Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Notes From Aggles

When I got home from the Outer Banks, I had a note from Aggles with this photo enclosed. Left to right, I was 7 and she was 4.

My dear sister,
Just a little something I found to welcome you home from the beach.
Your dear sister,
Agglesmemnon

When I got home from Chicago, I had this e-mail from Aggles (in response to my post about Elizabeth Edwards):

From: Aggles
Subject: Welcome back!
Date: July 30, 2007 8:19:57 AM PDT
To: Linda


Glad to see you back safe and sound in your own little home.
I’m surprised that the wife of a shyster lawyer could renew your faith in politics.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Feather

The last shot of the day, before walking across the street and meeting Tom at Safeway.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Home

Best Dressed Blogger Award ...

goes to my pal Sal.

I wore the same thing every day. My pal Sal, on the other hand, wore a different incredible dress each of the 4 days I saw her.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Elizabeth Edwards: A Human From Earth














At the end of the day, Elizabeth Edwards answered lots of questions from the audience. She was very direct.

(Added August 4) Here's an example of something she said that's a little more substantive than telling me who her favorite children's illustrators are. I got really nervous when someone asked:

I'm really curious, given your outspoken views about gay marriage, how your faith impacts your politics.


Elizabeth
: ... I have a somewhat odd version of God. I don't have an intervening God. I don't think I can pray to him–or her–to cure me of cancer, though I appreciate other people's prayers ... I believe we're given a set of guidelines, and that we're obligated to live our lives with a view to those guidelines. I don't believe we should live our lives that way because we have some promise of eternal life, but because that's what's right.

Here's a video of Elizabeth Edward's whole talk.

Later there was a party at the Children's Museum. There she was, standing by the entry.

Me (in her ear): Thank you for restoring my faith in politics.

Elizabeth
(beaming): What do you do?

Me:
I'm an illustrator.


Elizabeth:
What kind of illustrations do you do?

Me:
Mostly children's things.

Elizabeth:
I love children's books. Two of my favorite children's book illustrators are David Shannon and William Joyce.

Party


Amy Sedaris: A Human From Pluto

Here's an insightful interview with Amy
(Thanks for the tip, Pal.)

Some Superheroes I Found

Andrea Scher's superhero necklaces were everywhere.

Esther Dyson: Human From Earth Award

Friday, July 27, 2007

Susie Bright is Back

















At the party this evening Sally and I spotted Susie Bright and cornered her. She was wearing a fantastic dress she made herself out of Nancy Drew material. If we decide to skip the food photography class tomorrow, maybe we can still get in her group. It's terrible. The food photography class is scheduled for the same time slot as Sex and Relationship Blogging Behind Closed Doors. Which would you choose, food or sex? And then there's Jen Lemen's session: It's Your Passion, Not Size, That Matters.

Today was inspiring. I have a new role model: Virginia DeBolt, who talked about designing for mobile devices in a clear and funny way.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Sally and Linda at the Quackadero






















The BlogHer Conference is being held in Chicago this year, at the Navy Pier.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

A Little Art Direction Never Hurts



















photo by Mya

A nice thing happened on our last day at the Outer Banks. Kari, Mya's mom, asked me if I would photograph her and Mya and James that evening out on the dunes. Since I don't cook and I'm fearful of grocery shopping, it made me feel good to be able to contribute something. Unfortunately the sky was overcast so we didn't get that nice golden glow when the sun is low–but it was fun anyway. Almost everyone got in on it. I came back with about 200 shots from that evening that I haven't had a chance look at closely, but there was one I couldn't wait to see. When I was finished taking pictures, Mya asked Tom and me to pose for her. Talk about art direction! We stood on the deck–but she ordered us to sit down. She positioned our arms just so. Then she picked up my camera and took the photo above.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Home Again!

















That's the Cliff House in the upper right hand corner, and the Camera Obscura out on the edge of the cliff. The little red dot on the map below shows where we live in relationship to the Camera Obscura (big red marker).

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Candy Land

















These little cottages are across from the wi-fi coffee house–near the ferry that takes you over to Ocracoke Island.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Little Mermaid

















This little mermaid introduced me to Nintendo today. Help!!! She has the DS Lite in light pink. She showed me Cake Mania, which reminded me a lot of the game we play together (Frankie Roland's). We also played Catz and Dogz. I'm in love.

