Topic: Botanical Studies
Wings
Just two more botanical studies - late light (six in the evening), Stanley Avenue at Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Tuesday, July 11, 2006 -
« | July 2006 | » | ||||
S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
So click on the top link if you're interested in the dancers. Here is just an exercise in framing, patterns, and light and shadow. The door is on Stanley Avenue, facing west, as seen on Tuesday, July 11, 2006, at six in the evening.Enter an exotic Arab world of genie waitresses who wash your hands with warm water and belly dancers who shimmy around an exquisite fountain in the center of a patio. You'll feel like a guest in an ornately tiled palace as you dine at traditional tables on either low sofas or goatskin cushions.
Nothing is available a la carte here. The fixed-price meal is a multi-course feast, starting with bread and traditional Moroccan salads, followed by b'stilla, an appetizer of shredded chicken, eggs, almonds, and spices wrapped in a flaky pastry shell and topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The main courses - your choice of lamb, quail, chicken, and more - are each sublimely seasoned and delectable. Perhaps it's the atmosphere that makes everyone eat more than they expected, but you'll be thankful that dessert is a simple fruit-and-nut basket, accompanied by warm mint tea poured into traditional glasses. All is eaten with your hands - a sensual experience that grows on you as the night progresses. Tip: If you have high-speed Internet access, be sure to check out the restaurant's most entertaining belly dancer/waitress video.
Above the door -
Context -
The work is unsettling. The elderly who pass by it as they enter the senior center avert their eyes.... Petite, brunette, and beautiful, De L' Esprie is an energetic, serious professional, one of the few living artists to be recognized and honored by the Laguna "Pageant of the Masters," who performed some of her various sculptures. In order to fully appreciate this amazing artist and her work, one has to experience them, be in their presence as it were, if only for a few moments.
Born in Montreal in the Province of Quebec, Canada, De L'Esprie comes by her talent naturally. Her mother is a painter, and her sister, a miniaturist (a sculptor, but in miniature form.) She grew up just outside the city of Montreal next to a Mohawk Indian Reservation.
... De L'Esprie attended California State University, Northridge and completed her degrees at Loyola University in Montreal. She first studied counseling and then business before turning to sculpture. Believing she could not make ends meet with art alone, De L'Esprie thought her business and counseling degrees would open doors to more lucrative employment. But then she realized her artwork was paying her way through university and could sustain her afterwards. After obtaining her degrees, she attended Brandis Art Institute taking both private and group classes over the course of four years.
... During this time of artistic exploration, De L'Esprie discovered truths about herself that changed her life forever. "I've always had a lot of nervous energy,"she explained. "I never felt like I belonged anywhere, always felt lonely, like there was something missing in my life. I spent most of my time chasing rainbows that didn't exist thinking they would fill that gap. Then I was introduced to a Messianic Jew, a woman who was born Jewish, but believes Jesus is the promised Messiah. She invited me to join her local Bible Study. When I read the Bible before, it never made any sense, but this time, God's word became alive in my heart. Between reading on my own and listening to the Bible Study teaching each week, I realized why my life had felt so empty. I needed Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between God and me so I could have peace within and peace with God as well.
"One day after class, I went to the mountains, climbed a hill, and spent the next two and a half hours praying to God. I confessed I was a sinner and owned up to every wrong thing I had ever done and believe me, there was a lot! Then I asked God to forgive and cleanse me from my sins, and that I wanted Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I haven't been the same since that day. All the feelings of loneliness, not fitting in, not having any purpose in life disappeared. I belong to Almighty God now, and He loves me as a precious daughter. My purpose in life is to give Him glory in all I say, do, and create. My days of chasing vain illusions are over. Now the only rainbows I seek are those in the sky after a rain shower."
What to do? Find a cool pool.A very warm air mass will continue to bring hot temperatures to inland portions of southwest California on Sunday. Triple digit heat can be expected across portions of the interior valleys, mountains and Antelope Valley on Sunday. High temperatures are expected to range between 95 and 106 degrees across most valley and lower mountain slopes of Los Angeles and Ventura counties while the Antelope Valley is expected to range between 100 and 107 degrees. Inland portions of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will experience another warm day on Sunday. Temperature forecasts of near 90 degrees at San Luis Obispo and 103 degrees at Paso Robles are anticipated; however, coastal areas will be cooler than on Saturday.
If you plan to be outside where temperatures will be in the 90s or higher please take precautions to protect yourself from the heat. Reduce outdoor activities if possible, at least from late morning through early evening. Wear loose fitting light weight clothing and drink plenty of water. Take advantage of shade and air conditioning if available.
Children and the elderly are most susceptible to heat stroke. Never leave a person or pet in an enclosed vehicle even for the shortest amount of time. Temperatures quickly rise to life-threatening levels, even if the windows are partially opened.
The reflecting pool at Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills, Saturday, July 8, 2006, mid-morning...