Last summer we splurged and rented someone's pool thanks to Swimply, which is kind of like Airbnb for pools. There are a few pools on Swimply in the KC metro area that allow dogs, so that's where the splurge comes in. Robert and I pay very little to swim about once a week at a couple different public pools, but sadly no dogs are allowed.
Our last goldens, Rose and Ella, thought they needed to rescue us anytime we went swimming with them. Nothing could convince them otherwise. Unless we were sitting in a creek with them, it always turned into too much stress for everyone. Margo and Josie, however, are completely the opposite. In fact, if they get tired swimming, they come right to us and let us hold them while they take a break. Yes, there were stairs and a shallow place for them to rest, but that would defeat the purpose of having humans.
After last year's experience, it was at the top of our bucket list this year, and we invited a friend and his kids to come swimming too. Both dogs and kids were really thrilled to just be hauled around on the giant raft, and Margo and Josie were convinced the kids were going to their best friends ever. Both kids just started swim lessons, but after about ten minutes in the pool, you would have never guessed it. They were swimming like pros! Did Margo and Josie ever realize that the kids were just learning how to swim though? Nope! They were completely oblivious. If you ever need a dog to rescue you for any reason, these two dogs are not it!
Recently Robert and I had a rather eventful walk at one of our nearby parks. We had the joy of seeing a heron who moved around every so often, and didn't mind when anyone got too close. It was the closest I've ever been to one! We also enjoyed the geese, especially when they stretched their beautiful feet out behind them like they were luxuriating in the soggy day. It was a drizzly, humid day, so the grass was extra squishy. Josie was close enough for a taste of goose feet, but she mostly resisted. No doubt she'll taste them in her dreams!
A ribbon beetle creeping its way through some camo fields.
I loved making the background of this so much, I have plans to do something similar with my next piece, which may or may not involve fish, flowers, and serenity if all goes well. I'm just patiently waiting for a special felt fabric to arrive.
I had my first artist talk at the Natasha Ria Gallery, where some of my artwork is currently displayed. Some very special people came, and it was a lot of fun! I will definitely be on the lookout for more artist talks, because I always have a millions questions like how do they do that? What's their process? And on and on.
Here I am with the amazing Natasha, who has been so incredibly helpful with my art journey. She is one of the warmest and easiest people to talk to. And she's both an artist and poet too!
I was completely blown away when I looked up and saw one of my favorite people walk in. Ann has been one of my writing friends for over ten years. She is the poet I talk about who finds a haiku moment in every day. She is also 94 years old and one of those people who scoops up all the best stories and shares them in beautiful ways. We met through a poetry workshop I facilitated at the library over ten years ago, and along with a handful of special people, we have been sharing poetry ever since. If that isn't one of those library stories about community building that tugs at your heart, then I don't know what will. Ann is also an artist! She painted many watercolors and has an eye for beauty. Just look at her blouse, which is like a watercolor painting come to life!
In the picture below, Ann's daughter, Carol is to the left. She's a passionate art and library supporter. And on the right is Octavia, one of my favorite people I work with. My world truly revolves around the library, and I've been so fortunate to meet some of my favorite people through the library. With so much up in the air now with where I'll be working in the next six months, I recognize how good the library has been for me for the last fourteen years. Even as I'm beginning to explore this new world of displaying art, the library is present in everything and everyone in my life.
Robert has been so jazzed about all my art endeavors. He sometimes has even more enthusiasm than me! He has been asking the best questions, helping me with both practical and artistic questions, and providing so much support. I am excited he's on this journey with me. His face here says everything I just said and then some.
Lastly, I just wanted to let you all know I was selected as one of the emerging artists for the Lawrence Art in the Park in September! It will be my first time participating in an artist fair, and I am so incredibly excited and nervous! I hope to see lots of familiar faces and soak up all the inspiration and beauty. I was so delighted to discover Lawrence Art in the Park's emerging artist program, because it will be a good way to dip my toes into the art fair community, learn how to set up a booth, and get those coveted booth photos I need to apply for future fairs if I decide to do so. I also have the joy of sharing my booth with another emerging artist, which will also be a relief. I'm a huge fan of the buddy system, especially when I'm new to something. I hope this person is looking forward to an enthusiastic art buddy for two days!
