h o l d o n t w i c e by fránçois

I heard that friend Francois has been into water color painting - and this is what I find.
Umm, I think it's fantastic. These kids (Francois and friends) are good example of people who do what they love and just keep it up in a really raw simplistic way. I don't think they don't get a ton of recognition (and/or $), but I think they're so talented.

more of his water colors here

other web page here

East Siiieeede

Philly I've missed you! It's been 7 years since Chelsea, Nanette, and I kicked it in Philly for 6 weeks in Nan's sister's apartment. I'm not sure why they agreed to it in the first place, but it was a priceless (and first) big city experience and I will never forget it. We took any jobs we could get through temp agencies to pay for what little food we could afford. 18 year old Chelsea and I were put in charge of answering phones for this advertising agency. We only worked there one day, enough said. We also had the wise idea to bring our roller blades for transportation. We bladed that town up and down I tell you. It was a weirdly nostalgic experience to go back, I really surprised myself with how much of it I remembered - I love Philly!
All this time little did I know that a $10 China bus ticket and 2 hours of the New Jersey turnpike were all that stood in between me and my old friend.
Lizzie met up with me at a music festival I had read about online. It was kind of a bust - EXCEPT for the main attraction which originally caught my eye. . .these boys. Avett brothers were finishing up a tour in Philly and Liz and I - we were there.
As they were the last time I saw them, they were both still wearing wedding rings - but no worries, as the wise Dusty once told me, "Just cause there's a goalie, it doesn't mean you can't score".

peek a boo

peaking into someones glass garden

Scary South Street manikin

My favorite Philly find is the mosaic art that is down off of South Street. We found this back in the day and I was pleased to find it was not only still there, but had grown in new places too.

Gilly's Cowboy shop, we used to come down here when we wanted to be reminded of the wild west - and Gilly really liked to talk. He talked for hours to us - and why we listened? I'm not sure. He would always say how THE Eve used to work for him back in the day. We only half way believed him when THE Eve walked in one day! Cat claws and all.

glass mosaics on South Street

Ya, we're lame, but it was really funny at the time.

I didn't bring my bike this time, but it will happen I tell you what. This city is asking for a bike tour. hint hint.

June 15 - ???

So . . . my (not so) secret plan to take an SLC sabbatical [or is that NYC sabbatical?] is finally becoming a reality! It's time to take a break from the BIG CITY and it couldn't be coming a moment too soon. I can not wait for:

color and smell of sage brush
hot red rock sand
kissing Charlies chubby cheeks till he squirms
chlorine
sharing my bed with Max
biking in the mountains (and/or taking my bike for walks in the mountains as seen below. It seems to be a popular position for me when going up hills in the mountains these days)
sleeping in a quiet, cool, dark basement - seems weird, but sound, cool temperature, and darkness come at a premium round these parts.
looking at the city from the mountains, looking at the mountains from the city

I hope to rest, to play, to work on my portfolio and my business, to look for new opportunities, spend time working in the mountains, hanging with my family, and playing with any Utahns and non-Utahns alike who are so excited about summer!

Utah here I come.

Jersey's best kept secret

It's beautiful!!! Well, some very hidden parts it turns out. This is Carly's parents house that she took me to last week. It's in a town ship about 40 miles from the city. May have been the most timely appropriate break from the city ever. I kept stretching and yawning and taking naps on the grass - the city makes me sleepy these days. Exhausted might be the more appropriate phrase.
Her parents back yard - that building is the green house with an outside garden right next to it where they grown mixed greens, peppers, asparagus, radishes and all sorts of delicious treats. They let me graze out there, it was great.
Looking out from an old coal fire
reservoirs over pour that looked like it wanted to be slid on. Extra credit where's Waldo challenge: find a Gus bum
Glowing green woods
Otto bum in front of neighbors barn

This is Carly's friends converted chicken coup apartment sitting on a farm that also has a converted barn as his painting studio
Sigh, first city view on the bus back to NY


Back in the city to rush to the subway to make it to dinner with friends where I proceeded to fall asleep while sitting listening to conversations - I'm so worn out! I need a spa day or something - and now I totally sound like a city freak.
This is New York Times building from the bus parking lot - I do really like that building

sweet caroline

Sarah is having her baby!!! I think. I made her promise she would call me if she could and give me updates from the hospital bed, and she hasn't so i'm hoping that means she's busy birthing.
Hopefully her baby's birthing goes as ideally as this 3D Baby's does.
This is definitely the least grouse birth I could find on You Tube.

AHHHH! UPDATE!!
Sarah did have her baby! It only took about 14 hours of labor, but Caroline Jane Morgan was finally born @ 8:50 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. 7lbs, 21" long. Good work girls. I can't wait to meet you now that you're out of your mommas amazingly skinny pregnant bod.

Lady Bird

Lady Bird came through town and were only around for too few days than they ever should have allotted. They have been traveling on and off for 1.5 years or so, and this was their last stop, but still.

Come back or take me with you!

Thanks for being my Mom

GP

This is an ode to my neighborhood. It may look gloomy, it may just be the rainy day, or the fact that it is not the typical pretty-ness that most people may try to surround themselves with. Luckily I think it's peaceful and interesting.
This is the first neighborhood I moved into when I came to New York. Since then I've moved 4 times - that's right 4 exhausting times. Some times with some generous help, sometimes with less than generous help. Anyway, I came back to this area in December, and I credit it with the peacefulness that has since come back into my life after leaving an apartment full of cigarette smoke and puppy poo.
This water tower has the words "Free Palestine" painted on it. I wonder who climbed up there to paint that. I can't imagine one of my Polish immigrant neighbors did that. Yet, it may be one of the many "progressives" filtering into this area for the past 10 years or so. Still makes me curious.
Then there are the many new cute little shops that have been popping up for the last few years. There are so many new shops, clothing shops, music shops, etc.
I still haven't eaten here, but I have wanted to forever. Its supposedly a really good little secret restaurants that people from all over the place come to for dinner - on the random occasion that it's open. Anyone want to come into town and check it out?
Then there are these monstrosities. These new condos are actually going up all over in my neighborhood right now. Going up among the old stone and brick buildings that have been around for 50 and more years. I do feel bad that I am part of the flood of gentrification that has been going on. We are the reason that bone head developers get money signs in their eyes and make decisions that end up effecting hundreds, thousands of people and the rest of those peoples lives. Not to mention the scary design decisions they make for the rest of us.
This is my old beautiful apartment (post addition that was the demise of my time there). It's not the worst looking addition (which is actually a pretty sad statement). I do think it would be a little weird, as it was for us, to be looking out those immense floor to ceiling windows at a great view of the numerous little windows of the apartment building across the street - where there are probably about 12 windows for every one of your giant ones. People are really packed into that place.

construction

old and new

has anyone ever seen "only you"? I hadn't until a couple of weeks ago, it's not the greatest movie I've ever seen (I guess I don't really know what is) - but I totally love Marisa Tomei in it. If I was into girls I would be into her in "only you"

where did she go anyway

Pink Eye!!!

(dramatization)

I've been out at East Hampton installing a house I've been working on for like a year now. I was being a good little worker/designer/job manager getting things done and BAMM, pink eye hits. How am I supposed to get the respect I deserve from my team (painters, cabinet guys, movers, etc., my team) when I look like this? So this is more how it felt, but it was baaaad. itchy and nasty and I felt like a leper for 3 days straight. Couldn't even wear my contact in that I eye so I was dizzy for 3 straight days too. No me gusta.

So maybe it looked a little more like this, but this was when it was on the mend. The first morning I woke up with it I couldn't even open my eye it was so swollen.

see, I even look dizzy and confused