We are supposed to be making art. That’s always the plan. We worked hard on Monday, a little bit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today we’re still sitting and talking. We know each other for thirty years or more. Somehow we never run out of things to talk about. Tuesday evening we went to a play on the other side of the peninsula, which faces west over Green Bay and gave us a wonderful sunset.
Yesterday, after working in the morning, we visited two galleries and a wonderful master gardener’s garden.
The sky was overcast with a slight drizzle all the way up here. That’s ideal for a long drive; no sun in the eyes, no huge downpour to cope with. We stopped at the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan and saw three interesting shows. The drawing show and Carol Prusa show were both wonderful, but I particularly loved Emery Blagdon. He made what is frequently termed “outsider” or “”visionary” art: creations which come from the soul made by someone with no training who probably never terms them art or thinks of himself or herself as an artist. I would love to go around the world looking at this kind of art.
After another stop for ice cream we arrived in Sturgeon Bay where Anita and Kathy were waiting for us and we will spend the week. I am sitting and writing and looking out at Lake Michigan and listening to the waves coming ashore. Lake Michigan could be an ocean; there are no other shorelines in sight. I saw it when I drove into Chicago and followed it several hundred miles to get up here.
Yesterday we actually did some work. Sandy taught us about image transfer. Most of her techniques involved laser prints. I want to do it with inkjet prints and still haven’t found a satisfactory method. We have one more technique to try today.
I have taken lots of photos and can’t properly sort and handle them until I return to Pittsburgh. Here is one I took in the botanic garden just outside of Chicago.
It was a great week. I saw 3 nephews (and 1 great nephew), 3 cousins, 2 grandchildren (1 two times and 1 three times), 1 friend twice (and much of her family), stayed with another friend, and friend #3 arrived Friday. All of this took place during 3 breakfasts, several lunches, 2 special dinners and far too much time in the car. But busy as I was, I felt wonderful. I have come to the conclusion that living in the whirlwind is good for me; I need all that stimulation. Today is the day we go to Door County. Someone else will drive and I am thinking about giving my eyes a rest and not putting in the contact lenses. Eventually, I do get tired.
about New York, and here I am in Chicago, since Monday. After a busy week getting ready I got in the car and drove. My first stop was in Ann Arbor, Michigan where I visited a shop that sold bookbinding supplies and fancy papers. They have a great website, and it’s a huge store, but they didn’t have what I wanted and I bought nothing. I wasn’t entirely disappointed since I found a great ice cream store. I went on from there to Battle Creek, Michigan, found a motel, had dinner and went to bed.
The next morning I was greeted by this sight as I left my motel room. 
I’ve seen many pictures of balloon races, but never saw them in person. I stood with my mouth open, finally thought to take pictures. It was certainly worth going into Michigan. I am just sorry I didn’t know about it ahead of time so I could have gotten up earlier and seen more of them.
I stopped in Michigan City to see a show of artist books, arrived in Chicago in the early afternoon, had lunch with Charna and dinner with Betty. I am staying in Arlington Heights with an artist friend and having a wonderful time looking at her artwork, showing her mine and talking a lot.
Next weekend we will be joined by two other friends and all go up to Door County for a week of art making and talking. When I get some time I have lots of photos and stories to tell.
Another week has gone by and tomorrow afternoon I fly back to Pittsburgh. It’s been a very productive week. Monday morning I went to see my contact lens practitioner. In an hour and a half she found more ways to help me than all of my several visits to the neuro opthamologist in Pittsburgh. She gave me prescriptions for reading glasses with a prism to keep my right eye from drifting, the original problem I had, and glasses I can wear when I remove the contact lenses. Then she asked me not to wear the lenses until I returned to see her on Wednesday in order to measure how much change there would be as my cornea returns to its original distorted shape. Needless to say there was a big change. If I had done this for two more days, I would be close to blindness. The contact lenses are reshaping my corneas and I will probably have to continue wearing them forever.
I met Phyllis at noon at the Rubin Museum. We looked at three floors of exhibits then had lunch. I am not hugely interested in Himalayan Buddhist art, but the place is so lovely and peaceful I find myself returning often. Afterward we went over to Pier 38 on the Hudson River and took the Circle Line Tour around the island of Manhattan, another lovely relaxing activity, although not entirely relaxing for me. I took that same trip with my brother on September 10, 2001. Somewhere I have pictures of the twin towers still standing.
Tuesday afternoon I met another friend and went to the Lunch Hour exhibit at the New York Public Library. By this time I wasn’t seeing very well, but what I saw was good and I enjoyed visiting with my friend. Finally, met another friend for dinner.
Wednesday morning a friend from Jersey drove in to visit, then back to the eye doctor, then, with my contacts, a movie with Renee. Thursday was breakfast, lunch and dinner with friends.