Robert and I just returned from a thrilling and restorative mini vacation to Tucson. It was one of those less-than-a-week vacations that felt like a mega vacation with all the frills and thrills and relaxation.
My niece, Autumn just wrapped up her second musical. Last year I had the delight of seeing her perform in Frozen, and this year both Robert and I were able to see her in Aladdin. It was special to see Autumn perform in Aladdin for multiple reasons. First, she was performing the musical of one of my favorite Disney movies. I think I was six or seven when the animated movie came out, so it was super cool thinking about how she was experiencing the same Disney movie I experienced as a kid but in a very different way - she was the movie! It was also special to share the experience with Robert this year. He felt really left out last year! Also, it was amazing to see Autumn grow as a performer and actor. The kids were brilliant. I loved every minute of it.
This year Robert and I flew out on Wednesday, but we had to wait until Saturday to see Autumn's musical! We had a great time with family, doing silly things, and soaking up the Tucson heat - there was a heat advisory when we flew in, which I thought was comical because isn't that just every day for Tucson?
Here are the best pictures/moments from the trip!
The first day we got into Tucson, Scott took us on a tour of where he works, which is a huge car dealership. It was Robert's first tour! I'm always so impressed with how complex all my brothers' jobs are. I think if Scott gives me the same tour every year, I'll still learn at least ten new things each year. Sadly, there are no pictures, but it was the perfect thing to do after being squished into planes and cars for several hours.
The next day (Robert's 40th birthday!) everyone had to work, so Robert and I went to a hole-in-the-wall breakfast place, where we immediately ran into a regular who was a real character. He was a veteran who was having a hard time due to losing his wife and having a couple strokes. We chatted with him the whole way through breakfast, and the waitress told us he bought our breakfast! I told Robert it should have been the other way around, so we came back another morning in the hopes of catching him, but no such luck.
After breakfast we opened up Tohono Chul, which is one of my favorite places on earth. We could be here all day if I went into all the reasons I love Tohono Chul. Other than it being absolutely stunning and cherished by those who tend it, therefore blasting its visitors with more positive energy than the sun, there is always a docent who wants to talk about something they're passionate about. Sure enough, this time around we talked to a docent who was very into desert tortoises. And Robert even took the docent role for a while when we stumbled upon the exact Allis-Chalmers tractor he rode around on when he was a kid. He had some pretty stellar and adorable stories. Dear Tohono Chul, if you need a tractor docent, I volunteer Robert's services.
It was Robert's birthday, so naturally we found the most amazing bead store ever, Beadholiday, which Robert promptly fled when he saw the millions of choices. Thanks for sharing your birthday, Robert!
I've never seen so many beads in my life. I think it was three or four rooms of beads, each room filled with trays upon trays of beads. I only left about half my life savings there, and I'm now the proud owner of a duck bead, which I bought even though I had zero ideas of what to do with it.
Though we clearly celebrated Robert's birthday the day before with a bead store shopping extravaganza for me, Scott and Kristin created a birthday cake breakfast celebration the next morning with a charming train cake and trick candles.
There were lots of downtime moments, which was very much needed as it was very hot outside and Scott and Kristin still had some work to do here and there. Savannah and I were mesmerized by Autumn's interior design abilities in the game Toca Life World.
On Friday we went to the spectacular 4th Ave where we purchased an ostrich puppet that instantly became everyone's favorite thing. Here's a video of Savannah and her Ostrich looking for some tasty toes.