Alien 2

















Another Hatteras creature I haven't come across yet at Ocean Beach.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Sam is a Star


















Sam is my nephew. He's nine years old. He starred in Seussical the Musical in Staunton, VA. We got to see a video of it last night: astoundingly wonderful. Soon as Sam gets home from the beach, he's headed to New York to see three plays: Legally Blonde, Phantom of the Opera, and Mary Poppins. What a life.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Hatteras

















It's a little hotter in Hatteras than at Ocean Beach. I don't have to wear a down jacket. Shoes either.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Frankie Rowland's 2

Mya is eight years old. I wasn't sure whether she'd still want to play our game this year. But she came prepared with 6 notepads–3 for each of us. One for taking orders, one for specials of the day, and one for checks and tips. She also made cell phones for both of us. Our game is called Frankie Rowland's. Her name is Aqua and I'm Aquamarine. We drive a red convertible to work in the morning. Tom is the big fat boss. Today he came over right in the middle of a huge order and harassed us. First he criticized Aqua for wearing pajamas to work, even though it was Pajama Day at Frankie Rowland's. Then he wanted to know how old we are. Aqua: We're nineteen. We're sisters. Big Fat Boss: Are you twins? Aqua: Yes. Only I like long hair and she likes short hair. Me: That's the only difference.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Alien

The creatures at Hatteras are different from those at Ocean Beach.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Sea Slipper






















Bye! I'm slipping off to the eastern sea tomorrow. The Outer Banks of North Carolina. There won't be wi-fi in our house, but I hope to slip away daily to the pizza parlour and plug in. I'll miss you.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Dorothy's Salad

















When I take the food photography workshop, I'm sure I'll learn to stand so that my head doesn't cast a shadow over the food. But this was an outstanding salad. And for a bowl of vegetables to be my favorite part of lunch–that's unheard of.

We had a three-way heart-to-heart over lunch. This time it was mostly about having to grow up with parents living in the same house. When I got back home, Janet emailed Dorothy and me to ask for advice on a project she showed us before lunch. I gave her my opinion, and received back one of the best email messages of my life:

From: Janet
Subject: Re: Quick question!
Date: July 10, 2007 6:53:02 PM PDT
To: Linda
Thanks and bless you, Linda! May you never have to attend church or play the piano again!!!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Dream




















Bea Peltre


Me
: Tom, did you have a dream last night?

Tom: ... Wait ... I think I did.
Me: Was I the star?
Tom: ... Yes.
Me: What did I do?
Tom: You fixed me a great dinner. That's how I knew it was a dream.

Bea Peltre (that's her photo above) will be teaching a class in food photography at the BlogHer Conference, which is July 27-29. Lara Ferroni will be teaching it with her. I cannot wait. But guess who else will be there.
Amy Sedaris.
Esther Dyson.
Susie Bright.
Elizabeth Edwards. (look at her favorite books.)

So go ahead and sign up, even though I know you're not the conference type. It's a measly $200.
........................................................................................................
p.s. I almost forgot to post a photo of what I made Tom for dinner tonight. (Nachos with a giant hotdog on top.)

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Macro Setting

A foggy morning. I walked by some beautiful garbage on the sidewalk by the sea wall and tried out the macro setting on my camera.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Happy Birthday, Us

















Tonight Emmy and John took us to Tommy's for our birthdays. The best margaritas in San Francisco. Above: after two
Afterwards, we really needed a walk. I love small houses, and John remembered a tiny house a few blocks away. We ambled over. Isn't it exquisite?

Happy Birthday, Jamie

Jamie, I can't find the NY Art Director card I made for you. But here are two inspiring things for you to look at on your birthday:

A wonderful web site. (Miranda July's)

A nice face that you can make yourself: ˘¿˘

To make the face, hold down the option key and the shift key. While you're holding them down, press ./.

Oh wait! Look at this one: °¿°

While you're holding down the option and the shift key, down, press 8/8.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy Birthday, Oochie

















I love getting email from Oochie. Here's one from yesterday. Don't you wish you had someone like Oochie to write to you?

