Another Great Escape - late Oct-Nov 2018

Hi friends and family,

On another great escape and thought we would send some pretty pictures. Below is Henry the VIII's former hunting lodge and our humble abode - more on that later.



Before we left we helped our very pregnant daughter, Marisha, with her remodel and a baby shower. And for those who are nervous for us, we did vote absentee before catching that plane.


Fortunately for Marisha she has some very handy friends; many of whom she met over the years at Burning Man. Marisha in black with her back to us. Her Aunt Barbara, Uncle John and Uncle Scott also helped with the large job of upgrading her living quarters to make room for her soon to be daughter Miachelle.


Aunt Barbara, Marisha and father to be Richard



Have to include one of our new grand-nephew Tenzin James Lillich being held by Grandma Barbara. That is Tenzin’s mom Margie in the background and a very small glimpse of Scott Lillich, the dad and our nephew. This is at an engagement party for James (Scott’s younger brother) and Bianca. Good luck following those connections. No good pics of James and Bianca, although they are extremely photogenic.


We had an exhibition and gave a talk at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, which is on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Also visited with my brother Leo, wife Nora and family and my sister Sally and her husband Alan. So a great trip.

Entrance to the Arts Center, a beautifully designed little gem of a place in a gorgeous setting. Thank you, Jan Dove, for introducing us and making it all possible.


Stopped at the spectacular Ruby Beach on the drive down to Portland, Oregon.

Now you’re caught up to almost recent history.

Late October 2018 Don attended his Handmade Paper Conference in Iowa City, hobnobbing with all his papermaking buddies. Then I flew from San Francisco and we met up in Brooklyn. Next day, walked through Union Square, bought some amazing mushrooms at their Farmer’s Market.  

The golden trumpets have a flavor of chicken and those round pompom-looking white mushrooms (Lion’s Mane) are out of this world delicious, intense mushroom flavor.


A short overnight visit with Chuck, where we tasted his MotherChucker wine (delicious), nurtured every step of the way from crushing, filtering, mixing, bottling, labeling by Chuck and his friend Suzanne.


View off the deck.


The late John Register would have appreciated this viewing platform.


Off to dinner with Chuck, Cinnamon (between Chuck’s feet) and Suzanne, Era following up the rear.


Too cute.


Next morning, mushrooms and scrambled eggs. Yum!

Then back to Manhattan to visit our friends at The Met Paper Conservation Department. Here is a picture of Era with Yana. This is not Yana’s customary paper conservator work attire, but she was going to a special event that night. 


Then Yana took us on a tour of an exquisite exhibit she had worked on of Islamic calligraphy and works on paper. With her exotic attire she fit right into the theme; could have stepped out of an illustration.


Each separate calligraphy form on this page has been cut out of paper of different subtle shades of color and collaged onto the indigo-dyed paper, which is quite a bit smaller than a standard sheet of paper. Gold flakes are scattered to create that gorgeous background pattern.

We love getting our personal tours from Yana.


Saw the Delacroix exhibition.

Caught the plane late that evening (after midnight), 24 hours before we thought we were going to catch it. The plane hit a poor bird as it was landing so that delayed us and we ended up boarding after 1 am. They had to check the plane over - it must have been a pelican or some other big bird. Fortunately when we finally got our seats our section was pretty empty so it was a relaxing flight. British Air, and something went terribly wrong with the food. We weren’t flying business class, but one class down and the food was shockingly inedible. As it was the middle of the night we weren’t hungry anyway.




Took an Uber to our Air BnB, a former hunting lodge of Henry the VIII. Gorgeous grounds, but not much around it of interest. We were staying in a small corner of the complex. Look at this weather; this is the new end of October weather in England. 



Later we heard this place is supposed to be haunted, but we certainly didn’t get any sense of that. 

The next day, it rained, but we went to Kew Gardens anyway.







A structure which records the vibrations that bees are making and transmits it to humans in the form of blinking lights, sounds and music. The vibrations are supposed to be impinging on our skulls more than our ears. I dunno. That’s what they said.


Shooting up from the bottom of “The Hive.”






In the carnivorous plant section. Probably big enough to swallow a small bird.





A walkway above the trees.





Don enjoying his French food.

Lots of love from

Era and Don



Share:

0 comments