Sebastopol Yard Art (Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent)

 We stopped to take a photograph in the yard of a woman who was working outside, who told us that the  whole of Florence Street in Sebastopol  comes together around these sculptures- this one was recently repainted by a group of neighbors. She told us they have visitors from all over the world.  Patrick Amiot is the sculptor and his wife Brigitte Laurent is the painter. The street is a mile-long outdoor museum with characters of all shapes and sizes.

 The support is attached to the end of the broom, it makes a loop down to a base with "Surrender Dorothy" painted on it.

 You can tell that some of the sculptures have to do with the inhabitants of the houses, while others are pop culture icons.

 The one above is a ratfink (see under Big Daddy Roth) , I believe.

 The name of the boat is "Florence".

Finally, the front yard of the artists themselves. As my nephew and were on our return journey down the other side of the street, the man himself passed us and waved.

A Visit with Bryan

Here is a larger deatil of Bryan's calendar, 

to view the whole calendar, see his Etsy site.

This project involves a dragonfly with little hands coming in from the edges, 

he is figuring out how to make the parts movable.

Some lovely disarray in the studio.

Finally, here is the little card he designed for Mina.

Like mascara for your trouser seams

Winter makes me feel like sewing....you?

Yesterday's News

From the House on Russell Street in Berkeley which has for days had pumpkins waiting to be carved sitting around it.

Heath's New System of Writing

For real- there is tiny bird (jenny wren) peeping out of the box at top

I love the poetic choices the author made with the pictures - I wonder if the author and illustrator were one and the same, they seem so well-matched

Ah, little girls and their dreams of adventures with big boys...

A mystery.

I do think these would make wonderful needlepoint patterns...feel free to copy any of them for that purpose if you like - cause, it's crafting season now.

Curiosities

Mary Davis of Saughall was documented, in 1688, as having a not unattractive horn growing out of the back of her head. See description on the website of the Museum of Jurassic Technology.

Look what Mina made!

Mina had been saying she wanted to make something with an old book with covers off and dried flowers and string, I wasn't getting it at all. But I came across a book at the bottom of my closet the cover of which I had used in an assemblage...

August Window at Arjan

Can you see a bit of the mast sticking in on the left-hand side?

Playing with lavender

The cat figure is holding a little bowl, I put some lavender in. If you take one of those little conkers with the spikes, you can glue lavender in the holes with little bits of gel medium. That's how I made this- the round part of the conker is sitting down in the bowl.

Pollack's Toy Museum continued

This doll predates Star Trek, but it certainly looks like Bones in crankypants mode

The classic couple

Above and below, inhabitants of the room of scary dolls at Pollack's Toy Museum. A little girl was standing outside with her hands over her eyes when we visited.

Summer Window

Details from the window at Arjan. I made some seashells into small hanging vases and Mina put bromeliads inside them.

Some Dogs

Balto of Central Park, this statue commemmorates the dog who led a dog team transporting diptheria serum to Nome in 1925.

Olive, the id monster

Laurel's dog in Exeter, England. Very sweet.

My sister's Dog Teddy. Above he is in a hayfield due to be harvested in a week or so.

Citizens of a Rainy Day

Curiosity

Privacy

Surreptitious Departure

Your point is well-taken.