He's Come A Long Way, Baby!

Corey is really turning into quite the artist. He has learned so much at Alabama School for Fine Arts, which is his high school. It's a public school but is very difficult to get into. He's planning to go to Atlanta in the spring where art schools hold a "Portfolio Day". He will be able to meet with up to four college representatives and show them his portfolio. Although he is only a junior he has been avidly researching art schools. He and Steve visited MICA last summer - Maryland Institute for ....something. I forget! It's in Baltimore. And he's also looking at schools in New England and Chicago. So looks like he'll be moving away from us in a year and a half.

This is a self-portrait done in oil or acrylic. I love the colors he has used in his hair.












This is done on a piece of ply wood with acrylics.





























His unusual pottery creations are influenced by the style of his pottery instructor, Scott Bennett. Scott and his wife Dori have become very good friends of Steve and Corey. They own The Red Dot Gallery here in Birmingham and their work goes for. Dori is an oil painter and tile maker and her work can go for 4 figures.







I believe this piece was his entry into a National Teen Pottery contest for which he won an honorable mention at the show in Louisville, KY. Steve and he went up for the show last summer.















This is a huge acrylic he did that hangs in their home office. I don't know why, but I really like it! Notice the people on the cow's tongue. It's meaning? You've got me!

Granted, his style is a little way out and reflects his youth but it's obvious he will only get better. So, the lesson to be learned is get your piece of artwork by Corey now...it may be worth a lot later!

Love to all,
Mom

I've Been Taking Photos

Do you realize that we haven't actually seen the inside of any of our present domociles? We have all moved in the past year! I really appreciated the photos of your apartment in Berlin, Erin. Actually I had started taking photos a few weeks ago but then decided to wait until I got my purple curtains up...yes, PURPLE!

You may have seen these outside photos before....I feel like I live in a cottage in the woods. It's an old in-laws quarters that has been added onto. The addition gives me a great place for my home office.

This one looks sort of plain...but I had huge bloomin' pink impatients in the window boxes. Dan took the window boxes down for me last night so I can plant pansies in them for over the winter. Yes, they plant pansies down here in November and by March you have a big mound of them. It's cool!

Now guys, I just know you are going to want to see every room in the place...NOT. But here goes anyway.

This is of course, my office where I spend A LOT of time...but it's great looking out the window and I'm high enough that I feel like I'm up in the trees. The cats sit to the left of my computer a lot and look out until they start walking in front of the computer and plop themselves down right on my papers so I can be sure to know they want some ATTENTION! :)

Look! I have an old claw foot tub..

And speaking of cats...yes, Jesse is still a bit, shall we say, CHUBBY. But he is much more social than Wade these days. Jesse hangs with me. Wade is getting older and likes to nap...a lot. Of course, that's after he has gone out through the doggy door and caught his chipmunk for the day which he sometimes brings to me as a present. Then I scream at him and he gets all hurt. I've become fairly good at picking up the little critters by the tail while they are still in shock mode, and carrying them outside. I also find that those that revive too quickly run behind the fridge, so I stick Wade in the bedroom and leave the back door open a crack. They figure out the escape route pretty fast! Others haven't been as lucky...

Wade just after his nap...

Well, there will be more later. And I have to tell you about seeing Lily Tomlin live here in Birmingham Saturday night!

Generosity Bonfire - what a name!

The vow ceremony was beautiful and moving. We had just spent three days with Acharya Arawana Hayashi and thirty others (5 came up from Florida to hear her teachings) and the Boddhisattva vow ceremony was the culmination of the weekend. Four of us took vows; seven others took Refuge vows. The big excitement was to hear what name Arawana had chosen for us. When my name was called I walked up and we bowed to each other as she handed me a paper with my new name she had chosen for me in both Tibetan and English done in calligraphy. Was I ever surprised when she read out loud - Jinpa Mepung or Generosity Bonfire! It must be my red hair or something. :) Anyway, it's something to live up to.





Here are other photos of the weekend so you can see my "community". They are all wonderful, thinking, fun people!

My good friend Phyllis who you've probably heard me speak of is on the right.












And on the left is my
other good friend Janet!

A Special Day

Good morning! Today I take my Boddhisattva vow with Acharya (means senior teacher) Arawana Hyashi who is visiting us from New York to give us teachings all weekend. This is my second Buddhist vow, having taken the Refuge Vow in 2004.

