Looking Forward, Thinking Back

The year is speeding to a close, as Nye and I prepare to wing to New York.  I'm not sure that we're really ready, but we are extremely excited.  Nye has been bouncing off the walls in anticipation for a week.  I've been doing my best to cover all possible bases.  Present shopping, house keeping, end of year deadlines at work.


Season - Solstice    The seasonal transition here in San Jose is fun and not at all  like back east.  The Fall days with their "ocean" mornings of gray, until precisely 10 am, are gone now.  Most of the trees that will loose their leaves dropped them sometime between the 1st and the 15th of December.  (I love seeing the small mountains of leaves awaiting pick up by our local composting crew.)  While there are still flowers on my tomatoes I think they're probably done producing.  No doubt while we're gone there will be some killing frosts.  Hopefully the garlic and snow peas will survive. I'm not really much of a gardener but I do love that I have all these lovely things that I can eat in the yard.  Days can be up to 60 degrees but nights do get chilly in the low 40's.  After the New Year if the weather stays cold overnight we'll see the tops of the mountains dusted with snow and frost in the yard.  I wish it would rain, though since my lovely natives really need the soaking.  I probably jinxed it by putting in the drip irrigation system! The big change to the landscape is that transformation from golden brown to lush green in the chaparrals.  I love driving toward the range to our east at this time of year.  The color and shapes always remind me of the a pride of sleeping lions  

Chapters   So as the we unfold the seasons, a new year, and all the new chapters yet to be written, I'm thrilled to announce that I have a new chapter of my own.  Just recently I had my first chapter published in a book.  I co-authored it with my colleague Lisa Ellsworth.  It is published in Museums at Play: Games, Interaction, and Learning and our chapter is called Leveraging Play, Unlocking Imaginations.  Writing it was quite the challenge but well worth the effort.  I'm hoping to get to work on a second chapter after the new year.  A friend/colleague has requested a piece about institutional collaboration and I'm eager to do some reflecting upon the past few years of work. 


Words    I've been collecting words and phrases that I enjoy for quite some time.  (Every once and while I'll come across a little collection from my past hoardings.)  There were two words that I came across recently that I really enjoyed - haimish and gaman.  They come from very different origins but both seem to be inspiring to me.  Haimish is a yiddish word that suggests, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality.  To my mind it is at the very heart of the best social gatherings.  It makes me think of a warmth of family and friends; and the sharing that comes with being in both a peaceful and engaged state.  Gaman (我慢) is a Japanese term of which means "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity". The term is generally translated as "perseverance" or "patience." I don't want to trivialize this word but it strikes me that it expresses a beautiful way of being.  The small slights, petty struggles, and annoyances of everyday living fade before it's perspective.


Holiday Wishes    Soon we'll be enjoying time and stories with friends back east.  (I'm hoping for a warm fireplace and the kicked back comfort that can only be found in front of one.) From our small family I'd like to extend the very warmest wishes for the holiday season.  

We wish for everyone, peace & good health!

With love, Sara, Nye and Archil   

[aka SNAP Press]

Giving Thanks!

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
                - Dalai Lama

 

A Day of Giving Thanks

I guess all times of year are good times to give thanks, but today is one day that I like to try to remember all the things that I'm thankful for.  There are so many not the least of which are my family and friends who all have such a wonderful passion for life.  The last year or so have had some serious ups and downs and through those you all have always been there for us and for each other.  Thanks!

 Long Pauses

You may be asking "What took you so long to get around to posting?"  We'll I guess I've been a bit busy and too tired at the end of the day to write. (I think all those colleges students can probably relate to that sense of crunch time at the end of a term.) Most of this year has felt a bit like crunch time.  Unfortunately, exhibition installation and post installation follow up often feels like finals.  Lots of headaches, but they're worth it when I get to see how children and families respond to the exhibitions.  Finally things are calming down and I'm hoping that I have the energy to write more often.  Arch spent most of the summer in NY and now he's getting ready to go back again for another 5-6 weeks.  We've also been busy with the yard work and are finally getting close to finishing our first phase of that.  More on that below.




