Having options

Testing the new blogging app on my iPad. It's called "Blogger plus". it's nice having another option when it comes to creating and posting blogs. Naturally,I only have a handful of readers that check in now and then. It is great when they post something however. It makes me feel like a news reporter on special assignment. If only I had a special assignment to devote my attention. Lately, I've been experiencing a little boredom. Painting beautiful rocks can only get you so far...

Life

“Life”is the name of Keith Richards new book and it is a pretty good read.He and I are both Sagittarius, and it seems that when we aren’t creating new adventures , we’re reflecting on how we got through the last one. The Stones are an iconic group that were instrumental in forming a lot of my generations late adolescent values of originality ,rebellion and creative pursuit.They always have been able to write their own ticket.The music and lyrics continue to intrigue me and are listened to often. Not always the mainstream hits like "Jumpin’ Jack Flash" or “Satisfaction", but more selective pieces like, “Memo to Turner” or “Can’t you hear me Knockin’ ”. These nuggets are stored away in my ITunes favorites, and only get pulled out occasionally depending on my mood. When I think about the Stones, I think mostly of Mick Jagger; Although Keith’s role is as essential to the success of the formula that is the Rolling Stones. Mick is someone who Keith almost seems at odds with at times, and if he weren’t such a necessary vehicle for transmitting the gestalt of the work, would probably not be as successful as a solo artist.

Sunday go to meeting

I went to St. Helena Catholic church this morning and sat next to a little kid that made farting noises with his mouth which had the back rows of the church red with blushes and side glances. It was too funny and the culprit was hardly even two. After mass, I sat at the Coffee Roastery and had my first cup of Joe in around three months. Man was it good ! Suddenly, I felt erudite and verbose !
I wanted to chat it up with everybody! After the coffee and my usual Jalapeno bagel with cream cheese I headed off to the Tucker Farm meeting. Later on, i headed home and worked on my Spirit Rocks. I haven't come up with a consistent prototype yet, but I am getting there. I am at least numbering these rocks so that I will be able to personalize them as I sell them. Friday is when I showed my methods for packaging and designing these rocks to a women I know named Melissa. She likes crafts and has created some beautiful hand painted eggs, so I think she will enjoy taking on a new creative challenge. I am looking at getting these items in a Christmas fair as soon as I find out who to contact.

Introspection

Today was a quiet day. I stayed at home until noon and then went over to help unpack a truck for the Food Bank. It didn't take long and I was back at home working on how I want to package the Spirit Rocks. I am thinking about using them for fund raising purposed or some such. I haven't decided. The last thing I want to do with them is sell them. It's not that they aren't marketable, it's just that I really despise attaching a value to something I have loved into existence. The same is true for the chefs hats. I absolutely love giving them to kids as a gift, just to see their reaction. The Spirit Rocks have a special meaning for me that is beginning to be revealed. To me, they are about focusing and centering on something good, so as to bring you out of a blue funk. I don't know how to use them yet, except that I think that having them under the light to charge them is an awesome exercise. Then to observe them until the glow fades is a good way to drift into a meditative state.

Creative Pursuits

It's Monday morning around 7am and the sun is just coming up. I took some Melatonin to help me get some sleep last night. I take a quarter of a tablet. Any more than that and I feel groggy the next day. Yesterday it was beautiful outside and the wind made everything look crystal clear. The wind was warm and felt tropical as I sat out on my deck reading a magazine.Earlier, I painted a few more Spirit rocks to add to my collection. I may drive out to the coast this week to gather some more rocks to paint. The other thing I accomplished was designing a box to package them, much like a pet rock only this is the next version. A rock that glows in the dark and has its own web page.It would be nice to code each rock separately and have a personal code that would unlock a 3-D figure that would be the rocks own individual "Spirit". This is something that I may develop down the road. I have a friend that is a master at Flash and HTML 5, so I will see if this is something he would like to pursue.

