New Vision June 15, 2009

Yesterday I visited the Ansel Adams/Georgia O’Keefe exhibit at SFMOMA.  I found great peace in learning how these two artists found so much worth noticing in nature.  I endeavor to foster such focus and reverence in myself, to spend time alone with the elements, seeing with the heart….

There was one particular set of 3 photos by Adams called ‘Snow Sequence I, II, and III.’  He captured 3 different close-ups of snow receding from the earth, and the particular patterns the melting snowline created that mirrored the ground beneath.  These images more than any in the exhibit reminded me that there is beauty everywhere, even (and especially) in the death of things.  I couldn’t find a copy of these images to share here, so instead have inserted ‘Frozen Lake and Cliffs’ – a stunning, subjective, almost unreal image, also of retreating winter.  Joseph thinks this photo would be an amazing backdrop for a theater production. 

Frozen Lake and Cliffs, by Ansel Adams

 

If you get a chance, check out this exhibit through September 7th.  Also of great interest is the exhibit of Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans’ – all eighty something photos that made up his groundbreaking book. 

Gotta love art.

Jack London’s Piggery February 8, 2009

I am preparing to leave the Valley of the Moon for the East Bay.

My love affair with Jack London continues as I am currently inhaling a wonderful biography of the writer, which fills in many holes for me.  I now know that his Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen (just five minutes from where I currently live) was meant to be an escape from San Francisco, Oakland, all of industrialization, and his painful past.

I moved here with a kindred desire to get away from the din and the negative voices in my own head, to become closer to Nature, and to my own voice.   In the two years I’ve lived here, I have been somewhat successful: there is never a shortage of animal life to encounter – the squirrels in our redwood trees talk to me, sounds I’ve never heard from squirrels elsewhere.  When I go for a walk I am met by at least half a dozen cats, and I always take time to stand under the eucalyptus tree that is home to four hawks, who flirt and fight with each from the highest branches.  There are so many animals that have talked with me, I have begun writing a song about them.  I am researching ways to record this new song on Jack London’s property.

But in a week, I will be moving all my belongings to a new home with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, just a few miles from where Jack sweated, fought, struggled and starved in his early days.  I hope the industrial life will be kinder to me than it was to him.  I would have liked to have been more prolific in my time in the Valley of the Moon, but I find that I need more stimulus and more conversation than the animals alone can provide.

I know that I will continue to visit Sonoma Valley and find inspiration from it.  I also hope to find more peace inside my mind than Jack was able to find in his short lifetime.  He died in 1916 on November 22, and I was born 55 years later to the day.  I feel there is still much work to be done with Jack – this incredibly flawed, ego-fed, fatherless writer who was never afraid of making a reality of his dreams, whatever the cost.

Jack, I will be back.

Jack London and his piggery

When Christmas Morning Gives You Lemons…. December 23, 2008

Make Lemon Loaf.  MEYER Lemon Loaf, that is.

These fruits grow easily in California, and they’ve been used in my family for generations, for everything from martinis to crab feasts.  This year my mom is bringing Meyer lemons from her tree, which is heavy with its own ornaments – dozens of ripe, bright yellow fruits that can be picked now or kept on the branch for months to come.  The are practically indestructible, and the sweetness inside is always a wonderful discovery.

Thanks to the Barmy Baker, for this recipe, I’ll be trying this year.   Maybe I”ll make some Meyer Lemon marmalade to go with it, if the other ten prep items on my menu don’t take me down.  Wish me luck!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Yum. November 29, 2008

  

Gelateria Naia, San Francisco, Nov 23, 2008

We were encouraged to try Gelateria Naia in San Francisco’s North Beach neighbhorhood, and it did not disappoint!  I had the Orange Mendiant, and Joe had the Nocciolo.  Great people watching and fantastic service.  Another good reason to love the big ol’ city by the bay.

Ti Couz September 22, 2008

Last weekend my mom and I drove into SF for some Sunday girl time.  We viewed the Women Impressionists exhibit at the Legion of Honor (which is a gorgeous museum, and has some of the lovely grounds I’ve ever encountered), and the Frida Kahlo show at SF MOMA.  It was a sunny, perfect day in the city, and we cruised the streets looking for a good place to have lunch.  I was hungry for Mediterranean, so we used the GPS system in mom’s new convertible.  I have a hard time with GPS systems…..with anyone telling me where to go….and this system led us from one neighborhood to the next, with no recognizable route….we wound up in the Mission, and ‘Truly Mediterranean’ looked good, but only had take-out.  Across the street was a white walled facade with bright blue doors and window frames.  We figured it was Greek and crossed the street to check it out.  And I am here to tell you about Ti Couz in the Mission District!

