Tuesday, May 31, 2011 — An afterword regarding my feelings

My brother said to me yesterday that perhaps I'm more centered on my beliefs and rants there about than the government is. You think? Of course I'm sure and I fervently hope that he's right. Given the things that are happening to innocent people these days it's hard not to become a little wary. But please believe me when I say that I'm actually grateful to the policies that require greater care at the airport regarding what's being taken onto the plane I'm about to board. I take off my shoes and put things in the right containers in the right combinations — at least I try to.

I can't help thinking back about a different time when we hadn't offended so many humans on the other side of the globe. There was still hope for eventually understanding each other better some day. But after the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld era it would be naive to think that such a thing is possible any time soon. Reality now dictates that we walk through one inspection station after another before we join our fellow citizens in flight. It is one of those new "now facts of life" that I accept sadly.

So I hope that only a few of you will misinterpret my yesterday rant and think that I don't concur with anything having to do with the Patriot Act. I'm just sad that we need it at all and I think it has definitely become excessive in its lust to take away all our constitutional rights. I say let's bring on a little common sense and respect for the real rights of all people living here and elsewhere.

The rain has disappeared, the sun is peeking through the clouds and that dirt patch is calling out to me. I also promised I'd bring the Tapestry Weavers West website up to date. But.....

before I go I want to remind people who are within reach of the north coast that Pacific Textile Arts is having its Fair, Silent Auction and Quality Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 11 at 450 Alger Street in Fort Bragg. We are actually in great need of more quality rummage. So if you've been meaning to part with some things but haven't been quite able to do it,,,,,,,please consider our cause. This is our major fundraising event of the year and you all know our needs are currently large. Because of our building project providing library and classroom space, we have exceeded our budgetary limits and need to finish up the project and return to our usual comfort zone of fiscal frugality. You can call me at (707) 964-5279 or email info@pacifictextilearts.org for more information. Or you can drop quality items off at 450 Alger Street on Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:30 over the next two weeks. Thanks so much.

Monday, May 30, 2011 — A little time in the dirt, then a cup of lemon balm tea

The health club and Curves are both closed on this Memorial Day. So I headed for the patch of earth that most needed to be cleared in the vegetable garden. I didn't get it all done, but a good swath was opened up and then I moved across the yard and threw some food in the pond and called for the koi. The red and black and the orange and black appeared before long. Both weeding and sitting in front of a pond are good for getting the chattering in your brain to settle down so you can see things a little more clearly.

I had been stewing since last night when I watched the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington on the TV. The testimonials are enough to make anyone cry. The music was tolerable and the "people watching" is always worth something. But as I watched those permanently damaged young men and heard some of their stories and the comments by the two talking heads, I grew sadder and angrier by the minute. These feelings are complicated by the fact that I'm currently reading a book by a woman who was a so-called Asset for government intelligence during the mid 90's until after 911. The book is Extreme Prejudice by Susan Landauer. She claims that the government knew perfectly well that 911 was about to happen and refrained from stopping it so that they'd have an excuse to invade and occupy Iraq.

Well, of course she's not the only one who is telling us that. Books abound. But she was truly at the nexus of communication between the entities involved at the time. She was indicted for acts against the Patriot act. I heard her being interviewed which resulted in my acquiring the book, but I have yet to find out how the story ends. It appears that she was taken away because she simply knew too much.

Now, every day we hear a new segment of the medea coverage dealing with our loss of privacy, the total "know allness" of Google and how the government encourages such gathering of all our personal info so they can also have access to it. What websites you go to, what books you buy, what blogs you read and write, etc. Up till now my response to friends discussing this has been that I don't worry about it any more. We have simply lost all sense of privacy. That's that. But when I started to write something last night about my feelings regarding the hypocracy of sympathizing with our poor military gladiators when we didn't need to send them over to invade a sovereign, foreign country because we know best and we are devoted to a policy of hegemeny, I found myself feeling fearful that they might come knocking on my door at dawn as they did with Susan Landauer. I let it actually stop me from making an entry last night.

