Now it's Thursday

It is an unseasonably warm day ( we’re talking 70º plus ! ) . Winter here in Calistoga has probably never been more enjoyable, weather wise. I will be hiking through Bothe State Park with my pal, Don around 10 am. It was just as nice yesterday, but even though it was sunny out I couldn’t get out into it. It just seemed sort of wrong, being the dead of winter and all. My niece Elizabeth is in Hawaii, where there are continual tropical thunderstorms . My nephew Justin in Australia reports lighting storms for over a week now. Phew ! The image above was taken on my recent trip to SF. It is a view from Lafayette Park looking north across the bay. Sweet, huh?

Taking a Survey

Here I am at the Fleishman Field Research as part of a Focus Group. The group is pretty mixed. This is a fun way to earn a quick 75 bucks.

What an interesting day. I left Veda on the Freeway next to the San Quentin off ramp because the CHP would not let me drive through due to an Occupy protest. I ended up in SF after all. We are still on good terms... I think. She is living in her new home in Larkspur. I have yet to see it. The picture here is a sample picture which was in the Sample Pics folder at the focus group.

Making time for painting

Today I have been painting rocks to keep my focus. The new type of rock I have been painting is much smoother than sandstone. This smoother surface I have found is preferable for several reasons.This type of rock I have begun painting on is called “Mexican Pebble” which is Basalt rock that you would find in a decorative garden setting. It is black, heavy and very smooth which saves me from having to purchase new brushes every month. It is also much nicer to hold. I got these rocks at a place called "Clarks Rocks" in American Canyon. They were not expensive and saved me money from having to drive out to the coast to collect the rocks I usually get.I keep looking for ways of improving my craft. I am also remembering to allow the clear coat finish to dry before handling the rocks, because they can get pretty gummy if I am not careful. The rock above is a good example of the type of Spirit Rock or "Glowing Stone" that I am producing lately.

Still pounding the pavement

It’s been a year and a half since I left my job at the CIA. That almost sounds like a Catch 22, huh? ( You check out, but not really ). I have looked most every day for some type of work I can do; But at 61, sending out another résumé and cover letter almost seems like an exercise in futility. I have been trying to start my own business, painting gift rocks. This has been a seasonal business so far, as I usually sell mostly during the summer months. I have been trying to get a shopping cart on my Spirit Rocks blog so that friends can purchase their rocks online. This has been my strategy for the few months remaining until Spring.I hope to have that up soon.

Everyday,I paint a rock or two. Some are more beautiful than others. I try to think of ways of improving them. Being away from regular employment has been difficult. Today I went to the Dentist because I think I have an absess infection around a molar that has been capped. He took an ex-ray and determined to send me to a specialist for a root canal. Thankfully, hé has seen me with or without insurance. Job or no job. He is a very ethical Dentist, who I have been seeing now for twenty five years. I was able to get an appointment with a doctor who worked alongside the doctor who did the root canal originally. The original doctor has since gone out of practise ( good thing, because hé pretty much did a less than stellar job ). Now comes the money part.

Yikes !

Scammers Posing As Friends On Facebook

Yes I am embarrassed to say that this happened to me. The Profile harvesters abound, culling every nuance to make your “friends” stories seem entirely plausible. Don’t fall for it like I did.Tell them to wait until you give them a phone call for personal verification, and even then … Ask questions that you would be certain that only they would know the answer to; Of course, nothing is entirely secure.Also,Don’t part with more money than you would be willing to lose.

Meeting Leo Laporte

Today is Friday, and I made it back from MacWorld last night around ten. The trip to SF from Calistoga usually takes around two hours comfortably.Veda and I got to the Moscone Center around noon and parked at the Mission street garage.We arrived on the showroom floor and began collecting schwag and chatting up the vendors to learn all their was that was new this year. It only took two seconds to lose Veda, and luckily we had our cell phones because even though we planned to meet by the first aid station at 2pm, that did not work out as well as we had planned. I walked up near the front of Moscone West to look for Veda and found Leo Laporte holding court with a bunch of geeks in black open collar shirts. It looked like the staff from Macbreak Weekly which is Leo’s show that is video-podcasted every Monday.I have been a fan of Leo’s show for around five years or so. He really is very knowledgeable about all things computer related… not just Macs. He graciously posed for this photo which really shows off my belly (not so much his) but I guess I will have to start doing sit ups to counteract all this good food I have learned to enjoy.He is a bright likable guy, who should run for president.Just because.

