Dateline Winthrop: Ice, Snow, Beauty

We are at our cabin in Winthrop for a week or two -- just in time to catch the first 6" of beautiful powdered snow and the single digit temperatures at night, driving back country roads through Ponderosa Pines, a full moon now waning and the Milky Way!

Tim and The Paris Review

A picture of Unkie Tim inspecting galley proofs for The Paris Review. They are in today for press tests in advance of their next issue printing.

He says this is "Always a fun day."

(Ed:  Tim looks so fresh and relaxed.  It's hard to believe he is at work! and the Paris Review, of all things . . . wow!)

Chillin' in Winthrop

Julia and Olivia cross-country above Winthrop.

John, in denim and sage . . .

Looking up the Methow Valley . . .

Go ahead, ask him anything . . .

 . . . anything at all! 

Check out Spencer's great "design-and-friends-and-neat-stuff" blog.
http://designhurd.tumblr.com

Still Painting into November

A well insulated studio!!!!  Second "Bri" painting in work.  Cigar smoke in the air.  Heater ablaze.

And a Happy 35th, Eliot!

November 6, 1976

From Brac Seeds

The blossoms on our hollyhock from Brac lasted into November this year.

Uli Day Writes on the Adventure of Quilting

Moorish quilt tiles by Uli Day

See her colorful blog here:  http://uliday.blogspot.com/

Picasso and the Nazis

Introduction

By the middle of the 1930's Picasso was the most popular living artist in the entire world.  If you didn't know his work you certainly had heard his name.  Picasso had his way with women, the art world, intellectuals, investors who wanted to purchase his art and most of all with the spirit of Modern Art.  Picasso had the perspective.

            The Nazis had a different perspective.  They despised modern art and wanted to eradicate modern art and modern artists in order to create space for their idealized vision of romantic art to flourish.  Hitler gave an important speech in 1937 where he basically said there were only two reasons why artist's painted abstract paintings.  Either the artists were mentally ill and needed to be castrated so they wouldn't reproduce or that the modern artist was a devious terrorist who needed to be exterminated.  There are not too many good choices out there for you, if you are a modern artist, and if Hitler should be driving his army over the borders of your country and into your neighborhood.

Charles Grimes

(Ed. -- This is the intro to a fun, fanciful and factual book on 'Picasso and the Nazis' that Charles has been working on.  So far, he has about 8 out of 9 chapters roughed out.)

Happy 60th, Unkie / Bro'

Just call him "Mister" Tim!

Spencer Writes: 'Liquor Literature'

(Ed:  This is cross-posted from Spencer's new blog at http://designhurd.tumblr.com . . .
This is a product of the weekly Trivia group that he participates in, "Tequila Mockingbird")

Liquor Literature


Todd: Liquor Literature

Todd: Let’s make a big list cause I want to do a poster series.

James and the giant Peach Schnapps
Tequila Mockingbird
A Pitcher of Dorian Grey Goose
Fahrenheit 151
Catcher in the Mai Tai?
Huckleberry Gin?

Niels: The Old Man and the Seagram’s
Alan: Hah. Good ones...

Maybe a few more-

Mad Straw Dogs 50-50
Se7en & 7
Dirty Martini Harry

Spencer:

100 beers of solitude
Slaughterhoused 5
for whom the wells toll ( this is a stretch maybe .. )
The Grapes of Wrath ( no change? )
Yeast of Eden

Spencer: Another,

Lord of the Ryes

Alan:

 Catcher in the Rye (needs no modification)
The Gin and I
Everclear and Present Danger
Taming of the Brew

Happy Birthday, Arthur

20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891


Morning of Drunkenness

By Arthur Rimbaud

Translated from the French by John Ashbery

O my good! O my beautiful! Atrocious fanfare where I won’t stumble! enchanted rack whereon I am stretched! Hurrah for the amazing work and the marvelous body, for the first time! It began amid the laughter of children, it will end with it. This poison will remain in all our veins even when, as the trumpets turn back, we’ll be restored to the old discord. O let us now, we who are so deserving of these torments! let us fervently gather up that superhuman promise made to our created body and soul: that promise, that madness! Elegance, knowledge, violence! They promised us to bury the tree of good and evil in the shade, to banish tyrannical honesties, so that we might bring forth our very pure love. It began with a certain disgust and ended—since we weren’t able to grasp this eternity all at once—in a panicked rout of perfumes.
      Laughter of children, discretion of slaves, austerity of virgins, horror in the faces and objects of today, may you be consecrated by the memory of that wake. It began in all loutishness, now it’s ending among angels of flame and ice.
     Little eve of drunkenness, holy! were it only for the mask with which you gratified us. We affirm you, method! We don’t forget that yesterday you glorified each one of our ages. We have faith in the poison. We know how to give our whole lives every day.
     Behold the time of the Assassins.

Barrel Racing in Granite Falls

Lori and Allie at Granite Falls

 Julia and I went to see Lori barrel race in Granite Falls last Sunday.  Lots and lots of people at a small arena and horse farm there.   It was a chilly day and Lori was just getting over the flu.   I'm not sure how many contestants there were but I know it was more than 50.  Lori placed 4th.  It was kinda funny . . . there were 13 riders before Lori rode.  They all did ok, but when Lori came out, wow. . .  she was in a totally different class.  There was no comparison between her and the riders before her.  Even I  - knowing nothing about riding and racing -could see that plainly.  They all had sorta muddled through, riding just fine, but Lori was precise, serious, professional, smooth and fast.  It was pretty amazing to watch!

UPDATED: All Buttoned Up

View of new arrangement and painting of Brianna in work

Underneath studio:  R-19 covered by plastic and lath

The ceiling:  Functional, not so charming

Entry:  still charming despite R-13 in walls!

Got the studio wrapped tight in insulation . . . buttoned up, rearranged, and ready to paint.....

Chaz Shares: Fall at Lake Michigan

Melanie at Lake Michigan in the Autumn Sunshine.

Slavko Laughs: Stolen Picasso

Ha- ha, looks like Serbs have two stolen Picasso's from Swiss!

Slavko Sends a Milna Webcam Greeting!!

"It's on the house just below the cemetery.

This September was the hottest ever from the time records run, and I can
tell you it's pretty annoying, can't wait next week when's supposed to
cool down."

(Click here or on image to go to webcam.)

Help!

1400 square feet of insulation to put up (and down) in my studio . . . 

Eternal Struggle Against Entropy

Lori displays world-class trophy waterline she caught

The second water line leak on the farm in two weeks.  Tough to find these things.  Dug up and replaced one 24 foot length of pipe with six separate splices already on it . . . 24 clamps! . . . still leaking . . .

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