3108 16th St
(at Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-7373

As Geoff C said on Yelp, “Having another crepe elsewhere will never be the same (including most of France). Bohemian atmosphere, cheap prices, and diverse clientele make this my favorite casual spot in The Mission.”

Yes, the crepes were amazing, the best I’ve ever had.  The art on the walls was cool, and my mom bought a t-shirt with artwork on it by Armelle Gourvennec.  Alas, I can’t read or speak French (yet!) but her website has some really cool, quirky portraits, like the one pictured above.

Next time you’re looking for a great, casual dining experience in San Francisco, remember this place!

Refuge September 2, 2008

Joe and I had an amazingly rejuvenating Labor Day weekend.  We drove 3 hours north and camped in Richardson Grove State Park, amongst the giant Coastal Redwoods.  Then we drove home via Highway One along the ocean. 

We read about the Sea Ranch chapel, a non-denominational sanctuary for prayer, meditation, and spiritual renewal, and stopped to take a peek.  I can honestly say I’ve never been in a more beautiful structure.  World class artistry, and also, intimate enough to make me imagine it was my very own retreat.  There are seashells embedded in the ceiling, and throughout the interior structure.  Though I’ve not yet seen Gaudi’s work firsthand, I imagine there are many similarities in how organic the design is. 

Sea Ranch Chapel - interior

The chapel was designed and built by internationally renowned San Diego artist and architect James T. Hubbell. Hubbell has received numerous awards for his work in design, sculpture, wood, glass, stone, and metal. Among them, a 1985 “Special Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship” from the California Council of the American Institute of Architects particularly recognized his work on The Sea Ranch Chapel.

exterior of chapel

 

I look forward to a chance to visit this place again.  You can read more about it here.

Fort Ross September 2, 2008

Our second and final chapel stop of the day was at Fort Ross State Historic Park, also on Highway One, just north of Jenner and the Bodega Bay Area, in California.  The fort was originally built by the Russian-American company, as they sought an outpost to help them cultivate food and supplies badly needed for their country, during the time they were gathering sea otter pelts as fast as they could get their hands on them.  I have Super-8 footage of my parents visiting the fort on their honeymoon years ago.  I have a particular interest in this place, as it was part of the Russian-American company’s campaign under Alexander Baranof.  He was the man that settled Kodiak Island and established the capital in Sitka (New Archangel).  I have been pretty obsessed with this man’s story since I portrayed his daughter two years in a row in the outdoor drama ‘Cry of the Wild Ram’ on Kodiak Island, when I was a teenager.  There is a documentary brewing in me, surrounding the story of Baranof and the Russian-American company’s pursuits, as well as my own story of being an adolescent on the isolated but gorgeous island of Kodiak, Alaska.  I look forward to taking Joe with me back to the island, to put the story together. 

Here we are in the Fort Ross chapel, which burned to the ground in 1970, and was rebuilt the following year, the year I was born.

inside the fort ross chapel

Hey Nineteen. August 26, 2008

 

Ladies in Kenwood, July 2007

My favorite Steely Dan song is ‘Hey Nineteen’.  Maybe this is why, and I didn’t even know it. 

LADIES – I raise my glass to us.  And to my Aunt Cindy, who has always been my number one role model for what it means to be a woman who can take care of herself. 

From Garrison Keillor: 

 

It was on this day  in 1920 that the 19th Amendment was formally incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.

 

It proclaimed, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

It ended more than 70 years of struggle by the suffragist movement.

It had passed through the House and Senate. At first, it looked like the amendment was not going to make it. And then, a 24-year-old legislator from Tennessee, Harry Burn, decided to vote for the amendment at the last minute because his mother wanted him to. And Tennessee became the 36th state to approve suffrage for women.  They sent the certified record of the Tennessee vote to Washington, D.C., and it arrived on August 26, 1920.

Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the proclamation that morning at 8 a.m. at his home. There was no ceremony of any kind, and no photographers to capture the moment. And none of the leaders of the woman suffrage movement were present to see him do it. Colby just finished his cup of coffee and signed the document with a regular, steel pen. Then he said, “I turn to the women of America and say: ‘You may now fire when you are ready. You have been enfranchised.’

Another birth! November 5, 2007

This is a close-up of the sculpture ‘Mother’ by Robin Spencer-Crompton, which I encountered during Sonoma County’s most recent ArtTrails. 

This is my first post in my first real blog – I guess it’s high time, isn’t it?  I think about you enough as it is, I might as well let you in on the gory details.  You are brave, I assume.  Let us begin.