Category Archives: Art

Can Beauty Come From the Ashes

Shea and I brought a few things back from the ruins of my garden which we tended to a bit yesterday. I had a sudden inspiration to try to resurrect a few more items. I think I can bring this plant back to life, and some of these other items can simply be washed, including this vase from Spain that my family had since the mid-1970’s. I’ll always be able to point to these items (among the less than 1% of things that I used to have) and say that they were among the few things that I had in the “before time.”

Clippings from this plant, which is more of an indoor plant that I had in a covered patio area, have been propagated by me several times, so it will be a big win if I can resurrect it from the dead when it’s been subject to the fire and exposed to the outside for over eight months. Some of the clippings were in my home office that perished.

Broadway Play in Vallejo

I’m so glad Shea and I got to watch “How to Survive An Apocalypse,” a play right here on Broadway (Street in Vallejo, hehe). I love supporting local theater. Stacey Loew and Jeff Lowe with Bay Area Stage Productions are amazing. I love the venue and the play, which was full of laughs and great fun. I think Stacey and I were at Obtainium Works earlier this year when I got this funky shirt that I love so much.

Sister Cities Dinner and Auction 2024

Had an amazing time at the Sister Cities International Dinner and Auction, which took place at the Filipino Community Center here in Vallejo. I helped Shea pick out this beautiful barong at Vallejo’s own Barong & Formal. The event was in recognition of Sister City La Spezia, Italy, where my cousin lives with his family. I got to speak a little Italian with the Italian dancers who performed, which I think they appreciated. There was a buffet from at least nine different cultures, as well as representatives from many parts of the world.

Butterfly Festival on Mare Island

Very busy day in Vallejo (unusually so for a Sunday) but before hours of resting by the pool with the dogs, we did the Vallejo Garden Tour and was able to make a pit-stop at the Mare Island dock for this first annual event, a Bay Area Butterfly Festival. It was very well attended and I’m so proud of my friend Shani Simmons for helping to organize this with a team of dedicated nature fans!

Shea Grove and Greg Haretos are shown here with me as we took a bathroom break to stop by and show our support.

Vallejo Garden Tour 2024

Another amazing tour of many Vallejo gardens. It was nice to relax by the pool afterward at my good friends’ house, but I made sure to tackle all ten! I am so glad Shea and Greg were able to join me in the adventures. It was also wonderful to run into Monique Louvigny, Don Osborne, Kevin Zimmer, Brenda Crawford and her wife Tonya, Ward Stewart, Jim Sotiros, Kristen Hannum-Gregory, power siblings David and Helen Cates, Nancy Bennett, and others while out and about (and I’m sure others I’ll recall later).

Pictures that Shea and Greg took:

Audrey THREE?!? Here in Glen Cove (Vallejo) this family noticed that out of this agave plant, a huge “arm” was extended like a dragon which rested on the branches of the tree in front of it. It first started growing in their front yard in December 2023, and has since bloomed, for the bloom to now rest on another branch. How cool is that?

Genius! The homeowner at this Vallejo Garden Tour location constructed this simple but completely animal-proof raised bed protectors that are like a car hood. Super lightweight and easy to open when one needs to work under the (transparent) hood, yet unreachable by the critters that run about.

A Win at Optometrist

In these pictures I’m digging the architecture of the optometrist’s office. There were some frustrating days this week, but when I heard they were making an exception to take back my distance glasses and upgrade them to transition lenses for only $75, the week wasn’t a total loss. Not being able to see distances and read my phone without touching my face/glasses has made traveling, driving, and any excursion out of the house, much more of a challenge these past few months after having to replace the glasses I lost in the fire.

Washington DC April 2024

Judicial Square, Washington DC
Water Fountains
DuPont Circle
The Mall and Washington Monument

Had a fantastic experience here in Washington DC for the Tobacco End Game Summit. I found my people from every corner of the USA and from several other countries trying to save lives by fighting an industry that has the PRIVILEGE to PEDDLE POISON. Where is the outrage at 8 MILLION preventable deaths a year?

I took a few other days here in DC to see museums and I got a start by going to the National Gallery. What a gem, and what a reminder of how beautifully this French-inspired city was laid out. I was so reminded of wonderful times in Paris when I sat in the drizzle on the National Mall. I saw incredible works and experienced zen in the halls of this most gorgeous building as well. I’m sure the pictures won’t do it justice.

Americans have so much to be proud of in our society with the right context put to the art of our culture, and that was very clear in the depictions of black and indigenous Americans, even though the gallery was very heavily European-influenced. Reading the fine print and discovering what is behind art history reveals so much. I hope to see a variety of museums while I’m here.