But after working in my garden and feeding my fish I now have a little more clarity about my feelings. If you don't read any more entries here, you might want to call St. Amy and tell her that I'm gone and maybe she'll put me on her investigative agenda. Otherwise, I've decided that I have a right to read books and tell about what I've read and I'm not naive enough to think that that could not get me into trouble in this sad state our country is in, but I'll take my chances. I have such a good life and live in a paradise with generous friends and I'm terribly grateful for what I have. I refuse to be bullied by the greedy elements in our society. There is still so much good in this world, I have hope that caring hearts and minds may yet have their way.... And I'll just keep reading.

Saturday, May 28, 2011 — A performance kind of week

Thursday evening I crossed another barrier by taking myself to an MTC production of Pillow Man. This is the first time I've ventured alone to the theater since Skip died. I wanted to get myself past that point so I went even though I had been warned that it was a very dark play. It was beautifully written, directed, produced and acted. But dark it was. I found myself leaving the second it was over without speaking to anyone. I just needed to get myself out of there. It was undoubtedly good for me to get over my resistance to going to the theater alone but it also only served to accentuate the fact that the discussions one has while driving home and then sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea are an integral part of the whole experience. Reaction has its place. But this was so dark I didn't feel like having that conversation by dwelling on it by myself. So there was a strong sense of something missing or perhaps of having chosen the wrong time to get over this particular hurdle. So be it. It should be easier next time so I guess it was worth doing.

Many Friday nights some of us gather at D'Aurelios Italian restaurant and then convene at my house to watch a movie. We saw one this Friday for which we had seen the promos several weeks before. Something like Made in Dagenham. This is a British film, not a documentary, but very like one. It tells the story of 187 women working in a Ford Motor factory in a working class town in England making upholstery and other textile items for automobiles in hot and generally substandard circumstances and being paid far less than their male counterparts. They become vexed over the fact that they are classified as unskilled laborers. Great cast as is so ofter the case with British films. I think drama is by far their best export. Anyway, this story tells us how some brave and strong willed women won their case for higher pay and eventually equal pay. So well done. Wonderful choice, Mark. A good night for home theater.

The popular Fort Bragg Quilt Show is taking place this weekend. So of course I'm spending some time each day manning the ticket table. A worthy cause where beauty abounds. Tickets last for the whole weekend so there will undoubtedly be some returnees. I look forward to seeing the quilts more closely tomorrow. What an art form quilting has become. All the plastic means shine through in these beautifully conceived and constructed pieces. Design and color, color, color. Well done, all.

When this weekend is over I think I must begin to take the garden situation a little more seriously. I usually just say that I have never had the intention of having the typical "tour garden." That may be true, but, push comes to shove, I must get out there and do a bit more weeding. I've never seen a spring with more rain so I keep using that as an excuse not to "hit the dirt." I think I will try, perhaps with the help of a Google overhead photo, to make a kind of tree map of our yard for the guests. Plants are always changing and the timing of this Art Center tour is too late for the most colorful things in my garden. Right now is when the Rhodies are in full bloom and actually, because of the weekend's wind storm, beginning to be on their way out. But I do have a nice collection of trees. I returned from the city last Monday night to find our large outdoor table umbrella blown all the way across the yard and lying in the middle of the driveway. Must have been a dilly of a storm.. All the blossoms that looked so lovely early Friday morning when I left town were withered and damaged by the winds that occurred while I was gone. Ultimately, mother nature rules. But, of course, as the time for the tour I have agreed to be part of nears, I feel the urge to get down on my knees and do a little of what needs to be done. How about just one week without rain. Eh?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 — A good weekend in the city

I drove to the city early Saturday morning. Had planned on a Friday afternoon getaway but the little relapse of the cold I caught after the Italy trip put me a bit under the weather so I stayed in Fort Bragg Friday night. I was due at a Tapestry Weavers West meeting in Petaluma that morning. As I drove through Petaluma at 9:05 in the morning I looked at the sky and realized that no way could I leave my dogs in the car during the meeting. Too much bright sky and sun. Of course that was the reason I had originally planned to go Friday night. So I drove to Marina Bay in Richmond, fed and watered the dogs, turned on the radio for them and promised them I'd be back with them later that afternoon. Then drove back to Petaluma and arrived in time for the program part of the meeting. A delicious potluck lunch was followed by a tour of Sonja Miremont's new studio. Of course it is state of the art beautiful. Room perfectly proportioned as if the master of the golden mean had been its author. All those gorgeous plexiglass shelves and cubbies made by her husband's company. And the purple shelves in her closet! Lucky lady. I'm so happy for you, Sonja.