A Boddhisattva is one who puts service and compassion for others ahead of themselves. Seems like a simple enough thing but in actuality if one believes in reincarnation, a Boddhisattva is, in essence setting aside his or her time for enlightenment, agreeing to be reborn into the cycle of life with its joys and sufferings, over and over until ALL sentient beings are enlightened. (Wow! That makes me nervous just thinking about it.) But this path feels right to me.

Enlightenment comes when one sees the futility of samsara (living with self-centeredness, bewilderment, greed, pride, envy, clinging to objects and people) and comes to understand that it's all these things that create suffering in our lives.

There will be a vow ceremony in which I and three others from our community or sangha, will be given our Boddhisattva names, chosen by Acharya Hayashi. My refuge name chosen by another Acharya is Champa Metok, in Tibetan, or Loving-kindness Flower.

I know all this must seem strange to you, but for me Buddhism is a philosophy, a way of life, learning how to know how to act in the world to relieve one's own suffering as well as that of others. It has changed my life.

Just wanted to share this important day with you all.
Much love,
Mom

Sunday morning

Hi you all,
It's been a good week. I'm finishing up a website for the campaign for a new library in Vestavia Hills ( a town named for the Vestal virgins...but that's another story). There are a lot of very cool libraries around the county but Vestavia's is definitely lacking. It's to be a Library in the Forest..literally. They need $5.5 million and the city will match that dollar for dollar. I tested the payment (donation) system I set up for them and gave a few dollars in memory of Granddad who of course, had such a love of books all his life.


Next I'm doing the Alabama Head Injury Foundation, a pilates studio and the Char House Restaurant...never been there, but I guess I'll see it this week. Sounds like lots of steak and fat doesn't it?

Well, my latest environmental pet peeve is bottled water. I read in Time magazine that the US spends $10 BILLION each year on bottled water. It apparently takes oil to make the plastic and then oil to transport the water from Fiji, France and Italy to the US. All that of course generates tons of CO2 and increases global warming. So I won't buy the stuff....although I certainly did on those long drives in Wyoming. Water is basically free (well not with water prices in Bham!) but you can add a filter and just put the water in a travel mug. Only 25% of bottled water containers are recycled. So 75% go into landfills. Something to think about.

Corey has been talking about his Mom more lately, so I'm having him come over today to watch that outrageously funny Christmas video that Uncle Steven and Aunt Carolyn made in 1989, the year before he was born. (Erin, the video was a greeting to all our relatives with Carolyn in her bridal gown baking cookies, Steve's video tour of their "estate", actually apartment, and cat tricks by Max the orange tabby - sounds silly, but it was really a riot.) Corey's almost 17, so of course he's curious about her...says he doesn't really remember much of her personality. I'm hoping this video will bring back some memories and we can talk about her. He was only 10 when she died.

Guess what! We're having a cold spell...it's only in the high nineties now, down from all those 100 degree days.

Steve, my computer arrived Friday....yay! Apparently there is a Wizard for transferring files. I'll probably do it with my jump drive or disks. May be calling you.

Will it be snowing in Berlin at Christmas?

Love to you all,
Mom/Pat

14+ days of weather in the 100's!

This is apparently the worst drought in Alabama in many years. We have had a high water alert for weeks now. Being on the odd side of the street, I can only water on Tuesdays and Fridays before 6am and after 6pm. If you have a lawn it must be hand watered. The water company is invoking a surcharge on people's bills who use too much water. I feel bad for the farmers, as well as the lawn care people (there's lots of individually owned businesses with a guy, 2 workers and a truck...that sort of thing). The state has had 11 deaths because of the heat.

And for some more bad news...Patty had to put Sweet Pea down a week ago. She was in kidney failure and had a growing tumor either on her liver or abdomen. She had her good days and bad, but I was over there the day before she died and her back legs were giving out on her and she looked so unhappy. Needless to say, this is SOOO difficult for Patty because she literally took Sweet Pea everywhere (her massage clients were used to having Sweet Pea in the room). But she was 13 (like Courtney) and impermanence is a part of life.

