Eaton Canyon

Last weekend I organized a hike with some church friends to Eaton Canyon.  It was meant to give us a chance to meet new peeps, get our hike on, and have some alone time (much needed as we enter the rush and bustle of the holidays).  We walked a trail for about a mile, then hiked for another half mile to the waterfall.  It was a beautiful day and the much-earlier-than-usual wake-up was well rewarded.

[gray + brown = love]

[cute little pom pom plants]

[waterfall]

[gnarled oak]

[keepsake acrons]

 I sat under that oak for an hour and listened to the sound of water trickling over leaves and rocks.  I looked up to see blue sky and birds.  I looked down and fell in love with acorns, which I proceeded to collect and stuff in my backpack.  Hope that's not considered stealing.  In any case, I am obsessed with them now and keep them in a glass vase on my coffee table.  To bring the outdoors indoors.  My sweet little autum display. 

It's a great time to be out and about in SoCal.  It's getting cold at night, but the sun's out during the day.  Here's to peaceful weekends and enjoying the coming holidays!

L.A. Flower Market

Back in high school, we sold flower grams, or sometimes, just flowers, as fundraisers.  On the day of the sale, a couple of us would head down to the L.A. Flower Market at 6:00 a.m. to buy bunches and bunches of carnations.

A few weekends ago, I went with Jaxs -- the first time since high school -- to check out what was in season for the wedding reception (family gathering).  These days there's a $1 admission to enter, but, even just to look, it's quite worth it!  Here's just a glimpse of the eye candy:

[street stall w/ sunflowers]

[hydrangeas]

[roses]

[baby's breath]

Worlds and worlds of options!  Jaxs and I pared it all down and collected business cards so that an order could be placed closer to the reception date.  There were even floral supplies vendors, so we took care of containers, too. Success.

If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit!  Don't forget nearby Moscatel's -- which is related to the Michael's chain -- for tons of accessories.  One of the great things about going as an adult is that I can afford more than carnations, and I don't have to go to school right afterwards. (^o^)

The wedding reception was two weeks ago; see how the flowers came out in a future post (once photos are gathered, uploaded, and edited)!

Never idle

Thursday:

• Evening Target run w/ BFF


• Pack for the weekend (including prepping laundry and baking ingredients)

Friday:

• Drive to work (instead of taking the bus); leave earlier to park + climb >150 steps


• Work through lunch; leave at 4:00


• Head down to HB in the midst of rush hour traffic


• 6:00 -- Korean food dinner w/ friends (BH's first KBBQ and last night in L.A.)


• Meet BH's friends at local bar


• 12:00+ -- crash

Saturday:

• Quick breakfast of coffee, bagel, and fruit


• Farewell to BH at John Wayne Airport


• IKEA run ('cause it's right there)


• TJ's run


• Laundry


• Siesta


• Fire up charcoal grill (minus man-points for DC)


• Al fresco dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, and wine


• Walk to liquor store; buy small flask of brandy


• Prepare cookie dough + bake


• Prepare sangria + refrigerate/marinate


• 12:00+ -- crash

Sunday:

• "Sleep in" until 9:00


• Laundry


• Pack up; head back home


• September Sunday Sangria party with old friends


• Facilitate workshop


• Church


• Meeting with pastor


• Dinner


• Crash

Monday:  Off in observance of Japan's Respect for the Aged Day

[exhale]

Working field trip

It's kinda nice that we get to go on field trips as part of work.  A couple of weeks ago I went to the Academy for the first time for their anime exhibit (of course they had some of my fave!).  Today, we went to the Pacific Asia Museum.  And I remembered my camera -- huzzah!

[looking in from the street]

This museum is such a cozy place.  I hadn't been here for a few years at least, so was glad to be reminded of how quaint it is (as opposed to the monstrosity of LACMA, which is so far away in addition to being such a large space to navigate).  It used to be a residence, so I guess that makes sense.