Had dinner at Brit Marie that night and went to the Legion of Honor the next day with Mike, who graciously agreed to take me there. The object of my visit was to see the exhibit called Pulp Fashion, the art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. It has been held over until June 12 by popular demand and I can't recommend it enough. For some years this amazing woman has been constructing garments inspired by famous paintings and tapestries, mostly European, and they are made entirely of paper or pulp made from pape. Beads and buttons and shoes are so cleverly done. From heavy, painted paper which must have had a high rag content, looking exactly like ethnic ikat fabric costumes, to gossamer laces which appeared to be incredibly thin Japanese rice paper, one would never believe that such things could be done. I have just heard that some of these gorgeously draping white laces were made with photographic lens paper. That fits and it certainly takes old time photographers back a spell. As one entered the first gallery you were invited to watch a video showing the artist and her interns working away at ironing, painting, cutting, manipulating and sewing these unbelievably beautiful garments. If you can possibly make it, go see this exhibit. You won't be sorry.

Had a marvelous dinner in Canyon at Mike and Jenny's. Leah played amazing Celtic and jazz pieces for us. She plays better each time I hear her. Already such a pro. Kayla, her first long term teacher, and her daughter Lucy joined us and you could see that Kayla felt as blown away and proud of what Leah was doing as we all did. Oberlin, here she comes. Mike barbecued a beautiful piece of Salmon that was so good I thought Lucy might eat the serving plate. The fish was perfect and it practically melted in your mouth. Great dinner all around. Thanks so much.

Monday I cut and trimmed and weeded in the little back yard at Marina Bay. Filled four black garbage bags. I think Skip was the last one to do that job and that must have been at least a year ago. I'll have to get used to keeping up the front and the back on a more regular basis. I had worked on the front the last time I was there so things are in pretty decent shape now. How often I am made to realize all the things Skip used to do for us. I so miss that helping hand.

The dogs were happy to return home. I stopped at Gowans Apple Farm in Anderson Valley and walked them. They looked as if they really knew we were almost home. So good of the Gowans to provide that comfortable rest stop for friends on the road. I never cease to appreciate this generous gesture. When we first bought our Fort Bragg property, I commuted up and down during the week to teach a class at College of the Redwoods. Sometimes I would stop at Gowans late at night and they would have a canister of hot cider from which you could pour a cup and drop your money down a slot for them to get in the morning. I've never stopped appreciating that warm drink on a cold night during my first Mendocino County winter.

This afternoon I began putting the sixth coat of finish on the floor of our new buildings at Pacific Textile Arts. Seemingly without warning, a huge thunder clap took place and it began to rain like crazy. I knew it was getting darker, but that big one took me by surprise. I stopped rolling the finish, brushed it out with my long handle contraption and began asking myself if I was really in the right place at that moment. These buildings are metal framed. My mother always told me to try to avoid being with water and metal at the same time. Maybe I took that more literally than necessary. But I kept thinking of the people who met their maker swinging a golf club in a storm on the course back in the Black Hills where we first learned to play golf. Well, I kept my cool in the empty classroom and decided to stay. Things soon began to look up and I was able to get that last coat on both floors. Now we just have the rest of the big classroom to do before we can begin moving in the looms. Beta called today and said she would come Friday and give two walls of the reading room a second coat. What a saint. Last week Chris from Tota Zia, one of my favorite dress shops, came and painted the whole interior south wall of the big room. Another saint. It always seems like some kind of a miracle when people offer to help with a project in that way. So many good people in this town. A thousand thanks.

