Horses are Dandy and Some Filled with Candy

It’s Friday so let’s jump right in with a review of what’s been on my brain this week, what’s ignited my imagination, and what’s piqued my curiosity.

I just saw an extraordinary sight, which seems particularly surreal because I can’t for a moment fathom what it was.  I happened to glance up from my computer screen at the exact moment to see two young men riding side by side down the street on identical bikes.  They didn’t quite look like ordinary bikes – they were smaller than you’d expect, but not exactly child size either, with the wheel spokes were painted day-glo hurts-my-eyeballs florescent green.  And they were riding very slowly – slower than you’d think possible to actually keep your bike balance while still moving in a straight forward line.  Trailing a few steps behind them was a guy with a large walking stick, pounding it on the ground like he was tapping out a rhythm.

What do you suppose that was?  And what would make me look up at the precise moment to see them rolling down the street?!  It’s a mystery I tell you, although I’m willing to believe I was witnessing the beginning practices of some circus performance.

But it did have me thinking fondly about last weekend when as part of our block party, the neighborhood kids had a parade of their decorated bikes.  The little ones were so excited and some of them had so many balloons and streamers on their little vehicles I thought perhaps with a good breeze they might get airborne.

There was a bit of disappointment at the party though when the horses didn’t show up.  We’d been promised a visit from the mounted police if they weren’t too busy, but apparently they were so alas no horses.  Luckily feelings were soothed with the gigantic horse piñata and subsequent distribution of candy.

In any case, did you know the precursor to our bicycles were dandy horses?  You can read more about that here.

One of the things I’ve been devoting a bit of time to this week is trying to better organize my office and my studio.  I’m always trying to figure out a perfect solution for the fact that I function best when working on multiple projects AND paper apparently comes to my house and multiplies, not always in neat piles.  In the midst of cleanup tasks my mind has a tendency to wander to what would my ideal space look like in the fabulous luxe home of my dreams.  I suspect it’s human nature, although perhaps skewed more strongly in artistic types, but looking at people’s homes and studios always delights me.  So I was especially pleased to find a glimpse into Maira Kalman’s home and her studio.  I love Maira work and think of her as an icon of New York sensibilities and eccentricities – in other words I adore her.  You can see a slideshow of her home here and studio here.

This year I started creating a color journal as part of a project I’m working on.  It’s evolved in all manner of unexpected ways from what I had originally envisioned, and that’s not a bad thing.  But it’s made me realize how important color is to me in ways I hadn’t quite realized before.  This week I came across a color identification quiz, and discovered there was a color I didn’t know.  Gamboge.  Do you know it?  Isn’t it fabulous sounding?  It definitely my favorite word of the week. You can test your identification skills here.

Speaking of colors, did you know there were red sprites and trolls at the edge of space?  Although you’ll likely need to scroll down the page to the photo gallery, here’s where to look.

With a different perspective of our beautiful planet, here’s a fascinating pictorial peek at dying craft –  handmade globes.  Just looking at these is ramping up my urge to draw maps.

On a slightly less cheery note, let me share a Chuffed crowdfunding project I’m happy to support:  Carrying Everest.  The goal is to produce a documentary about the marginalized Kulung people of Nepal many of whom make a meager living in the dangerous and underappreciated trekking industry of Everest.

Finally, I’ve been thinking lots about Michele GD’s article about noticing.  Another beautiful lesson from the garden.

Of course, just as so many of my conversations seem to have a P.S. attached, let me add a final bit of goodness to this post.  This week I discovered the fabulous art of Christine Kelly, who blogs at gentlework.  She’s a textile artist working with vintage items, and I’m love with her latest piece “Let Go.”  A beautiful reminder for us all, don’t you think?

Now it’s your turn.  What’s caught your attention this week?  Had any encounters with horses or bicycles?  Lessons from the garden?  Something you need to let go of?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.