As Steven knows, I'm getting a new computer! He really helped me with my decisions. After six years with the old one, I think Dixie Studios is ready for this. I'm feeling a little misty-eyed since this old machine has seen me through the beginning of my business to the success it is today! :) This is it, the new XPS 410 with duo-core processor (I know that's not impressive to Patrick, is it Steven?) but without the monitor cuz I bought a flat screen last year.

Patrick, did I tell you about the nice hand-written note I got from Michael Holmes, your buddy in South Carolina? He said what an amazing wedding it was and thanked me for my part in it! He said, "Patrick is one of a kind and I couldn't be happier for him." (Steven, he's the one who read from Tuesdays with Morrie.) What a great thing for him to do! Send me his email, will you?

Erin, you and Patrick have some wonderful friends...several of my relatives mentioned that.

Well I'm dating someone right now....we have a lot in common. Will see how it goes! Not that I'm looking to get married again...I like living alone, visiting all my friends, going to activities. Life is good.

Do you remember Uncle Steve mentioning a woman named Lillyvette about 5 years ago? Well, they are dating again and seem very happy. They've both dealt with some personal issues and done some growing...so who knows? Corey always liked her.

Well, another day awaits. I will be meeting with two women this morning about a website I'm doing to help raise 11 million dollars for a new Library in the Forest (the architectural drawings look cool). And, unbeknownst to her, I'm checking out three assisted living homes within ten minutes of me for Mimi. It takes 35 minutes to get down to the Oaks, and since I'm the only one who ever visits her, it's getting a little much. Now just to convince her. Plus if she ever has to be hospitalized (she's had 4 falls in the last year), I want her in a hospital in Bham, not Shelby County where Daddy was....almost an hour away! Wish me luck.

Love you all,
Mom/Pat

Hello from the Steamin' South

Hi y'all! Since the wedding got us all together I thought I'd start a blog (like Patrick) to keep us all in touch. So this blog is just for the three of you...Steven, Patrick and Erin. I may not climb tall rock towers in Wyoming or visit the World Health Organization in Europe, but my life in this little part of the world is pretty full and rich in its own way. Soooooo, I'll be sharing and I hope to hear from you guys too.

I've been having a ball putting together photo albums of the wedding for Mimi, Lori and myself. A special occasion like that deserves real, printed out photos that you can take out and look at from time to time. All my friends at the Shambhala Center lined up to take a look at the bride and groom and all those family members. It WAS terrific getting the families together....I bet it's been 15 years or more since the Dunlap brothers saw the Valerios, Caseys and Forsters. And most of us all went to high school together... Your Dad was something else...getting all weepy talking to Uncle Bob and Uncle Steve. It's brought the family closer together.

So do I look happy, overheated or drunk in this photo taken right after the wedding? Only two are true!

Steven: Lori and I really enjoyed getting to know Kelsi. WE LIKE HER (for what it's worth!) She and I have emailed a little bit about the "google list" thing. Maybe she'd like to join you down here for Thanksgiving or Xmas this year. But don't forget, everybody....I'm hoping for Xmas 2008 with all my kids here.

Patrick, I received the thank you notes today and they are in the mailbox now ready to go out tomorrow. Thanks for what you said in mine.

I may be entering a business partnership with this company in Bham that is doing Online Business Videos....they started out making video resumes for college students but now they're doing them for businesses. So I've got all these website contacts and for those who I refer, I'll get a 20% portion of the business. Plus they will be referring clients to me for websites. I really like these guys and it's a good deal. A really new niche in the Web 2.0 market. (I'm cutting edge for once in my life!) They're at MyOBV.com

Erin, you'll have to catch me up on your teaching. What type of school is it? Are the kids all American? What grade are you teaching? I wrote to your Mom and Dad thanking them for having us all out there for the big extravaganza...it was just perfect. And you made such a beautiful bride. My photos arrived from the photographer yesterday and I have an 8x10 of the two of you in a big gold frame in the living room and a photo of "my boys" on my desk.

Speaking of photos, this one was on the NY Times website the other day. It's the inside of the Stupa at Shambhala Mountain Center. See how they painted the Buddha gold and gave him something to wear? We saw him in the raw clay! That was pretty amazing walking in there wasn't it? I think this photo actually makes him look smaller than he really is. What do you think?

Well enough for now. Hitting the hay...
Love, Mom