Happy May Day! How will you celebrate?
In addition to today’s Lettre Sauvage’s May Day Open Studios in Santa Paula from 6-10pm (and deadline for their poetry contest!), there’s a number of Beltaine celebrations going on Saturday May 1, both public and private.
PUBLIC DAYTIME, OJAI:
The email invitation from Frugal Goddess Adrienne reads, “The Maypole is the very heart of this holy day. A symbolic merger of soft feminine ribbons playfully winding around an erect & receptive phallus.” A tree has been prepped and ready for ritual at noon with a phallic procession.
“The Goddesses will open & prepare the earth by digging a hole,” according to the email. “Continuing with the Maypole ribbon tying ceremony…Once the Maypole penetrates the heartbeat of the earth- the Goddess dancing will begin!”
Want to see some real faeries this Beltaine? Then hie thee to Bell Arts Factory where in the Vita Arts Center you will find faeries in their native habitat and more at a closing reception from 6-8pm for Borbala Arvai’s magical exhibit of faeries. Not local? You can buy her work online in her Etsy shop.
Sunday May 2 noon-6pm: Spring Faire and Pre-Mother’s Day Sale
|
311 N. Montgomery St. Ojai
|
Boogie Nights FFArtRide & Disco Ball May 7
The San BuenaVentura ArtRiders
Bicycle & Social Club presents
Boogie Nights ArtRide
&
Disco Bicycle BallFirst Friday
May 7, 2010
*Afros*
*Bell Bottoms*
*Charley’s Angels*
Get Your Groove On
& Ride With Us!
530p Meet Cali St. & Ventura Beach
6pm Ride to Art Galleries & Studios
8pm Disco Ball at the WAV Project:
Join us for the afterparty at Thompson & Ventura Avenue!
Beer donated by Anacapa Brewery! Bring mug & money!
Socialize & check out art from 8-9pm; dancing & music 9-10pm; open mic 10-midnight.
We ride every First Friday! Ride at your own risk!
Find latest info here on Art Predator and http://bikergogal.wordpress.com
Email us: artriders@earthlink.net
Introducing: Danika Dinsmore’s “Brigitta of the White Forest”–order now for discount!
Brigitta of the White Forest, the wonderful new novel about two faery sisters by the Accidental Novelist Danika Dinsmore is available NOW at a discounted rate of $10. But you must act quickly because the discounted rate goes “poof” like faery magic at midnight May 1 and the price goes up to $12.95. The book will be released and mailed out at the end of May.
I’m super excited because Danika is a long-time friend: she got me doing the 3:15 Experiment in 2001 and in 2006 we co-edited a book of 3:15 Experiment poetry. I’ve been reading Brigitta and giving Danika feedback on it since Fall of 2007 when I read it with two tween girls I was tutoring at the time. We used that early draft of the novel to talk about plot, character, fantasy, and a whole lot more. The girls loved Brigitta and her little sister Himmy; they were captivated by the plot and drawn into it. They didn’t want the book to end!
Danika kept working on Brigitta and as it got closer to publication, I read it again aloud to my 6 year old son and husband. They too were thoroughly engaged by the adventure. I also gave Danika more feedback to make sure the tale all made sense as well as feedback on where she could do more to things up set-up, develop the characters more, and make the sentences flow better. (Let me know if I can help you on a writing project!)
I did all this to help Danika, true, but really it’s because
I love Brigitta of the White Forest! and I want you to love it too!
This is a first printing limited run “First Fan Edition” so there won’t be many of them. Danika will sign and stamp each one and there will also be a code inside to access news and discounts about the White Forest. This edition will ONLY be available from the publisher’s website: http://www.entheospress.com/index.php?page=brigitta while the next edition will be widely distributed. By purchasing directly from the publisher, 100% of the funds go back to the press and supports small publishers and independent books. All editions feature the gorgeous cover artwork of the faery sisters by Julie Fain (http://www.juliefainart.com/).
