Usually I start The Sunday Post with a recap beginning on Monday, but we had too much fun on Sunday evening celebrating our one year wedding anniversary not to include it in the weekly recap. We started with wine and cheese (in honor of our wedding cheese tower) at Carruth Cellars Wine Garden and then we headed across the street for a delicious and creative dinner at Juniper and Ivy. 

Walking – In the afternoons I usually reach a lull where I fall into a habit of anxious thinking if I am not busy doing something. When I felt the familiar thoughts sneaking in on Tuesday afternoon, I decided to head out for a long walk around Mission Bay. I parked my car and walked a 6 mile loop along a paved winding road through lagoons and inlands of the bay, as well as beaches and swim areas. I spotted lots of rabbits in the dry brush and fish jumping in and out of the water. It did the trick to get me out and about and find some peace.

Visiting – On Thursday afternoon I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Check out my full post about the visit and the exciting treasure I found in the museum lobby.

More Walking – My Thursday evening walk took me into Balboa Park for a visit to the desert and rose garden. Balboa Park is less than a mile away from our apartment and becoming a regular spot for runs, walks, workouts and people (and plant!) observation. I find something new each time I visit. During this visit the light was stunning and I could feel the coastal breeze moving in from downtown. I forgot what a treat it is to watch the sun set and skies change on the west coast.

I am currently reading The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau and just completed a chapter about the gifts of walking. Cousineau talks about how walking is the best way to get out of your head. He quotes Alfred Nietzche, stating,“Never trust a thought that didn’t come by walking.” This sentiment keeps coming back to me during each walk I take.

Enjoying (Because “Drinking” sounds too blatant) – This weekend my best friend from home and her boyfriend visited San Diego. We spent Friday together enjoying local favorites, such as a visit for fried chicken at The Crack Shack. We spent the afternoon at Modern Times Brewery in Point Loma. The beers were delightful and we tried many strange flavors, like the sour smoked beer that was smoked in tequila barrels. The ambiance of the brewery was also obscure, full of old art, comic book page walls, post it note murals of Michael Jackson and Bubbles, and tumbleweed lights (my favorite part).

Tiki Time – After our fair share of beer tasting, we made our way to Pacific Beach to meet up with more friends and family to enjoy happy hour at The Grass Skirt, a tropical tiki hideaway that is actually a speakeasy. We treated ourselves to Mai Tai’s and Chi Chi’s (a delicious pineapple coconut concoction). It felt like we were far, far away on vacation in Hawaii.

Following – As the Jacaranda blooms have mostly subsided (remember the bright purple flowering tree I was enamored with?), a new tree has become the neighborhood show stopper. Cassia leptophylla, or gold medallion trees, are brightly blooming all around San Diego. The streets of Hillcrest are glowing with the warm yellow blooms. Apparently gold medallion trees grow well near the ocean, but flourish in an urban environment when the heat reflects off the nearby pavement. While Arkansas was a lush, verdant green all summer long, each week it seems there is a new color palette in the San Diego summer.

This week I headed downtown to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. I will be honest, I have only visited the heart of downtown a few times since we moved (once to visit the central library), and I quickly realized that perhaps the week of Comic Con probably wasn’t the best time. Although I had to be patient getting home, the museum was wonderfully quiet and it ended up being great way to view the collection. 

On view currently at MCA is Prospect 2018. From the MCA website, “Each spring, MCASD’s curatorial staff organizes an exhibition, entitled Prospect, featuring artworks to be considered for acquisition by members of Contemporary Collectors and International Collectors, the Museum’s premier support groups. In advance of being selected by ballot at the Annual Selection Dinner, the works are displayed in the galleries along with contextual pieces from the permanent collection. This year’s presentation includes work by Meschac Gaba, Thomas Glassford, Camille Henrot, Judith Linhares, Jim Shaw, and Yinka Shonibare MBE.” Among my favorite pieces was the Yinka Shonibare piece that was so fluid and structurally sound at the same time (seen on the pedestal below).

Also on view is Dear 1968... by artist Sadie Barnette. Per the wall text, “In Dear 1968,… artist Sadie Barnette mines personal and political histories using family photographs, recent drawings, and selections from the file that the FBI amassed after her father joined the Black Panther Party in 1968.” The exhibit was beautifully curated with private moments of contemplation to read the documents as well as bright colors of hot pink to draw you in and share the artist’s point of view.