Yard Crashing

One of the things that has been giving us a lot of satisfaction at home is working on the yard. I know I've written of the work that Archil has put into the rock garden. He's adopted so many wonderful succulents and they've rewarded him by taking root and growing. But in addition to the rock garden we've added a number of other beds with native flowering plants. We've got a whole range of drought tolerant plants along the side of the house ranging from the native Lilac to a low growing native fushia. Recently we added a couple of beds to the front yard including native ferns, Sticky Monkey Flower, and Coral Bells.

We've had many wonderful flowering plants this spring in the back. Many are a bit dwarfed by the once in a lifetime flowering of our neighbor's Agave. I have to say that is one crazy organism that flowers just once in a life time and sends a blossom cluster some 20+ feet in the air. Loads of drama as we wait week after week for it to unfurl. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end but while we wait the smallest of plants is putting out the most wonderful of flowers. Our tiny pin cushion sized cactus has put forth not one but two giant pink blooms.

We've installed a small solar fountain in our pond and I've made space for our hammock under the fruit trees. The birds and insects seem to enjoy the access to the water. We now have some lovely little "zones" to hang out.  We're working on plans for a fence which will add some much needed privacy to our much improved back yard.

It is hard to believe when I think about it how just over a year ago this was a huge patch of weeds. Now we have strawberries, raspberries, blackberries all growing wonderfully. The fruit trees are much happier now that they've been pruned. The one diseased trees is gone. Native plants are in bloom pretty much all year long. And we have melons, tomatoes, garlic, artichokes and cucumbers growing in our small garden patches.

The Miracle of Go Away Green

Perhaps the biggest miracle of all is the shack. Don't get me wrong, it is still a total tear down! But it has undergone a rather nice transformation. And it is kinda a funny story . . .

It started with the purchase of some second hand trellis. As we considered how to position those near our wine barrel planters I was harping on the bit of unpainted wood up at the roof line. Archil offered (okay I nagged until he offered) to paint it that very evening. Unfortunately, instead of using the yellow paint he used glue. Hmmm! Imagine my surprise when I came outside in the morning in looking at the shack which is now sporting a sickly yellow, brown coating, yuck! Fortunately, I had been reading a novel in which the topic of Disney's buildings were discussed and the color they use in painting them is termed "go away green." I just loved the idea of applying that same logic to the shack. Now it is sporting a brand new coat of green.  It is such a huge improvement to the back yard space that it I'm so thankful for the original mistake which precipitated the transformation.  Very funny!

Winter Rains

Those leaves that do turn are really beautiful now.  They will all fall almost as one in the beginning of December.  Fall and winter means rain and since we love our plants we're thrilled by seeing them respond to all the water.  (San Jose residents bundle up in warm coats and hats when a simple fleece or raincoat would do for almost any one from back east.)  So for us a rainy day is just one more thing to give thanks for. 


Wishing all of you the very best as you toast all the reasons you have for being thankful!

Love,

Sara, Archil, and Nye

Nye "performing" at one of San Jose's art opening
in the shadow theater Art Ark. (Nye is on the left.)

January, February, March - Oh, My!

Busy Time vs Simplicity

Sorry that it has been some time since I've posted. Can't pin down exactly what has been standing in the way, but I'm sure it is some mix of Archil's travels and my own work situation. (The exhibit I've been working on since having moved here is set to open in May -oh, my!) Suffice it to say, we've been quite busy, and it is precisely that bustling that has me thinking about simplicity lately. With all the hustling we seem to do these days it is hard to find a few moments to just stop, breathe, and write.

During the past few months we've celebrated birthdays, and the strangely early arrival of "spring" here in CA. Happy Birthday! I say to all who've passed another year marker. As my old friend Carol used to say "a birthday is far preferable to the alternative!" Best wishes for a happy and healthy to Archil, Chris, Inna, Suz, Lynn, Frank, and many more. I've come to appreciate the bits of simple advice I've received over the years. Indeed it is preferable to celebrate all days, and certainly all birthdays, for they mean we have the joy of being able to be with family and friends. In these times where so many things around us that being present during each day can seem like a moving target - yet if there were a resolution to make it should be celebrating each day.

Patience

In that same vein I've been appreciating some small facets of our lives here in CA at the new house. Many of aspects of day to day living are, after all, small gifts. Most go unnoticed and uncelebrated, but that makes them no less miraculous.

I'm always "dogging" Nye to work on being "more patient." Yet any rational adult would realize that no child is going to "get it" and suddenly become patient at age nine. Being able to wait for a cherished object is just not in the cards for a child of Nye's age.