Lori Calabrese, National Children’s Book Examiner interviewed Danika; she calls Brigitta “a radiant first novel.” This review provides a wonderful summary: http://10storiesup.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-brigitta-of-white-forest.html Learn more about the series on its website: http://thewhiteforest.com
I can’t recommend this book enough to families with children from 5-15, especially to girls between 8 and 13! So please order your copy of Brigitta of the White Forest no later than midnight May 1 to get the discounted price and special edition.
Wine Wednesday: Rhonely Hearts & Washington Wines
I’ve been tasting and writing about Washington wines a lot lately here on this blog as well as on Wine Predator because I’m preparing for the Wine Bloggers Conference in June and trying to land a spot on the WBC-or- Bust bus. For example,
Salmon & Washington Merlot? Really? Yes!
and
Santa Barbara Back Country Camping With Hogue Washington Wine
and
Chateau Ste Michelle 2008 Chardonnay & Roast Chicken–Yum!
But today I’m here to ask:
Do you have a Rhonely Heart? Do you love Rhone style wines and blends like me? Especially the reds, my heart pounds for Rhone blend reds like my first crush, an AUS 2001 RBJ theologicum blend of grenache and mataro that turned me on. I’ve never looked back.
I ran across one of these postcards in Los Olivos tasting a few weeks ago but it was my 6 year old son who saw this year’s Hospice du Rhone postcard at the Ventura Wine Company.
The postcard catches everyone’s eye with its play on The Lonely Hearts Club Band. My son the Beatles fan liked the postcard so much he wanted to buy it!
I explained the card was for Hospice du Rhone, a wine event April 29-May 1 at the Paso Robles Event Center in Central California. He still wanted to go and stick his nose down into my glass of wine to try to smell what I smell. I told him he’d have to wait until he’s 21 and he has his own money for an $800 ticket–and to treat me!
I’m not sure what he thinks will be going on at Hospice du Rhone, but from the postcard it does look fun. There’s even a bowling event so he especially wants me to go to Thursday night’s Rhône ‘n Bowl event sponsored by the Mutineer Magazine.
Even though they stopped selling general tickets on-0line Tuesday (I know, now she tells us!), you can still come out and meet the Rhone Rock Stars and go to tastings with over 130 Rhone wine producers from around the world. For those with a Rhonely Heart, you would certainly get your fill of fellow Rhonely friends, deluxe food paired with Rhone wines, more Rhone wine than you can fathom in one weekend of tastings. For those with a full pass, there are seminars too on a variety of topics including a Saturday morning session on Washington terroir with Charles Smith, Food & Wine Magazines 2009 American Wine Awards Winemaker of the Year. Robert Parker says of Walla Walla winemaker Smith, “When it comes to his wines, the otherwise wild and irrepressible Charles Smith is as serious as a heart attack. Charles Smith knows where to find the great grapes. In a region where blending is still the rule of thumb, he is the ultimate terroirist.”
Wow, wouldn’t attending that seminar on Washington terroir be a great way to prepare for the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla? And to be ready for my place on the WBC-Or-Bust bus should I be selected?
But of course $800 to attend Hospice du Rhone just IS NOT in my budget–even if I can drive there and camp out in the van. Afterall, I am attending the WBC on scholarship and there are others on the waiting list hoping more donations come in to fund their trip to the conference.
I imagine I can get into the main tasting on Friday afternoon as a member of the media, but what I really want to do is attend the seminars and write about them. Hmmn, I wonder if they’d like someone to live blog the seminars?
Here’s an overview of the Hospice du Rhone schedule which shows you why I’m drooling Read more…
I love art studios. And one of my favorites is Lettre Sauvage where I made my business cards and stationary in October 2008. So you know I’m going to show up at the Lettre Sauvage Open Studio Party this Saturday May 1, 2010 from 6-9pm at 1310 Forest Dr, Santa Paula. Music, wine, film, food, and friends with lots of kids running around and a creek to walk along at sunset sounds like my kinda way to celebrate May day!
I know I’ll be inspired there to get my next business cards made and do other art projects. I love looking at all the beautiful broadsides, chapbooks, and invitations they make like. I may even pick up a copy of the winning poetry from their last contest or a copy of their poetry journal, Forest Drive.
