bricolagelife

mini road trip: milwaukee art museum

 

 

 

 

milwaukee art museum

 

alterra coffeehouse

a very good day. 

sing-along with sondre lerche

it is a joy to watch a musician perform with so much gusto.  

that was the lingering impression i left the show with last night.  he said he loves to play and then he proved it.  despite persistent technical difficulties (when he tossed the defunct amp cable aside and stepped away from the mic to serenade us with an acoustic version of say it all) and hair product failures (he needs to try wax - brylcreem just weighs down fine hair) he barely stopped playing and singing with a boundless energy, charm and wit that left me grinning for hours.

and, yes.  i sang along with him during the encore (we all did).  i never do that sort of thing, but he asked for it. and in that small venue, with only a trash can and a piece of sound equipment between him and me, it seemed ok.  just this once.  

there i was, so close, without a visual impediment to block my view.  i watched and thought, he's like the georgie fame of the new millennium.  and me, the only fool without a camera.  instead i have provided you with the reenactment photo above.  feels like you're really there, doesn't it?

thanks, bro, for another great night of live music!

why christopher nolan is awesome: reason #3

new tires.

"that's a funny noise...", i said as we sped along the toll road, just minutes from our favorite juicy cheeseburger joint, en route to our mini-vacation at the beach.  "i hope it's not a flat tire!", he responded and steered the old volvo to the shoulder of the road.  on the surface i was keeping my cool, but inside i was filled with pure unbridled panic.  it can't be a flat tire, my brain screamed inside my head, we're almost at redamaks!!!    

but he didn't lose his composure and i was ever so grateful to be married to a guy who actually knows how to change a tire.  since i've only seen it done in the movies and always assumed i'd be able to figure it out from what i'd observed, i was immensely grateful.  after guiding me to the safest place between the weedy ditch and the pavement, he opened the rusty tailgate and unpacked the bundle of tools tucked into a compartment where the spare tire lived.  oh, so that's where that stuff is!  

we had only been stopped for 2 minutes but my brain had fed me a film strip of all the worst case scenarios imaginable, including the very real possibility that our long-awaited vacation was about to be ruined.  my reverie was broken by the siren whoop of a state police car, making a swift u-turn and aiming right for us.

our first thought in common was that we were in for a reprimand and a ticket of some kind.  our eyes met in mutual dread.  surely we were in trouble if a cop was pulling over.

in a magical moment i hope i never forget, a smiling young officer stepped out of his vehicle, announced that he had a hydraulic jack, tools and a safety vest in the trunk of his car... and asked, did we need any help?

thanks to their combined efforts we were back on the road in under twenty minutes and gleefully stuffing our gullets with delicious burgers and fries in another fifteen.  oh, how eternally thankful we will be to that kind state police officer.  our trip proceeded from this happy high note to be one of our best ever.

which brings me to why christopher nolan is awesome.  because of batman, etc. we were able to drive into town the following morning and buy the four new tires we'd known we needed for months. we bought them without a worry over how we would afford them, or what we might have to sacrifice to have them.  we just pulled in, picked out the goodyears and continued on our merry way!

and that, my friends, is truly awesome.

thank you, sir.  and thank you, dear w.  and thank you, officer scott.

my heroes.

throw down your heart

if you like a documentary that combines cultural exchange with great music and a feel good vibe, then i recommend you see throw down your heart.  i did and i could hardly sit still in my seat.  bela fleck was at the music box theatre for the show and led a Q&A after, then played a mini set on his banjo. live music, popcorn and a good film all in one night.  what could be better?  thanks for the invite, niece! 

watching the film made me hungry for more african music.  

get the soundtrack here.  

or try this,

or this,

or this!

i am still at the pool

i had the urge a couple of weeks ago to swim swim swim in a cool blue pool.  when i came down to visit a friend and help organize her classroom and home closets, i packed an old swimsuit knowing there was  a pool just down the block from her house. we have dipped in that blue water every day and counted our laps, sprayed on more sunscreen while we dried in the sun and then swam some more. we outsmarted the heatwave that arrived just after i did and that summer vacation scent of chlorine and coppertone clings to us as we bite into our after-swim ice cream sandwiches.

