It's Open

Song - Open the Door Richard by Louis Jordan

What looks like a woman's face and a serpent tail door knocker was found in Pisa, Italy

This little guy is holding a window shutter open in Honfleur, France

A door pull with wolves

found in Paris




"The front door continues to appeal to our sense of arrival. 
Call it the ceremony of coming home."

--Akiko Busch

Who's There?

Song - Step Inside This House by Lyle Lovett



 Still knocking......

This is a pair of beautiful gate grill ornaments from Paris, France

And a fire breathing door latch on Josephine Bakers home in the Dordogne.

 An elegant door knocker from Umbria, Italy on a beautiful wooden door.



"Personality can open doors,
 but only character can keep them open."

--Elmer G. Letterman

Knock, knock, knock

Song - Keep a Knockin' by Little Richard

Love this door knocker from Pisa, Italy. 

Imagine being a little kid and having to touch this knocker?

It certainly would of given me nightmares!

 These were on the same door and look like orators possibly?

From a door in Venice, Italy

A lion head knocker or pull from Sarlat, France on a beautiful blue door.

I Hear You Knocking

Song - Knock on Wood by Eddie Floyd

I'm still knocking.....knock, knock, knock......come in

A striking knocker from a door in Umbria, Italy

A worn bedroom window lock inside the Saint Paul Asylum

in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France

where Vincent Van Gogh spent some time 1889-1890

And modern door pulls from Paris, France

Watch for a delightful surprise in tomorrow's post!

Tick Tock

Song - Orvieto Clock Tower Bells

Torre del Moro in Orvieto, Italy - 2005

What a charming and whimsical clock tower

Knock Knock

Song - I Hear You Knockin' by Fats Domino

Come in.....

I have a love for windows and doors wondering what might be behind these portals.

And the hardware that goes with them is very interesting as well!

The hinge on the red door above is from the Cluny Museum in Paris and it looks like a dragon spewing out three fires....maybe.

And this pirate looking door knocker was found in Pisa, Italy.

I guess he got knocked one too many times and the owners nailed him shut!

 And the final knocker is a woman's hand on a dark green door in the 

Bouches-du-Rhône, Tarascon, France (home of the Tarasque monster)

Impressions of the Day

Song - Con te Partiro by Andrea Bocelli

Last Sunday Mr. B and I went to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco to see the Intimate Impressionism show from the National Gallery, Washington DC which they are remodeling.

Not Washington....but the Gallery.

Just thought I might have confused you there......

It was lovely and there were many great pieces but I did have a few favorites.

There are several pieces that I wanted to share with you....

The Artist's Sister at a Window by Berthe Morisot

The Artists Paint Box and Moss Roses by Edouard Vuillard

Sweeet!

Argenteuil by Claude Monet

Detail of Argenteuil 

Just look at those yummmmy colors!

Table Set in a Garden by Pierre Bonnard

I can just see myself sitting in that garden having a cup of tea.

The last two are probably my favorites because they are just so painterly!

Then Mr. B took me for coffee and cheesecake at Caffe Trieste because I have been commissioned to do a painting of the little coffee house and I needed some reference material.

And then I took Mr. B across the street to......

Church !

This is actually the Nuova Porziuncola at the National Shrine of Saint Francis and is a scaled replica of St. Francis's Porziuncola in Assisi, Italy.

As we were driving home, we both felt like we had a mini European vacation!

Without Chevy Chase!!!

"For it is in giving that we receive." --St. Francis of Assisi

It's Tomato Season

Song - Traditional Sicilian Polka by Maestro Antonio Calsolaro

I stopped by for a visit with my parents yesterday and they were overloaded with tomatoes in their garden.  So being the "good" daughter that I am, I helped them out by picking a bag full!  Mmmm......a few popped straight into my mouth while I wasn't looking!  And as soon as I got home, I knew what I was going to make with those sweet red tomatoes......Panzanella Salad. 

And boy, oh boy was it delicious!!!

Here is how I adapted several online recipes for what I had on hand at home:

4 c cubed French bread

1 Tbs butter

Garlic Salt

Sauté until lightly browned.

Red onion - diced 

Tomatoes - whole for Cherry tomatoes/lg. dice for big tomatoes
   (they have to be from your Italian mother's tomato plant or your favorite Farmers Market!)