By the way, this year’s poetry contest deadline has been extended to the night of the party so bring your entry or get it in the mail ASAP!
Here’s more info on The Second Lettre Sauvage Poetry Contest, judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn. Read more…
Paul Squire’s is one of my most favorite poets on the planet.
Paul’s new poem “mostly blue and some yellow” is stunningly beautiful. He posted it the other day on his blog; if you haven’t been there recently, I encourage you to take a visit. Click on the image to make it clearer for reading.
Paul’s poem “mostly blue and some yellow” is the perfect poem with which to celebrate National Poetry Month. Put it in your pocket and carry it around awhile. Let it grow with you.
Hearing Paul read his poetry is also a treat. He’s put up a few podcasts and toyed with video. Here’s a recent youtube to close out this post:
I love the informality and the sweeping; it asks you to listen carefully but you can just get caught up in the flow and the musicality of it all.
For other original poetry by other poets, catch the Poetry Train.
Happy National Poetry Month, Paul and all! I hope you catch some poems of your own!
Well I’m not going to get into the whys and hows of what came to pass so that the city decided to cancel the ArtWalk ArtRide last Sunday April 18 mainly because I wrote that blog post and it disappeared into cyberspace and I’m gonna take that as a sign to not waste more time on the matter.
Except that they did so requesting that I post the following on my blogs and facebook (and I wish to comply) and that they would post the following at the Artists Union near where we meet:
CITY CANCELLATION NOTICE OF BIKE TOUR
Due to logistical reasons the ArtWalk Art Bike Tour has been officially canceled by the City of Ventura. The Green Art Fashion Show at the Bell Arts Factory is still on and will be held at 4 pm. Please come and bring
your costume. Patrons are still encouraged to bike to the ArtWalk… on their own for environmental reasons but due to logistical and safety concerns for riders a city sponsored group ride will not occur at this time. Riders will assume their own risk.
Unfortunately, somehow people read this as the Fashion Show was cancelled. And several people told me they showed up all dressed up and ready to ride with their kids only to be disappointed that there was no ride.
Well I’m here to tell you there was a Steampunk ArtRide. And a Steampunk Fashion Show.
And I was on it, along with my sister Laurie who towed my son Reed, another family, Daniel Boggs, Matt Harvey, and others. Granted, there weren’t as many people as on the First Friday. But we had about 15 all told during the course of the ride around the bike path and up Oilve where we stopped to watch hot glass being blown as well as a briefer stop at a new metal working studio where we found Steampunk photos on display.
Our third stop was at a clay studio, 1317 Ventura Avenue where frequent ArtRider Rachel Morris was performing. we stopped to listen for awhile before rolling down the Avenue to the WAV where a few people stopped to listen in to Vonder Gray perform and others scurried around checking out the open house and studios. Finally we cruised up and down Main Street before we turned back up Ventura Avenue to Bell Arts where the room was already packed with people waiting for the Steampunk Fashion Show.
The first order of entertainment was me welcoming everyone and introducing our “Time Traveler” from 1910, my great grandmother Anna Paqu
ette (really my mother, Suzanne Lawrence). Then Tracy Hudak spoke a bit about Bell Arts and then the kids pulled out all the stops to put on a fabulous fashion show! We adults also walked the catwalk, then we gave Rosel Weedn an award for all her creative costuming expertise.
The event concluded with formal photos being taken in a photo booth. What a day!
Next month, please join us for a Boogie Nights FFArtRide May 7. Bring your bike to the promenade where California Street meets the sea; we ride by 6pm.
How NOT to Celebrate Earth Day Today
1) Drive your kid and his science fair project to school, along with all the other parents most of whom live within easy walking or biking distance. Idle the car as long as necessary.
2) Drive across town to have coffee at your favorite place. Don’t bring your own bag for beans or cup for coffee. Get pastries in a paper bag.
3) Drive home.
4) Drive your spouse to physical therapy.
5) Buy gas on your drive home. Go to Valero because it’s cheapest.
6) Drive to the kid’s school to drop off forgotten parts of science project.
