The Last Sunrise of the Year

...and what a gorgeous one it was. This was the view as I woke this morning.

Afternoon at SAM

Just saw the Elle's exhibit from Centre Pompidou at SAM and now enjoying gelato here. This was my favorite. It's At the Edge of the Sea by Romaine Brooks, and Italian artist.

Treated myself to lunch at Taste Restaurant in the museum: a salad (with memorable dressing) and squash and ginger soup: perfect rainy grey weather food. On way back to Metro, I stopped here for some gelato.

Good but not as tasty as those in Italy but maybe it's my rainy mood ...or the $4 price tag?  Oh, I suppose it's still cheaper than round trip to Rome.  Oh, but I can't do Rome right now... I'm currently pretty busy in Venice with Mary Ann anyway.

Two New Books

Some books
:
A Kiss Before You Go, a new illustrated sketchbook by Danny Gregory, author of Everyday Matters and An Illustrated Journal, is a book I would recommend to anyone who has lost a spouse or other close person - or will - which includes us all. Here is a review by Roz Stendahl, a fellow sketchbook artist, that says it all.

And, a new book by my lifelong friend, Jeannie Vansickle, is on the shelves. Called The Long Ride Home, it is a raw accounting of Jeannie's trip through the painful process of grief after the sudden death of her husband. I've been there. But even if you haven't yet lost the person closest to you - consider yourself lucky, first, and for now - each of these books reminds us how much we take for granted and, just as the recent sad events also did, how important each normal day is in our lives. And so so easy to take for granted, aren't they?

A new setting for our house

So, that's our house. Right down to the garage. It's sitting in Bob's railroad. He built the model. Isn't it cute??

Put a stripe on it!

Bought a pair of warm and fuzzy slippers. They are black-and-white. I cannot resist black-and-white stripes. Or polka-dots. I just cannot. And, yeah, they are comfortable  and sassy. I like 'em!