My most favorite moment of the museum was a small title card I spotted on the way out. The card read “Depot River, Maya Lin, 2008, silver leaf embedded in existing concrete floor.” I had walked over a Maya Lin installation a few times already without even noticing! Embedded in the floor of the main hall of the museum was silver leaf barely visible in the crack of concrete. One of the museum attendants spotted my excitement and enthusiastically came over to share information about the piece. I left grateful that I had observed the small title card sign tucked in the corner, but I also wondered how many people simply walked over the piece without ever taking notice? Maya Lin forever asks us to take a closer look at our environments, and this piece might just be my favorite yet.

Celebrating – On Saturday thousands of people gathered on University Avenue in Hillcrest to celebrate Pride week in San Diego and the annual Pride Parade. Hillcrest is usually out and proud, but this was something special. It was such a joy to see so many people come together to celebrate equality, diversity, and most of all resistance. The theme of the parade this year was “Persist with Pride.” The message and energy was powerful. Some highlights were the diverse group of professionals, from law enforcement, to doctors, to the humane society, and so many more, all coming together to show their support for the community.

Dancing – At concerts in the park in Carlsbad with the family!

Observing – Miss Maple finally found her favorite new viewing spot. She’s exchanged views of squirrels and birds for the occasional lizard and the freeway traffic. She especially hates garbage day.

Painting – After allowing myself some space, I finally felt compelled to make something this week. I pulled out drawing and painting materials that were easy to grab out of storage and found some peace in painting the many pomegranates I keep seeing.

And finally! Today Dom and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe a year has gone by, but also so much has changed. I look back on our wedding day with so much love and joy and gratitude for everyone who made the day so special.

This week has been both busy and slow. I go back and forth between keeping my self busy and engaged to feeling drained and overwhelmed with all of the possibilities San Diego presents.

On Wednesday I gratefully attended orientation for my instructor position at the San Diego Museum of Art this August. It was wonderful to get out of the house and meet other artists and educators to learn about our upcoming summer camp adventures. 

A fellow art instructor recommended I check out Art Produce, a nonprofit gallery, performance, food and community space in North Park. I made my way to North Park, a neighborhood I keep finding myself in that is just a few minutes east from Hillcrest, after a day at the museum school in Balboa Park.

Art Produce is a community space that appears to wear many hats. From art gallery to beer garden, cultural center to classroom, the energy and possibility is palpable.

I wandered through the garden first to visit the abundant planter boxes full of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Another urban pomegranate tree greeted me at the front entrance. I think this might need to be my first mapping project – an exploration of the many unassuming pomegranate trees in my neighborhood and their stories.

I made my way to the front of the building to visit the art gallery. To get to the gallery space, you enter through the restaurant Tostadas. It’s only appropriate to walk through a ceviche, seafood, and fresh fruit bar that smells of crispy tortillas before viewing art while in San Diego, right? I resisted the aromas and entered the gallery (I will be honest – I do regret not having a tostada with fresh salmon on top. Next time!)

Curious Objects by Carrie Minikel is the current exhibition (up through Saturday July 14) at the Art Produce Gallery. Around the sparse gallery were various objects that appeared functional and familiar, but upon further observation, they were skewed in some way. About the exhibition, Minikel says, “As a mechanism for qualitative subjective research, the work’s aim is not for answers or conclusions but contemplative investigation of our surroundings. The visual language of found and re-purposed materials is employed to suggest familiarity and allude to the many ways which objects mediate our daily interactions with our environments.” I loved the juxtaposition of what felt like an elongated stethoscope resting on a bed of lush moss. It made me wonder what the moss might sound like, or even what the moss may hear. I’m always a sucker for scientific related art, and Minikel’s tools left me intrigued. I was also delighted to read that she is a fellow California College of the Arts alumna!

You can see more of Carrie Minikel’s work on her website. 

I look forward to visiting Art Produce again soon and learning more about the opportunities available to connect with my community. Check out the Art Produce website to learn more.

Exploring – You may get sick of the many coastal photos soon enough, but it’s still hard to believe how beautiful the landscape is here. A visit to La Jolla to say hey to the sunbathing seals never disappoints.

Staying cool – This week there was a heat wave in Southern California, which is almost humorous to those of us who have survived July in Arkansas. The sunsets here have been beautiful, though. Here is the view of eucalyptus from outside our apartment window.

