Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve. Life may be busy, but one ought to make time for simple pleasures--luminarias on your front walk.

Cool stuff in my basement.

Spencer has some really beautiful historic homes. I've noticed a number of well-kept Craftsman style homes, including my own. My house was built in 1911 and has been well-maintained. (My only complaint is that the arched fireplace has been partially covered up.) One of the things I like about old houses is their history. Even if I never know the stories or who it was that once lived there, just knowing that people experienced the place decades ago is enough to create intrigue.

This is the first old house I've lived in. Among other things, here are a couple of interesting things in the basement:



How long since that's been used, do you think?



Evidence of a former radio enthusiast.

What sorts of interesting things have you found in your basement/attic? Got any interesting stories about your house?

Light behind PLAC

Windows covered in ice:

It's beginning to look a lot like...

It's really winter now. Our jack-o-lanterns sit half-rotten in the compost heap wearing jackets of snow.



This half-buried stone sculpture was created by a Japanese exchange student who didn't want to lug it on the plane home. It resembles some sort of temple.



Dormant raspberry bushes dusted in snow.

If it's wintry outside, I can't help but want to get Christmasy inside:



This photo isn't very clear (sorry), but that's mistletoe (artificial, about $10 at the Hen House) in the center. Glass icicles by Tony Curiel (available at Arts on Grand, $6.50 each). It's a bit dark, but at the top of the mistletoe is a feather bird with gorgeous, iridescent tail feathers ($3.95 at the Hen House). Gold glass balls from Menards.



I hung paper snowflakes from the dining room chandelier.



Put lights on the ficus (20-light strand from WalMart, under $2.00).



18-inch table-top tree from Menards for 99 cents. Red decos from WalMart, gold from Menards. Vintage red raindeer do-dad from my grandparents--received years ago on a Christmas package.

By the way, I would like to plug Arts on Grand as a (Christmas) gift shop. I've managed to find several beautiful gifts which I would love to post, but I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises. 10-percent discounts for members on purchases over $10!

Studio time at AOG

Arts on Grand offers studio space for cheap. It would be difficult to find something this affordable in a bigger town. It gets even better the more people use it.



Levi, Chad



A little something I'm working on.

Grand Meander

Seasonally appropriate ice sculpture by Jim Schooley.



Habitants of Santa's Barn.



Herod, his bloke, and some wise men. Check out the sweet beard on the man on the right! This window won first prize! Way to go, Grace UMC's Journey to Bethleham (Sun., Dec. 16th)!



Ballerina in progress by Chad Elliott in front of Arts on Grand. For some reason it makes me think of the Venus of Willendorf, though I don't think there is a good reason why.



The young Mr. Curiel arting his glass for SPACE in the window of Rudy Salem.



Grand Avenue.



On the way home, I saw Santa chillaxing in the window of Telco Triad.

AOG's Gathering of Wreaths Afternoon Tea

Arts on Grand served a scrumptious tea this afternoon to open the Gathering of Wreaths holiday fundraiser. Through the 8th, you can bid on wreathes crafted by local artists and businesses.

Tea by Shaky Tree, sweets by .. I don't know, but they were decadent! Baclava, cheesecake bites, all sorts of rich goodness.

Bad day for sunshine

Today was to be the 4th Annual Holiday Art Sale at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. This event has been postponed til next Saturday (10 a.m-4 p.m.) due to weather. Fortunate for me in that I'd forgotten to get a state sales tax number and now I have time to, but unfortunate because I won't be able to be there next week due to work. Still, I'll make sure my work is there. (By the way, did I mention there was a great article about me in the November 24th edition of Discover! magazine regarding this event?)

Another event that was postponed is the afternoon tea in association with the Gathering of Wreaths event at Arts on Grand. The tea will take place tomorrow at 3.

Frankly I'm glad I'm not out. I already had my eyeballs impaled by sleet just walking from the store to my car today. Is winter like this always in northeastern Iowa?

Let us escape from this dreariness for a moment and take a look at the weather on the OTHER side of the world:



*Sigh*

Photo blatantly ripped off from my photographer sister who currently resides in New Zealand, where summer is just beginning.

P.S. You can buy photos from her Alaskan salmon adventures at Arts on Grand.

Snow

It snowed last night while I was at the Pearson Lakes Art Center.









Lovely, right? Until I realized that my car was also covered. And the roads. Ugh!

Grass

Field north of West Lake Okoboji.

More films

I should also like to point out that Arts on Grand has a small collection of foreign films available for checkout in their resource library. Titles include Il Postino, 8 1/2, and M. A full list can be found on their website: here. I currently have East/West checked out from two or three weeks ago and I still haven't watched it yet. Please respect due dates better than I do.

SPL - Films

I've always been a library-goer. There were summers of my life that I visited a library every day. There were the Wizard of Oz books when I was little, the comic books when I was in college, the American folk and blues CDs, forever will be those young adult science fiction/fantasy novels, art books, Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, oh, and of course--FILM!

