It has been awhile....

There just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, so blogging isn't top priority during this busy time. Still, I do need to update, so here I am with a (rare) spare 5 minutes.

We've been staying in Aptos, just south of Santa Cruz for the last couple of weeks in a beautiful house right on the coast. I could look out the window and see whales, dolphins and any number of wayward pelicans circling in their prehistoric-looking way. Maya spent a good deal of time with us there, as did Myles and Katie, and it was good. We really had a nice time.

Now, we have moved to another beautiful place in Scotts Valley. Each morning, I get up and water the abundant gardens, the lavender filling my head and the roses speaking their own gentle flower language straight to my soul. At night, we can hear coyotes. It is thrilling!

John is teaching at Walnut Creek tonight, so I am here alone. He plans to make the two hour drive out here after his class, above my protestations and worry that he will fall asleep at the wheel. Tomorrow night, the drive will be even further away..from Fairfield. I want him to stay in Napa with Gaylon and Bill, but he says he wants to drive back here, and I'm not going to argue. Once the man sets his mind to something, he will do it regardless of what I say. Apart from being worried about his driving that late at night on such curvy mountain roads, I am secretly glad that he will be returning...what the heck... I am OPENLY glad that he will be returning tonight. I am far, far in the country!

Amelia

As a lot of you know, Sarah and Nate eloped 4.5 yrs. ago. They had planned to get married anyway, but they were both in school and decided to elope so Nate could get free tuition at the University where Sarah worked at the time. They had planned to have a wedding some day, but life never slowed down enough for them to plan and execute it. Now, with their first baby only 3.5 months away, Nate's Mom decided to throw them a celebration. At first, it was going to be a wedding, but the couple closed on their first house and were in the middle of moving, so it turned into just a nice dinner instead, with wedding gifts and toasts and good wishes from all.

Our hearts melted when 8 yr. old Amelia stood up and gave a toast to her favorite babysitter of all times (Sarah). That was really cute...but THEN...she requested to sing a song. None of us knew what she was going to sing and we were blown away that she knew all the words! This is one of those times we will never forget! Thanks to our friend, Denny, for having her video camera handy!

(click the arrow to start the video)

Anticipating Goodness

I'm feeling a little shaky from exhaustion this morning. Working 47 hrs. in 4 days was not easy, but I feel accomplished and happy and ready to tackle the next project. Work was good over the last couple of weeks, different. Everything ran seamlessly and I felt gratified and good, albeit tired, at the end of it.

John picked up moving boxes and today, we shall begin the arduous process of going through all of the things we've had in storage for years, culling, getting rid of things and streamlining before my 3 month departure that will be coming up at the end of the summer. I have nothing but good things to look forward to.

Tomorrow marks day #1 of being in my studio full-time again. I have 4 commissions to complete but they are all well underway. I have them designed and the materials methodically gathered and laid out, so it shouldn't be too difficult to meet deadlines if I concentrate. Then comes the small pieces for my Open Studio. I'm doing it alone this time. My prospective co-artists will all be at the L.O. show. I'm glad I didn't enter anything in that one. So many miles and driving and crowds. Too happy and not in the mood to deal. I look forward to being all snug and comfy in my own studio and having the foot traffic from the other event. Is a sure couple of grand in sales. I only wish it was before the upcoming trip.

This first trip will be even more exciting than originally anticipated. Received the news last night that Fred and Delaine are going to be there at the same time! We booked adjoining rooms at the ultra chic Ace, too! This is going to be so much fun. D. and I are going to meet for lunch in the city next week to discuss plans.

As of last night, I am booked solid all the way through the next 8 months. I'm not sure how month #8 is going to pan out, but either choice will be a welcome change that John and I are both eagerly anticipating. We are both thankful for either opportunity, just impatient about finding out the final destination on this life's journey.

Off to breakfast with John now. We're looking forward to catching up with each other today. Still star struck after 17 years.

Martha Stewart

True story:

I had an actual telephone conversation with Martha Stewart today. We talked about (drum roll......)

BAKING!


Go figure.

Feva...in the mornin'

Slept fitfully last night and woke far too early this morning. Managed to get the writing about the gas station art project uploaded but just didn't feel "right" all day. Finally, in the afternoon, I thought to take my temperature. It was high. Went to bed and slept most of the day. So now, it's 9:14 p.m. and while the fever is gone, I fear I will be awake all night. Hate it when my sleeping habits get screwed up like this. Takes me weeks to readjust. Will be taking the red eye to NYC soon and I fear I'll be awake the whole trip and then red eye'd, indeed, wandering through the streets of the Big Apple. ugh.

Sold a piece from my web site today. I always enjoy this. It bolsters my confidence considerably. However, I do become attached to my art and it is difficult to part with. This one took a lot of time and effort. I'm sure it will be going to a good home.

I must go into SF tomorrow for foccacia at Liguria Bakery by St. Peter and Paul's.

Not much to say. I think I'm going back to bed. Fever seems to have returned along with sniffles and sneezes. Caution! Stand back!

Isabel Allende

We spent the evening in the company of Ms. Isabel Allende last night. 'nuff said!

Math ..ugh

I often wonder why, as a child, I agonized over math as much as I did...why I gave it so much importance. Take prime numbers, for example. Does their importance exist anywhere in the practical world except in say... cryptography? True, certain algorithms rely on the fact that to find the prime factorization of very large numbers would take an extremely long time even with the fastest computers available today.

For example if you encrypted something using a key generated by the product of two large primes then to decrypt it again you would need to know the two prime numbers whose product is the key used. If you do not already know the two original numbers then you have two choices: attempt to guess the key or attempt to find its prime factors - either way it's going to take long enough that the data you're trying to decrypt won't even be important by the time you finish, and you won't be alive anymore to use it anyway...so why torture kids with this? I'm never going to be a cryptographer. Are you?