26 2009

Jeanette Boyer, author of Junkyard Dreams

Jeanette Boyer, author of Junkyard Dreams, moved to Mendocino for eight months in order to write her second novel. Two years later, she is still here, still writing (she says she is a slow writer!) and feeling at home in northern California. Join me for an interview with Jeanette Boyer on Women’s Voices Monday November 30th at 7:00 PM Pacific time to explore elements of a writer’s life: the writer’s process, inspiration, themes, and how to stay with the creative process while earning a living.

“My family moved a lot, often driving cross country for long stretches at a time, sleeping in the car when we had too little money to stay in even the cheapest of motels. It was on those voyages that I first began to compose stories. Seeing houses in the middle of nowhere and wondering who lived in them, I invented lives. Junkyard Dreams resulted from my personal attempt to prevent the development of a ridgetop near my home in New Mexico. Although completely fictional, the novel represents my attempt to understand why our very desire for beauty can lead us to damage our environment.”

How does the writing process affect our lives as artists and world citizens, and how can we use our art and writing to affect social change? Join us on Women’s Voices to hear about the writing life and how to make it happen!

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Movement or bust? Monday, Apr 13 2009

Well, since I STILL have not read the David Pogue book about my new computer and do not understand how to manage my photo program, I’m forced to use another image from the DeYoung museum I visited a few weeks ago. As fate would have it the image is about movement, and I’m feeling the urge to move…change is in the air. Is it because it’s Spring, and the sun has made an appearance again, despite the cold wind? Is it because my restless heart and soul need excitement and adventure? Is it because the human spirit needs to feel the joy of new beginnings?

No answer here…only the familiar longing to find my joy again.  Explore new territory…take chances? That’s me to a T…would not be advisable in real life, I might be told. I was once told that some people can get away with not following their soul path, and that I’m NOT one of those people. Hmmm…

Where does this old soul of mine want to go now??? Stay tuned….

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Yves St Laurent Retrospective at the deYOUNG Sunday, Mar 22 2009

Looks like the adventure I was longing for was short and sweet. Drove down the coast to SF on a rainy/sunny Saturday, listening to John O’Donahue’s Wisdom of the Celtic World.. and thinking about how it felt like being in Ireland must feel, with rocky cliffs and dramatic ocean for many hours. After accidentally giving $21 to the bridge attendant instead of $6 (he looked me right in the eye and kept it). I arrived at the DeYoung, and went through the YSL exhibit a couple of times, then cruised through some other art exhibits there and ended up at the Andy Warhol..which I liked quite a bit. Started to explore the city; got lost a few times, and ended up on the road to the Golden Gate bridge, so I resigned myself to going home, and grabbing some dinner in Healdsburg on the way, which was definitely easier. Even so, I didn’t get home until 11 p.m. so it’s a good thing I left the big city when I did. It was enough of a thrill to see the exhibits, all kinds of interesting looking people, and of course the sweep of the bay, and the pastel houses, skimming along the park. This morning the power was out at home, so I’m about to return there to see if it’s been restored. Meanwhile, listening to some great Sunday afternoon jazz right here in our little burg. Then back to the workaday world again…ah Monday!

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My First Boyfriend Had Red Hair Sunday, Jan 4 2009

My First Boyfriend Had Red Hair

Finished a collage called My First Boyfriend Had Red Hair. I’ve been collecting some of the words and images for some time now, and have in mind seven projects including collage and conceptual art pieces on the subject of love and romance. Some of my earliest and favorite influences are films of the 40s, pop culture of the 50s and German Expressionism. Should be fun to play with this. One of the nice things about living at the coast is that it seems easier to connect with creative impulses. We’ll see where it leads. I’ve got a groovy frame for it. Who knows, I may get several pieces done in time for Valentine’s Day!

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