Penzey's Spices

Penzey's Spices.  They are simply the best.  My friend, Hannah Huffman, hooked me instantly, when she opened up a bottle of curry from her kitchen cabinet and had me take a whiff.  Wow, I have never smelled anything so splendidly delicious.  There's a Penzey's Spices shop in Santa Monica and Hannah surprised me with this little gift last nite.  Ahhh, my sniffer is in heaven.

Monday Morning Painting

So I have some new workspace now for painting!  (Much thanks to Tim & Jamie Pickavance) I spent a few hours painting there this morning.  I love the window and the natural light.  Not sure if you can see those oranges on the orange tree, but I LOVE IT.  I am on the prowl for a decent easel, so I'm riggin' up those unpainted canvases for now.  

I stopped at this point on the piece, but Im thinking of adding in some bird silhouettes in the background or possibly the word "birdcage" in Hungarian (madárfütty) or in French (cage a oiseaux).  I am into stenciling and the imagery of words... 

This painting is for my friend, Heather (who lived in Hungary for a couple of years).  We were antique shopping a month or so ago and we saw a painting that she liked with an image of a chandelier... so Im sort of recreating the vintage look, but with a birdcage.

A High Altitude Vacation - Durango & Camp Kivu, Part IV

The last leg of the trip was spent in one of our favorite places nationwide, Durango COLORADO!!  We got to relax amidst the beauty of the San Juans for three days before heading back to the city.  It was great catching up with old staff and seeing friends.  A few highlights from the days in Camp were 1] Taiga running around like crazy, enjoying the outdoors as much as us 2] a play day at the lake (blobbing and surfing) and 3] eating at some of our favorite places.

And finally, the 12 hour drive back to Los Angeles - feeling tired, but satisfied with our time away.  

A High Altitude Vacation - Denver & Boulder, Part III

Next stop: Boulder/Denver area.  We spent a few days in Boulder with Maury, crashing at his place and seeing some old friends.  Jarod climbed a route in Eldo and I had a bit of Boulder's famous chai.  While he was out, I felt a bit of a wild streak and pierced my nose "on the hill".  So far, no regrets. 

Next we went on to Denver and had a nice Mongolian dinner downtown. 

Our friends, Nate & Julie Hoag, invited us to cheap seats in the Rock Pile to watch the Rockies take on the Cubbies right down the road from our restaurant.  

We stayed a few nites with Jack & Megan Fisher who also live in Denver.  It was great to see them!  We tubed down a little river through Golden, CO [the dogs LOVED it].

Then we had a converging of friends barbecue in their backyard!  I really wish I would have taken a picture of everyone who made it up for the barbecue.  It was basically a K-CO reunion.  It was great to catch Mitch & Millie in town and meet their new son, Tegegne.  That was a FANTASTIC evening!  

Our last morning in Denver was spent with the Fisher's eating at a Colorado famous brunch place, 'Lucille's' (think down home cajun - YUM)

Next, a 7 hour drive down to Durango, Colorado...

A High Altitude Vacation - The Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, Part II

The second part of the vacation took place in Western Wyoming, right near Idaho.  We said our farewells to the Schultz's and drove 7 hours to The Grand Tetons.  What a gorgeous place!

The original plan was for Jesse & Jarod to do the Grand Traverse - hitting those seven peaks of the Tetons (above) in one go - a 24 hour endeavor.  However, upon arrival, it was clear that spring had come late and the peaks were too snowy and most faces covered with black ice.  The adventure would have to wait for another season.  The guys were bummed, obviously, however they did climb a nice route called 'The Snaz'.  Here's the guys right before they left on the approach:

Moments after the guys set off, I was getting into the car when I heard Taiga growling.  Not 20 yards away was a full on GRIZZLY BEAR!!  It was gorgeous and huge.  Amongst the wildlife, we saw a buffalo and a mama moose:

While the boys were having their fun, I decided to have a bit of my own.  I drove 30mi north to Yellowstone National Park.  

This place is huge!  I only had about 6 hours, so I spent my time near the geysers; what a bizarre place.

After Yellowstone, we all met up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for dinner before setting off to Rocky Mountain National Park.

A High Altitude Vacation - Wyoming, Part I

We rolled into our LA apartment at one am last night, physically exhausted, yet emotionally refreshed from a two week trek thru Colorado and Wyoming.   It was a fantastic venture.  Phase one of the trip included:
- a nonstop drive to Denver (during which I finally stayed awake through ALL of 'Fellowship of the Ring', pat on the back to me).
- an overnight stay with Nate & Julie Hoag
- continuing the journey to Laramie, Wyoming (yeah - a new state to add to my "been there" list!)

- meeting up with old friends the Schultz's [which I can NOT believe I didn't snag a picture of all of us together!!  :(]

- climbing in Vedauwoo with Jesse & Nate & Clayton

We spent three days climbing and camping and hanging with friends.  It was so great to spend time with Molly and Clayton and the kiddos.  We really miss the Schultz Family!!