tuckered out

it's been a while since the last time I posted photos; I'm posting a bunch from my last three shoots: UBC Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago, the Elizabeth Miller Garden (in Seattle) a few days ago, and Flower World this morning. I went through the photos and it was hard to just pick a few, so I'll just post thumbnails on this page, and then, if you want, you can click on a thumbnail to see a larger image in a new window...



so where was I... ah yes, the run of bad luck...



most importantly, Hiro was able to convince City University in Bellevue to help him with his reinstatement process.



although reinstatement carries some risk, I think it's inherently less risky than making Hiro go back to Japan, where he's at the mercy of the US Embassy for another F1 visa. his age, his academic record... it doesn't look good from a bureacratic standpoint...



so that's where we are with that. hopefully all the paperwork will be done this week.



meanwhile, the Saab was finally turned in. I get the distinct impression that Barrier didn't fax my paperwork back right away, because I got a call on Friday asking if the car had been turned in yet or not...



now I just have to wait for the final bill, and my begging to do installment payments.



of course, I did love that Saab, and it brought me to many an art show (which is probably why my overmileage bill will be so high). I will definitely miss the leather seats and the smooth ride, but I won't miss those lease payments!



we also got the refrigerator fixed, after Hiro asked me to call a repairperson. it was kind of sad, actually, as the fan inside the fridge, we found out, had stopped working because it had frozen solid in a lake of ice. somehow, the drain stopped draining, and all the water for our ice maker pooled and froze solid.


what other news?



I didn't get into the Sausalito shows, but I was expecting that. it's the top show on the West Coast, and I'd be surprised if anyone got in on the first try.



I also didn't get into the shows in Wyoming and Colorado, but again, I don't yet have the kind of booth setup those organizers want. we're talking carpeted floors!



I did get back into the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Show for my second year in a row, so I'm jazzed about that.



now I just need to decide when to go to the farmers markets in Redmond and Issaquah.



I also still haven't heard from Bumbershoot, and the shows in Mill Valley and Corvallis.



this coming weekend, though, I think I'm going to get to drive down to the Portland/Vancouver area to shoot irises, orchids, and roses (if they're out).



one the art front, I've been working on a piece based on a Chinese poetry classic. used as a calligraphy trainer, the poem is composed of 1,000 characters, and not a single one is used twice. since there are 40,000 characters in traditional Chinese, you'd think that would be easy to do, but it's not. only 2,000 characters are really commonly used, and there are only so many characters for common concepts. anyway, maybe I'll have some progress to show off next week. here's my last flower:

upcoming show ad

Opinions on an ad I am planning to run for the Vancouver Garden Show in June?



Yes, it's that small.

the after photo

Hiro took an after photo for me.


it's hard to get both eyes to open as widely, especially when Hiro was making funny faces to make me laugh...

up and down

so, I went to Vancouver on Monday for the meeting at the Van Dusen.
here's some hints for all you artists out there:
regardless of the fact that the law doesn't require a passport for entry into Canada, bring a passport (or birth certificate) anyway. border guards are lords of their tiny fiefdoms, and if you luck out and get the surly one (like I did)...
next tip, don't drive up in a van filled with your stock. I only have the one car now, and it's my van, which I use for art shows. I had to convince the border guard, the customs and the commercial customs people I wasn't selling anything in Canada (yet).
anyway, finally did get in, and on my way. made it to Vancouver early, so I went to the UBC Botanical Gardens to shoot. the weather was cooperating for an hour or so, and I did shoot some nice apple blossoms, cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, and maybe even a nice primrose (not one of my favorite flowers, but it was a good shot).
then the phone rang.
Hiro, driving back from Ellensburg with a load of luggage, hit a slick spot on I-90, east of Issaquah. he hydroplaned into the median, thankfully with seatbelt on. he was fine, but our 88 Honda Accord... totalled. man.
because the car is so old, I don't have collision coverage. total loss. thankfully, there's a company in Kent that salvages old cars. the good news: they don't charge to take your car away. the bad news: they don't give you money for salvage, either.
(I drove out to the lot to drop off the title this morning and see first hand the damage... poor little car... I thanked it for sparing Hiro's life, too.)
the meeting at the Van Dusen, by the way, was a waste of time, for me. the organizers of the show wanted the chance to show exhibitors how much things have changed since last year, but this is my first year... sigh...
they had a great packet of information available, which also went online the next day, so...
I stayed with my friends Klaus and Mikie in Vancouver. they have two wonderful children: Shoma and Maya, 4 and 2 years old. the kids were excited to have a visitor. my ear drums are still ringing! :)
Shoma's big thing is either pretending he's a Japanese superhero or else Dash, of the Incredibles. lots of jumps and action poses. Maya likes to dance and exercise her lungs. they have a dog, Buddy, and they play a lot with him as well.
Klaus and Mikie helped me to stay calm when I was worried sick about Hiro. I left early on Tuesday to try and deal with insurance issues before going to work. here's another hint:
the US border guards are as friendly as the Canadians. bring that passport. and even if the stuff in your car wasn't for sale in Canada, if it is commercial, use the commercial lane.
oh, and by the way, use the Abbotsford/Lynden crossing. between the construction on 15 (the route that leads away from the Blaine truck crossing) and the construction on I-5, using Abbotsford, and then driving up to Route 1 is much better.
stress levels have been on high since then, though, and I had to take some time off work today to deal.
I did get some good news, though. I'll be back at the Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair in July. hurray!
some people asked if I had any pictures of me to do a before and after comparison, now that I'm almost at the 100 pounds lost mark. here's a before picture.