i'll be home tomorrow.  now i'm heading back to the pool :)

the pursuit of happiness: averting an aversion

i admit it.  i have a powerful aversion to the city beaches.  compound that with the fact that i don't enjoy certain activities solo (dining out, traveling, clothes shopping, movies) as much as i do in good company and you may understand why i had to talk myself into taking a walk on the beach the other day.  but i'd been sliding into a slump and i wanted a way out.  i decided to swallow this wise woman's advice whole.  i took my daily walk in a new viewpoint.  and even tho the beach was as filthy as i remembered, it was not as crowded.  and i was greeted by a big sky heavy with low floating clouds casting great ominous patches of shadow on the summer lake front.

i wouldn't say it was fun, or even much of a pleasure.  i walked the boundaries of the blocks long space alone, sidestepping eager toddlers at the water's edge, a few aggressive seagulls fighting loudly over some soggy brown paper and plastic bottle caps they assumed was food, and bigger trash half submerged where the sand meets the cement walkway.  i stopped and marveled at the sky, felt the sweat trickle slowly down my back, wondered how many jobs could be created to clean the beaches in teams by hand...

and flap-flapped in my flip flops back to my hot car.  driving home i felt the slumps lifting.  i had succeeded at something unexpected.  maybe it wouldn't become a regular ritual for me, but the trip to the beach did me good.  and i did it all by myself.

certainly a reward was in order.

two generous scoops of french vanilla ice cream, lots of fresh strawberries, blueberries and a shot of peach kefir (no milk in the fridge) later, mission accomplished.  a happy summer day.

summer78

see what i see: blackstone hotel

it is rare for me to find myself in a fancy hotel anywhere, but when i do i go all agog at the riches, history and splendor i see.  luckily i had my camera in my bag.

happy friday!  start your weekend off with this.  and have a good one :)

weekending

in november

irresistible urge

we happened upon an estate sale in our neighborhood this weekend.  we often go walking up and down these blocks, admiring the houses, catching glimpses of interiors in a glow of lamplight.  we like the structures, the yards, gardens, windows and fireplace chimneys.  we debate the merits of brick or stone construction, tile or slate roofs, wood or iron fencing and speculate about which we would choose if it was our home.  we imagine how the rooms are laid out and  if they are cozy or the ceilings are low and we wonder about the people living inside and do they love the house or hate it.

but rarely, hardly ever really, do we get to step across the threshold and actually see those private spaces within.  so the estate sale signs piqued my curiosity not only for the possible treasures, but the added pleasure of taking a peek beyond the occasional open curtain and viewing the secret life inside one of those houses.  the experience exceeded any expectations i might have had.  the first thing we saw as we entered past the sign announcing all sales were final (no exceptions!) was a living room decorated in the late 1960s and never updated.  like stepping into a time capsule.  as we roamed from room to room, we found shag carpeting, mirrored walls and ceilings, beaded curtains in doorways, velvet wallpaper, original tile, the whole shebang.  

the man who lived here had been a magician, illustrator, architect, decorator, private detective, collector and martial arts enthusiast.  his name was alphonse (the amazing alphonse).  his book collection included titles on the occult, qabbalah, yoga, tarot, tai chi, mysticism, seership, shakespeare, the apocrypha, dietary self-healing, christian and jewish religious texts, ballet, magic, architecture, plumbing, eurythmy, and how to improve your eyesight without wearing glasses.  he must have been a fascinating guy.  i learned from one of the men helping with the sale that alphonse had decorated the place himself and used it as a showplace for potential clients.  i'll bet he threw some wild parties, too.

my favorite spot in the house was the kitchen windows, placed over the sink and facing a walkway with a tree and fence.  the light there, the shadows, the tiled windowsill were just as i have imagined my own dream kitchen to be.  that was when i pulled out my camera.  i shot more pictures than i bought treasures but that was the best part.  to me.

same city, different walk

it was only 37 degrees when we woke up saturday morning and decided to pour the coffee in a thermos and venture outside in three layers of woolen winter clothes.  i heard that rain and snow were in the forecast this weekend and wanted to go to the magical meadow one more time before the trees were stripped bare by wind and frosty weather.  the woods were just as peaceful and deserted as when we first discovered them last spring.  we were surprised to cross paths with four deer silently grazing near the creek.  two bucks and two does raised their heads and looked us over, stepped away gracefully, moving deeper into the brush and blending into the grays and browns.  we were glad we went.