Walking – Although we didn’t visit the farmers market, I did get Miss Maple out and about this week. It took more courage than I realized to take a cat out on a walk by yourself with the awareness that other people will see you walking your cat in a stroller like a crazy person. But, after watching someone walk their lizard on a leash earlier in the week, I decided I could own the fact that I walk my cat. No one noticed us, and Maple and I hung out outside for a few hours. She settled in and took in her new neighborhood, even chatting with the birds. Bring on the crazy cat lady jokes, I feel no shame for my adventure cat

Finding treasures – My favorite part of walking outside is the freedom it gives you to find new things. In a not so exciting story, I had to park my car further than usual from our place, and on my walk home I stumbled upon an abundant pomegranate tree hanging over a neighbors fence. The fruit is huge for this time of year and I will be keeping a close eye as the pomegranates continue to mature.

Running – Yes, running! Dom and I went for a long run (run for him, jog/walk for me) along Sunset Cliffs near Ocean Beach.

And finally, a quiet moment at home with a crazy Miss Maple and Dom cooking in the kitchen on his day off. 

So far this summer has been a time of transition. The excitement of moving to San Diego is still ripe in the air; however, with Dom starting work last week as a real live doctor, the reality that we are not just on vacation in California is sinking in. With a doctor’s schedule of long hours, I find myself with a lot of time in my own head. I feel the panic of needing to find a job, the guilt of not using this time to make, and the restlessness of a blank schedule. You’d think I could just relax and enjoy the weather, but an anxious mind is exhausting and hard to escape. With the holiday this week I felt a pang of homesickness for the comfort of my old schedule and the ease and reassurance of my home studio. After allowing myself this low, I felt a new energy at the end of this week and a renewed sense of calm.  With that spirit in mind, and after completing my self assigned to-do list for the week, I went out to enjoy a day at the beach. I have never been good at relaxing, so on Friday my only “to-do” was to rest on the sand.

I first visited Windansea Beach and settled in to listen to the surf. There was no cell reception, which forced me to further relax and actually read a book. There was no possibility to job hunt or research art opportunities on my phone, a surprise and much-needed gift.

With no agenda, I spent several hours soaking in the sounds of the waves, the smell of the salt, and a quiet comfort. 

In the afternoon I made my way north up the coast to the La Jolla Tide Pools where I lost myself in the micro ecosystems in each pool. I watched crabs scurry and waves push and pull fibers of seaweed and debris. I studied the textures and patterns on the rocks and the sand, memorizing them and digesting the forms in my sketchbook. I ended the day sunburned and watching the seals delight crowds of visitors. 

On Monday I visited Balboa Park to check out the San Diego Museum of Art in preparation for an upcoming summer art camp I am instructing at the museum this August. I seem to find myself in Balboa Park at least twice a week these days. It’s an easy walk away and the Spanish architecture feels like another time and place. With perhaps too much time on my hands, the buzz of Balboa Park is a welcome relief to keep my mind busy.

After exploring the museum, I found myself in the Botanical Building and watching baby ducks in the Lily Pond and Lagoon. Built for the 1915-16 Exposition, along with the adjacent Lily Pond and Lagoon, the historic building is one of the largest lath structures in the world.  The Botanical Building plantings include more than 2,100 permanent plants, featuring fascinating collections of cycads, ferns, orchids, other tropical plants and palms.

Adventuring – Through our new neighborhood, Hillcrest. There are so many new plants and textures to learn.

Taco Tuesday’ing – Is that a verb? We enjoyed the best beans and rice I’ve ever had and watched the Arkansas Razorbacks in the College World Series at La Vecindad just a short walk from our apartment. There were lots of people out and about enjoying tacos, but we were too shy to start a “woo pig” in the restaurant. 

Visiting – Balboa Park on Wednesday evening to check out the current exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute.

Obsessing – I still can’t get enough of those Jacaranda blooms. I’m going to keep following them until their season of blooms ends.

Networking – On Friday I attended Creative Mornings with what felt like hundreds of other creative professionals at the Central Library in downtown San Diego. We mingled and were inspired by Tyler Axtell as he spoke to the crowd about his craft and company Bradley Mountain. I also took this first visit to the San Diego Library as a chance to get my library card and visit the used book store, where I scored a poetic, yet scientific book from the 1970′s about the San Diego shoreline.

Enjoying – Friday afternoon I toured though North Park with dear friend Rachel as she visited from Los Angeles. We fell in love with Pigment, a store of treasures and succulents and so much aesthetic pleasure, and we ate tiny ice cream cones at Hammond’s ice cream.

