In the interest of art here is the new Ed Trask mural on 21st and E. Main that I mentioned in a previous post about The Globe Hopper ( a new coffeeshop in Church Hill) and art in Richmond. Dare I say it is now my favorite Trask  piece now? Not only because of the sheer fact that it is of Nina Simone dammit, but it is also quite lovely. The palette and the painterliness of it makes it a pleasure to see. I'm fortunate enough to pass it daily. Thanks Ed !

Science and art belong to the whole world, and before them vanish the barriers of nationality.

~Goethe 

Richmond is home to all kinds of public art. We have a good deal of monuments, especially ones dedicated to civil war veterans. There is one of Bojangles that I always liked, Arthur Ashe (by Fulton Hill artist and neighbor Paul Dipasquale)and a new one called the Reconciliation monument that went up last year. If you've been here in Richmond for a while (I've been here since 1990), you will likely be familiar with the mural paintings of Ed Trask along with his musical inklings and regular ole paintings to boot. Ever since I've lived in Richmond, I've lived with Ed Trask art. I can't tell you how many folks, including my children and I , who were taken aback by the whiting out of the Princess Diana mural that used to adorn Club Velvet, a local strip joint on E. Main Street.

In my last post about the new Globe Hopper coffeeshop here in my part of town, also on E. Main Street, one can see the concentric circles in black and white that were painted by Mr. Trask. I was happy the coffeeshop had kept the circles but when I drove by the very next day I saw that they were being painted over. It seemed like a bleak day for Ed Trask paintings on E.Main Street.

My eight year old son, feeling pretty down about the disappearance of art, asked me "Mom, why does Ed paint them if he knows they are going to get painted over?" I told him he should ask Ed :) 

Fortunately, I spoke with Mr. Trask last night while I dined on crispy duck and foie gras mac & cheese at Millie's Diner for my birthday celebration. He confirmed that he is painting a new mural on the Globe Hopper coffeeshop. It will be of the High Priestess of Soul,Nina Simone. I already know  I'm going to love it, it is Nina Simone dammit !

In other news, after dining out with friends and the incomparable Millie's, we headed to Toad's Place to see Benevento Russo Duo. Chris and I have been enamored with these guys for a while now and we were "like totally psyched" when we saw they were playing Richmond. I don't think I've been to a show since before our girlchild was born. We were not disappointed! I really don't think I could describe the music. Describing music is like trying to draw how something tastes...ya know. However, I will say that Russo's drumming was dumbfounding (AND he wore a blazer for most of it) and Benevento's overlapping melodies are not only mesmerizing but so fucking catchy. There is nothing like watching to consummate musicians enjoy having fun. I love how , at times, they both looked like they were having out of body experiences. They were doing what they love and I'm thankful they were!

Happy Birthday to me, I was spared over for another year :)

*Special Thanks to Ed Trask, Chris Bopst and Russell Cook for making my birthday so tasty and cozy! 

That goes double for Cat, Clint, Daisy, John and John ! 

Whirlie busy lovely fun. I started the day by using my new thrift store crock pot and a cookbook dear Debra gave me last year. How exciting it was to know that Chicken Curry would be waiting for us after a fun filled and pleasantly tiring day of co-op and the playground.

Roots and Shoots club was a wild success as we all undertook the project of building models of our homes. We're exploring our commuities and branching out to the world this year and our first project starts at home ! Next week we'll construct our neighborhoods.....the children were very enthusiastic and full of ideas, of course.

Enjoy the pics and I'll go eat curry and drink tea. Ahhhh. 

It has been a very busy summer. I'm actually having trouble reconciling the idea that we live a relatively simple and modest life with the fact that I STILL don't seem to have much quiet or solitude in my life. In comparison to many Americans, I feel  like we're not overscheduled or overcommitted but the days just zoom by and it seems that only 3/4 of what we'd like to do gets done and there's little down time. I truly couldn't fathom what life would be like if we both worked full-time-away-from-home jobs and the kiddos were in school and daycare.

Okay, so the pace of life is a little fast for my liking but the substance has been pretty  rich! We've travelled, camped, visited with friends, hosted a Summer Solstice party, went to the beach, grown vegetables and flowers and had a rockin' Harry Potter inspired birthday party.  I prepared a potions bar, ice cream cake, scavenger hunt for the Sorcerer's Stone, Broom Relay race and I made wands for each child along with a Hogwarts charm.

I've never gone all out for a birthday party...usually I throw out some food and make a cake and call it a party but this time Crux had some ideas and we went for it! It truly was a blast. Also, I had an opportunity to be crafty and I've not been so crafty this summer!

Yes, things are going quite  well for us in our urban burrow and tonight we four will celebrate the day that made us a family.

Today is the day our dear son was born . 31st of August 1999. It was an amazing day. I still remember getting out of the shower on a 100 degree evening and bathing my big ole tummy in front of the one window air conditoning unit a friend gave us out of pity. After a few minutes I felt water trickle down my leg. Chris was talking to a friend on the phone, a friend who already had two children. I said to Chris that I thought my water broke and our friend's wife called out, "Kimmy wishes her water broke." She was right, I did wish it but I also knew we had 3 1/2 more weeks. Turns out, Crux wanted to meet us a little early. After 9 hours of intense labor, he arrived early but still a respectable 6 lbs. 12 oz.  Our midwife, Jessica, came to visit a few days later and i remember her saying that he was a pensive baby. SHe was right , he was a pensive and quiet baby and today he is a gentle and pensive 8 year old boy.

Tonight we'll take him out to dinner, read his birthday book , recount his birth story and , at his request, play Monopoly! 

I've always been the type of person who wants to learn to do new things. Show me show me show me so I can do it myself!! I've been accused of being a "Jill of all trades"...as if it were a bad thing. You don't have "stick-to-it-iveness" they say.  There may be truth to that. Perhaps I haven't mastered EVERYTHING I've tried but I at least I've tried a lot of things and I'm really good at some of them...like cooking and diagnosing mechanical problems.

That's how we try to approach learning with our children. Show them how to do it, show them how to find the answers, encourage their explorations, encourage them to ask more questions, nurture creativity....it is a good formula. 

Well, I've been learning how to make jewelry for a while now. My mother actually taught me how to make macramé jewelry when I was young....and I enjoyed it. Then a friend taught me some wire wrapping techniques last year and I was off. I had only intended to make myself and a few friends some cool jewelry made from the rocks I adore but then this same friend encouraged me to try and sell my wares and she told me about ETSY.

Next thing ya know, I've got a little shop online and I'm learning even more skills. An incredible  woman, Nancy, who studied the craft of jewelry making in University and is becoming a lovely friend, has been teaching me some serious stuff. I've been cutting metal, using torches and files and all manner of chemicals and tools I've never seen before. It is exhilarating to learn new things and even more exhilarating to create and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

I don't know how long I'll be on this path but I'm happy to be here now and the process of learning and making connections with people and creating is so gratifying that I'm sure I'll keep walking in this direction for a while longer... 

This is an official thank you to two woman who have very loving and encouraging spirits. Two women who have a lot of love in their hearts and a great gift for sharing creativity and spreading love: Allyson and Nancy.  

Here's a photo of my first bezel EVER. It was my first time cutting metal, soldering, and using a dremmel. The tile was made by Shandi Berls. The teacher was Nancy Johns !

So, my blog readers, what have you learned lately:) 

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