Rainy Sunday

A nice little storm passed through today, and the rain was refreshing. After mass I went to the Napa Valley Coffee Roastery for a cup of Hot Chocolate and a Jalapeno Bagel ( Toasted with Cream Cheese and butter dontcha know ).Then I drove by the CIA and had a good laugh. The World's of Flavor Conference is going on and it is typical that the event should be faced with the extra annoyance of showers. I feel for the Staff that has to work this event, but this is usually the last big blow-out event before they go into the quiet season. Too bad I'll be missing it. When I got home I turned on a Blues station and broke out my color pencils and began to draw. Above is the creation that emerged. I started with those eyes, and went off from there. It's nice to just sit and practice using color and lines to formulate an idea. I added this to my portfolio, which you can visit by clicking on this link:

http://gallery.me.com/banteron#100351

November Peace

This short movie clip is of Lake Hennessy, which I feature on this blog from time to time. It is one of those places here in the Napa Valley where I can escape to find Serenity and Peace. Today was no exception. Earlier I was bored so I found an old pair of suede slip on shoes and I ended up painting them metallic blue ( Yes, just like the Spirit Rocks in my previous post ). I feel goofy wearing them, but also somewhat liberated. The shoes went for the brief hike up into the hills you see featured in the video above.Then around 6pm I headed back into town and then up to the Friday night meeting at the St. Helena Hospital. Afterwards I met with a group of people to have a late dinner at Amigos in downtown St. Helena. It was fun fellowshipping with my friends from Napa. Everyone had a few yarns to spin and a lot of catching up to do. It was a fun day today.

Halloween

Today began with mass at O.L.P.H. ( Our Lady of Perpetual Help ) Where Fr. Manny told the same dumb tequilla jokes during his sermon and the two bellowing babies in the back made his homily all the more very difficult to hear. During the prayers of the faithful I submitted that we pray for the Giants to win the pennant, which got a good laugh. I'm glad it cheered everyone up. After mass, I went back home and spent the day painting more "Spirit Rocks" like the ones you see above. This is my latest creative/ crafty pursuit.Yes, they are painted with metallic and glow-in-the-dark paint.They dry real easily and are fun to make. I let some of the neighborhood kids pick one out to take along with a handful of Snickers bars when they came by my apartment trick or treating. They are such great kids around here.I heard that their was a parade downtown where the whole community gets to take pictures and gawk at all the interesting costumes, but I opted to just hang out at home.

Focusing on Art

The rains are on the way and still the Giants are in the World Series to play their second game in San Francisco. They won the first one and hopefully this one won't get rained out. Go GIants ! Tomorrow they go to play in Texas.

I drove to Napa this morning thinking that it was Friday and got to the dentist's office only to realize that my appointment isn't until tomorrow. It was not a futile trip though, because I went to see my friend Arnie, who is currently at the Queen of the Valley Hospital getting treatment for pneumonia in his lungs ( yikes ! ) He has to stay there until they get the infection in his lungs under control. I hope he will be out soon.

Trader Joes is my favorite place to shop because they have the best products and value for my money. I made a stop there to buy vegetables, nuts, crackers, avocados, ginger chews, cranberries and some tahini sauce. So now you know what I like to nosh on. Yesterday I went for a hike up to Coyote peak at Bothe State Park. I did some artwork in the morning, and hiked in the afternoon. Today it is a little too overcast and it may rain tonight,so I'm going to take a pass this afternoon. Besides, my feet hurt after only a four mile hike... sheesh !

A friend of mine suggested that I paint some not so common fruits and vegetables that are used in the kitchen. This is how I spent the day. The other thing I've been painting are "Spirit Rocks" that I will be giving out on Halloween. No really... these are pretty cool. I got some rocks from the beach out at Jenner and found the smoothest and roundest ones around. Then I got some nice acrylic metallic paints to cover them. Then I paint small designs with glow in the dark paint on top. More to come...

