How Cool Is That!

Or in this case - how cool are these! Swap meet score from last Sunday. Heavy metal, aged brass with some lovely green patina. Three of them. They have interlocking sides and it looks like at one time maybe there were four of them.


A candle placed in the middle throws beautiful shadows at night. But I plan to use them for art, of course. Great stencils/masks, very cool on the cover of a journal and killer in an assemblage.

And to continue the theme of coolest stuff for least outlay - they were only a dollar each. Where else could you find such happiness for three bucks?

Telephone Boys

A successful trip to the swap meet yesterday morning. Picked up several nice wooden frames, old gasoline pump metal tags, some very cool flat metal buildings (that we'll talk about more in another post) and the piece de resistance - these wonderful telephone boys. Ceramic, made in Japan, probably in the late '50's - aren't they the best? Don't you love the pullover sweaters, the white sox and the tidy haircuts? And you won't believe this - $.50 for the pair! SCORE!!

Life on the Coast

Big waves off the Cayucos Pier

Lovely weather for the Thanksgiving weekend. Time for lots of beach walks, harbour walks and pier walks- where we saw these beautiful big waves.

You Can't Go Home Again

We've been waiting with bated breath for several months here in Morro Bay for the opening of
Bob's Big Boy restaurant. I grew up and went to college in Southern California in the Los Angeles area and Bob's was a staple during my four years at CSULA. There was nothing better than a double decker hamburger, onion rings, salad with ranch dressing and a big chocolate malt.
So, that's what I ordered a few days ago when we went for the first time after their grand opening.

I'm not sure if Thomas Wolfe was right when he said "you can't go home again", but I guess you can't go back to Bob's. The funny thing is, when I think about it, the food probably does taste just the same. But the 57 year old Erin is not the one of 40 years ago. A lot of food under the bridge, so to speak, since then. They are doing standing room only business every evening and I cheer them on. But it is interesting as we get older, to find more and more memories that are better left that way

From the Bookshelf

Wendy Addison's Theatre of Dreams - the name of her amazing studio and the name of her handmade,letter press, limited to 400 copies, book. I was lucky enough to see the book last Christmas season when we visited her enchanting studio in Port Costa. There are still a few copies left, check out Wendy's blog for info on ordering.


Today and tomorrow are the beginning of Sawdust & Tinsel , her 3 holiday open houses. 10-4 each day. If you can't make it this weekend, there will be two more chances, Dec.4-5 and Dec. 11-12. If you are anywhere within a day's drive of the East Bay area it's definitely worth the trip. Plenty of reasonable motels in nearby Berkeley if you need to stay over night. The Theatre of Dreams is a magical experience that you'll never forget!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Cigar Box Wednesday

Lenses - in eye glasses, in magnifying glasses, dark glasses, doll's glasses



Waiting to bring that fine detail in a journal or assemblage into focus.

In this cigar box, the "eyes" have it!

Curiouser and Curiouser!

This is the current bulletin board in our children's department here at the Cambria Library. "Alice in Wonderland" - done by my colleague Destiny Carter. Using the John Tenniel illustrations from the original edition, she drew them in various sizes and put them together with playing cards of different dimensions and 3-D tables.

Alice being chastised by the Red Queen

"Off with her head!"


"Eat me, Drink Me."

A Mad Tea Party

Needless to say, children and parents alike are delighted with Destiny's work, She has turned our children's corner into a real Wonderland!

Amazing and Extraoridnary

shapeshifter

"Brian Jurgen (b. 1970, Dunne-za First Nations/Swiss-Canadian) uses mass-produced goods to make sculptures that are simultaneously fake and authentic, playful and political, common and extraordinary." This is the introduction on his website and then you are taken into a world of amazement and wonder. shapeshifter a whale skeleton made of plastic lawn chairs.

blanket no. 7

Professional sport jerseys provide the material for blanket no.7 and waste disposal cans are used to create carapace below.

carapace

Brian's works are currently on display, until August 8, 2010, at the NMAI on the National Mall, Washington, DC.
All photos courtesy NMAI

Early Morning Beach

Cayucos Beach, just after sunrise, long, long shadows and cool, crisp air.