A Birthday Week

Song -Three Coins in the Fountain by The Four Aces

Last Sunday was my birthday and my family took me out to Peasant & the Pear in Danville for brunch.  It was delightful.....

And on Tuesday my friend Jill took me to Treasure Island for lunch at Mersea overlooking the San Francisco skyline. 

Mersea consists of several shipping container units with huge windows added.  They have Corn Hole  and other outdoor games as well as a full on bar and kitchen. Fun!

It was the perfect temperature for sitting outside because you never know with San Francisco!

On Saturday morning a truck backed into our driveway.......

After more than a month my garden fountain had arrived!!!

We knew it was coming as Mr. B had to build a foundation and get electricity to the area. You can see what this area previously looked like here - Constantly Evolving

I was very nervous when Mr. B's foundation looked so large.  At first I thought maybe we had made a big mistake and chose too large of a fountain because it was as tall as the pad is wide - yikes!

They carefully brought it in piece by piece.  Well that base doesn't look as big as the pad that the company suggested building, maybe it won't be too bad?

In went the pump, the tower and the top.  Then the rustic spouts went on and it was filled with water.

  I held my breath and......the sound was deep and soothing....it worked.....I loved it!

Within minutes of set up, a little hummingbird flew around the fountain inspecting it from every angle ( I think he loved it too!)  Tomorrow I will replant the white Iceberg roses around the base to soften it some and it will feel more like it's been in our yard for awhile. 

I can't wait for the rest of the birds to discover their new fountain!

"Rocks and water, etc., 

are words of God, and so are men.  

We all flow from one fountain Soul.  

All are expressions of one Love."

  -- John Muir

A Wild New Years Eve

Song - Celtic New Year by Van Morrison

On New Year's Eve Day Mr. B got us some great yummy sandwiches from our neighborhood deli Morucci's and I packed a picnic basket with Prosecco, linen napkins, crystal goblets, chips and cookies.  We picked up my mom & her sweet dog Buddy and headed to Danville.

Past the town of Danville and out towards Mt. Diablo where there is still farm land, cows, wild turkeys, deer and sheep.

Did I mention that the sky was a brilliant blue but it was cold and oh so windy?  Brrr......it truly felt like winter! 

Our destination was the Tassajara One Room Schoolhouse on Finley Road because I knew it had picnic tables and some history that my mom probably did not know about. But it was oh so cold!

Mom spotted a little wooden table inside the "garage" so that we were protected from the wind but could stand in the sunshine and eat our lunch.

Narcissus bulbs surround the property and are about to burst out.  Buddy sniffed and explored but even he was chilled. We popped the bubbly and toasted to the New Year then.....

...... we took a quick little photo shoot while the wind whipped our hair and we hurried to the warmth of the car.

And enjoyed the Oaks and hills with the heater on!

....and the variety of animals nearby......(one is a lama and the rest are goats or sheep).

"Can you remember who you were, 

before the world told you who you should be?" 

--Danielle Laporte

A Wee Bit of Scotland Came To Walnut Creek

Song - Danny Boy played by piper Jeff Campbell

On Sunday our family celebrated four February birthdays (Katie, Mr. B, Mom & our Jon-E-B's) as well as our parents 65th Wedding Anniversary!

We enjoyed a beautiful day in my brother and sister-in-laws backyard, just around the corner from our home.

My mom decided to surprise my dad with a bagpipe player because his father used to play the bagpipes and drums in WWI.  As you can see, my dad was delighted and touched to hear the piper play!

My grandfather - John Crawford

The piper was Jeff Campbell who my brilliant mother found on the internet.  I was impressed with her internet skills when she informed us that she found a lot of young men on the internet!!! Ha.....

I got to talking with Jeff and he went to the same high school as my brother and myself. When my brother Tim and he began going over their friend lists, it seems they had some in common - what a small world!

Now Tim, has a nice little putting green in his backyard and I made a little sign to go with it......

If any of you have ever been to the Inn at Spanish Bay, they have a piper come out every evening just before sunset to play on the hills nearby.  There are big open fire pits to enjoy drinks around and the music comes softly through the early evening air.

My nieces son, Harley, seemed to enjoy the music but he wasn't quite sure about getting too close!

Just look at that cute little pout!  Jeff was a sweetheart!

Delicious food was catered by Sideboard of Danville. We enjoyed various sliders, an incredible Mac n'Cheese, salads and cupcakes! I was so busy enjoying the food that I forgot to take a picture of the beautiful table setting!
 

Lily (with her birthday face paint on) and June enjoyed my brother's "sand trap"!!!

Dad, Jeff-the-piper & Tim

Happy 65th Anniversary Mom & Dad!

"This old barbaric music has magic in it. It transforms the Gael. It reawakens in the depths of their being, even in this...century, impressions, moods, feelings inherited from a wild untamed ancestry for thousands of years, and thus gives them, more than strong wine, that strength of arm and that endurance of soul which makes them invincible.”  --Michael MacDonagh ~ 1916

We're Moving!

(no name yet - suggestions??) Acrylic - 18 x 24

Just a quick update on all that will be happening in my little art community this Fall......

The Lafayette Gallery will be moving on Oct. 1st to a larger space at The Forge in Lafayette!  Our new address will be -

Lafayette Art Gallery
3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite A
Lafayette, CA 94549


Check out this short video to see our new location -  The Forge

The upcoming show in Lafayette will be "Art of the Heart" and opens on Oct. 8th through Dec. 28th.

