Sorolla's Light

Song - By the Beautiful Sea by Irving Kaufman


Friday, my girlfriend Sydney and I headed down to San Diego for the day to see the Joaquin Sorolla exhibit at The San Diego Museum of Art.

Sorolla's Self-Portrait

We caught a 6 am flight (yipes - that meant I had to get up at 4am!) and spent the morning enjoying the exhibit and strolling around Balboa Park which is where the San Diego Museum of Art is located.

It is 1200 acres of land which was set aside in 1868.  In 1915 it hosted the Panama-California Exposition celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal.

Balboa Park was a delight but Sorolla's exhibit was amazing.

I have always liked his work but to see his work up close and in person allows you to see each bold brush stroke, the vibrant colors he used and his beautiful use of light.

I was blown away!

Photo's just do not do it justice...the show closes on August 26 so if you can get there, please do!

Next we headed to the Gaslamp District for lunch. It is a historic area in downtown San Diego noted for its restaurants, shopping and entertainment.  We settled into a restaurant "Searsucker" and we were delighted with our food, the atmosphere and service. The sous-chef was filleting several Yellowtail for sushi.  They had been caught just near San Diego at 3 am that day.  (So very glad I am not a fisherwoman! - yawn....snooze button!)

Can you see the fillet's on the stool near the head of the fish?

 After lunch we headed out to Hotel del Coronado for a walk on the beach.

First we needed some fortification.....

That would be one Manhattan & one Coronado Cosmo

It was so fun to sit in the open bar and people watch while we sipped our drinks and rested our tired feet.  Then, sans shoes, we took an invigorating walk along the shore, running in and out of the waves.

We returned home about 9:30pm - tired but happy!

It was a fun day.....thanks Syd!


 "I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly. Every effect is so transient, it must be rapidly painted.” - Joaquin Sorolla

(that quote is for you Joanne!)

Thirty-five Years soon!

Song - Les Copains D'Abord by Georges Brassens

 
Next week will be Mr. B and my 35th wedding anniversary and we will be celebrating it this Autumn in France.

For several months now we have been reading all kinds of travel guides, plotting, discussing, reworking and mapping where we would like to visit in France and we finally have all of our hotels reserved and places to see worked out!

And for a special surprise I decided to give Mr. B a love lock while we are in Paris to put on the
Pont de l'Archevêché bridge or the Pont des Arts bridge crossing the Seine.  Last time I was there was with some girlfriends and there were only a few locks on the bridge.

The story is that if you inscribe your names on your lock, lock it onto the bridge and toss the key into the Seine you will have everlasting love.

Well, I looked online for a special heart shaped lock and the day after it arrived in the mail, an article appeared in the newspaper.......

The love locks in Paris are harming the bridges so they are encouraging people to refrain from placing them on the bridge.  They may even cut them down - the locks not the bridges!

So I guess after 35 years we will have to find some other way to show our everlasting love!!!

“There are two bridges in Paris with the locks, you must be very careful which bridge you put your lock on because Pont des Arts is for your committed love, while Pont de l'Archevêché is for your lover.” -- A Paris tour guide

Coming Full Circle

Song - If I Fell by the Beatles

Thursday was a special night.

Sir Paul McCartney was in town to say "farewell" to the 'Stick.


My friend Jill and I left home about 2:15 as we had heard that the traffic and parking would be seriously crazy.

We arrived at Candlestick right at 3 o'clock just as they were opening the parking lots.  Jill and I had both been at the Beatle concert in 1966 and had also spent a lot of time at Candlestick watching many Giants games.

It was a beautiful sunny day but why is it always windy there?

After tailgating for 3 hours with other excited Beatle fans, we went inside the 'Stick.
(We were so excited that we forgot to pick up sandwiches for dinner - but we had brought plenty of appetizers!)

As the stage, sound and lighting were being adjusted, we took some time to buy some T-shirts and look around.

My seat for the evening......

Jill's retro platform boots for the evening.....

