That's Gneiss! #154 ~ In which we gaze at trees
Plus: festive lighting, and a multi-tasking vehicle
Today’s newsletter has a lot of photos and might get cut off by your email provider. Click the title above to make sure you don’t miss anything!
Hello friends,
Here we are again, another week gone by. There’s no more denying fall is here as we’ve had an inch and a quarter of rain in the last two days. We turned the heat on yesterday, and it’s really dark when I get up in the morning.
I took the day off on Thursday and we took a drive towards the mountains. It was a much needed getaway from the house and neighborhood, which is almost all we’ve seen for the last several months.
It was a gorgeous day for a drive!
We headed east on Highway 2 to Money Creek Campground. The campground is closed for the season, so that means we wouldn’t have to deal with any weird lonely old men hanging around! Bonus.
It was fun to walk through the deserted campground - look at all the leaves! No camp host with a leaf blower to blow them around.
…
We walked around both loops of the campground almost completely unbothered by other people. In fact, we saw only four people and one dog while we were there.
That’s a beautiful view of the Skykomish River. Not quite peak fall colors, but still very beautiful. It was still kind of warm, too. Very pleasant.
Here’s the most common view I have when we’re out - Michael and Rowland ahead of me, who is constantly stopping to take pictures. I fall behind quickly so spend my time looking at their backsides. Rowland doesn’t like to let anyone get ahead of him, anyways. It all works out.
When I’m lagging behind, I’m taking photos of things like these cool mushrooms.
…
We thoroughly enjoyed the time outside and have agreed to do it more often. It will be less crowded out and about now that the weather isn’t so good. I’ve got plans for a two more destinations that aren’t too far from home. Not telling where yet!
Until next week - stay safe and well!
I finished my Halloween decorating this week. I’m all about the lights. No big inflatacrap to blow over in the wind for me!
Oooooohhh…
Ahhhhhhhh…
The extension cord on the south side of the house was a life changer! Just wait for Christmas…
Tidbits
Killer toy stoves of the past - yikes
In a World Gone Mad, Paper Planners Offer Order and Delight - a look into the subculture of planners. Are you a planner person? I’ve always liked the idea of them, but mostly can’t be bothered.
Looking for some creepy travel ideas? How about the most “haunted” places in each state? Yes, the Clown Motel is there… along with several prisons and mental hospitals of days gone by. (via)
Life before infographics - visual representation of science in the 17th century
From cut-out confessions to cheese pages: browse the world's strangest books
Making: I’ve been busy in this realm! I finally got all of the yarn I wanted and started a crocheted blanket for myself. Six more colors to add! No surprise, I also did some painting for the Big Art class I’m taking. I’ll be drawing on some of these next.
Recently eaten: it’s Shepherd’s Pie season! Yum. SHEPHERD'S PIE WITH CHEESE-CRUSTED LEEKS to be exact.
Reading: too busy making to read more than a few pages this week… but as always Culture Study from Anne Helen Peterson is excellent, as are the links she shares this week.
Eye Candy Corner
Friday night Michael showed me an image from an album cover he’d thought I would like by the artist Robert Williams.
Never heard of him, I said.
Hot Rod Race (1976,
source
)
But yes, I did like the image! And I may not have known his name, but I am familiar with Juxtapoz and Zap Comics.
Robert L. Williams (born March 2, 1943) is an American painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine. Williams was one of the group of artists who produced Zap Comix, along with other underground cartoonists, such as Robert Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, and Gilbert Shelton. His mix of California car culture, cinematic apocalypticism, and film noir helped to create a new genre of psychedelic imagery. (source)
The Four Seasons As Seen Through the Eyes of Jessica’s Sock Monkey (1997,
source
)
Clowns often show up in his art, and you know how I am about clowns…
Clown Pathology (2017,
source
)
Sorry about that (not sorry). It is Halloween month after all…
This style of art is called Lowbrow Art or Pop Surrealism.
Lowbrow art, or pop surrealism, is a visual art movement that arose in Los Angeles, California, area in the late 1970s. Its cultural roots are inspired by in underground comic, punk music, tiki culture, and hot-rod cultures of the street. The terms lowbrow and pop surrealism are used interchangeably. Lowbrow is often humorous, sarcastic, or ironic. (source)
Essentially, I’ve just learned the name of a genre of art I love. I can call this day productive then!
For more about Robert Williams and his artistic career:
A life inspired by hot rods and comics: Robert Williams comes full circle - Los Angeles Times
Robert Williams (artist) - Wikipedia
Videos of the Week
Every time they say “boaterhome” I think they’ve got a bad cold. Stick with it to the end…
This will cleanse your pallet after that.
Current Temperature: 52.3F (11.3 C)
Current Humidity: 97%
Wind (max gust): 13.6 mph
Precipitation: 0.19 in
Air Quality Index: 8