I brought my tunnel book to show my friends on Sunday and to the Thursday night friend, who is very knowledgeable about art. Watching my friends, and particularly my very knowledgeable friend examine it, made me think about doing it again and making changes. There are three kinds of pages in the book: bridges, which hold the book together, path pages, i.e., pages that illustrate the path through the tunnel, and wall pages showing the water cascading down the walls. The path and wall pages are not clearly differentiated, making the viewing a complicated experience. Now I feel I have to do something about this. Also, I haven’t really looked at the piece since I made it. I can see it better now that so much time has elapsed, and I am finding it confusing. I’ll bring it with me to Chicago and see what my artist friends have to say.
Friday I went back to the Met to see what was on the roof. I got there just before the rains came. Here is a picture:: you can see the storm clouds brewing. 
Next I tried to go tp the Whitney. There was a line around the block, it was raining hard and I was wet. I got on the bus and went back to the apartment. After the sun came out I went up to East Harlem to see the tower built for the Giglio Di Sant Antonio Feast. I’ll have pictures after I get home. In the meantime here is another picture from the street fair.
Saturday morning we took another long bus ride; this time to the South Street Seaport, a primo tourist destination. We escaped the crowds and went to the museum. It had been written up in the NY Times on Friday, probably bringing a small increase in customers, but it was quiet and pleasant with some good exhibits. I particularly enjoyed the Manhatta/Manhattan room where a plastic model of the island demonstrated what it looked like from the time before the first Europeans arrived until the present. Very nice.
Afterward I tried to do a little shopping, mainly a new pair of sneakers. I wanted to buy them in Pittsburgh but my favorite shoe store now carries only New Balance. It may be a good shoe, but I’ve never had a pair I liked. The neighborhood store here in NY also seems to have mostly NB. So I went to Macy’s. They are renovating. The signs promise it will be magical but for now it’s a zoo. I finally found the shoe department, found something I wanted to try and couldn’t get a sales person. Exhausted, I left and went uptown to Harry’s Shoes, a Manhattan icon. At one time they had three storefronts. Now they have one. They had the same shoes for $50 more, and again no salesperson. Maybe I have truly become invisible. Although I would like another pair of shoes here, I’ll wait and try again in Pittsburgh.
Sunday was the street fair and then a train ride to Bronxville, a northern suburb to see friends. Lovely day. The picture below shows the women who belonged to the goods laid out in the previous photo.
Can’t believe I’ve been here a week already. Yesterday was the day I came for; the first of two visits to my contact lens practitioner. I have problems with my vision. I had a series of appointments with a specialist in Pittsburgh who ultimately did nothing for me. An hour and a half with my wonderful New York doctor and I think I’m on the right road. I go back to her tomorrow.
So, Mage, I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing. I arrived last Wednesday to a hot, humid, rain-soaked day and did much of nothing. Renee made dinner for us and our only activity was to go for a walk after dinner when the rain stopped.
On Thursday we went to the Asia Society and saw the work of two Chinese artists, one very modern, the other contemporary over a lifespan of ninety years. The real hit of the exhibits was work by grade school children inspired by a previous show.
Renee was supposed to go on a trip, leaving on Friday. She canceled the trip because her brother was having surgery on Thursday. After a great lunch and some partially productive shopping she went to the hospital and I came back to the apartment with my purchases, rested briefly and then went to the hospital to sit with J while the surgery was happening.
Friday I got to the Whitney about eleven and found out it didn’t open until one. I walked over to the Met and saw a wonderful show about Japanese Rinpa art. From there I took a badly needed long bus ride down Fifth Ave. to the Center for Book Arts. This is the place that makes me want to cry because I don’t live here. I think I would spend all my time there. I will write much more about it later. It gave me lots to think about.
Here is a photo from Sunday’s street fair. I’ll finish the week in my next post.
I am still going to a contact lens specialist in New York. When I moved to Pittsburgh I tried to replace all of my medical contacts, but the contact lens person in Pittsburgh wanted to fit me with very expensive, less comfortable, no improvement in vision lenses, so it was a good excuse to insure a yearly visit to New York. Not that I need much excuse.
For reasons I no longer remember I decided to fly this time, costing me easily three times as much as Megabus. I carefully prepared for the security inspection. To my great joy there were signs announcing that if you were born before 1937, you would not have to remove your shoes or light jacket. Joy did not last. They made me go back and remove my shoes and very small silver earrings. Going back I’ll try removing the earrings and the hearing aids and see if the shoes set it off. What a pain.
I’ll be here almost two weeks. I have two appointments with my doctor, one date with a friend, at least three more dates to be arranged and five museums and the Center for Book Arts. Should be a good time.
I will return to Pittsburgh for one week then off to Chicago and Door County. A great month.
100 Books Before I Die 