The fog came rolling in over the hills but luckily it stayed just North of us and we had stars above us all evening.....well that and stars in front of us as well!

Paul was engaging, played some sweet tunes and looked as handsome as ever!

We had a blast!

 

" There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all" 

-- Lennon-McCartney

The Fab Four

Song - In My Life by The Beatles

This Thursday night, I am heading to Candlestick Park for a Paul McCartney concert with my bud Jill who gave me a ticket for my birthday in June.

She and I were both there in 1966 for the Beatles final concert (although no one but a few insiders knew it was to be their last one).  Jill & I didn't know each other at the time but none the less we were there!

Tickets went for $4.5o and $6.50, and the Beatles played for about 33 minutes.

You know the girls that screamed?  Well I was a crier.  I cried for the entire concert.

I still have my Beatle wig, Beatle scarf and Beatle cards.

I remember my grandparents buying me my first Beatle album at Sam's. I'm hoping that I still have that boxed away somewhere!

Right now Jill and I are trying to come up with outfits from the 60's to wear to the concert.  Never a dull moment with that girl!

Now if I can just remember where I left my Go-Go boots!!!


"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." -- The Beatles

Heading to SFO

Song - Minor Swing by Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli

If you happen to be flying with United in the next few months take a peek at the Collector pop-up  store in the newly remodeled Terminal 3, post-security Boarding Area E (United Airlines)

Three of my paintings are heading over there for a few months.

 

 

 French Waiters #7

 French Waiters #5

 

French Waiters #2

 

 

 

Please drop by and let them know that Jeanette sent you!

Where ever you are headed - Bonne journee!

 

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -- Thomas Merton

Paradise

Song - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel

 We spent the weekend in Santa Cruz.....

Mr. B & Andy built a gate on the cabin deck for our doggies and kiddies!  Looks great!

Then the carrot was going wine tasting in the afternoon.

Saturday we went to Windy Hill (Windy Oak) and Nicholson.  Both were great!

Then we returned to the cabin for a BBQ.  

Amazingly we stayed up and visited on the deck until after midnight.  

Such a warm weekend!

Very relaxing after a long day of work and a late lunch at Gayle's Bakery in Capitola!

On Sunday morning, I painted, Ashley studied and the guys finished up the gate.

It was a great weekend!

"What wine goes with Capitan Crunch?" - George Carlin

Tahoe Blues

Tahoe Lightening Storm from YouTube


On Wednesday my girlfriend Jill and I drove up to Tahoe for a day at the beach.  Felt kinda like playing hooky.  I made a big pasta salad & brought fruit.  She brought fruit and wine!  We were set.

By 10:30 am we had spread our towels on the beach.

At the time, there was only this one itty-bitty dark cloud.

We slathered on the sunscreen, popped open the umbrella and prepared to be dazzled!

 The beach filled up like Coney Island.

 

We had kids jumping over us, footballs flying past, Frisbee's overhead, BBQ's being lit, kayak's being launched, kids crying, mom's yelling & music blaring! 

Within an hour or so, we could hear thunder from behind the mountains.  

According to our calculations (you know the scientific one....onethousandone, onethousandtwo....etc.) we had at least 3 hours before the storm hit.

It only took 30 minutes.

 We were staying dry and enjoying the approaching storm while watching

 lightening to the left of us and lightening to the right. 

And listening to thunder all around.

Somehow Mt. Tallac divided the storm overhead so it stayed clear above us for quite some time.

It was still hot and felt like a tropical storm.

Finally the skies opened up and everyone ran to their cars.  

We did too with a glass of wine and waited out the summer storm in the beach parking lot.

Within 20 minutes it was just dribbling....and we did have our swim suits on....

so who cares if we get wet?

....and best of all most everyone else had left!

We stayed and read, swam, visited, ate and laughed.

It was a good day!

Also, it made for an amazing sunset on our drive home.

"Raise your words, not your voice.  

It is the rain that grows flowers not thunder."  -  Rumi