Monday Again

Well as you might have guessed, the Niners have not been picked to be the team to go to the Superbowl this year. It was a game that ended exactly the way I thought it was going to end.I am not disappointed. They had a great season. I ended up going to Newman Hall in Berkeley after the game to the Holy Spirit chapel for mass. I got home around 12:30pm . It was worth it.Today I worked on several posters for my upcoming show.The poster shown below is one that am very proud of as It showcases the real beauty of these rocks.

Moonshot

This is another picture of one of the posters I will be featuring at the one man show coming to the St. Helena Library on February 1st. This is a modification of a picture I have drawn in the past, along with the painted rocks, which sometimes take on a figurative images such as the smiling man in the moon shown in the upper left portion of this picture. All I am doing here is showcasing the rocks which are the real stars of these pictures.

Stags Leap 2

It was cold and foggy at the start but after about an hour the sun broke through. This was the second time exploring the trail that led to the top of the Vacas mountains lining the east end of the Napa Valley. The Stags leap district is a designated appellation on the Napa Valley Viticultural map. The area has a lot of Manzanita and Madrone trees and bushes with craggy rocks to walk over getting up to the top. We traversed two large hills getting to our destination where we stopped after three hours to have lunch. The return trip went pretty quickly as it was mostly down hill. The views from the top were spectacular.

All this walking was far better for me than sitting in front of a TV set watching football. Next week however, is when the Forty-Niners face off against the New York Giants.You can bet that I will be watching that one. It will be great if our Niners make it to the Super Bowl this year. Incidentally, when we were over looking the Napa Valley, we could see a large group of people watching the Giants vs. Green Bay game on a jumbotron at a local winery down below. They were screaming and yelling every few seconds as their team performed. We yelled back at them from above on the mountainside. I think they heard us because they kept yelling back.

Upcoming Show

Today I went to purchase some frames at Michael’s Art Supply in Santa Rosa. What a store that is! It made me realize how much the Chinese people have contributed to glut of available merchandise in this country. Everything from the smallest sticker to the largest frames have been produced in China. I bought six frames , some high gloss acrylic spray and some mylar stickers for future rock creations. I have about five more 18X24” prints to frame to complete the show. I also need to purchase some sparkling cider, water and juice for the reception that will take place on the first of February at the St. Helena Library. I want to display my Spirit Rocks under a plexiglass case if possible, so that people will know that the rocks have been scanned on my flatbed scanner and subsequently modified in Photoshop. The excitement is building.

Getting Ready

I will be showing my work on the walls at the St. Helena Library for the month of February. I will be featuring a collection of imagery from works that I have collected throughout the years. The image above is of a rock I painted , scanned and modified in Photoshop. I like how I can take something as mundane as a river rock and build it up to be an object of interest. The picture above is of a rock that I had made into a 18” X 24” poster. I am thrilled that I was able to frame this piece and keep the cost down. I hope to continue painting and making these rocks special for everyone to enjoy.

A real Santa and a Chinese Christmas

Veda and I travelled to the city to have Christmas dinner at Martha and Ernie’s house. Rita and Hamish were there at the door to greet us when we arrived. Martha was in the kitchen on her laptop chatting away with my brother John in Chicago on Skype. Veda leaned over and said hello and was probably taken back when she realized that my brother was Santa Claus. I mean, his beard and snow white hair are all very real. The picture above will attest to the Chicagoland Santa's authenticity. I am still not sure what she made of him.My brother-in-law Ernie was busy preparing the clay pot and sautéed veggies along with some sweet and sour pork. We all sat around chatting about different things throughout dinner which didn’t get through until around 11:30 PM ! We had a mango custard for dessert that was absolutely delicious. Then it was time to head back across the Golden Gate. Veda suggested coffee, so we stopped at a café on Church street that was still open. I was ready for the ride back so we crossed the bridge and I bid her a fond ado as I continued on to Calistoga. Nice time!

The Winter Solstice

It is another beautiful day here in Calistoga. The sun has been shining here every day for the past three weeks! The high pressure is sending all inclement weather either north or south but not in and around the bay area. The Forty Niners are doing well and have a good chance at making it to the Super Bowl this year after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers monday evening. Today I am going to a store called “Mr. Moon “ downtown. I will propose that they sell my Spirit Rocks, some of which I have fashioned into a crescent moon that looks like a perfect fit for their store. I also have the idea of doing refrigerator magnets that would be the exact same rock with a magnet glued to the back. I want to give them exclusive rights to and hope to make them the sole distributor of my work. This way I will have a retail outlet that can show my work year round ( I am keeping my fingers crossed that perhaps they will sell it as a "Mister Moon Rock “) I will keep you posted.