7) Drive spouse to office. Have his co-workers drive him home, picking up the kid on the way.
8) Drive to the Delicious Wine Tasting featuring French wines. Make no attempt to carpool.
9) Drive home in rush hour traffic.
10) Drive to see Exene Cervenka at Buffalo Records.
11) Drive to the kid’s school to see the science projects and take your kid’s home.
12) Drive home knowing you did your part toward warming the planet up and melting the glaciers.
Okay, well, this is a slight exaggeration of my day. I didn’t go to Valero or idle my car. I am carpooling with Tim Cabrera to the Delicious Wine event. I remembered my own bag and cup for coffee. We’re trying.
Some days are just like this, and I am grateful to have a car. Normally, many of these trips would have been by bicycle.
But my husband can’t drive right now much less ride his bike so we had to drive and I had to drive him around.
It’s just unfortunate that all this happened on Earth Day, a day when I like to live my most conscious best on the planet.
Back in 2008, we joined a VCCool carbon ring support group to reduce our carbon consumption by 5,000 pounds in 30 days. By examining our records and our choices, we learned a lot about our carbon footprint and made steps to change out uses. I am very proud to say that we have changed as testified by our most recent electricity bill:
Our family has reduced our electricity from 7.5 daily average KWH in 2008 when VCCOOL had carbon ring reduction workshops, to 5.3 in 2009 to 2.7 now!
Turning off the hot tub this rainy cold winter helped for sure! Also has lots of line drying and a new refrigerator! It all adds up!
Are YOU having any success in reducing YOUR carbon footprint? How? Please share your tips!
Wine Blogging Weds #68 Gets Its Gamay On
This week’s edition of Wine Wednesday coincides with Wine Blogging Wednesday, #68 where wine bloggers from around the world taste and blog on a common theme each month with thanks to Lenn Thompson of New York Cork Report who started it five years ago!
This month “Drink What You Like” hosts April’s Wine Blogging Wednesday 68 – Got Gamay? and points out that, “Gamay is unfortunately best know as the grape that produces Beaujolais Nouveau, popularized by George Duboeuf.”
With pork tenderloin on the menu, I checked around to see about this pairing and discovered this article on various chefs’ wine pairings with pork tenderloin.While each chef had a different wine to suggest depending on the presentation of the pork, I found one chef who appreciates beaujolais with the “other” white meat:
“When I think of pork, the word ‘delicate’ doesn’t often come to mind. Tenderloin is the one exception. When prepared with a gentle focus, pork tenderloin can be as supple and juicy as … well … a ripe grape. For me, there is nothing that pairs better with a pork tenderloin than the spicy, jammy, bramble fruit of Beaujolais. That’s right, I said it. Beaujolais! Not Nouveau, but Beaujolais Crus, specifically Fleurie. The appellation of Fleurie is in the north of the Beaujolais region and wines from here are made in the traditional style
– little if any carbonic maceration. The resulting wines exude elegant fruit, spice, and flowers – violets, roses, peaches, anise and black currants. At around $20, the Michel Chignard Moriers 2006 is one wine that should not be missed. – Ben Spencer, a diploma student with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and an IntoWine Featured Writer”
Since I’d probably have to drive a ways to find that wine, and since I couldn’t find any Beaujolais from Washington State (trying to earn my place on the WBC-or-Bust bus now thatI’ve won a scholarship to WBC!), I went for a 2008 Louis Jadot Beaujolais from my local grocery store where it and the tenderloin were conveniently on sale ($3.99 for the meat, $7.99 for the wine instead of $12.99).
As the web is overwhelmed with sites trying to sell wine and everything else, I went to trusty Wikipedia to learn:
Gamay is a very vigorous vine which tends not to root very deep on alkaline soils resulting in pronounced hydrological stress on the vines over the growing season with a correspondingly high level of acidity in the grapes. The acidity is softened through carbonic maceration, a process that also gives the wine tropical flavors and aromas, reminiscent of bananas.