Other highlights not pictured include getting a handle on my personal sanity by returning to daily meditation, allowing myself some patience as this job hunt and transition continues, supporting Dom as he worked his first shifts as a real life doctor, playing pinball at the Coin-Op arcade bar, and going out with friends to The Crack Shack for dinner and spotting our favorite Top Chef and Bravolebrity Richard Blais.

Wednesday evening I made my way to Balboa Park to visit the San Diego Art Institute for a late evening viewing of their new summer exhibition HIGH-KEY: COLOR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

I felt immediately welcomed and at home amongst the nontraditional media I became so accustomed to during graduate school in California. In Arkansas, although a variety of artists did work with mixed unexpected media, art shows like HIGH-KEY: COLOR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA were far and few. This exhibit is curated by Elizabeth Rooklidge and features a group of San Diego artists whose work engages in the region’s color tradition in some way. From the exhibit description, “During the early twentieth century, the verdant greens and crystal blues of the natural landscape drew early plein air painters to set up their canvases under the bright sun. In the 1940s, artists applied flattened hues to canvas in hard-edge abstraction, while in the 1960s they looked to the aesthetics of vernacular culture, from neon signs to surfboards. Southern California color is amped-up—whether opaque or sheer, bold or soft, it exudes a tangible energy.  The term “key” refers to a color’s brightness and saturation, and “high-key” speaks of warmth and punch, a precise descriptor for the region’s distinctive natural and cultural landscape.” Many of the works were bold, bright, and abstract. I was most drawn to the works that also spoke directly to the landscape or the material in which they were made. The textile artist in me was giddy to see a large-scale, hand-dyed immersive textile piece as the center of the exhibition. Audrey Hope’s Chaparral (II) made of canvas and hand wound rope mimics the undulating canyons and skies of the San Diego landscape. She describes the color used to dye the fabric as “referential”– for example, “A dusty crunchy canyon is simply a swath of ochre fabric, speckled with bits of green.” Hope’s piece transforms the exhibition space. As you walk around the perimeter of the room to view the other works, if you look back to the center of the space to Chaparral (II) you are rewarded with endless views of the fabric and scattered shadow patterns along the floor. Her use of negative space in the cut outs of the fabric achieves this engaging participation with the viewer, really helping to place the sense of a canyon in the viewer’s mind. It reminded me of a recent hike to Torrey Pines where at each view point you had to look all around you to take in the entire landscape. From one angle you saw the ocean waves crash against the shore, from another a dusty dessert, and from another a steep ravine and canyon. I resisted myself from touching the fabric, don’t worry!  View Audrey Hope’s website here: http://audrey-hope.com.

I was also enamored with Han Nguyen’s archival pigment print series Tracing Shadows. In each print, Nguyen places plants native to Southern California on photographic paper and exposes the paper to light, creating a photogram. Before the tradition of color film, exposing images on light sensitive paper and then hand-coloring them was a way to capture an image of an object. Nguyen mimics this tradition to create the mysterious, warm prints of local plants. The plants feel both fragile and light, but also captured forever in time. More of the series here: http://www.hannguyen.com/tracingshadow06.html

Other favorites included John Oliver Lewis’ porcelain sculptures. The texture and color in his intimate forms is seductive. I love the way they feel so quick and rough, as though he stumbled upon the form as detritus on the street, yet the colors give them a welcoming warmth.  See more of John Oliver Lewis’ work here: http://www.johnoliverlewis.com/page/page/5128945.htm

I tried to get a smell of the sweet sugar Allison Wiese used to create her cast sugar breeze blocks. The pink was plenty sweet to get the fantastical feel of the Southern California lifestyle from years past that lingers on today. See more of Allison Wiese’s work here: http://allisonwiese.com

Artists in the exhibition include Michael James Armstrong, Jennifer Anne Bennett, Claudia Cano, Max Daily, Sarah Farnsworth, Victoria Fu, John Brinton Hogan, Audrey Hope, John Oliver Lewis, Carolina Montejo, Joshua Moreno, Han Nguyen, Scott Polach, Matt Rich, Brianna Rigg, Eva Struble, Maya VanderSchuit, Allison Wiese, and Tessie Salcido Whitmore.

HIGH-KEY: COLOR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA is curated by: Elizabeth Rooklidge and runs through Sunday, August 12th.

I’m falling in love with the Jacaranda trees around Hillcrest. Some are still in full bloom, while others have lost most of their periwinkle blossoms and left a beautiful confetti decorating the sidewalk.

Looks like the Southern California locals either love or hate this tree. Apparently the sticky blossoms that fall litter pools, cars, and other tools of the homeowner. 