We also had lunch at Tumerico, which is in my top five favorite vegan restaurants. When I was in Tucson a couple years ago, Robert, who wasn't with me, sent me Tumerico through DoorDash. We decided to check it out in-person, and it's really just incredible. A whole plate of food with a lot of variety of flavors, an unbeatable salad dressing, and just really heavy and comforting (heavy food and heat waves usually don't mix, but that's just the magic of Tumerico).
The artwork sprinkled throughout the restaurant was also nourishing and uplifting.
After lunch we went to the Children's Museum Tucson, which was the best place to be during a Tucson heat wave (redundant, right?). Savannah promptly stormed the place and claimed it as her own. We had a blast making electricity, smushing play-doh, painting, picking fruit, touching squishy things, building, blasting all kinds of soft things through tubes, and you know just creating general havoc.
There were lots of artistic moments at the museum, which I gobbled up.
Speaking of getting gobbled up...
Naturally we had to pop into Bookmans, where everyone promptly fell asleep, because that's what you do in bookstores, right?
Because Scott's birthday is in July, which is close enough to celebrate now, I found a place to make a cake just for him. A real craptivating piece of art. When Savannah saw the poop on the cake she said, "Ewww," which was just the seal of pooproval needed. She also made a yuck face when Scott ate the poop.
Before the big night, we all enjoyed the Van Gogh immersive experience, which was not only captivating, but also in the air-conditioning with giant rooms for Savannah and Autumn to race through (we pretty much had the place to ourselves). Imagine all the beauty of Van Gogh with two shrieking and laughing children racing and dancing through the color. Pure delight.
Can you find the Savannah?
Everyone loved this quote. How do I know? We all took our own pictures of it. As I was sorting through the pictures, this one of Autumn dancing through the letters of the quote was the clear winner. Oh the wondrous differences between the perspectives of children and adults.
Finally, it was time for the big show! It was spectacular. The singing was phenomenal. The sets and costumes were magical, the kids were brilliant, and the atmosphere was electric. Last year, I watched the very first show, and this year Robert and I watched the last one. Over the course of two weeks the kids give six shows and lots of rehearsals, spending several hours a day at the theater. That's some serious dedication! The kids didn't look like they were on their last show though. Their energy was through the roof.
Sadly, due to Disney copyright issues, I don't have any pictures of the show. Just Autumn's insanely proud fan club. In case you haven't figured it out, this kid is loved by many, many people, including her little sister, who fell asleep from all the excitement.
But that's not all! Robert and I managed to go to bed just shy of eleven after the show, but Scott and Kristin weren't so lucky. Naturally, early the next morning was just the right time to give Robert and Scott their birthday present - off-roading through the desert in a six-seater. Really, though, they loved it. And Kristin, Autumn, and I loved being a part of it too. I was a little nervous about it. But Robert, Scott, and Autumn were respectful, careful drivers. That's right! Autumn drove for a short stretch, and she was a really good driver. Six years from now, I will be more than happy to have her pick me up from the airport. Kristin, however, may not be ready! At one point while Autumn was driving Kristin lamented, "I shouldn't have to worry about this yet. I have six more years!"
We also got out a few times and explored, which was a real treat. As we climbed our way up, we were at eye level with the saguaros, which were blooming.
The trip was composed of a little bit of everything with a healthy dose of shenanigans. I'm thrilled Robert and I were able to see Autumn's musical and be a part of that ridiculously special energy. We gallivanted, laughed, escaped a mischievous ostrich numerous times, relaxed, watched Soul (which is actually really good, but you've got to make it to the part where the cat and man switch bodies), were slayed by Scott at Beat Saber on the VR headset, and celebrated the birthdays of two of my favorite humans.
I will probably need some extra sleep for the next couple months, but I was ready for the next trip even before this one ended in tears at Jerry Bobs (tears have been the only thing on the breakfast menu the last few times we've eaten there). I'm also counting down the days until we know what the next musical is!
I keep saying I won the brother lottery, which I did. But it's also the family lottery. I may have some catching up to do with Beat Saber, but I'm absolutely winning when it comes to family.
