Thursday, September 9, 2010

Gut Bendin' in Bend


I'm still on the road, on a continuous Northwest Adventure. I'm deeply passionate about the Northwest. Any place that has coastline, mist, moss, ferns and forest -- and no sticky heat -- is Heaven on Earth in my book. Then just over the mountains you come to high desert with big sky, dramatic rock formations and spectacular vistas. What's more, I love clouds and, of course, the Northwest excels in all manner of vaporous lighted sculpture. I intend to return next year to spend a week exploring the Olympic National Park, for its own sake, and because I'm intent on creating a series of tiles and jewelry inspired by nature. Food for the soul.

As for food for the body, eating well is always a priority on vacation. The one rule is that chain restaurants and fast food are verboten. Instead, I seek out local haunts that serve local, seasonal specialities and plain ol' good cookin'. So I've porked out on fresh caught fish, local peaches and apples, oysters and shellfish and other sundry local foods. Yum! And right now I'm in Bend, Oregon now, visiting my brother and sister-in-law, and this town is no stranger to good eatin'! No sir!

Speaking of indulgence, I've also been taking photos like crazy. I stayed at a wonderful lodge on the Washington Coast, right next to the Olympic National Park, which had a shore peppered with rocks that allowed me to explore the tide pool critters at low tide. After several dozen photos, I'm now suitably inspired to create a series of pmc enameled pendants based on the ocean shore. Heck -- I'm so eager to get my paws workin' in pmc, and back into my stoneware tiles, that I think I'll go mad! But I'll have to wait until I get home...torture! Oh is my patience starting to whine. But I have my trusty sketchbook and I hope to have some workable ideas by the time I get back home. Until then, I shall continue to wallow in fun, food, family and future imaginings. The food of life.

"I await joyous surprises while working, an awakening of the materials that I work with and that my spirit develops." ~ Odilon Redon

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