I'll do an after picture next week.

accursed

it's sad that I don't have any new art or photos to post; it's been a hellacious week.
the money situation is still very tight: I was able to pay for repairs to the Saab, but now I need to spend some money on body work before I turn in the Saab at lease's end and end the saga once and for all.
and, wouldn't you know it, our refrigerator has died (although the freezer is still working). brave Hiro is trying to fix the fan unit (because the condenser still seems to be working), but we've had to clean the refrigerator out. that's a good thing, I suppose, but relying on bottled water and microwave popcorn and soup (not in the same meal) is not such a good thing.
speaking of Hiro, the school situation is not yet resolved. hopefully, before the coming week is out, we'll know one way or another whether he'll have to go back to Japan. his odds at the Embassy in Tokyo are slim at best. the current plan is to convince the new university to guide him through a reinstatement procedure, which would keep him here in the States. fingers are crossed.
I haven't heard on any new shows, although I've decided to put off the Saturday market appearances until July, if only because I probably will be lucky if I have all the material I need for the show in Port Angeles by Memorial Day weekend. thanks again to my friend Laureen for putting me up while I'm out there.
I am heading to Vancouver in the morning to attend a meeting for vendors at the Garden Show in June. should be fun, and I hope it clears enough to let me get some photos taken at the UBCBG. it'll also be great to see my friends Klaus and Mikie and their two kids, Shoma and Maya. the word on the street is that little Maya is turning out to be as rambunctious as her big brother. two against one is the scenario I envision! =)

finally behind the camera again

at last, some photography. it's been a gruesome week, with my computer at work dying and some unexpected news from Hiro, and to make matters worse, the only sunshine seemed to come during work hours.






I think both Kat and I had had our fill of gray skies and rain, and I definitely needed to clear my head a little, so early Saturday morning, we agreed to debunk and head for more distant locales.






our first destination was the Mount Vernon/La Conner area, where the tulips are beginning to bloom in abundance. the trip up I-5 was not rain free, but when we finally found our initial destination, Roozengaarde (note to self: bring a map next time!), there was a little sun.






it was cold, though. much colder than expected, and I was glad I had on a sweatshirt and a fleece jacket. although not all the tulips are in full bloom yet, it was wonderful. we got there early, but just. the tour buses started coming in fast and thick. after all, there was a celebrity on hand: Ciscoe, the radio and TV gardener for the Seattle area. he's one of the funniest gardener personalities I've ever seen, though, so I don't begrudge him the deserved fame. (that last sentence makes me sound like a magnanimous jerk! note to self: get off high horse!)







of course, you'll note that I'm not posting a lot of tulip shots. I did take a lot, and I love tulips, but there were so many other beautiful shots to grab, like these chocolate lilies at the WSU Skagit display garden.







I was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite flower of all time, irises, blooming already as well, both in Skagit, and then down in Federal Way, for yes, the intrepid Brian and Kat, upon finishing our shoots in Mount Vernon, drove down I-5 (stopping for a Jamba Juice in Seattle--the Jamba Juice at Whole Foods doesn't serve Enlightened Smoothies, because their low-calorie base contains Splenda, a product verboten at Whole Foods!) to Federal Way to visit the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. mind you, we weren't getting lots of sunshine, but the rain did hold off until we were done. thanks again to Kat for driving.







(I love the fact that there is a little spider clinging to the stamen of this lily. this flower has a couple of common names, including dogtooth violet and trout lily!) so, what was the unexpected news from Hiro? he's done with Central Washington University, but not in a good way.







after all the hassles he's had over there with the registrar's office, including three quarters of mistaken registration issues, when he failed his last class, they asked him to transfer to another school. at first, I was panicked, because I understood him to say that his visa has been cancelled. that would have necessitated his return to Japan and god knows what other hoops to jump through. I even started researching visa requirements for Canadian universities.







however, it looks like he can transfer to City University, here in Bellevue. this would actually be an ideal solution, since it is less expensive than CWU, the class schedule is easier, and he can live here again, eliminating his living expenses in Ellensburg.







I decided to add a shot from a piece I think I have finished working on: diana confounded. I have a moon fixation, that's for sure. the text is Japanese for a moon occluded by clouds, but there's a more mystical feel to this moon, and the fractals I chose to interact with it.


copyright Brian Watson, www.studiomomo.com