From: Oochie
Subject: #1
Date: July 2, 2007 2:27:16 PM PDT
To: linda


Deer Linda,

I’m going to write little installment of letters. There are too many little stories here and there, and I just can’t find the time to tie them all together into one cohesive mail. Then again, when did I ever stick to one subject?

My mom and aunty Rose are flying back home today. I shall miss them terribly. Tonight when I go to work, there will be nobody waiting for me downstairs to bid me goodbye and good night. Since aunty Rose and my mom are avid watcher of TV shows with morbid news, I will hear no parting like this, “Drive safely. Don’t speed. And be careful, there’s a rapist out there.” Not quite the sort of comforting thing to hear when one had to walk from the parking structure, crossed the street, crossed another parking structure before one got into her work place. But, their cute sleepy faces, and vigorous waves made up for it.

My mom and aunty Rose liked the drawings I made for them. They did not take them home though. Probably because they thought those pictures were my decoration ... Well, they don’t have place for those pictures anyways. They had lots of luggage and not even a tiny flea could fit in them.

I notice I’ve already begun to let myself “go.” I’m wearing my comfortable tattered t-shirt and my hair is not combed. And, goodness me, did I lather some cream on my face today?

My mom is very big on skin preservation. On Monday she said to me, “Take good care of your skin. Don’t laugh, it’s not funny. It’s very serious.” On Tuesday she warned me, “It (putting lotion) is not something that you should neglect. Once the damage is done, there is nothing you can do to undo it.” On Wednesday she reminded me, “Did you put cream on your face? Do not neglect your neck. And, especially, your hands. Smooth face and neck do not go with wrinkly hands.” On Thursday she advised me, “Don’t be stingy with skin care. Spend your money to buy the best one.” My mom may go to ten different stores just to get something for $10 cheaper. But, skin care product is sacred. It’s okay to splurge there. Without people like my mom (and my sister), the lotion industry will go to dust. Maybe I should look into that Avon catalog that some lady named Theresa always leave on my mailbox. On Friday, my mom informed me, “You need something better than Olay.” And here I thought I was being classy, lathering the pricey Olay on my face before her. I tossed the Avon catalog. On Saturday, my mom pulled me to the side, and basically told me that I was not a spring chicken anymore and I could not continue to abuse my skin any longer. “It will start to show!”

Sigh, nature has cursed me with skin that doesn’t yield zit easily. I could have eaten all the junk foods, and do not wash my face, and my skin will not be pimply. Unfortunately this life of ease caused me to never learn about skin care. Nor care about it. I’m like a cow girl --- without the cow part. Oh, and, without the outdoors part either.

Oh, door bell rang. I'll stop now. Will continue later.

Love,
Luci.

I had to know what Luci's mom uses, so I could use it too. I begged Luci to email her mom right away and ask. In case you're curious:

Forwarded from: Oochie
Subject: mucho cream-o
Date: July 3, 2007 7:44:01 PM PDT
To: linda


Dearest Luci,
I just use regular Loreal or Oil of Olay cleansing cream and lotion after cleaning the face, to economize. But for day cream, I use Dior moisturizing cream with spf and the nite cream and the serum. I also use Dior. Hope this helps. BTW, who is Linda? Is it aunty Lydia's friend? So, what are you planning to do on your birthday to celebrate?
Love, Mom

PS Don't forget to use the eye cream too, I used Dior, Estee Lauder or Biotherm.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Inspiration






















I was so inspired by Barbara's necklace that I decided to make my own necklace this evening. Then a little wave came. Then a bigger wave came...

Sunday, July 01, 2007

A Well-Rounded Man

















I've known Larry for 25 years. I knew he was a firefighter, a pianist, and a photographer. I knew he liked to eat tamales. But I didn't find out until last week that he was a jewelry maker.

Bad timing. I had just designed a new web site* for him, with photography in mind.

I had called to ask what the big holdup was with the copy. He and Barbara had found some beads at a flea market that afternoon and he was out in the garage making her a necklace.
*with actionscript by Sally Queen of Code Cruikshank