Cozy Cocoa

It is raining today , and it is looking like winter already. These are the days where I usually stay inside and draw or fiddle around on my computer or make something in the kitchen. I had a big breakfast after mass, with turkey bacon, a cheese omelette with jalapeño peppers and avocados. Then I prepared two slices of whole grain rye toast and topped it with yogurt butter and fig jam.I also made myself a cup of cocoa with cinnamon just for giggles. I am now making another cup because the first one was so good.
Nothing like a hot cup of cocoa on a cold, wet day. As a youngster we used to make it with warm milk and plop a marshmallow on the top. I can honestly say that I don't think I can remember the last time I had a marshmallow, can you? They were a highlight of my youth, especially on camping trips. Roasting a few on a stick was great fun, except when you burnt the roof of your mouth from eating the damn thing while it was still roasting.

In less than two months I will be 60 years old. This fact freaks me out a bit because I still feel like my life is just getting started and I am already past middle age! I know for certain that I am a late bloomer when it comes to maturity. I have to make all the mistakes there are to make in life before I get something right.

Compiling Artwork

It has been a while since I have thoroughly reviewed my portfolio and all the other art work I've kept over the years. Yesterday I went through my collection and framed a few pieces and went on to archive some others. My game plan is to submit some smaller work I've done to the Napa Valley Museum this weekend for a small format show coming up.I've also upgraded my photo gallery to include a lot of my more recent works. Above is one i did a long time ago but added a few embellishments just to make it interesting. I call it the "Shaman".

The Crush

It is sunny and beautiful outside again today. Yesterday was 10-10-2010 and the Giants pulled a little bit closer to making it into the playoffs. Saturday I went to help my friends Dick and Carol Uschyck, harvest and crush grapes. This has been and event that takes place every year about this time since 2001, and this was the first time I participated. A few years back I designed a label for their Merlot which they have used to make gifts which they give out during the holidays. What makes this amusing is that the grapes they harvest are from their "vineyard" which is basically a rather small yard in front of their house which we jokingly call the "lower-forty". What is so surprising, is that they usually get about two tons every year! The juice is very sweet and nutritious but don't worry. I won't be sampling the juice after it ferments. That would be road I won't be traveling down again. Dick invited me to stay and have dinner with the family which was great. They made tacos and we sat around exchanging stories about life in the Napa Valley as I drank my water. Carol gave me two jars of her fig jam to take home with me. They are nice people and good neighbors.

Staying busy

My creative juices have been flowing. I have been spending the time beefing up my portfolio and reorganizing all my art work. Today I came across a Mandala I created at SRJC about ten years ago. I added some color and filigree to make it into a more complete piece. It looks to me like an Alaskan tribal motif by the Eskimos there. I will have to look up the name for that style. Anyway, I've been enjoying these cool Fall days in Calistoga.

Staying Connected

It's Tuesday and the clouds were out this morning, but gave way to some beautiful sunshine this afternoon. I was not able to post to this blog earlier today because my internet connection was out. I called Comcast and they determined that it was the modem that was faulty and I ended up driving to Napa to get a new one at the Comcast store. Luckily, I had some shopping to do at Trader Joe's so it worked out well for me. When I got back I plugged in the modem and called Comcast to activate it. Unfortunately, they couldn't do that yet assured me that they would stay on it and scheduled a technician to come out at 2 PM. When the technician arrived he checked the new modem and determined that it was not the modem but the cable going to the box on the outside of my apartment. Yikes !! That box has been padlocked for a year, so that no one could access the cables and the former landlady was the only one with the combination. The Comcast guy told me that he would stick around until I found a way to open it. I ended up calling the Calistoga Housing people to see if the combination could still be found. No luck. Then I drove to ACE Hardware to purchase a hacksaw to cut the lock. That worked. I didn't think my day was going to proceed this way, but thankfully I am back on the internet and won't have to go through any withdraw from this crazy dependence.