Red Bell Pepper - Diced

Olives

Capers (optional)

Cheese - most recipes call for Mozzarella but I just had some white Cheddar

Basil - shredded and lot's of it!

Toss with Champagne dressing, garlic & a little Poupon mustard. Then grab a fork and a yummy glass of wine!

"If your mother cooks Italian food, why should you go to a restaurant?" -- Martin Scorsese

Climbing Trees

Song - My Father's Eyes by Eric Clapton

I know I have been absent for awhile but I have found this new "obsession".

It is actually an old obsession that I just picked up again in the last few weeks.

When Mr. B and I were first married, I was fascinated to do some research on both of our family trees.  I interviewed all of the relatives and began combining notes and bits of papers with information written down. 

But back then everything was by "snail mail" and it would take forever to get birth certificates, census reports, etc.

Guess what?





You will be amazed........there is this new thing called "THE INTERNET"!!!









It is so incredible to find family members.....FAST!

The St. Paul - the ship my dad's family took from England to Canada

You can Google map homes your relatives lived in because their address is on the Census report or birth certificate.

My dad's parents lived here when he was born.

Or you can find photos of the church your grandparents were married in, or little country towns that they worked in the fields as farmers.

St. Jude's Church in Montreal, Canada where my dad's parents were married

Santa Maria in Cloz, Italy where my mothers family was from

It is just absolutely amazing.



I think I have a tiny problem because I can't seem to stop....even for meals....Mr. B has to cook and clean and do the laundry now!

Crowcombe, Somerset, England where the family were farmers

You travel through different countries and history.

England

Census Report

 
Sometimes a little detective work is needed to make sure everything links up.

And sometimes it's difficult to decipher old handwriting. 

BUT.......sometimes there is a surprise in your tree......

This little guy with a smirk on his face is my dad.

This woman was his grandmother, Sarah.........

So even though the Crawford Castle is in ruins.....(sorry dad), we still can say that we spent a little time in 1474 building this......

Take a bow!

A Sketchy Workshop

Monday I took a little informal "Travel Sketchbook Workshop" in Healdsburg given by Joanne Taeuffer.  Several friends of hers are traveling to Italy next month and they wanted to chronicle their travels with a sketchbook-travelog.  So I joined in!

When you walk into Joanne's beautiful home you are met with this.....

A Cowgirl (Joanne) with guns raised and attitude!

Please check out her site at -

http://joannetaeuffer.com/
You will be amazed!

Joanne's sketchbook

There is a certain excitement in trying to capture the energy in a quick gestural sketch.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Merriam-Webster's definition: 

sketchy

adj \ˈske-chē\

sketch·i·ersketch·i·est

Definition of SKETCHY

1: of the nature of a sketch : roughly outlined

2: wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance : slight, superficial <the details are sketchy>

___________________________________________________________________________________

Joanne was very organized with supplies and several of her own sketchbooks to use as examples. She had reference books and props to get us started.

We began with black & white - pencils & pens.

But I jumped ahead to color a little too soon because I just couldn't resist not making that tube of lipstick pink.  

Then we moved on to color - watercolor.  Not my thing. But I did try.

"Teacher-Joanne"

  

Watercolors in stick form

Joanne had some great examples to share.

I really love this one!

It is so the opposite of oil & acrylic painting. You really need to focus on going from light to dark and if you happen to make a mistake - new page - no going over it with new paint!

 Hannah's beautiful attempt at a California Poppy growing in the yard.

Really amazing

I attempted Joanne's little studio cottage in her backyard but my painting turned out like a Frank Zappa Fiesta Pizza run over by a car. Not showing you that one!

The shady little park square

After lunch, we strolled down to Healdsburg square to sit in the dabbled shade and sketch people walking by.  Only problem was.....they moved!  So Joanne was a sport and did several short poses for us.

Laurie & Hannah sketching Joanne

Just a 2 minute light-dark composition

I like my various shades of gray, a good camera.....

.....and to travel light.

 A variety of pages from my sketchbook done in France.

It was a fun day and I truly hope Hannah continues with her artwork as she has a great eye for proportion with both buildings and people.  For a lot of artists that takes a lot of time to develop! 

 And on a final note, I hope you take the time (one minute) to watch this guy paint - FAST!

Ken Auster painting to Surf Medley by Junior Brown

“The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.” - Richard Moss