Today Susan Larkin and I had lunch with the two recipients of the Skip Wollenberg scholarship at the college. What lovely women. Both hard workers, good writers who wrote truly compelling statements about their lives and goals. We had a great visit and I gave them each a copy of Along the Way. I know Skip would have been very pleased with the choice of these two women to receive the first scholarships in his name.

Did my swim laps this evening after dining with the Bartleys at the Purple Rose. The dogs greeted me as they do so warmly each time I return. Skip always welcomed me with a big smile when I drove up our driveway. I'm grateful to have these two furry creatures keeping up the tradition in their own loving and affectionate way.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 — Had a happy birthday

Birthday songs began coming in by phone before 9:00. Ate bites of breakfast in between calls. Lovely to hear from family and friends. Amazed to hear Peter Gradjansky's voice after so many years. I first met Peter when I was teaching a fiber program at "Haystack at Arcosanti." This was a stimulating session at Arcosanti in Arizona brought about because Fran Merritt of Haystack and Paulo Soleri decided that their students would benefit by being exposed to the arts disciplines and ways that weren't offered by their own centers. What a fun time working in the midst of all that innovative architecture. It was a very memorable month I spent teaching there just before I began my graduate work in Design with Ed Rossbach. Peter's call this morning took me back to those joyful days working, eating and playing at that wondrous place. Thanks to all who called. It's been a good day.

Mike had a gig on Sunday so he was unable to be at the Taurus party. He arrived around noon on Monday and promptly began doing all the things a tall son can do for his mother. Light bulbs were replaced where needed. A small plastic cabinet with drawers was mounted to the furnace room wall so I can keep track of my growing number of electronic cords and chargers.

Mike helped me put coat of finish on the floors at Pacific Textile Arts. That definitely cut down on the time needed to get the job done. Then I decided that I'd like to go to the DMV and take the written test as well as the vision test to renew my driver's license. Otherwise I would have to have done it today. Hated that idea. I missed two questions and happily received my temporary license. From there we went to Redwood Health Club and swam our laps. What a great swimmer Mike has become. A pleasure to watch him in the water. I felt really hungry after that so we went to the Fort Bragg Steak House (An unfortunate choice of name because they have all kinds of things for the non-meat eaters). After my favorite summer chicken salad and a tasty taco I felt much better. We finished the evening at Headlands Coffee Shop listening to Peter, Francis and Gabe making lovely music. This is the same jazz trio who entertained us Sunday at the party. Mike really liked their sound.

Speaking of the Taurus party .......... all's well that ends well. Kathy had come down Saturday to help me bring it all together. We awoke to a patch of blue sky and sun on the tree tops. Expectations ran high but soon needed adjusting. By 10:00 all the forecast we had been hearing for days began to come to pass. First a little rain on the chairs and tables Kath and I had just arranged on the lawn. Soon after that it began coming down in buckets. That lasted for about a half hour. Long enough to assure us that we needed to regroup. We decided that the band could play in the dining room. The food would go at the front of the house under the porch roof. And, happily, the drinks could be placed under the porch roof on the north end of the house. I began working on final food projects and while standing at the sink, the heavens opened up and began dropping some serious hail. I stood there and couldn't stop laughing. Just a few hours later we were to greet those hearty souls who would come, rain or shine. I was feeling sorry for the boule players and wondering how it was all going to turn out.

Unbelievably, about 1:00 the rain and hail ceased and it began to warm up a bit. Is that the luck of the Irish or what? Frank and Larou arrived to set up the barbeque operation and we surveyed the whole situation with a little more positive outlook than just an hour before. Slowly, guests bearing luscious dishes began arriving and filling up the table tops. What a feast it became. Some even played boule while the Gealey girls creatively batted a very damaged ping pong ball back and forth at the table in front of the garage. (Heather, there are a dozen new balls awaiting your next game). Some gathered in the studio and others sat in the dining room and enjoyed the musical entertainment. Others sat where ever they could in the living room and outside. I circulated as much as possible but missed a few departures by good friends like the Sato's. Today is also Shozo's birthday and I missed calling him. So happy birthday, Shozo.