I fall on the love side of the debate. The beauty of the flowers really is overpowering and magical.

The Hillcrest Historic Foot Bridge Walk is approximately 3 miles round trip, offering canyon paths, neighborhood sidewalks, and 3 pedestrian bridges. I picked up the trail just a few minutes from our apartment in Hillcrest and was immediately in an untamed, dessert landscape.

The walk takes you back in time to the early to mid-1900's to experience how Hillcrest inhabitants were able to travel through Hillcrest’s beautiful canyons. I visited the Upas Street Foot Bridge (built in 1946), which leads over the Old Cabrillo Freeway to the Marston House. 

Then I crossed the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, engineered by Edwin Capps and built in 1912. The suspension bridge was the most precarious of the bridges by far. As walkers and joggers crossed the bridge, you felt a nice bounce as you tried to take in the view. The cables on either side of the bridge that acted as hand rails felt short, even for me. 

I completed my bridge walk across the Quince Street Foot Bridge built in 1905. 

My favorite stop along the walk was a visit to the Marston House gardens. One of California's finest examples of the Arts and Crafts movement, the Marston House was constructed in 1905 for George W. Marston and his wife, Anna Gunn Marston. George Marston is noted for many things but most prominently as a civic leader whose interest and work in historic preservation, conservation and history is well known. 

The property was designed and built by the internationally renowned architects William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill. Surrounded by five acres of rolling lawns, manicured formal gardens, and rustic canyon gardens, this 8,500 square foot home became a house museum in 1987 after the Marston family gifted it to the City of San Diego for the enjoyment of the public. 

More about the Marston House here: http://www.sohosandiego.org/main/marston2.htm

Here is the map view of the walk:

After spending many a Saturday morning walking to our weekly farmers market in Hillcrest, Little Rock, we’ve switched the tradition to Sunday’s. Just a few blocks down University Ave from our apartment is the Hillcrest Farmers Market in San Diego. Vendors and farmers come out every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm to share their goods with the neighborhood. I’ve gone twice since we moved and look forward to this becoming a weekly event. 

Some highlights so far include buying the most delicious avocados, white nectarines (my all time favorite), and, of course, the breakfast burritos and tacos. 

Our new neighborhood, Hillcrest, is the hub of San Diego’s LGBT community. Celebrated for its welcoming vibe and pedestrian-friendly streets and sidewalk patios, the area's east end is marked by a towering rainbow Pride flag just off Hillcrest's main thoroughfare of University Avenue. You can spot the flag flying proudly in the distance in the top photo of the market. It’s refreshing to be surrounded by so many different types of people, families, and even pets, all walking around the same neighborhood with pride and respect. I look forward to learning more about the neighborhood’s history and supporting the community as we live here.

Also, when I said diverse pets, I meant it. We’ve had the pleasure of seeing various people walking their birds, cats, endless pups, and I’ve even heard rumor that pigs walk on leashes here, too. Stay tuned as I try to get Maple to come to the farmers market with me soon enough.

We’re not in Arkansas, anymore! It is still a shock to be able to walk around outside in June without an oppressive level of humidity. Every time I walk out the door here in San Diego I rejoice with the mild weather. Even the fog is so very welcome. I almost forgot why people love California so.

A visit to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve last week brought great inspiration. The salty sweet smell of the waves, the prickly pear flowers in bloom, and the vibrant textures of the seaweed felt freeing after the stress of moving and too much time in Ikea.

To quote the Southerners, “it’s been a minute.”  

Many moons have passed and a lot has changed since I last wrote. I used “Rooted Little Rock” as a tool to get me out and exploring when I moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in August of 2014. Without a job or any direction, “Rooted” got me going each morning and brought me great adventure, joy, and connections. It followed me through studio explorations, new dye plants, and visits to foreign landscapes. It supported me through surviving culture shock, buying a home, and setting roots in our backyard. 

After four years, I find myself in this same place, but in a new location. Just a few weeks ago, my partner and I landed in San Diego, our new home for the next 3 years. As we adjust to a new home, I feel the same need for a place of reflection amidst the tide of change.

I’ve collected more homes since I last wrote and now realize that “rooting” is an ongoing process. In 2014 I thought it was difficult to leave the home of the Bay Area, and now I find myself missing even more homes. Little Rock, Arkansas is now a home I’ve collected and will pull along with me as I plant new roots.

To root, as in a plant or a culture, is to establish deeply or firmly. If one is rooted, they are embedded, fixed, established, entrenched, and ingrained. 

“loose fragments, holding tight”