Gamay-based wines are typically light bodied and fruity. Wines meant to be drunk after some modest aging tend to have more body and are produced by whole-berry maceration. The latter are produced mostly in the designated Crus areas of northern Beaujolais where the wines typically have the flavor of sour cherries, black pepper, dried berry and raisined blackcurrant.[6]
Back in the 80s, I used to drink California Gamay Beaujolais a lot (when I wasn’t drinking Ridge Zin because I worked there!) I liked it slightly chilled, and it went well with light meals, picnics, and basically my lifestyle at the time. I could bring it to family events like turkey and ham dinners and people liked it. And I liked that I liked this wine that most people didn’t even know what it was. (Actually, back then, most people didn’t know any wines at all!) But it really wasn’t gamay beaujolais! According to the link above to Wikipedia, what was produced up until 2007 in California is actually some clone of pinot noir!
And what about the oft-disparaged Beaujolais Nouveau? I like it too, especially the 2003 vintage. Nouveau is picked early and released right around Thanksgiving. It’s meant to be enjoyed right away. Although some people cellar it, it’s not expected to develop much with age and typically loses the fresh fruity aspects that this varietal and style is known for.
When I first opened Louis Jadot 2008, there was a nostalgic rush of memories from my early 20s: fresh, fruity, friendly grape or cherry juice. Lively, bright, and pretty in the glass, almost like a young girl. Not much to the finish, but it made me smile as it left my palate.
For dinner, I made a salad I hoped would pair well: arugula, goat cheese, cranberries, cashews, and portobella mushrooms sauteed in port served with a port and balsamic reduction sauce. Yummy! The wine was neutral with the salad, just fine–didn’t add, didn’t negate.
Our main course was the pork tenderloin prepared by my spouse (when he wasn’t making a paper rocket launcher for our son’s science fair project!) The pork tenderloin suffered a bit in the transaction; there just wasn’t time to mess with the plums and while it was cooked to sweet pink tender perfection, the intense rub he used was more of a salt/pepper/cumin/fresh rosemary/fresh sage that would have paired better with a mourvedre or GSM than the light weight fruity Gamay.
The wine then went through a dull period, and then, several hours later when I tasted it again, it was more complex, with some earth, some violets even, and it was much more engaging.
Louis Jadot Beaujolais has a real cork closure, a reasonable 12.5 alcohol, and the label looks fancy and French. You can’t ask for much more for an $8 wine on sale that’s going to please most people and go reasonably well with a lot of different kinds of foods.
AP Wins Scholarship to 2010 WBC in WA!
Yes, I did! I won a scholarship to attend this year’s Wine Blogger’s Conference in Walla Walla Washington!
Which of course calls for a celebration and what’s more festive to drink than a sparkling wine?
A sparkling wine from Washington State!
Because nothing says congratulations and celebrations like sparkling wine, and this one by Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut is really festive! It’s pleasing to the palate with notes of crisp Washington apples, nice balance of sweet to acid, and it’s easy to find here in California. At only $10 on sale at the local grocery store, I thought nothing of icing it down and opening it–actua
lly, the cork popped itself when I left it alone for a few minutes! At that price, and with a real cork cork, it compares very favorably with the California sparklers I know in its price range.
According to Rick Casqueiro, Winemaker, “Sparkling wine is a wonderful yet often overlooked accompaniment to food. Bright acidity and effervescence cleanses the palate, while the delicate flavors compliment a wide array of dishes. Cuvée Brut pairs very well with Japanese cuisine, my favorite is with sashimi. Sip with bagels and lox for a relaxing weekend brunch.” –Rick Casqueiro, Winemaker
Yay!! I’m going to Washington! I’m going to taste hundreds of fabulous wines I’d never even heard of! I’m going to learn all about Washington terroir and walk vineyards and meet winemakers! I’m going to hang with all the important wine blogging movers and shakers!
Please, if you can, send along a little more cash to the Scholarship Fund so other deserving wine bloggers will be able to attend this year’s Wine Blogger’s Conference in Walla Walla Washington!
Now on to my next target–getting a place on the WBC-or Bust bus since I know I’ll be attending the conference!! More Washington wine, please! I wonder what else I’ll be able to find around here from Washington?
art predator 