As the last guests departed, Kathy and I realized that the first Taurus party since Skip departed had gone well and we were happy about having done it. Oh, these moments are mixed with emotion. But it was heartwarming to see so many good friends. After I said, "Skip would have enjoyed this," Maureen E. said, "I'm sure he did." And I thinks she was right.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 — Making progress in the book room

There have been a host of gregarious events over the last half week. The Noyo Sunrise group of Soroptimists held a racous western mystery dinner Saturday night. A truly delightful bit of home spun drama. Between scenes raffle sales and awarding took place with all sorts of donated items being won by some. Our table actually did very well. Everything from books about tatooing to free tickets for car washing to a gift basket with assorted wine, mustards, sauces and other goodies which I won, were awarded to our table alone. Lots of laughs over the mystery play and definitely lots of kibitzing. A good time was had by all and funds that will go to scholarships for deserving young men and women were accumulated.

We played boule at the harbor Sunday. Because the city of Fort Bragg has donated space for boule courts at the Star Aquatic Center in the middle of town, it is getting to be a question of whether to play in town or down at the harbor on Thursdays and Sundays. I'm sure it will all work itself out eventually, but right now strong opinions tug people in several directions. For this coming Sunday, most will gather with us at the Wollenberg garden to play and eat at the Taurus party beginning at 2:30. This is an annual event and is always fun. But someone just told me today that its possible we can expect rain. I say NO! We'll see. The porch has more roof now so at least we can eat out of the rain. Can't play boule on the porch though so we'll see who the tough guys are. Actually, I am putting all my energy into wishing for no rain and I think that's what will happen.

Pacific Textile Arts had its board meeting Monday night and the future plans for our two new buildings was discussed. There are so many possibilities for classes and meetings to be considered. We hope to apply for the non-profit property tax exemption that is often awarded to educational entities. When we last tried for this exemption the city and county gave us the green light but the state weighed in with a big NO. They said we didn't serve enough of the community at that time. That was almost thirteen years ago. Now we have been teaching children to weave for three years, mounting textile art exhibitions for four years and using the headquarters building for meetings of civic groups. In the "old" days I think it would have been a slam dunk to get it now, but we all know how desperate the state is for money. Hard to believe our little property tax money could make any kind of a difference to the state and it certainly would make a huge difference to us since we operate so frugally. We will definitely have to give it a try once again. Wish us luck.

We're hoping to use the new library building for the silent auction during the upcoming rummage sale fundraiser for Pacific Textile Arts scheduled for Saturday, June 11. The bake sale with coffee can also take refuge there out of the sun. The new Baltic birch floors which we placed in both buildings are looking wonderful but they need many coats of finish before the rooms can be used. I'm trying to put one coat on the book room floor each day for six days. Then the reading room will get the same treatment. I think we can have it done in time for the silent auction. The large classroom will take a little longer. It measures 960 square feet. That's a lot of painting. I discovered during the crack and hole filling phase of the flooring that my knees simply couldn't do a repeat of what they had done when we worked on the little house using the same floor material. This time, after three days my knees were bruised and painful even though I was using knee pads and pillows to protect them. So I knew I couldn't repeat that act for applying the water based finish. I am rolling it on with a long pole and using a brush put into a special clamp that connects to a suitable pole. It still takes time, but it's working. Just put the fifth coat on this afternoon. One more tomorrow and we go on to the reading room section of the smaller building. Pretty exciting.

I just returned from my swim and am writing this in the family room watching a wonderful Nova program about Stone Henge and the theories that abound regarding how it and nearby stone formations were brought about. Lots of fascinating ideas.

