SEEING ART

My friend, Galen Hazelhofer is a talented artist. I'm a wanna-be artist and I so admire people who can create beautiful paintings or ceramics or sculpture. I have to settle for seeing art but I must say, I see art in almost everything, be it created by man or nature. Benches are all around us. Some people don't notice them. They catch my eye and I can't resist photographing them. Here are some just to tickle your appreciation for the mundane comfort stop offered all of us where ever we meander. The wagon wheel bench is for children, low to the ground. From Fredricksburg, Texas.
I particularly liked the shadow on the walk of this bench in Bellingham, WA. My thought at the time was you couldn't have a metal bench like this one in a hot summer climate.
This mosaic bench made of pieces of broken ceramics sits outside a shop in Angels Camp, CA.
Partly in shadow, but one beautiful foot, lions claw done in wood, and comfortable curved arm rest sits in the breezeway at the old Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX.

This low wooden bench from the Vallejo Ranch in Sonoma, CA was built when people were shorter than they are now.


This fun lollipop bench, also from Fredricksburg, TX, serves a dual purpose. A photo op for those willing to pose with heads poking through the lollipop holes in the back.
Although low to the ground this driftwood bench entices adults and children to enjoy foot play in the sand. From Lake Tahoe, CA.
What could be more appropriate than a bench made of horseshoes from the Old Tuscon Western Movie Studio?
Did I call these rest stops mundane?

BITES, BREWS, AND ART

My son, Ken, was once a home brewer. He introduced me to craft beers and we did a book together when there was only 28 brewpubs in the State of California, and even less in Oregon and Washington. (We were waaaay ahead of the curve.) He once made a batch of beer with 7 pounds of canned pumpkin in it. It wasn't spiced up to resemble pumpkin pie, thankfully, and it was superb. The experience left me with a lasting love for craft brews. He entreated me to go to his favorite Bellingham brewery when I was in town. The only problem? He couldn't remember the name of the brewery.

Lucky for Jim and I, we pulled into Burch Bay Thousand Trails just in time for the Aug. 1st and 2nd Art Festival, Chalk Fest and Bellingham Bites. Oh, yeah, bites, brews and art, my kind of town.

We strolled the booths, drooled over various art works, (actually, I did most of the drooling). Shirley Erikson, a glass artist, said: "...take that picture from this side, the light its better." What a delightful lady. Some artists get very testy if you photograph their work. I've never figured out why. Thanks, Shirley, for producing luminous glass pieces and allowing me to photograph them.

We sampled the bites and I must say, the offerings were delicious and filling. We bought tickets to taste ten items-each, then shared. Jim and I tasted 19 different items. Nineteen because I fell in love with an Italian Ricotta Chocolate No Flour Cake and sampled it twice. Foody heaven. I should have a tatoo: BORN TO POTLUCK. The booths were running out of choices early in the day. Just a sampling of the offerings: samosas, piri piri chicken, pumpkin ravioli in tomato cheese sauce, beef dolmades, falafal, roasted sweet potato with peanut sauce, thai spring rolls, fig, mozzarella and prosciutta skewers, brisket sliders, mongolian beef, balsamic beets, crab bisque, clam chowda...
We were properly full before we decided to find a good beer. We asked a local who pointed the way to Boundary Bay, within spitting distance of an Ale house and another brewery. All were within four blocks of the downtown street festival. Such luck.
The oatmeal stout, was yummy. Jim liked the blonde beer. BUT...the point of all this is to say, Boundary Bay also had a silent art auction with a salmon theme-for charity.
I never intended to bid on the items, so, destiny knows if my bid wins how I'll be able to get any artwork home when the auction closes Aug. 15th and we'll be on the road?
But, hey, we only pass this way but once...might as well buy the shoes.
(Jim's reading the serious work horse chassis book-about the new motor home. I'm trying to stimulate his interest in art. Its tough going.)