Paper Moon

Here are some photos I took tonight of the night sky and moon. The moon is in a waxing crescent phase. I'm going to spend a little more time shooting stars when the weather gets better here in Portland.  The night sky is simply spectacular.

Walking in the woods

Life is good.

Maurizio Cattelan at the Guggenheim

I took advantage of the indian summer this afternoon to visit the Maurizio Cattelan exhibit at the Guggenheim in New York. I'll admit that It's not everyday that I get to experience art as fun, controversial, and wonderful as this. Overall, I found the art and space was laid out masterfully in the space. I love this museum.

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

The elephant in the room (trying to be inconspicuous ?)

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

From Guggenheim 2011 : Maurizio Cattelan

Red Baron

Here are some photos of 2 model planes I've been tinkering with. The red one is a triplane Fokker Dr. I WWI fighter aircraft more infamously named the Red Baron.

Mama bear

Simmy, Scrumps, and I took a road trip to to the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia this summer. I was sorting through my photos and thought I'd post a few here.  I had my first cold water diving experience as well which was amazing. These shots are from  Tofino.

American Black Bear 

From British Columbia

From British Columbia

Mama Bear and her cubs 

From British Columbia

From British Columbia

Bald Eagle

From British Columbia

Haruki Murakami

I read an enchanting article this weekend in the New York Times magazine on Haruki Murakami. I've always been fascinated with his writing style and his home, Japan.

Murakami's work is a unique form of fiction that draws heavily on his life in Japan, his dreams, and imagination. He blurs the lines between reality and fiction and context switches in ways I've never experienced before as a reader. The author of the article describes his work  as follows:  "Murakami’s fiction has a special way of leaking into reality. During my five days in Japan, I found that I was less comfortable in actual Tokyo than I was in Murakami’s Tokyo — the real city filtered through the imaginative lens of his books."  I'm looking forward to reading his new book 1Q84 and it's just arrived today from Amazon.

Photos: Occupy Portland

I was driving home after viewing my first master's swimming meet this afternoon and passed by the Occupy Portland rally in the park across the street from city hall. I actually know very little about this phenomenon sweeping across the country beyond a tiny article I read in the NY Times. What I was amazed at was how many people were organized in Portland and how little press coverage this is actually receiving. I stopped the car to take these photos so you know what's going on here in Portland and likely around the world. I'm not making a political statement here; I'm simply using the internet to share what I experienced for 10 minutes this afternoon on my way home from a swimming meet with the missus. Something is going on ...

Reading: That Used to be Us

I picked up this book at Mccarran airport yesterday waiting for my very delayed to flight to Portland. Let me tell you, sitting in the airport in sin city (of all places) and reading this particular book is sobering;  I still can't put this book down. 

Friedman and Mandelbaum outline the challenges that we face as Americans and make a sobering call to return to our sensibilities and core principles. Especially for the idiot policy makers in Washington who can't even agree on what day of the week it is.

Anybody else think there is a play on words going on in the title of this book?

Gene Flores: Juan Henry, el Coyote

Here is a print I picked up today from a local artist titled "Juan Henry, el Coyote". The artist is Gene Flores and my friend Emerson recommended I check  out his stall at Art in the Pearl.  

This print is from a series that blends American and Latino folklore. The image depicts people being smuggled to a destination (likely the US South West border) with the help of El Coyote or a smuggler who facilitates migration across the border.  I don't know why it appealed to me; Maybe it helped me appreciate the perils  that immigrant families face seeking a new life abroad.

Thomas Rude : Flight of the awakened one

On the advice of a co-worker, I headed down to Art in the Pearl this weekend to meet some local artists and look at some art; I'm glad I did. Here is an artist named Thomas Rude  that I met holding a hand painted linocut  titled "Flight of the awakened one".  I hadn't heard of that technique prior to a conversation with my co-worker Dan. 

The print depicts a bird taking flight. Thomas said it had to do with "awakening to the world around you".  I think the bird is a Garuda abstraction found in eastern religions.

Urban Farming Update: Tomatoes & Basil

Here are some vegetables that we picked from our garden this morning. I am anxious to see how the Heirloom tastes with some basil and mozzarella. It is funny how 4 tomatoes can bring such a sense of accomplishment!

3 varieties of Tomatoes:

From Life in Portland

Sweet Basil:

From Life in Portland

Summer travels

I sense that summer is rapidly concluding on us here in the PNW. I'm not complaining, it's been great while it's lasted. Here are some random shots I've taken this summer from the Pacific Coast in Oregon and Provence, France.

Coast :

From Life in Portland

From Life in Portland

Provence:

From Provence

From Provence

From Provence

From Provence