Also, The Bay Area Studio Artists (BASA), a group of LAA members who paint together at Marcy Wheeler’s studio, have two shows in November and December:

·         Barn Dance, Celebrating Our Agrarian Heritage at Village Theater Art Gallery, 233 Front St., Danville, Nov. 13 to Dec. 22.
Reception Sat., Nov. 16, 5 – 7 p.m.

·         California Shades at the Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Art Gallery at the Benicia Public Library, 150 East L St, Benicia, Nov. 18, 2013, to Jan. 2, 2014.
Reception and Art Sale, Sunday, Dec. 8, 3 to 5 p.m.

Barn Dance

Old Guard - Acrylic 30 x 40

Barn Dance commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the Grange being established at the gallery’s location.

“The idea of our agrarian heritage is iconic to most Americans, even the city dwellers among us,” said Marcy Wheeler. “Our group includes some painters who grew up as farm girls and some who only imagine the rustic life. But each artist reaches for images that reflect our shared history on the land.”

California Shades

Tranquil Truckee - Acrylic 18 x 24

The California Shades exhibit features artworks that explore the play of sun and shade on California’s dramatic color palette. The show captures the sun on a brilliant Big Sur ocean, the shaded trunks of a twisted California Oak, the San Francisco Bay cloaked in coastal fog and many more visions of our state.

The artists extend the exhibit off the walls and into the airy gallery, creating a multi-media ambiance that sets the scene for visitors to enjoy and think about California’s character and characters.

BASA is a group of local artists who have painted together for more than five years.  They paint in acrylics and oils and represent a wide range of aesthetic choices and viewpoints on California. Their painting styles range from nuanced realism to gooey expressionism. The shows are curated with an eye to illuminating this diversity of point of view.

Artists represented in this shows are Jeanette Baird, Susan Bonebakker, Pat Dallacroce, Ellen Reintjes, Joanne Taeuffer, Sharon Tama, Marcy Wheeler and Barn Dance includes guest artists Suzun Almquist and Joe Bologna. For more information on the Bay Area Studio Artists, see the website: bayareastudioartists.com or contact Joanne Taeuffer at jaytee@aol.com.

Show Hours

The Benicia Library is open M-Th 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., F-Sun noon – 6 p.m. (Holiday hours apply Dec. 23 – Jan. 1.)

Danville’s Village Theater Art Gallery is open M - T by appt, W - Friday noon to 5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

B_R_U_C_E

 Song - Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen

Just returned home from seeing BRUCE and I am so hoarse, I will have to whisper this blog to you.

I have survived Thanksgiving.

Thank you for asking....

While the boys were home, Mr. B and I took them to the lighting of the old Danville Oak Tree.  We strolled the streets of Danville, shopped, ate, enjoyed the lights and watched Father Christmas & the Snow Fairy light the Christmas Oak Tree.

My son Jon and his girlfriend Megan spent some time with us during their Thanksgiving break.  On Saturday we went to the Bering car museum in Blackhawk. 

This one was made out of Tulip wood

Although I am not a car buff, I can appreciate the beautiful artistic design of these cars from former years.

I also have been helping care for my Grand niece & Grand nephew ( 4 & 5 years of age).

While they are great kids, I just can not keep up with them.

I am old.

I am tired.

They know this.....

I am not used to answering 38.5 questions per minute.

My niece is in Germany for 12 days and my sister-in-law, my mother and myself have taken on the roll of caretakers for these two little sweetie pie's!  But as you can see from the photo below, they are still testing the waters......just to see if Auntie Jeanette can keep up.

I thought we would make a reading fort on Thursday, kinda like in the movie "The Holiday" but they decided it was a tickling, wrestling fort instead.

 
I thought they would come out talking like those two little lovely British girls from the movie "Olivia" played by Emma Pritchard and "Sophie" played by Miffy Englefield and like them, they would want to discuss deep feelings and ask me interesting questions but oh no.....Oh my....no way. 

"The Holiday" staring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black, Kate Winslet, 

When I returned home from dropping them off at Grandma and Grandpa's for the evening, I came home to find the fort occupied.

Mika and Max were just as exhausted as I was and that fort was looking pretty cozy.



I have also been spending lot's of time at several veterinary hospitals lately seeing specialists.

Mika was just diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis or Westie Lung Disease.  She...well "we" will see a Cardiologist on Tuesday.  The outlook is not looking too good.

Max is putting on a little weight (which is good) but he takes 14 meds per day and well as IV fluid every evening and has acupuncture every other week.  



But the reason for my hoarse voice.......(I'll bet you thought I forgot)!   is that I just returned from an incredible Bruce Springsteen concert tonight!!!  Sorry for the poor quality of my photos but I only had my cell phone with me.

The Stage FROM OUR SEATS!!!

We were three rows up from the stage and 4 seats over. Great seats (thank you Eric)! Incredible seats!

It was so very incredible!  A great three hour show. So much energy.

Mmmm...maybe I can get him to come over to my house and chase my two little charges?

Live music is a wonderful thing.

"The best music, you can seek some shelter in it momentarily but it's essentially there to provide you something to face the world with."  - Bruce Springsteen