October is here

Fall is upon us, and the days are getting shorter. The harvest for a lot of the Zinfandel grapes will begin either this week or early next week. It should be crazy busy for the grape pickers. The late harvest is to allow for more "hang time" which will increase the "brix" which in essence is the sugar content of the grapes. They are around 25 brix presently and may go higher. This also means that the alcohol content could be higher too ( not that this matters to me ). If you live in the Napa Valley, it is always fun to watch as the leaves turn from green to yellow to red. You can also smell the must of the grapes just by sticking your head out the window of the car at certain points up and down the valley.

Good orderly direction

Today is my sister Martha's Birthday. I sent her a gift certificate for two cooking classes at the CIA. I hope she enjoys them and comes away with more skills that she can add to her already bountiful set. The temperature should rise up over one hundred degrees today. It was the hottest day on record in Los Angeles yesterday. It is still early enough in the day, so I haven't turned on the fan or air conditioner yet. Presently, I am working on a couple of pictures to add to my portfolio. I will post them as soon as they are ready to be put online. During the past couple of days I've been reflecting on the events of my life. It is difficult to stay in the moment. It is important for me to set out to accomplish a few tasks every day. I am going to start with baby steps.

A legend of the Fall

Looking at my previous blog, it is ironic that I have a picture of the Main entrance to what many consider to be the best of the best in west, facing eastward. Because that is the doorway view from the desk where I have worked, laughed and cried for the past seven years and nine months. I have since walked through this portal perhaps for the last time. As I right this, I have been "shown the door" as they say, with a warning not to step on these hallowed grounds again. To the best of my knowledge, Monday marks the last day I was allowed to work as Concierge at this beautiful facility. This happened on the last day of summer as the Autumnal equinox began it's yearly sojourn. One could have said that I should have seen it coming, but like the last of anything, I was the last to know. I am sure there are big lessons to come from this, and certainly more shall be revealed. Suffice to say that if Pride cometh before the Fall, This Fall happened on very short notice. As it turns out, the woman in this picture is Janice who worked the same position as me eight years earlier. I had the distinct pleasure of giving her my final tour on my final day.That's a badge that she is holding which designates her as a "Tourist". In some ways, I think this is what we all are ... really. Just tourists.

Peak of the Season

This is the time when all the " Seasoned" tourists arrive in the Napa Valley. They come for the numerous festivals, weddings, tastings and crushing parties that all take place during our harvest. For the staff and students here at the CIA, it adds up to a lot more work all around. It has been difficult getting through the day with a gazillion tasks and distractions that seem to be happening all the time.Today, I will kick back and do my laundry, get my tires rotated and perhaps do some shopping. If I even do this much, it will be enough. My serenity is directly contingent upon my spiritual growth. My relationship with my Higher Power is numero uno.

Light my fire

It was a very pleasant evening at veteran's park in downtown Napa. I showed up for the last hour of the show which featured a few original members of the band The Doors. Ray Manzarek was on keyboards playing along with the Napa Symphony.What a hoot! These 50 somethings were singing along, and pretending to pass around a fake doobie. I caught their shenanigans on video. All in all, everyone seemed to be having a good time. I hope your Labor Day was as fun as this party here.

Elevating the Humble

It pleases me when people will make a request by asking, " May I ". I want to bend over backwards to make whatever we have, available and open to them. But when people come in like they own the place and demand to see our teaching kitchen, I have to let them down easy. If I have learned anything on this job, it is how to be of service. I cannot promise things that cannot be delivered, and by the same token I cannot favor one person over another. Thankfully, I have met the most gracious people in the world and have learned that people will generally treat you as well as you extend yourself to them when they arrive. First impressions are lasting, and no one should ever miss the opportunity to make a great first impression. Today, it is my hope that our Special Events team doesn't think that I am being persnickety when I point out that Greystone has been looking rather crumpled when I come to work after a wedding has taken place. The fact is, that a lot of stuff gets moved or is lying around waiting for someone else to pick it up . The problem is that it has to be picked up.