The last several years I have been privy to some excellent library film and TV DVD collections, including my college library (far more BBC drama series than necessary), the community college library at "home" (any collection containing all the films of the four Marx brothers is a winner with me), and the Iowa City Public Library, which of course has a collection (film and comic books) to die for. Even the public library in my former hometown for some reason has a fine growing film collection including many foreign, indie and "art house", and documentary flicks, as well as some TV shows (such as "Kids in the Hall").

Naturally, upon moving to Spencer this summer I obtained a library card and checked out the collection of Spencer Public Library...



..only to be disappointed. They didn't have any of my favorites, if they have CDs, I don't know where they are, and their DVDs only comprise two spinning displays in the middle of the (mostly educational) VHS tapes. But I realized that I had been spoiled and any library is a blessing. It didn't take me long to find something I liked. I read Jane Austen for the first time this summer, and I read every book they had. After watching the new Miss Marple for the last couple years on PBS's Mystery!, I decided to start reading the novels (the SPL has one and a half shelves of Christie). Also, I realized that while the DVD collection wasn't what I was used to, it wasn't bad. In fact, it does include a few of my favorites, such as Dark Crystal, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and, oh yes, 9 to 5.

While poor in the foreign and indie genres, the SPL is rich in what I would categorize as "Classics", with the king of them all, Citizen Kane among them. Loads of movies starring Cary Grant, Robert Redford, and Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face). Hitcock films include: North by Northwest, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window. I also noticed they have Rocky one through five, Indiana Jones trilogy, a few Pink Panther's, and several westerns. They do possess a single Marx brother DVD: a two-disc collection of selected episodes from the Jack Benny show and Groucho's You Bet Your Life (complete with the original commercials).

There are probably several other gems that I overlooked. Definitely several films that have intended to see eventually.

So although I was a bit disappointed in the Spencer Public Library in the beginning, I've warmed up to it and I recognize that while it isn't as big as some other libraries I've used, it's still got a lot to offer and is quite nice for this community.

A little holiday consumerism:

Black Friday ads reminded me that Christmas is coming and it's OK to start shopping now. I don't know yet what presents to get, but I'm ready in willing to spend money on whatever strikes my fancy, needed or not. It's the season to buy, and until I get those gift ideas, I will buy for myself. Here are a few (inexpensive) things I'd like to highlight:



Tea-light-candle-holder-fruit-carver.
This little tool cuts a precise, cylindrical, tea-light-sized hole into fruit. It's available at the Floral counter at Hy-Vee for $7.99. I used it to make granny-smith candle holders to adorn the table at Thanksgiving. Further holiday entertaining will provide opportunities to use this novelty. The package suggests that the tool can also be used to make fruit into dipping bowls, but you can't light dip on fire.



Merry Christmas candles
Found at Evie's Hallmark at Southpark Mall for $2.95. I love Christmas and I love stuff that lights up, and candles that say "MERRY CHRISTMAS" will add a delightful touch of kitsch to this year's Yule Log cake.



Tea filters
A tea-less tea bag. Shaky Tree is advertising (via MySpace Bulletin) gift ideas such as gift certificates, t-shirts, and gift baskets. But one product that caught my eye awhile ago is these tea bags for use with your own loose tea. Normally I would use a tea ball, but I do like to keep a tea bag in my wallet. This would be a way to do it. A box of 100 for around $5 at the Tree. I think this would be a great gift idea if you're putting together a gift basket of tea-related items.

Thanksgiving Eve

How are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? I personally don't have to do any cooking, but I'm bringing...



...a pretty pomegranate.

(A House of Pomegranates)

P.S. Can you say luscious?!:

Pearson Lakes Art Center Holiday Silent Auction

The PLAC in Okoboji opened their holiday silent auction today, featuring wreathes and trees decorated by local artists and businesses, as well as ceramic bowls, which were glazed by local artists and filled with goodies by individuals and businesses. All are on display in Weaver Lobby until December 2nd. (Don't forget the 4th Annual Holiday Art Sale downstairs in Pomerantz Hall December 1st! I'll be there...)



I decorated one of the wreathes. I made some cut paper Christmas-themed designs and spray painted them silver and attached them to the wreath along with red mini-ornaments and white lights. It's really not as great as it could have been. I think it's missing something.

Luckily I get a second chance at it because I'm teaming up with my mom to make a wreath for our own Arts on Grand's "Gathering of Wreathes" (Dec. 1-8). It's going to be a surprise!

Stolley Nature Area

This summer, Stolley's was my favorite place to ride my bike to. It was lush and green and gorgeous. I hadn't been back for awhile (or on a bike), so today I went to check out the "fall version" of Stolley Park.







Went looking for deer and eventually saw a few across the river. The water is covered in geese. And it's still gorgeous.