Guess what's on now. The very educational Save the Bay program we've all become familiar with. Good for KQED for showing it again. I might be a little biased. Chuck is one of the talking heads for this production which is so well done. I learn something new each time I watch it. What an amazing movement this program relates. The environmental movement owes a great deal to the three strong women who issued the first call to arms that brought this movement into being and changed attitudes of the millions of Bay Area residents. Just looking at the treatment plants that are being shown at this moment brings back memories of what the bay used to smell like in my early years of living in the area. They are showing the tremendous improvements that have taken place in this amazing bay, delta, estuary and wetlands. They're showing the areal view of the salt beds and the restoration ithat is taking place. Gorgeous shore birds on screen now. It actually makes one hopeful. Bay trails are illustrated now and the future for their growth and extension is very exciting to one who grew up in this beautiful area. I'm so happy living on the Mendocino coast now, but looking at these scenes definitely tugs at my heart and I'm happy to be only a few hours from this beautiful bay.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 — Just a bit busy!

Sorry for the long absence. I seem to be going in all directions over the last week. All good stuff, as usual, but it has been a little too fragmented for me to settle in and feel like I'm heading steadily in one direction. I feel better about it this morning though, so maybe I'm back on track.

Preparing for the Taurus party next Sunday the 15th at 2:30 is beginning to take front billing. Though I'm trying to apply water based finish to the library floor at Pacific Textile Arts each day so that we can get six coats on each section before our rummage sale early in June. I really appreciate the help that has been offered toward that project. Beta came last week and carefully vacuumed the book room floor and wiped it down in preparation for my beginning the painting. Much appreciated. If anyone cares to step in, we need to get the interior wall of the classroom painted before Greg Tregoning can reposition the white boards on the wall. Just call me if you'd like to help out with this project. Remember that all friends are invited to the Taurus party on Sunday. It is a potluck so bring some tasty little thing. Call if you need info.

I won't feel satisfied until I fill in just a few more things about the activities on the short trip to Italy. One of the most amazing highlights of museum going that week was a visit to another major museum, housed in one of the many Savoy palaces in and near the outskirts of Torino. Again, the celebration of the 150th year of Italian unification influenced the design of a magnificent fine arts exhibition. The monumental space was divided with remarkable fluidity, into ten areas to show "the best picks" of art and artifacts from the major city states that came together to form the unified Italy we now know. The Venaria Reale, the Palace of Italy, is the site of one of the most intriguing collections of art I've seen. And it is installed with the usual Italian flare for design, and then some. The lofty interior walls of the palace were partially lined with thick, sturdy mock fortress walls, simulating soft grey brick relief. The forms and dimensions of the walls varied in a most artful and pleasing manner. Pedestals and walls of these grey tones were a perfect backdrop for the art. The most shocking and amazing feature of the installation was the use of fake outdoor grass placed on the floor in amoeba like shapes, forming walkways and interruptions of walkways. If this were employed in most other venues I know of, it would end up being "hokey" and unseemly. But no; Somehow, it was done with such skill and sensitivity that, after the initial shock, it began to feel like a completely natural feature of the design. Toward the end, somewhere in the "Venezia" section, the grass shapes were replaced with mirrored glass. This, of course, results in marvelous, seductive reflections of the water focussed paintings that prevail in that section. It takes my breath away just thinking of this magical atmosphere that they have created.

The sections of this tour through Italy begins with Roma, moving on through Firenze, Torino, Genova and Palermo. Then we wander through Napoli, Bologna, Parma e Modena, Milano and finishing with Venezia. I have always been a huge fan of good art installation. Feeling that installation is a legitimate art form in its own right, I am sometimes more taken by it than the art being exhibited. But the real thrill, the one that makes me almost cry as I write about it, is when the art and the installation truly become one. This is certainly the case for this amazing show of the finest that each city state has to offer. They really had their pick of the best. There were obviously intellectual decisions made as well as aesthetic ones regarding the choices of work from each area. In Roma the theme was Antiquity and Religion. For Firenze, it was the art and the national idiom with Dante, Giotto and Donatello representing their particular specialties. How delicious.

