December 5, 2006 — 5:47 PM
This afternoon after a lovely lunch with a friend I had a few hours. So I decided to go and finally see the exhibit of the Gee Bend Quilts at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. This exhibit has been at the De Young for several months and I have thought several times about going. I am even using the commemorative stamps from the US Postal Service of the quilts. So I figured it was high time I see these impressive works of utilitarian art for myself.
I walked into the museum and met a larger group of museum-goers than I expected. I went to the front desk to pay the entrance fee and get my sticker allowing me entrance to the exhibitions. But there were no staff members sitting behind the desk. There was one man at the end behind a sign reading "Membership." I wasn't interested in that. I just wanted to pay to get in.
Confused, I finally approached that man and asked if I should pay him. He kindly replied, "There is no fee today; go in for free." What? Can it be true? Indeed it was. Unbeknownst to me, the first Tuesday of each month is a "get-in-for-free" day at the museum. And as luck (or providence, as we religious types like to say) would have it, I was there on the first Tuesday of December.
I really enjoyed seeing the Gee Bend Quilts. They are amazing. They are quilts after my own heart. I am not drawn to the typical quilt patterns and neither were the women who made these.
In addition, I visited an exhibit of wire sculptures by Ruth Asawa. They are hung and lit so that not only the actual sculptures but also the shadows are part of the art work. I completely enjoyed seeing her work as well.
What a nice afternoon.
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December 21, 2006 — 7:07 PM
Nothing says "Holiday Time" in America like a road trip. It's what we car-crazy folks love to do. So I'm jumping in and joining the holiday fun.
My parents recently bought a house in Sun City, AZ. They both turned 65 this year so they are allowed to own a home there. (Seriously, there is a minimum age requirement to keep out people with noisy, young kids.) Phoenix, the more well-known city that Sun City lies adjacent to, is a day's drive from L.A. which is a day's drive from SF. So I figured it would be fun to hop in a car and see some back roads between here and there.
It has been a while since I have taken a road trip and I am looking forward to spending a couple of days cruising through the countryside. I have a nice bunch of CDs to listen to - yes, I still listen to CDs - including the audio version of John Hodgman's "The Areas of My Expertise." Watch out California and Arizona, here I come!
I hope that whatever you do for the holidays brings you great joy. Merry Christmas!
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December 30, 2006 — 10:33 AM
A game of blog tag has been circulating on the web for some time now where people write five things about themselves that most people don't know. I have been tagged by Bruce Reyes-Chow, a friend from my industry (the Church).
I told him I would play along, but in typical Leslie fashion, I'm only sort of going to do that. Here are five things that most people probably don't know about me:
1. My favorite food is a PB+J sandwich - I still have one many days each week before I head out for a run.
2. My family had horses for several years when I was a kid - at exactly the time when all little girls want to have horses (4th-8th grades).
3. I caught the travel bug early in life - as a toddler I traveled with my family to and through the Pacific Northwest and Canada and then when I was four to Guadalajara, Mexico.
4. In my senior year of high school I was both senior class president and student body president - can you say power grab? I'm not sure how that was allowed, but it was a small high school.
5. I once ate dog food - as the youngest child playing with her older brother and sister, I would do whatever it took to play with them and this time it was playing the dog in the home-making scene.
Now here's where I brake with the rules of the game: I am supposed to tag three other people to carry on the game. Those I know who would do this have done so already and the rest would probably just roll their eyes and turn away in disgust. So I'm not passing on the tag. I know, I'm a game spoiler. Rest assured, it's not a new thing. But thanks for the tag Bruce.
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