[garden courtyard]

The inner courtyard is a great area.  There's tons of plants as well as a koi pond with the most darling lotus in bloom.  The last time I was here was for an exhibition they did on sake.  I went on reception night, when they had set up many tables for sake tasting.  It's a very good private event or party venue.

My coworkers and I came specifically came today to see the current exhibit called, "The Samurai Re-imagined: From Ukiyoe to Anime."  Although my anime is about ninja, I can understand the bushido (way of the warrior) philosophy that is threaded throughout it, as it is in many other manga and anime.  Having lived in Japan and experienced its culture firsthand, seeing the modern manifestations of those old themes increases my emotional attachment to these sorts of things.  Here, I like the contrast of the samurai armor with the plastic robotic and fantastically imagined figurines...

  

... as well as the muted colors of ancient scrolls and washi paintings against the pop of printer's colors and larger-than-life silhouettes.

 

  

We continued through galleries of Silk Road arts and textiles, images of the Hindu god Ganesha, and ceramics from all over Asia.  They were all so intricate and beautiful!  These are only two of the many shots I took.

We were lucky to have been guided through the gallery space by the Executive Director as well as the Curator.  It was an insider's view and explanation of space, budgetary constraints, and vision for and philosophy of the museum that we wouldn't necessarily get as everyday visitors.  The curator talked about how they hung one of the kimonos they had on display, and the technicalities of displaying those items, as well as obi and scroll.  He talked about them like ordinary objects -- which, I suppose, is what they are.  They just seem magnified in value and importance behind such a large piece of glass, don't they?!

It was a nice visit.  The last few images I took capture some more of the details and textures that I love so much about Asian things.  I took these in the gift shop and outside!  If only I could actually afford one of the amazing shelves and cabinets on which all the wares are displayed!  For now I'll just ogle:

What a great way to start the workday!  Hope you've had a good one, too!

Renegade Craft Fair SF

I'd emailed J+B about the Renegade Craft Fair when I found out about it, so it was a definite To-Do item on our itinerary.  We powered up Sunday morning with an awesome homecooked brunch, and geared up for the ride there.  Helmet, gloves, backpack, practicing braking and setting off... and a bright sweater so B could easily glance back and make sure I was still there!

Let me tell you, riding a bicycle in San Francisco is very different from doing the same in the countryside of Japan or the mostly-bikes metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City!  It was a bit daunting riding alongside so many cars -- thank goodness for bike lanes! -- but very satisfying, especially on such a nice day, and even more so as we zipped by all those cars (and brake lights) along Embarcadero.

The craft fair itself was poppin'.  There were a lot of booths and a ton of artsy people all around.  Seeing it all in person, I really appreciated the hard work that went into organizing the event, as well as the artists' creativity and *pluck* in setting up each of their own display areas.  It was cool to see some of the booths of people I've seen on blogs or Etsy -- good to "discover" that they are people, after all!



I was hoping to find buttons for my Forecast sweater, but saw "completed crafts" more than "craft supplies." I noticed lots of baby items.  Perhaps I've got baby on the brain (more on this later), but I was drawn to the onesies, bibs, alphabet prints, mobiles, and other wee things.  I saw one with hand-silkscreened earphones (those big ones that the DJs wear) and was pretty tempted.  But in the end, I couldn't drop over $20 for it. 

See, that's my thing with these sorts of fairs.  I want to support artists, support local, support handmade -- but I can't afford to!  Also, even though I'm not Ms. Uber Crafty, if I see something that I think I can make --  which, honestly, I saw a lot of there -- I'll never buy it, even if I never end up making that item.

 Am I the only one who feels this way?

 

Needless to say, I left empty-handed, and sooner than I'd anticipated.  One of these days, though, I'd like to try going to a fair like this again.  As I get more into sewing (in the near future), maybe I'll gain a better understanding of what it really takes for these artists and craftsmen and women to do their thing.