Chill with Peonies in San Francisco6/13/2011 Peonies at Trader Joe's - San Francisco Getting my lunch at Trader Joe's, I saw the first peonies this year. Their gracious colors and ruffled and multiple petal count are pleasing to the eye. It's nice when something is only available for a short period of time. You appreciate it more when you anticipate them and then remember them after they are gone. Or, perhaps they're a pleasant surprise when they appear. Chris has tried to grow peonies in our Pine Street garden, but the conditions aren't quite right and they don't bloom. She said she will try again one day as someone told her the "secret" to making peonies grow in San Francisco is to "trick" them into thinking there is a freezing winter here. You trick them by putting ice around the base of the plant during our "winter". SFGate also had an article about growing peonies in the Bay Area. Check this out here. If I chill, perhaps I too will bloom.
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Daikon - Watercolor Magic6/9/2011 Chris paints with a fine eye and hand. There are pieces of her work all around in stacks and piles and its easy to take them for granted. Some of her finest are ones done a few years back when she did a series of water colors of Asian vegetables. To a bit of my dismay, some have gone away to grace someone else's home.
This one is of radishes that are eaten in China, Korea, and Japan and most commonly known by the Japanese name, "daikon". Daikon in Japanese means large root and that is exactly what it is. The muddy brown wash on the white body of the daikon shows its origin in the earth and the nutrient seeking tendrils at the end are fine details painted with finesse. Titania Light Fixture by Luce Plan At $3,000 the lightfixture I picked will blow our budget so I'm looking for something else. When we remodeled our downstairs bathroom, Chris picked this light fixture called Titania from LucePlan which is both elegant and fun. By adjusting the fins on the fixture you can varying the colors of light that it reflects off the fins of the fixture. Sometimes by taking a photo you see something you didn't notice before. Notice the lavender reflection of light at the top of the photo where the light shines on a lower ceiling. It was there but I didn't see it until I looked at the photo. I was taken with the colors and composition of structured elements. The white umbilical chord attaches this ship to its cosmic mother -- tethered yet ready to fly free. Maybe a twin of this fixture could fly in the bath upstairs living in a parallel universe. I was in SOMA walking to lunch on 4th Street towards Brannan when I spotted these yellow numbers set against a grey wall. It is the address of Zuppa Restaurant, an interesting place I haven't tried yet. The yellow and grey provide a nice high contrast without being too jarring. The font style reminded me of Corbusier Stencil Fonts. Chris has a set of metal stencil fonts that she used on (hand) drawings. They pay homage to one of the great architects of the 20th Century and give drawings a stylish look. She would lay the stencils on top of the drawing and using a soft lead pencil, form a letter allowing the pencil stroke to remain visible as part of the gestalt. Architects pay attention to the environment and try to do everything with a sense of visual purpose. By practicing this at all times, it becomes part of your approach to life. Le Corbusier's name was actually Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, but like stars today, came to be known by a single name. He was an architect, artist, and furniture designer whose iconic Corbusier Chair can be seen in modern interiors everywhere. Learn and be inspired by a Master. I found this website that gives a history of the Corbusier stencil font as well as this link to the Corbusier Foundation. As I was putting away dishes one morning, I was admiring the Heath Ceramic bowls and cups that Chris bought. Chris once took me to the Heath Ceramic factory outlet near the picturesque houseboats in Sausalito, where they are still made today. They reflect a very California quality about them with their earthy colors and robust forms. Today Heath Ceramics have new owners who carry on the same tradition and now they also make ceramic tiles. Green Chile Kitchen - San Francisco Green Chile Kitchen a New Mexico inspired restaurant at McAllister and Baker Streets in San Francisco gets it. They use Heath Ceramics for their food service in their restaurant. It sets off the food beautifully. Green Chile Kitchen is informal, inexpensive, loud, sometimes crowded, and -- Chris loves their posole. Chinese Steamed eggs or water egg in Chinese is simple comfort food. There are two ingredients - eggs and water. Mixed together and steamed. I haven't mastered the technique. Mine come out a complete mess. Made correctly they have the smooth texture of custard or soft jello. The top is smooth and flawless. Most cooks always use the same bowl to steam the eggs as the shape of the bowl also affects the final result. Chris learned some techniques from my Mom and she now makes this dish occasionally. Spooned over hot rice, it is comfort food. This last time, she used a deeper bowl. The result was good, but as you can see the top was not flat and has interesting bumps accented by the soy sauce added afterwards. Next time, a more shallow bowl and a shorter cooking time may need to be the adjustment. Life is a process of trying and trying and hopefully moving in the right direction. Homemade school lunches were important for our kids. They were taken in a cloth bag designed, crafted, and made by Chris. When that phase of our lives was over, the bag was put aside. I found it recently and the rush of memories of those days came back. Now I'm using the bag. I went to the market today to get MY LUNCH and I looked at the bag with new eyes. The design is still fresh and the lime inner lining cheers it up. It flashes into view occasionally telling you it's still there. Care in details is so important. Yesterday was Mother's Day. In reality everyday is Mother's Day. Once you are a parent you are a parent always - your kids always in your mind and heart. Katie created this arrangement to honor her mother Chris and picked colors she thought would please her. There's a nice range of texture and scale of elements. The large white lilies sets everything off and pulls it together. It's not too self-conscious. That's good. "T" Bow5/2/2011 Paging through the May1, 2011 Sunday New York Times, I see an image of one of my favorite painters, Wayne Thiebaud (top image). He's well know for his 1960's food period when he painted desserts - especially cakes and pies. The top image looks like a print and perhaps was done as a study for the bottom image which is executed in oil (bottom image). Thiebaud lays the paint on -- thick and sensuous, colors -- bright and fresh. You can almost feel the cream oozing off the pie. Thiebaud's painting are worth millions now and at age 90 he is still painting. I once bought Chris a modest Thiebaud etching at the Paul Thiebaud Gallery in San Franciso. I think she liked it . Did I tell you that Chris (and now Katie) makes a terrific apple pie? Information Highway - Green Apple Books4/29/2011 There's nothing like Green Apple Bookstore in the City and probably in the Bay Area. It has some of the same vibe as the famous Strand Bookstore in Manhattan. It doesn't nearly compare in volume to the Strand. Then probably nothing else does either. Alex and Katie called it Luk Ping Guo (Green Apple in Cantonese). It's in the heart of San Francisco's inner Richmond shopping district on Clement Street, conveniently near a lot of places I frequent. As much as I enjoy the convenience of getting information on-line, there's nothing quite like the tactile quality of a book, the quality of the paper, the design of the layout and cover. Chris has organized our library by the color of the book -- reds in one area, blue in another. It doesn't make it easier to find a book, but it sure is enjoyable to look at the shelves. For the most part, architects love books and Chris and I are among those who do. AuthorCatagories
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