Torino was of course of great interest to us because that is where we were. I have come to have great affection for that area with the Poe River running gracefully through the beautiful old northern city. Parklands border almost every inch of the view as you drive by and across the river toward the steep hills that lead one to the nearby communities such as Moncalieri, where Steve and Susan and Mira live. As much as I adore my yearly visits to Mexico, I think that I am actually a northerner at heart. Must harken back to some of my Danish and Irish heritage. On the last full day we spent in Italy, Steve took us to the Alps where we ate lunch in the village which sits at the foot of the Italian side of the Matternorn. (Montblanc).

Back for just a minute to the exhibit. I paused along the outside wall during my walk through the Genova section and sat down on a bench, joining a man, his wife and her sister. He was obviously Italian, the two women were French. I asked him a question about the painted renditions of the high windows and doors that had been arrousing my curiosity. He was eager to tell me the answer to my question and began an enthusiastic conversation about all sorts of things. I sighted Steve in his wanderings and called him over. He and the man began a lively conversation about Torino once he learned what Steve was doing there. He had been a manager at Fiat for many years and was eager to share and visit. The two women and I became enthusiastic onlookers to the conversation between the two men about the automotive industry, the old assembly line which became such a lasting visual memory for anyone who enthused over the many Mini-Coopers whizzing down the circular runway in the "Italian Job." What a delightful little interlude before I wandered off to finish my viewing.

I exited to the main outer hall, where, at the bookshop, I bought a catalogue for me and one for Mira and family. Then I sat and looked out the window at the amazing gardens which are also a major feature of this exhibit space. Later this year, this will be the site of a huge Leonardo exhibit. What a rich year for museum goers in Torino. How happy I am that I got to see

la bella Italia and can only imagine how creative the mounting of the Leonardo show will be.

Before I reach the point where I can get on with the business of my "here and now" I must mention our visit to the Museo Nazionale Del Cinema. This is a cinema museum to end all. It is housed in a building that was designed and built to be a synagogue but never actually did become one. It features a magnificent dome, and exhibits wind their way from an upper floor, down through the framework of the building via ramps that look down upon the main floor and also lead to small individual galleries. The visitor is led first through thoughtful presentations of the rules of physics having to do with light and dark and all the properties that become part of film and the industry that revolved around it for so many years. It finishes with an introduction to the digital arts of course and then you find yourself on the main floor at the end of your trek, surrounded by "resting couches" aimed toward several huge cinema screens showing classic old movies, mostly Italian but not all. From the floor below, visitors who wish to pay for the privilege, are loaded into a glass cage elevator that pierces through the center of this couched viewing area and lifts all the way up into the top of the dome. Spectacular. If I didn't have such a problem with heights, I would take that trip for sure. This museum is something that everyone visiting Torino should make an effort to get to. Movies are not necessarily a big, important focus in my life, but I have never seen anything like the presentations that you will find during a journey through this exhibit. There is science, humor, excitement, razzmatazz, history and an overall feeling that you've never seen anything anywhere quite like this before.

I guess that should wrap it up for Italy so I can move on. But did I tell you about Eatily? The home of slow food? I'll check back and mention it next time if I haven't yet. Yum. The art center has just called me and made it clear that they are patiently (or perhaps not) waiting for me to send them some pictures of my garden. In a very weak moment a while back, I agreed to let it be on the Mendocino Art Center's garden tour this year. That agreement was only reached after I asked them to portray it as a "Work in Progress — Gateway to the Noyo River." Many of you know that I have never intended my garden to be one of the perfectly manicured kinds of gardens I usually associate with these tours. What have I done? I certainly can't do an about face now. There are pleasant things to see and I love working in and walking through my garden. But a showplace it isn't and never will be. So come at your own risk. It is a lovely walk down to the river though. And I recently planted some nice new trees. Some that Sachiyo gave me, a Weeping Elm that a group from the MLPA gave me as a memorial to Skip and of course my new Dogwood which I've wanted for years. And, I always enjoy my Katsura's, both regular and weeping, inspired by Shozo and Alice's Japanese garden. Last but not least, my third Gingko tree, given to me by Marilynn Thorpe to honor Skip, is happily greening by the side of the pond. Come visit if you like imperfect gardens murmuring with lots of love. `