Progress, not perfection

Today is Sunday and I’ve intentionally missed the Republican debates on TV. I have no interest in the Republican Agenda. I painted rocks, I ate Quinoa, I went to a meeting and I went to mass. All in all, it was a good day because I accomplished a few things and intend to accomplish more tomorrow. Every day, I do something to further my desire for financial independence. I made a pendant and a beautiful rock that looks like it’s going to be a big seller. Tuesday is my birthday. I will be 61 and... MY SPIRIT ROCKS !

Fun filled weekend

Just when I thought that I would not be participating in the Calistoga Christmas fair, I got a table set up at just the last minute ! The event coordinator let me display my Spirit Rocks and I had the best time ever. I connected with old friends and made some new ones. It was a lot of work and I was bushwhacked by the end of the day. I took a short nap because I knew the tractor parade was happening on Lincoln avenue as night fell. I shot the picture above just as the parade was ending ( doggone it ). I thought that the festivities were to start at 8PM and found out too late that they began at 7, so I caught the tail end of it. I spent a little time chatting it up with my friend Eleanor who kept me company and recalled her days events as she enjoyed a cup of Pumpkin Chai. I had a pomegranate juice before heading home and settling in for the evening.

All in all, a very satisfying day.

Taking care of Business

I finally got my things together for the Christmas Bazaar at the Carnagie Building last weekend. Everything went pretty well as I sat with the other vendors on the second floor of the building. We had some waves of people come through, but it could not quite compare with what was happening downstairs ( or so I thought ). I was able to sell enough rocks to pay for the entry fee after the first day. Meeting the other vendors was a positive experience as they all had some great tips to offer me. Right now I am looking at building my Spirit Rock website and having a shopping cart available so people will be able to purchase rocks online. That is the game plan for December.

Comforting words…

A Prayer to Slow Down

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with the vision of eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the smoothing music of singing streams.Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking one-minute vacations...
Slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise that I may know the race is not always to the swift;that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look up into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down Lord, and inspire me to send my roots into the soil for life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

Slow me down, Lord; slow me down!

By: Cardinal Richard Cushing

Silly me

Yesterday, I finished up painting a weeks worth of rocks. Actually, I was sorting out those rocks that needed to be categorized and others that needed a little touching up. By 3PM I had already packed up all the materials I would need to bring to the Carnagie building in St. Helena for the big Christmas Fair weekend. The plan was to set up our vendor’s booth the night before to prepare for the show which would begin at 10am the next morning. This showroom would be locked so that no one would have to be concerned about their “stuff”. Well I drove down there only to discover an exercise class going on, and no one having any clue about a “Christmas Fair”. I got on my Iphone to call the coordinator of this event, only to find out that I was a week early!

Great.

Well, at least now I have a whole extra week to put together some rocks with more Christmas-like themes. I think I will paint some snowflakes or Christmas trees probably. The fun never ceases!

My new Focus

The White Potato has gone to the Polly Klass foundation. It was a great vehicle while it lasted, but now I have a beautiful, sleek, "Frankenstien green" Ford Focus. This car rocks ! It has a plug in jack for my iPhone, so that when someone calls it will interrupt my iTunes playlist to receive the call which comes in through my car speakers ! It also has electric windows, locks and cruise control. This is a dream come true.

Now, about the color. It actually is rather interesting looking. It sort of reminds me of the luminescent paint I use on my Spirit rocks to make them glow in the dark. Hmmm… I was sure I wanted a white car, but this is too perfect! Perhaps I should get personalized plates too, but I doubt this will happen.

It definitely feels like I am creating a new persona.

Season of the Witch

I was reading an article online about Salem, Massachusetts. This was the place in American History where witches were burned at the stake over allegations of people casting spells and the like. So much suspicion has risen up in recent history where the country is practically polarized as people express or choose to hide their individual politics and beliefs.This reminds me of what it must have been like living in Salem in the sixteen hundreds. As a Freedom loving country, I think we forget that we have in the past, and will certainly again in the future,continue to pay a dear price to enjoy such freedoms.

The social and political climate of today kind of reminds me of the TV Show “Survivor” . This begins where everyone is trying to form alliances in the hopes of winning favor with their particular brand of leadership. This is all done in order to be the last one left on the island, thus “WINNING" as Charlie Sheen would say, the illusive title of being a sole survivor.

These are trying times, and at times I feel like the wolf in the image above, howling at the moon. This would probably be a very therapeutic practice if a group of people went up into the hills during a full moon, just to howl for awhile . Halloween is just around the corner so perhaps that evening would be a great time to just go out and howl.