"When I graduate high school....

.....you're going to be 30!" my sister said to me several years ago, when she stated our 12 year age difference out loud. Yes, I am THAT old now.  It was about 12 years ago when I graduated from high school.

Last Wednesday Maggie graduated from a private, all-girls high school located in Chicago.  I was  fortunate to be able to fly back for her graduation ceremony, located at the Copernicus Center, a beautiful old theater on the "nordwestSIDe" of Chicago. Two hundred plus girls in white gowns and heels with an average of 5-6inches. Some had sparkles. No one tripped! It was a very sweet ceremony. I love my sister. She is beautiful, smart AND an amazing water polo player.  We celebrated afterwards at my grandparents' house with round pizza cut in rectangle, square and triangle shapes (don't ask me why, it's a Chicago thing).   I cannot believe she will be leaving Chicago soon. Mom, dad, Grandma Carol, Aunt Karen,  Brendan and Christian also attended the ceremony. We really missed Peter, but I'm pretty sure we can photo shop him into the photo below.

(from left to right: Brendan, Me, Christian, and Maggie)

 

I love my siblings and am so very proud of all they are up to.  Brendan and Christian own a pedi-cab business that is doing extremely well. Check them out: www.blumebrotherspedicab.com Brendan also is co-owner of a fantastic community supported brewery in the Ravenswood neighborhood called Begyle, check them out: www.begylebrewing.com. Right now they distribute to bars and stores in Lincoln Square.  I helped him fold t-shirts the other day, in exchange for some brews. My trip to Chicago was short, but very sweet. Congratulations to my beautiful sister. More to come!

Snowshoeing in Paradise

It is spring here in the Northwest, which means daffodils, rain, tulips and longer days in Seattle.  Outisde of Seattle, in the mountains it means snow at 6,000 feet. 

On Saturday, my friend Hans and I drove out to Mt. Rainier early to enjoy a day of snowshoeing near Paradise.  There is a reason they call it Paradise.  It was a winter wonderland, just cold enough to be pleasantly warm while trekking over the 10 ft snow drifts.  We left Seattle around eight in the morning, coffee in our mugs, in hopes of finding a nice snow shoe.  We entered Mt Rainier national park around 11 and put our gear on.  I've always owned winter clothing, living in Chicago during the winter requires it.  I had several layers topped with a waterproof jacket and a pair of rain pants. My balaclava and sunglasses were also necessary.  I realize after this experience that I must Snow-Seal my hiking boots. 

We did about 3 miles in all of snowshoeing between pleasant tree coverage and open valleys with a bit of wind.  The snow was so pristine and soft.  Often the drifts resembled sand dunes or waves.  Though it was mostly cloudy, there were periods of clearing when the sun sparkled down on the evergreens in the distance.  I sunk about 6 inches into the snow with each footstep. Without my snowshoes it probably would have been a three feet sinking.  The snow was in drifts deeper than 12 feet.  Trekking around in this snow was not tedious but energizing and warming.

I was blissed out to be in the wilderness in the snow, finally, my first snow expedition of the season.  We passed a few others, but for the most part, it was quite empty. Hans was quite versed in following the safe tree line and not venturing into large open spaces with steep drifts that could collapse.  We stopped twice to picnic in the snow, butts plopped in the body encapsulating snow. 

Towards the end of our hike, we decided that it was super fun to make snow angels by falling into the snow, turning into planks and just letting go.  The snow caught us.  Together we formed over a dozen of snow imprints by falling either on our backs, fronts or sides.  Hans also did a few front flips landing on his back.  The snow was so deep and so supportive, there was little impact.  Having the snowshoes on made maneuvering into a jump a bit challenging, so after awhile we took them off.  Laughing more than I have in a long time, the falling and playing was so fun.  We were practicing and perfecting the falling and trusting the earth to hold us. It was quite wonderful. 

After getting completely covered in snow, we decided that we may get too wet and cold and must stop, though I have to admit stopping this play was difficult, as it was SO FUN. We walked out and took some photos next to the snowdrifts, had IPA's and unpeeled our wet gear as the sun began to shine more clearly.  Below are some of what Hans called "peekaboo views" of the beautiful mountains at Rainier:

The pictures do not fully capture what I saw up in the mountains. Sometimes your eye can take a better photograph, than any lens could.  In any case, the photos are a reminder of how wonderful snow can be.  A day of play in the snowy mountains is exactly what I needed. More to come...  

