First Sunflower of the Summer!

This is the first sunflower I have seen this summer. They are end of summer bloomers so I guess this is a herald of the second half of summer. Also glad to report the fires in California are under control or out. Hooray!! Brave people came from almost all the states and from around the world to help our California firefighters put these monsters out.

My mom and I are taking several trips this summer, and this month we went to the deYoung in San Francisco and the Legion of Honor to see the Chihuly glass exhibit and the 4 women Impressionists exhibit respectively. They were both exciting shows, the Women Impressionists were wonderful and their biographies told of their struggles to express themselves. They were the 4 women pioneers in art in the late 1800's and turn of the century that opened the door for women artists today. Of course, the great men Impressionists helped them, guiding and teaching them and bringing them into the Salons. While we were there a group of women arrived dressed in the fashion of the day. It was exhilerating and affirming for me. Chihuly's show was absolutely breathtaking and truly shows the struggle of a craftsmen who is an artist. His pushing of his medium, glass, is masterful and expressive. The video that accompanied the show demonstrated how he accomplishes his work since he is blind in one eye and can't blow glass anymore due to an injury. He has devoted apprentices or gaffers or devotees, however you see the thrilling teamwork of Dale Chihuly and his dear friends over the years who bring it all off.

The crowds were intense and entry into the exhibits was like the Muni trains, on a time schedule.