Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Yup, the Paradis family has just been in NYC.

We managed to catch a couple snowstorms.

The City That Never Sleeps dug right out and got moving again.  

And again.  But not really, on their bikes.

Who knew that so many people in Mid-town rode bikes?  We are right next to Carnegie Hall...really?  You ride bikes guys, with your cellos?

So thoughtful of someone to leave out their "self-snowing" tree for us Angelenos who missed out on the full seasonal effects over Christmas.

Now you know you're in NYC - steam stacks!  What is the deal with those things?  I've never known.

That's the new "Freedom Tower" in the background.  It's prettier than the World Trade Towers.  But not so tall or inspiring.  Sigh.  It's a different world now, isn't it?

More on NYC soon.  Yes, I'm glad to be warm in L.A. again!

Cornelia Donovan, Painter, Printmaker, Dreamweaver

Do you know her?

Here's her website.

And Tumblr blog.

I've been meaning to share these images with you for ages.

Do you like them?

Does it make you feel like getting out your paints?

There's a lovely, folkloric mystery about them, don't you think?

So, a little something I thought I'd share with you this weekend.  Sorry it's a bit late.  HAVE A GREAT ONE!

If it's Chinatown, It's Home

More Chinese-themed images for this first week of the Lunar New Year:

It's funny, wherever you happen to be in the world, if you're Chinese, Chinatown will always be home.

In Chinatown we find our extended family.  Familiar faces, familiar poses.

Noodles, dumplings, soups, or roasted meats.

If we need a resting place, a stopping place

somewhere to squeeze ourselves in with others like us, no matter if we have to be a little jostled or a little roughed up........

Chinatown is the place to be.  You might just notice the bright lights, the red lanterns and the garish gold letters and think it's a noisy tourist destination.  To us, it's a quiet refuge.

This one is near Leicester Square, London. 

Gung Hee Fat Choy!

I'm a little late in wishing you a HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

In the language of my Mother, a nice Cantonese lady.

This post celebrates Miao Chinese tribal textiles as captured by

Gina Corrigan.

I don't think I have ever posted these but I have been meaning to do so for like ever!  Have a good Year of the Horse please and eat something lucky and auspicious this week!

Where are You Headed this Weekend?

(not my pic, sorry, does anyone know?)

Hope the journey is not too arduous.

David Hockney. WOW.

From my weekend before last in San Francisco:

Big was no kidding.  (At the De Young in San Francisco.  Just closed.)

The range and the scope and the virtuosity, the volume of work

in the exhibit was just amazing.  So sorry I can't show you pictures of the colossally scaled Yorkshire

landscape oil paintings and videos that were the main attraction.  Photography was not allowed.

And I probably should not even be posting these works

from Hockney's 2004 book, Hockney's Pictures, The Definitive Retrospective which were part of the show.  

He is an artist who is fully and always engaged in the act of seeing and wants to bring us all along for the ride.  If you saw his shows at the Royal Academy and Bilbao in the last years, you'll know what I'm talking about.  But this exhibit comprised many additional works.

Judging the reaction of the other visitors to this show, seeing (and mark-making which was one of the outstanding qualities of the work) are NOT out of fashion.  Even in the old US of A.  Cheers to that!

Island Country

I thought we all might need a change of pace.  So many are having such terrible weather lately.

Yeah, I've been holding out on you.  These pics have been tucked into a corner of my computer for awhile.

This is the island of Oahu.  Which is just clinging on to a little bit of country.

Despite many efforts to build ugly hotels on every square inch of it.

Here's a sweet little petting farm by the side of the road.

They take donations to pay for the feed.

Further on from here the road will take you to -

Along the way you'll pass lovely, idyllic He'eia at a bend in the road.

There used to be a highly recommended little eating place here, but that chef has moved on.

My recommendation?

Bring your own lunch and stick to the road.  How's your breathing?  Easier already?

How was the weekend?