Hanging at the W in Chicago

On the way back from California I used our AARP discount to score a reasonably priced room at the W. The W is just a few blocks from the train station and just a few blocks from the Art Institute. We were easily the oldest people I saw there. The doorman welcomed us and we entered a stunning lobby full of trendy folks enjoying drinks and snacks. The room was trendy and comfortable. I would stay there again. I loved the art, design and energy of this hotel.

Dairy Queen in Walnut Creek

Patrick and Brian were good sports as they were dragged around to the many towns that I wanted to explore. Here we are in upscale trendy Walnut Creek, land of great shopping and a Dairy Queen tucked in across from a botox place and down the way from a Nordstroms!!. We actually visited the Crate and Barrel that Jen managed, a huge store full of great stuff.

Thanks to Brian and Jen I am expanding my knowledge of great places in the East Bay.

Sorry Shirley H., when we traveled to California for Dave and Dani's wedding you wanted to go to Walnut Creek, I did not even know where Walnut Creek was. To someone who lived most of her California life in Marin and sonoma, the East Bay was just a jumble of towns I heard on the traffic report. I have now been to some great East Bay locations like Martinez, Benicia and Crockett.

Now I have a list of places yet to explore in the East Bay. St. Mary's college in Moraga, Lafayette, Pleasanton and more time in Livermore.

Signs of the South

Well we are back. After a glorious month in California we are back in the south. While we were gone the Japanese maple completely leafed out, the daisies and hydrangeas are in full bloom. Of course the weeds are as high as an elephant eye. Oh, and the pool pump engine burnt to a crisp, a new one was installed yesterday.

This is a picture of a a car in the tunnel with a lawn mower jammed in the trunk. Let the the weekly lawn mowing commence.

I have lots more pictures and words to post. We had a great trip.

Searching for WPA Art

The great depression began in 1929 with the famous stockmarket crash. In 1935 President Roosevelt put together a package of economic programs aimed at bringing the country back. One of those agencies established out of these programs was the "Works Progress/Projects Administration" (WPA). Many americans were given government jobs in construction. Many artists were hired by the WPA and put to work creating murals in public building. The Mural above is in the Sacramento Amtrak station. the building was built in 1916. The mural was painted in the 1930's.

There are also murals at The Museum of Mobile is located in the former city hall. If you ask the workers at the Museum about these murals you will probably get a blank stare. Here is a link to the documentation:

http://www.archives.state.al.us/mobile/mobile1.html

This mural is in the Martinez California post office.

Economy will get worse before it gets better

We have enjoyed our time in California. We have had cool, rain and now sunny weather, temps in the high 70's.

If California is a bellweather for the rest of the country we are in trouble. The state is short billions, El Dorado county will have to borrow millions. There was a big jump of foreclosures in April. People are pulling their children out of private schools and putting them in public. Yes this has affected people that were already living beyond their means but it is also affecting the frugal people.

I have happily traveled to old town Folsum and the little towns of Sutter Creek and Placerville. All share the same signs of the sinking economy. The little downtown streets are peppered with out-of-business restaurants and shops. Every small business closed means a loss of jobs.

So, I am predicting things are going to get much worse before they get better.

IF DOGS CAN DO IT - SO CAN I

Live in the Moment. This came to me driving up Highway 45 in Mississippi on the way to Memphis. Time stands still in little towns with names like Chunchula, Buckatoona, Tupelo and Citronelle. I actually saw two old guys sitting in a breakfast place just passing the time. Along the back country roads there were signs for yard sales and homemade purses. Pine forests, country churches. There were wood crafts, bird houses and red dirt roads. I'm thinkin some of those people had lived there all their lives and never ventured to far away.

At any rate. I am trying to hold myself to living in the moment.

We are in Memphis until Monday when we board the night train for CHI town.

This morning we watched 4 yr old Ethan play soccer, his daddy is the coach. We went to visit their house in the country. Then we went to lunch at Arlington Barbeque in Arlington Tenn. Yum. Gregory and Cristi have a beautiful house and two really cute children.

Crummy Art Supplies

My talented niece posted a blog entry about "Mr. Sketch" markers. That got me thinking about one of my pet peeves. The lousy art supplies marketed to unsuspecting parents by our favorite importer of chinese products "Wallmart". (on a side note, I only go in Wallmart when I absolutely have no other choice).

Every school year bins full of dried up practically worthless rose art markers, elmers glue sticks and crummy no name colored pencils are pedaled as school supplies. This stuff is practially worthless, low quality and pitiful. One can purchase a good quality glue stick at Michaels for around $1.00, it will last the entire school year. Crayola makes some good quality markers that will outlast those cheap rose art things. Use your Michaels 40% off coupon to purchase some artist quality prisma color pencils. They are blendable and will last all school year and beyond.

Recently I took Jack to the Art Museum in Mobile. This museum has a children's section on the first floor. It was a Saturday and as usual we were the ONLY people in the children's section. There are a lot of hands on projects for kids, giant Lego's and plenty of art projects for children to start. There are also hundreds of dried out, spent, ruined markers. Empty pads of paper. Broken equipment, It was pitiful. I emailed the Director of the Museum of the pitiful shape of his children's section and he said he would inform the education director. The Art Museum in Montgomery is hands down 100 times better and there is NO fee!!!!!!!!