Paintings by Jack Frost

What a gift to find yesterday morning as I walked through the dining room.  Etched on the screen in the window were these pictures.   I think the ones in the dining room window were probably the most creative.  You can see figures of animals in the lacework. This could be filet crochet.  Jack Frost is a clever fellow.  The screens in my study produced a different look, more bead-like, against the backdrop of the big pine trees behind the house.   I just had to share.  Hope you enjoy them too.

Spinning vinyl

 Everywhere I go these days  people are plugged in, ear buds screwed into their ears, walking to their own private drumbeat and totally oblivious to the world around them.  No birdsong for these people, no traffic noise, no conversation, just their own private symphony transporting them out of the real world they are walking through.  No wonder they run the risk of being hit by the commuter train - they don't hear it coming. 
I have friends who have chucked their entire collection of CD's and vinyl records. Tuners,turntables,speakers all gone in favour of a player about as big as a post-it note.  They brag about how many thousand songs they have downloaded onto this electronic marvel.  They have music whereever they go.  No elevator music for them, no music forced upon them in stores.  They are totally independent and sadly isolated from the world and the people around them.  But that is just my opinion. 

 There is a shop in Calgary called "The Inner Sleeve" here - a lovely little shop with an unprepossessing exterior in the inner city district of Marda Loop.  The Inner Sleeve specializes in cast off vinyl, CD's, DVD's, music and films being passed back and around, bought and sold.  There you see the other side of the story. It is an adventure to explore in there and watch "unplugged' people combing the stacks looking for treasures. 

The Inner Sleeve recently purchased the entire CBC Calgary music library - records and CD's, some of which are out of print collector items, after the CBC went completely digital through their website.  When I worked at CBC Calgary years ago, I spent considerable time in that fascinating library searching for just the right tune to go with whatever story we were producing that day.  Now it is all up for grabs.

My vinyl library is considerably smaller than the CBC's for sure.  I'm nostalgic about these sorts of things I guess so I keep it.  I had the most amazing adventure tracking down a good turntable needle.  It took me down a rather beat up street in the south east part of the city to a non-descript building. The only identity of the shop was printed in small letters on the glass door alongside the number. But inside was like Aladdin's cave, freezing cold, and every square inch chock full of parts, tools, cords, broken television sets and stereos, all covered in a fine layer of dust.  At the back sitting on a stool behind the counter was a small German man, obviously the proprietor, who asked me what I wanted in a thick accent and told me to speak up because he was deaf. He seemed surprised I was even there.  However, he knew exactly what I was after, luckily had one precious needle in stock,  assuring me if I took care of it, it would last a long time.

So, Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon playing some my records. I filled the house with music and  ran through all my Willy Nelson LP's,one after the other before I moved on to some not well known, but pretty good guitar jazz recordings.  It was a great way to spend a winter Sunday afternoon.

The 21 day photo challenge rolls on to the end

  I don't understand why they call today "Blue Monday".  It seems to me that if you tag a day with a negative connotation, you run the terrible risk of making it so. A day is what you make it, and a day filled with blue sky and sparkling snow is anything but blue.   These beaded Butterflys are fresh off the worktable.  I'm using #10 beads and 30 wt wire which can be a bit of a challenge but so far so good. More are in the works as I build up stock.

 And stop the presses! We have a new bunny!  Her name is Midnight. She is a five year old mini lop - jet black.  Bella, needless to say, is thrilled.  We were so devastated when our big Bonnie passed away in the fall.  Bella has been so lonely.  This pretty little girl is a keeper for sure.  And she and Libby are getting to know each other too. 

This afternoon Libby and I took time for a walk through our sparkly winter wonderland at Bowmont Park by the Bow River.  The last of the snowberries are still clinging to the branches along with a few silvery leaves here and there. .  It was a lovely sunny day today, crunchy snow underfoot and not too chilly for walking.  Libby is great fun because she gets such joy from being out there plowing through the snow.  It's hard to argue with that.
These photos are all part of the portfolio challenge to take a picture every day for 21 days, thus making a new habit.  The theory is that by making picture taking a habit, the camera will always be there, available and ready to go.  I must admit some days have been more inspired than others.  I tend to get bogged down by the sameness of my routine and stop "seeing".  What carrying the camera regularly has done though, is forced me to look differently at my little world and it has also forced me to plan excursions so as to be able to take different pictures.  January is turning out to be a good month,  Here's to that.

An Artistic event.

Today I had an adventure. I took the train into the city in search of the The Museum of Contemporary Art  (here) which is hosting a lovely Andy Warhol exhibit.  How wonderful I thought.  I have to see this.  And I wasn't disappointed. 
The Warhol paintings,  portraits of professional athletes, are on loan from a private collector and given pride of place in this little jewel of a gallery.  It was fascinating to read about his technique - first photographing his subject, then silkscreening the photo onto canvas, and then painting over the silk screened portrait.

The gallery itself is adjacent to city hall, and across the street from a delightful little coffee bar where I enjoyed a delicious Latte and muffin and kitty corner across from Olympic plaza and the outdoor skating rink. 

Then it was time for a stroll down Steven Avenue with a stop first to say hello to  five strong women, Emily Murphy, Louise Mckinney, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards and  and  Nelly McLung who is holding up her paper proclaiming "Women are Persons" These larger than life bronze sculptures celebrate the "famous Five - the five feisty women who blazed a trail for women's rights in Canada and got us the vote.  They stand and sit in a circle, saluting Nellie McClung with their tea cups. She is holding up her proclamation for all to see.

After that, the next stop could only be the Art Gallery of Calgary to walk through their very powerful and disturbing current exhibit (here) " Off the Beaten Path, violence, women and Art".   This amazing multimedia exhibit doesn't pull any punches. In film, painting, drawing, photographs, and fibre art, the story is told over and over of what women suffer, mostly in silence, often justified as part of the culture they are born into.  The Gallery brochure says "off the beaten Path witnesses art as a vehicle for social change".  Wouldn't that be nice!  It saddens and angers me that women  are treated so badly, often by men they love and trust.  What would the Famous Five think I wonder, that we have come so far but still battle stereotypes and this terrible violence against females. 

Snow

Snow has been falling softly out of a pewter coloured sky all around my house since last night, soft fluffy snow blanketing the garden, clinging to the tree branches, piling up in corner drifts, muffling the sounds of the city.

Snowglobes have nothing on this display of Mother Nature.  The snow gets between Libby's toes making ice balls.  She and I pick the ice out when we come from  play time.  A slight breeze rocks the big evergreens at the back of the property but not enough to knock off the snow left by the storm.  The air is crisp, cold and dry on my face as I shovel the walk. The car is snug under it's snow blanket.  I'll leave it be.  There is no rush. This is winter.

New Habits

According to the wags, if you make a commitment to do a thing - say, write, or take photos, or walk, or exercise, every day for 21 days, it becomes a habit, and once a habit you will continue to do it.
So, in the spirit of the challenge here we go:

Day one, January 2nd - documenting the first part of putting Christmas back in the boxes.

January 3rd.  The snow looks like ice cream slipping off the roof of the sports centre.

January 4th.  The antique ornaments which held pride of place on the Christmas tree are now nestled in their box for another year.

Januay 5th.  Fiddling around with the beads.

January 6th.  The trail of Christmas ornaments on the carpet was matched only by the trail of Norfolk Pine Needles left after we dragged the Christmas tree out the front door and round to the alley in anticipation of pick up and mulching next week.

January 6th.  Couldn't resist these, especially the last one.  This is our favourite Sunday hike by the Bow River.   Yes those are mini icebergs floating on the current..  We'll see what tomorrow brings.