On the other hand it is amazing how adaptable Nye and the whole family has been to our current situation. Take for example something as basic as our hot water situation. The previous owners had installed the shower faucet upside down. Not a major problem in the summer (the water maxed out as "warm") which was plenty warm enough. We had solid warm showers, baths, etc and were mostly okay with it, knowing that a simple change to the fixture would help us in the future. (Sadly we couldn't affect this change ourselves.)

Once winter came and the cooler weather those warm showers started to feel less than satisfying. Finally, after a couple of weeks of frost (and I should point out that CA houses don't have much insulation, no basements, and lovely cool tile floors) we were ready to boil water for hot baths. So in came the plumber for a little handle switch out. What an amazing thing, once the handles was "returned to its upright position." We enjoy wonderfully scalding hot showers. And, we really truly appreciate them each and every single day. It's been weeks and the sense of deep gratitude for each shower or bath is still there, yeah it is kinda silly . . . and yet it is not in that having to be patient has made us really appreciate what we waited for in a sustained way.


Deep Winter

The "colder" weather of winter has not exactly stopped us from being outdoors. We still have fun beach days with friends. Nye and I planted winter vegetables and so are continuing to enjoy the harvest of our garden - fresh snow peas, rainbow chard, radishes, and herbs. We planted raspberries and blackberries in wine barrels near the shack and a few old world artichokes in the garden. Most days unless it rains it is great to be outside with only a sweat shirt or light fleece. I think this is the reason we are so focused on the yard. We spend a huge amount of our time there.

Sometimes it rains. . . .

Sometimes there is a frost . . . .

In the morning, on occasion, the snow comes down below 2000 feet which means that there is fine sugar powder coating of snow on the mountains nearby. Which by the way, is totally cool and still a bit surreal, especially when viewed through the flowers and lemons.

Do I miss the snow back East? Yes!
Do I miss the day after the snow? No! (no slush, no gray snow, no soggy wet layers to set aside till they dry.) Yeck!


New Neighbor

We do have some new neighbors. Some more welcome than others. The squirrel is back in the attic. Stronger hardware cloth is required to keep it out as I'm sure there is or will be a nest and a mess to deal with soon.

More lovely, is the hummingbird nesting just at the edge of our driveway. We watched her as she gathers bits of fine bark and spider silk to make the nest. It is a lovely little construction project and very hard to see in the nook of the eucalyptus tree. Today for the first time we've noticed that she has chicks. Two of them. Very tiny and almost fully hidden from view. Over and over we watch as the mother hummer darts around gathering tiny insects at the avocado tree. Given her mysterious hovering I had a feeling her chicks might have hatched and that insects were a part of their diet. The hummers are still so much fun to watch and we're thrilled to see two happy healthy looking chicks so close to our house.

Our last new neighbor isn't actually new it's just recently identified - maybe. It's been almost a year long project to figure out what trees and plants we have planted in the yard. (There are still mystery plants and will likely be for some time!) But the one remaining tree which was an unknown appears to be an almond tree. Still not 100% sure but I'm sure we'll find out. Looking forward to munching on some green almonds (a thinning process, since this is looking like a bumper crop already) and hopefully some regular almonds a bit later in the year.

It's nice to see the way things are unfolding for us out here. Even if we get really busy at times it is still much more low key that life was in the city and it's hard to argue with climate and environment.

Sending along our love,

Sara, Nye, and Archil
Press Productions

aka SNAP

Giving Thanks

Traveling for the holidays tends to leave one frazzled and frayed. We're happy to be home and snug and relaxing, but I'm very happy we got a chance to celebrate the holidays back east. It was wonderful to see the family and friends we were able to visit. And of course we missed many people we would have loved to spend time with. If you're on that list, you know that the solution is to come to California! We love company and there is a standing invitation so don't be shy.

This year we're not making a long list of resolutions but trying to live up to the same simple goals:

• To remember to give thanks for all we have everyday.
• To take time to breathe and enjoy the lessons life dishes out daily.
• To tell the truth beautifully.

Oh and to continue to explore what California has to offer. We'll keep you posted here of course.

Wishing everyone an adventurous and healthy New Year!

Sara, Nye, and Archil

Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last
drink and swore his last oath.
Today, we are a pious and exemplary community.
Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient
shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.

~Mark Twain