Too Long

Yes, it has been a long time since I blogged. Time is zooming by. Tomorrow we take Buddy and Roo to the gym. We do that every Wednesday. Can it be that a week has passed since the last trek to town? My head is spinning from the speed.

Anyway, to catch up....

My visit to San Francisco was time well spent. I returned inspired to work. While there I made a commitment to host a show at our Art Center. I am excited and eager in spite of the time and energy it will take.

So.... I will probably be preoccupied with the exhibit as well as preparing for my own show in February. I am already running behind schedule for that. Oh my! I guess that is nothing new.

AND! My daughter will present a paper in the UK in January! Since she will need to be there for my 70th (GASP!!!!!) birthday, she's invited me to go with her. I hope to hear her presentation, then we will spend my birthday in London. Wonderful. Hmmm, I think I remember saying I was ready to stay home for a while. But never mind:)

Meanwhile I have been painting like a crazy woman, working on art center tasks, cooking Hungarian goulash, and watching the grandchildren grow.

Today Roo's class enjoyed a field trip to a pumpkin patch. When Papa and I met her after school, she was loaded down with a backpack full of pumpkins. She insisted on wearing her pack to the car - quite a feat for that tiny little girl. I didn't think she could do it, but she was determined. What a kid.

When we met Buddy, we were sure he had grown since Thursday, so we made a new mark for him on the pantry door. He's grown over two inches since February. Impressive.

My other project is deciding on new upholstery fabric for the living room, balancing safety and courage. We'll see how that turns out.

I think I getting ready ton toss all my allergy meds. We'll see how that turns out, too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Encaustics in San Francisco

I'm in beautiful San Francisco doing my art thing - attending the International Encaustic Artists retreat. I bought two gorgeous new books, have heard inspiring talks and discussions, have met fellow encaustic artists, and will have an opportunity to tour studios on Sunday.

Tomorrow will be more meetings, a vendors room, and maybe a little time to run to Sax.

I hope to buy a new torch - not from Sax, obviously.

Very exciting.

San Francisco is amazingly warm! Hot even. This is the first time I have not felt very cold here! The weather is so nice tonight that other artists and I walked the several miles from China Town to our hotel. Beautiful!

I've been trying to eat mindfully. Not easy here.

Done

The grant proposal is done - copied,collated, stapled. I'll deliver it tomorrow.

Then I think I will go have my toes done.

Now can I have my life back?

Hate It!!!!

I hate when I feel stupid.

The good news is that I think I am smart enough to fix it.

Low Battery

Papa says his travel battery is low. That must mean it is time to head home. I think I am ready, too. I am eager to be back to my own bed, shower, couch, and kitchen - and most of all, family. I am ready for their hugs! I am ready to wear some other clothes, too. I am so tired of looking at myself wearing my few outfits over and over again. They will go to the back of the closet for a long rest.

We have had a great time in beautiful Prague: two chamber concerts, one opera, street musicians, two good museums, a fun cooking class, good food, and time with family. We visited a marionette studio, too. Oh, and a little shopping. Not much time to blog. And for wi-fi, I have to sit in the hall or in the lobby - not great for blogging.

I've been inspired by Mucha's art nouveau style and feel certain I will need to do work that will reflect that influence. I'll be eager to get my paint out to see what I can do. I have a show coming up in February, so I'm happy to have more ideas than I will ever be able to use.

And Papa and I will enjoy trying to duplicate goulash and dumplings without tutelage from Chef Martin.

I'll write more and include photos when I'm back in CA.

Tomorrow we'll fly to Frankfurt, then will have an eleven hour flight to San Francisco. Whew! A long time to sit!

Good bye Prague.

Imagine

OK, think of it. You are floating down a canal in France with swans as escorts. Your very own French chef prepares meals for you, four family members, and seventeen friends - some of them new friends, some old. And these meals are grand. After the first two days, I decided that I could not possibly go through the whole week eating that way. Maybe I would skip dessert at lunch. And then that very day, the chef cooked up the best chocolate mousse I have ever tasted. So that was the end of that idea. And my clothes are tighter.

We enjoyed several shore excursions I'll try to tell you about later.

The AC was out in our cabins - bummer. And the weather was warm! hot, even. But we survived.

We were happy to leave the boat this morning and are in Prague, now. So far, great music, excellent food.

More later.

Shucks

OK, so I ordered a camera connector for my iPad so that I could download photos during the trip, saving space on my memory card as well as allowing me to post pictures on this blog.

Now that I have transferred my photos (that part is good) I see that the iPad edition of my blog post site doesn't have a button for adding photos. What??? Why is that? Don't those people know that you want to see my gorgeous pics of Strasbourg? Especially the more than gorgeous food we were served tonight? I have already had several of the best meals of my life on this trip and I wanted to share.

Also, my sisters and one brother-in-law have joined us. We are thrilled to be able to spend a lovely time with them. Other folks we know have arrived in Strasbourg, and we will meet the rest of our traveling coanions tomorrow- most of those are friends, too. I'd planned to show you pictures of all of us having a blast.

And I could've shown you a picture of my sore feet. We've enjoyed walking miles everyday; today was no exception. I increased my mileage by stopping in every little shop along our route. I didn't buy anything, but I am sure I will weaken soon. Actually, that's not true. I bought a fabulous art/decorating magazine this morning.

And yesterday I bought hand cream - but that doesn't count on today's tally. Years ago, a friend shared hand cream she had bought in France. I loved it, so made a mental note of the name. I'd looked since I'd arrived, then found a shop selling L'Ocitane at the train station in Paris - of all places! The shop keeper spoke no English, so I had to use my French to convey what I wanted. Yay! She understood and offered the very creme pour les mains that I was looking for. Way good.
So for now, unless I find a way or meet someone a lot smart than I, you will just have to use your imagination. Picture charming cobblestone streets, glorious flower boxes, charming bridges including one that turns to let sightseeing boats cruise through the canal that runs behind our hotel.