june sunshine

Last Saturday I got a text bright and early from Jessica G.  She invited me to go check out the Renegade Craft Show with her.  I've been to the Renegade in Chicago twice now and I thought it would be pretty interesting to compare the two shows.

 This one had the same adorable and fun photo booth.

I think that it was a smaller number of booths but it could be the arrangement.  Chicago's is down a street with the booths back to back in the center and there were multiple rows in this set up which was down by the East River.  I also think that the level of craft was higher here in Brooklyn.  Many of the folks showing do so as their career.   There were far less "crafty" nick nack and more really well put together work.

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BUT one thing this Renegade did not have was amazing animal and object shaped chalkboards and incredible stitched greeting cards.  Nope.  No Despina.

 This lavender-filled strawberry was my only purchase of the day.

The second item I acquired was also red but this insane sunburn came complementary.  Don't worry it was only bad on that side and still not too bad.  This would be the reason why I am not a beach-goer and generally stay indoors during the hours of 11-5 during the summer.

 Fortunately the summer sun has many beautiful things to offer the world.  As I ate this box of berries I thought of my dad and mom and hoped that this year we might getting some blueberry-picking in before the season ends.  Not like last year.

 Summer nights.  Sitting in the park chatting on the phone with my loves all over the country.

 Summer mornings.  Walking down Nassau to the station on my way to work I couldn't help but admire the beautiful sky and colorful apartments.

A few days this week I had been helping Johanna prepare for an installation piece she was creating for a fundraising party on Friday.  The funds were being raised to support a theater production to be a part of theater festival called Fringe at the end of August.

 Tuesday night I went over to help with prep work and Johanna took me to the most amazing Asian noodle place afterward.  She was familiar with the menu being that she used to live in the neighborhood so I let her order for us and it was SOOOO GOOD!  There is nothing quite like devouring some late night Asian on a warm summer night with Johanna.

 On Wednesday the lovely Lexi was in town and we got to spend some time chatting and nibbling on a loaf of sprouted raisin bread in this park in Chelsea (I believe).  Aren't those seals wonderful!

 Also wonderful is this sweet ring Lex's mom bought for her.  So sweet!

Thursday night I went back to help Johanna with the installation.  My helping was holding a board and looking kind of lost but Johanna assured me the moral support was most important.

 To install, she built this wooden armature.

 The we attached chicken wire and some lights.

 When I came back yesterday evening all the "poofs" had been installed and Johanna was paper macheing.

 After a week of sleepless nights the installation was complete and just in time for the bands to start setting up.

 They were just beautiful.  Ironically reminding me so much of winter snow being that it was in the nineties in this un-airconditioned space.  It hit about eight pm and folks started to arrive for the party (which included four bands) and I looked at one very tired Johanna and said, "I'm going home - you want to go too?" 

It was a super hot and muggy night but there was a good breeze.  We ended up dancing on the street corner to the salsa music being blared from passing cars.  At one point we ducked into a grocery and picked out some fruits and made a dinner of it as we strolled the mile plus route back to Greenpoint.

 Along the way we passed this bakery - just taunting us with their fresh loaves and delicious aroma filling the stuffy night air.  Our walk was way more fun than an industrial building filled with hundreds of party-goers.  It was my kind of Friday night - practically perfect.

This Saturday is shaping up that way too.

 I spent the morning with my Bernina stitching up my ongoing project of the New York quilt.

 It's a work in progress.

 All in all, it makes for a beautiful week end.

::::::::: POSTCARDS: Mom & Dad hit the trails :::::::::

You know who else is having a great week - my folks!  They flew out to Las Vegas last Sunday with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins to spend two weeks on a grand tour out west.  After a few days in Vegas they left to go explore.  I've gotten a few photos along the way.

 This is taken from the Hoover Dam.

 And here they are at the Grand Canyon.

It looks amazing and vast and exactly where I always dream of going every winter.  

They hiked down the canyon and spent a few night camping down there.  How cool is that!  My parents thoroughly appreciate nature but we have never been a camping family.  Nature just somehow always seems to get the better of us and growing up in a small house we family togetherness was not optional.  We (their children) have been joking with them that they ran out of kids so they had to go with Aunt Roxanne and Uncle Paul's family.  I'm not sure of exactly who all is with them but all their children (aside from Justin who is at college in Australia) plus a few friends.  I hope they are having a great time and drinking lots of water but I will be really happy when they are back in cellphone reception so that I can get a few more photos and texts and maybe a phone call.  I haven't talked to my mom since Wednesday - it's feeling kind of weird.