Across the Universe, Arts on Grand's "Films for the Cinematically Challenged"

The Southpark 7 is a nice movie theater, but I prefer the Spencer 3. I like that it costs only $3, that I can walk to it, and that it often provides me with a second chance to see movies that I missed at the 7. Yesterday evening I went to see Across the Universe. It's a musical, all covered Beatles songs using actors' voices. It's a love story involving young people in the '60s, when New York erupts over race riots and turmoil over Vietnam. There are many STUNNING segments, most notably (in my opinion) the "Strawberry Fields" segment. Throughout is amazing color, music, and choreography. You must see this film. It runs through Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Arts on Grand began its foreign film series last week with the Spanish Pan's Labyrinth (2006). This film is known for it's fantastic imagerey, and is both beautiful and disturbing. (For days after seeing it last winter, any time anyone put their palms anywhere near their face, I suffered a fright.)

Tonight the film is Water, a Canadian film set in India about Hindu widows.
Next Monday: Au Revoir Les Enfants, 1987, French/German
Monday the 26th: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, 2005, Japanese/Chinese

All show at 7:00 p.m. at Carey's, 220 Grand Ave. Popcorn provided. $5 suggested donation.

And if I were to line up my own foreign film series?
-On Connaît la Chanson (English title: Same Old Song), 1997, French
A story of chance meetings and relationships where the characters burst into lip syncs to popular (recognizable to the French) songs.
-Miyazaki's Spirited Away, 2001, Japanese
Fantastical animated story of a girl transported to a spirit world.
-The Price of Milk, New Zealand, 2001
A wild, colorful fairy tale love story involving dairy cows, a quilt, an Indian wedding, and the Jacksons.

What would you choose?

Veterans' Day Avenue of Flags

At 7 a.m. today, volunteers gathered on the courthouse lawn to put up 300 flags in honor of our veterans. For the first hour, the flags hung in a grey fog. After awhile the sun came out and the wind started whipping them around. It's quite a sight.














If I was real cool, I would set it up so you can click on photos to see them bigger, but I am not there yet. Six photos is a bit much for one entry, but I couldn't resist.

Shaky Tree's 1st Birthday & Kent Fishburn Concert

I walked in around 8:15 (15 minutes late), which I wouldn't recommend. To walk into a concert that's already begun at Shaky Tree is to walk in front of everybody's way. The place was packed. In fact, the only place I could sit without being in front of someone was so far back, the stage was no longer in my sight. The place suffers from an awkward floor plan (for a concert hall). There is no one large seating area, but two long narrow spaces that meet in the corner. They make up for it by having great music that no one else has.

Mr. Fishburn's music was very pleasant (he had a companion playing with him but I never saw her), but the stool I was sitting on was not. Around 9:10, intermission was announced and birthday cake was offered, but my fear of crowds kicked in and I darted out.

Overall I think the event went over excellently and I am really pleased that Shaky Tree is around to bring us musicians like Kent Fishburn and good darjeeling (sorry, I'm not a coffee drinker). Happy birthday, Shaky Tree!

Extreme Color

Sometimes the sky just blows my mind. What's not beautiful about this landscape?



HWY 71 between Fostoria and Milford, 7:30 a.m. Tuesday the 6th.

Autumnal Drama

Parking lot behind Spencer Chamber of Commerce

Tied to the Apron Strings

Arts on Grand has brought us "Tied to the Apron Strings" (Nov. 1 - Nov. 30), featuring aprons from the collections of Kathy Barth and Elva Barglof and from members of the public. Most of these aprons are from a craftier era, many hand stitched and embellished. The Daily Reporter featured an article about the show, which can be read here.



Neon mannequins by Tony Curiel. Background painting of kitchen items by Holly Kellogg.

African Children's Choir

Last night I was priviledged to attend the African Children's Choir concert at First English Lutheran.

The African Children's Choir is part of Music for Life Institute and raises funds to educate and take care of the basic needs of several thousand African children, especially in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, where need is dire. The choir is made up of children ages 7 to 11, specially chosen. Once they complete their tour, they will be sponsored through the college level, and will return to Africa to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, and so on.

Seriously, watching these kids is a delight. It's always delightful to watch a child perform, but these kids are amazing. FULL of energy, non-stop dancing and singing. It really is a joy to see them smiling, and knowing that their future is bright.



*Image borrowed from http://www.overturecenter.com/OnStage/perfs/children.htm

Cuttin' up stuff

The best thing about Halloween: carving jack-o-lanterns. There's a great potential for creativity. I've seen great works of art reproduced on pumpkins. A couple years ago my sister carved the face of Amédée-David, the Marquis de Pastoret, as painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. I, however, favor a more classic jack-o-lantern style:



The actual day of Halloween, however, can disappoint. This year, after carving five pumkpins, putting out decorations, and waiting with a big bowl of candy and popcorn balls, our house got one trick-or-treater. So it went out without a bang.

Luckily we have some other holidays left on the calendar. Snowflakes might be premature, but making them out of paper is my other favorite activity involving putting holes in things: