S T A C Y V E R B

Sperber exhibit in Knoxville

Last weekend, Adverb and I headed to Knoxville, TN, for an early Thanksgiving with his family.  While there, we paid a visit to the Knoxville Musuem of Art (valuable tip: the museum offers free admission on Sundays).

It was a lovely, warm, autumn day to be out and about in downtown K-ville.

Here's a nice shot of the Sunsphere in World's Fair Park, as seen from the upper level of the museum.  Some of you may know it as the Wigsphere. Heh.

The current exhibition at the KMA is Threads Of Perception by artist Devorah Sperber.  She has scanned famous works of art, converted them into low-resolution versions and then found spools of thread to correspond to the color of each pixel.  The results are then suspended from the lengths of chain, with the overall image inverted, like this:

(Image courtesy of Knoxville Museum of Art web site)

The KMA web site explains the presentation this way: "The thread spools works are hung upside down in reference to the fact that the lens of the eye projects an inverted image of the world onto the retina, which is corrected by the brain. A clear acrylic sphere, positioned in front of each work, functions like the human eye and brain, not only inverting but also focusing the image so that it appears as a sharp, faithful, right-side-up reproduction of the famous painting."

This exhibition was so fascinating to me.  What was most interesting was that even from across the room, even though these masterpieces had been greatly simplified, produced in an entirely different medium, and turned upside-down, you could still recognize them immediately.  It made me think a lot about how little information our minds and eyes actually need in order to understand an image, and about how some images are so prevalent that they are basically branded onto our brains.

Props to the KAM--for a smaller museum, they do quite a good job of bringing thought-provoking exhibitions to their patrons.  Threads of Perception runs through January 24, 2010.

Day trip to Amicalola Falls

On Monday we took advantage of both having the day off and drove up to north Georgia to enjoy a perfect autumn day.

Here I am, admiring the scenery at beautiful Amicalola Falls State Park.  (I should have had my shades on, so I wouldn't look so squinty.) 

We had a delicious lunch at the restaurant in the park lodge.  In the lobby of the lodge, a huge plush bear greeted visitors.  I wanted to get a picture of Adverb with it.  There was a sign posted that read, "Do not climb on the bear," but Adverb found another way to get an action shot with the beast.

That's my husband, ladies and gentleman.  Never a dull moment with this guy.  :)

The park had a couple of nice wheelchair-friendly trails to the falls.   Above, the view from the top of the falls.

And here we are at the bottom.  The falls are 729 feet high--a bit of trivia I learned during our visit.  Also, Amicalola means "tumbling waters" in Cherokee. 

As we meandered along the scenic route back to Atlanta, we stopped at an orchard to get some apples and admire other harvesty sights.  I hope you all are having a lovely autumn, wherever you may be!

Shopping for banned books and more in Asheville

September 26-October 3 is Banned Books Week, a "national celebration of the freedom to read."  Libraries and book stores around the country are holding events this week to raise awareness of the fact that each year, individuals and groups attempt to have hundreds of books removed from schools and libraries.

According to the American Library Association, the most frequently challenged "classic" book in America is The Great Gatsby.  With this in mind, I bought a copy of it while I was in Asheville.  I've read it before, but did not own my own copy.  I got this one at Downtown Books & News, a great used book store on North Lexington.

Celebrate Banned Books Week by buying a frequently challenged book at your favorite local book store.  Share your favorite challenged books with young readers!  Check out this link for more ideas on fighting censorship in your community.

While I'm giving a shout-out to Downtown Books & News, I'd also like to mention some other businesses I recommend in downtown Asheville:

Beads and Beyond - gorgeous gemstones and lots more, in the cute little Wall Street neighborhood.

Chevron Trading Post & Bead Co. - also on N. Lexington, this bead shop had (among other things) probably the best selection of seed beads I've ever seen outside of a catalog.  They also had a comfy couch by a fireplace, great music playing, and a big, fat, friendly cat.  I did not want to leave!

Earth Guild - For the more esoteric crafts, this store on Haywood has lots of supplies that are hard to find anywhere else.  Spinning, candlemaking, basketry, rugmaking...just to name a few.  I bought some wool dye there.

Flying Frog Cafe - It's a fine dining establishment downstairs, but upstairs (where we ate) the Flying Frog Bar serves drinks and lighter meals.  It's on Battery Park Ave. and has a very eclectic menu.  The food was delicious and they made a really good mimosa (at dinner--how decadent!).

Malaprops - If you don't want to buy your books used from DB & N, buy them new at Malaprops!  A great little store on Haywood, just up the hill from Earth Guild, they also have a cafe.

Support small businesses at home and when you travel!

Weekend in Asheville & western NC

Over the weekend we headed to Asheville, North Carolina, so Adverb could attend the annual conference of the South East Chapter of the National Cartoonist Society.  This is always a fun gathering.  The Society's Asheville membership had worked hard to show us all a good time.

Friday night: Carolina barbecue and live bluegrass at The Fiddlin' Pig.  I bought a T-shirt from the Pig that says "Gettin' Piggy With It."  Ha!  I especially enjoyed the sweet potato fries.

Steve H. was dressed for the bluegrass, but maybe not excited about having his picture taken.

Saturday the cartoonists attended meetings and presentations all day.  The highlight was the guest of honor, Jack Davis, of MAD magazine fame.  Everyone reports that Jack was a very sweet gentleman.  At dinner, he petted my hair in a charming, non-creepy way.

While all these meetings were going on, I was getting some work of my own done in the hotel room, as well as swimming in the heated pool.

Who knew the cartoonists were such a multi-talented bunch?  A jam session broke out in the hotel ballroom on Saturday night.  I ended up doing a duet of "Jackson" (sadly, no footage of my performance is available) with some random guy, who I later learned was a filmmaker from Michigan working on a documentary about MAD.

After the conference ended on Sunday, Adverb and I explored the great shopping and dining opportunities in downtown Asheville.  (More blog coverage on this topic coming soon!)  

Monday, we spent the whole day driving back to Atlanta via the long, scenic way.  It was a lovely day to explore the countryside.

While on another road trip in NC several years ago, we had seen a million billboards assuring us that we were very near Harrah's Cherokee Casino, and yet we never actually saw it.  This time, we drove right up to it, completely by accident.  This cracked us up to no end, so we just had to go in and play some slot machines for a little while.  We ended up $9.00 in the hole.  Oh wait, correction, make that $8.75--on the way out, I found a quarter in the parking lot!

More lovely scenery in the Blue Ridge area of western NC.  Fall was definitely in the air.

We stopped for a late lunch at this nice spot on the Nantahala River. 

Our last visit before heading home was to the John C. Campbell Folk School.  (Long-time Stacyverb readers may remember that this is where Adverb took a class in the art of kaleidoscope-making last fall.)  We had a nice time exploring the grounds of the Folk School, including this nice fence dedicated to the different arts.  These were two of my favorite panels.

This beautiful old barn on the Folk School grounds was looking very autumnal.  Someday I hope to return to the Folk School as a student myself.

A fun, relaxing weekend in North Carolina.  Batteries recharged, and ready for fall to come to Atlanta!

San Francisco, part 6: Local color

We conclude my San Francisco travelogue with some random shots of interesting stuff that just didn't really fit in any of the other posts.

San Francisco has lots of cool murals in many of its neighborhood.  This was one of my favorites, in some alley off of Valencia.

This one is cool because it is the whole front of someone's apartment or studio.

I met Cricket the poodle while shopping at this really amazing fabric store in Berkeley.  I loved how glamorous she looked here, riding in her shopping cart, with all the shiny fabrics behind her.  Her human told me Cricket had just come from the beauty parlor.

This tableau in the parking area at the Golden Gate Bridge cracked me up.

More wacky signage, this time in Japantown.  I love the graphics on these, especially the smiling shrimp on a platter.

More of the weirdness on offer in Japantown.  This was in the window of a crazy toy store.

Hustle and bustle in Chinatown.  This was our last day in San Francisco.

We also took a walk down by the piers on our last day.  (There's Adverb, in full-on tourist mode, by the lamp post.)

Later, we caught the red-eye back to Atlanta.  This was not a relaxing vacation by any means--it was stimulating, exciting and fun.  Thanks for letting me show you the highlights!

San Francisco, part 5: Golden Gate Bridge

One of my main goals for this trip was to wheel across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Certain landmarks I have only been able to admire from a distance--the Statue of Liberty, for example--because they aren't Fred-friendly*.  Knowing this particular landmark totally welcomed Fred, I was determined to take full advantage of this.

 

First good view of the Bridge, driving south on Highway 101.

 

Scenic view from, well, a scenic overlook, with the skyline in the background.

 

Driving across the Bridge to the south end, where we parked and then...

 

...prepared to walk across.  (Photo by some random French guy.  Merci!)

 

Lovely view looking down at the Bay from the Bridge.

 

I'm doing it!  Slightly uphill both ways, and a bit of a headwind at times, but do-able.

 

You just knew I had to get a good shot of textures and stuff.  Look--rivets!  This is the view looking up from the base of one of the suspension towers.  (Hey, this visit was so educational--before this, I was calling that the "pointy part" of the Bridge.)

We made it!  View from the north end looking back toward the south.  Then it was time to head back.  Because I know some of you are wondering, the Bridge is 1.7 miles long.

 

Back at the south end again, ready for a nice big lunch!  We really lucked out with a beautiful day and no fog to block our views.

I loved visiting the Bridge.  It's a beautiful testament to humankind figuring out a way to conquer a natural barrier in an elegant way.  The thought of its actual construction process--despite deep water, swirling tides, strong winds, frequent fog--is quite awe-inspiring.

*For those not in the know, my wheelchair's name is Fred.  Thus, places that are wheelchair accessible are "Fred-friendly."

San Francisco, part 4: The gang's all here

One of the best parts about the trip to San Francisco was getting to see so many friends we hadn't seen in a while.

 

The main reason for the trip was to attend Alex & Melissa's wedding.  It was such fun to celebrate with them and their beautiful girls.  (Hey, check out Melissa's jewelry that I made!)

 

Some of the old gang are living in San Francisco now, and a bunch of us had flown in from Atlanta, so it was great to get everybody together in one place for such a happy occasion.

 

Obligatory Electric Slide reception photo.  What a great party!  We were treated to delicious food and Alex's famous sangria.

 

Besides the wedding, we got to explore the city with old friends and do some catching up.  Ellen (formerly of Atlanta) and her husband, Doug, came down from British Columbia.

 

Luke (on the far left) took us to some of his favorite local spots, like this wonderful taqueria in the Mission.  Pancho Villa, I think it was called?

 

It was so nice just to chill with a beer (or two) and enjoy good conversation with good friends.  Some of these folks we see on a regular basis in Atlanta, but we never seem to have the chance to sit and talk for any length of time.  This trip gave us that chance, and lots of interesting stories to tell back home!

San Francisco, part 3: Golden Gate Park

On Saturday we BARTed to Embarcadero Station, where my friend Andrea picked us up.  Andrea and I became friends when she lived in Atlanta, before moving to S.F. a few years ago.  We all headed to Golden Gate Park for lunch, catching up, and seeing the sights.

 

This is a partial view of the park from the observation tower in the DeYoung Museum.  As you can see, it was quite foggy that day.  I'm sure the views from the tower on a clear day are spectacular.

 

I loved these carved sculptures from the DeYoung's Oceanic art collection.  They remind me of kooky creatures from a Tim Burton movie or something.

These wire sculptures by Ruth Asawa left me absolutely stunned.  The forms are so organic and yet carefully structured at the same time, and the way she utilized light and space as part of the work is utterly gorgeous.  In the photos, it's sometimes hard to tell which shapes are the actual pieces and which are their shadows.  I. love. these.

 

After the museum, we ventured out to the west end of the park to Ocean Beach.  Again, the fog obscured what would have been otherwise a gorgeous view, I'm sure.  There's Adverb, pensively gazing out at the Pacific.

 

As you can see from my hair here, it was also very windy that day.  But we made it work.  Thanks, Andrea, for a great afternoon!  Carry on.

San Francisco (and beyond), part 2: Wining and dining

From Santa Rosa we headed back down the 101 and over to Sonoma, where we were meeting friends for a wine country picnic.

 

Cline Cellars was the site of our lovely afternoon.  Everyone on staff was so friendly and they clearly loved what they do.  We tasted many wines.  My favorites were the Sonoma Coast Viognier, the Cashmere red blend, and the Big Break Zinfandel (described on the tasting menu as the "Indiana Jones of Zinfandels," or something to that effect).  The overall favorite among our gang seemed to be the Cashmere.

 

Speaking of our gang, here are some of us relaxing after the delicious picnic.  Friends and family had gathered from far and wide for Alex's wedding (that's him to my right, in the shades), the real reason for the California trip.  Alex and Adverb have been friends since they met in art school waaaaay back in the day.

 

It was a very windy day, but the grounds at Cline Cellars were quite beautiful...

 

...as were the views of the neighboring winery and surrounding countryside.

 

As we made our way back toward the East Bay, the late afternoon sun gave a gorgeous golden glow to the landscape.

 

Back at the hotel, we were treated to this view of the sunset over the Bay from our window.  At this point, Adverb and I parted ways.  He went off to Alex's bachelor party (hmmm...strangely, there are no photos of that), and I met up with my friend Michele for dinner.

Michele and I went to high school together in Nebraska and have been back in regular contact in the past year or so, thanks to the wonder of Facebook.  She lives in the Bay area, so we were both really excited to be able to get together and catch up.  We ate and drank and talked and just generally had a great time*.  (Michele--I'm sad to say, this was the best photo of the bunch.  Oops.)

*Oh, and some guy may or may not have OD'ed right in front of us while his date (transexual hooker?) fled into the night from my hotel lobby.  Quite an end to a very eventful day!

San Francisco (and beyond), part 1: Schulz Museum

And...we're back.  Settle in now, dear readers, as I regale you with my travelogue.

Friday was our first full day in California.  We made a day trip north from our home base in the East Bay and headed toward Santa Rosa so Adverb could make an important pilgrimage.

 

Here we are crossing the Richmond Bridge into Marin County.  My normally land-locked self cannot resist taking pictures of water!

 

Our destination: the Charles M. Schulz Museum.  Adverb was excited to get his geek on and learn more about his cartooning idol.

 

This huge tile mural adorns the main wall as you enter the museum.  It looks cool from a distance, but it's even more impressive up close...

 

...because the whole mural is constructed from tiles depicting Peanuts comic strips.

 

Artist Yoshiteru Otani designed the mural using 3,588 ceramic tiles--about ten years worth of daily strips.  Impressive!

 

After touring the museum, we quaffed some root beers in the adjacent Warm Puppy Cafe.