Rain in the Desert

It is the cloudiest, rainiest, yuckiest (as the children I watch would say)month in Seattle, in my opinion. The excitement of the beginning of the year has somewhat faded and the dawning of spring has not yet arrived. It is during this time that people go inwards and nest. I have been doing some of that when not working. My easel is set up and my hold list at the library is becoming quite extensive.

My month began with a trip to Phoenix, Arizona; a trip to escape from the oppression of the clouds, dampness and rain. Arriving in Phoenix there was a definite reprieve from the moisture, though the five days I was there the temperature did rise above 63 and it actually rained one day...in the desert! Quite unusual, even for this time of year. But the point of my trip was not just to soak up some vitamin D, but to visit Katrina, a good friend of mine from grad school who moved out to the desert to take an art therapy job. We visited Four Peaks Brewery and received a free tour and free beer.

We went hiking in the rainy desert and we felt as though we were back in Portland, hoodies and all. Katrina took me to Tonto National Park, where we looked for wild horses, and watched herons near the water.
I collected rocks in the desert! The rocks in Arizona are warm colored, most of them some tint of red. Getting through security at the Phoenix airport was interesting. I got stopped because of the rocks. While the TSA officer was going through my bag, she said "these are beautiful, where did you get them?" I hesitated "...uh." Before I could say anything she said "the beach?", and I just nodded. There is no beach in several hundred miles of this arid land. My rocks had to run through the security belt one more time.

While in Phoenix, I did hours of job searching/applying, as well as finding a bed at Ikea. Funny the things you do when you are on a rainy and cold vacation in the desert.

I still have yet to obtain a job in the field of Art Therapy or Mental Health. I have been averaging 2-3 applications per week. I finally received my LMHCA, my associates license for the state of Washington. This is a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile I have been nannying quite a bit and volunteering on Mondays with an open art therapy studio group, where we have been working on a group mural project. It is a project funded by the city of Seattle. The giant painted mural will be installed at a public Metro Bus stop in Belltown next month! It has been quite the learning experience to co-facilitate a large mural painting with elderly and folks with developmental disabilities.

My own oil painting sessions have resumed with a focus on detailed, enlarged, metal components of mopeds. I will be showing these in a studio in White Center during the month of June.

Speaking of bikes, I rode from White Center to Capitol Hill yesterday, what a nice and intense ride. 10.3 miles and it took me 90 minutes.  I need to get back into riding.  21st Ave SW is a wonderful street to ride on; little traffic for a few miles.  Riding in Seattle is a challenge, but fun.   
  

2013: Home, sweet home

Welcome to 2013 friends! We made it! The world did not end!

A week ago I moved to White Center, into this cute little red cottage (photo below).

For those of you living far away from the northwest; White Center is an unincorporated part of Seattle, just south of West Seattle. It is one of the most diverse and transitioning neighborhoords of Seattle. My house is situated on a quiet block, a few blocks from a local hardware store and several blocks from a variety of Vietnamese, Peruvian, Mexican and African resteraunts. This afternoon I had pho at one of the local establishments; hot beef and broth, rice noodles, vegetables with a side of bean sprouts, jalepeno pepers and lime. A satisfying cure for a post-moving cold.
My house is a well-insulated, beautifully designed dwelling with a loft and gigantic south facing windows. It has a modern gas fireplace and a gas stove, along with a spiral staircase to a large loft space. Most of my belongings and I have begun to unpack my art supplies. Slowly my art making space is being established again.


Friday, January 11th will be my five year anniversary of arriving in Seattle. Time is a funny thing. Five years ago I began blogging about begining my life in the northwest, and this year I am making the resolution to continue writing about my adventures, art and music. After six months of house sitting, cat sitting, and sleeping on friends' couches, I am happy to say that I am home, sweet home.

Thanksgiving 2011

Happy Thanksgiving. As many of you may know, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Spending the entire day preparing food and sharing it with friends and family is something I have always looked forward to. I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful supportive web of people in my life. Thank you. Working as a therapist this year has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. Finding balance and order within the chaos and trauma of the toxic material I absorb every day has been an art in itself. Yes, art. Art can be a way for people to organize their internal fragmentation or it can help them come to a safe space if just for a short while. As an artist who believes that art heals, I feel so privileged and thankful to be a witness to this process. Making art is such an incredibly intimate experience. I am thanking all of the individuals who have shared their art and process with me. You are strong and able.