Every year artists and musicians gather in Linn Park in downtown Birmingham to share their work with the rest of us. In addition to art and music, there is also carnie food (funnel cakes!) I've been visiting area art festivals since I moved to Birmingham, and it's so much fun to spot familiar pots, jewelry, paintings, metalwork. Chris Clark is an area folk artist whose work has become extremely popular in the last five years. For instance, Brooke and I purchased a piece of his for Mama's Mother's Day gift a few years back for $75. Today, his smallest paintings are going for $500!! Dirk and I took Sipsey with us, and she was the belle of the ball and got tons of attention. Luckily there are lots of fountains in Linn Park, so when her paws got hot she could cool off a bit. My favorite part of the day was when Sipsey spotted a metal cat and mistook it for a real one. She got very anxious and did not know WHAT was going on.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Magic City Art Connection
Every year artists and musicians gather in Linn Park in downtown Birmingham to share their work with the rest of us. In addition to art and music, there is also carnie food (funnel cakes!) I've been visiting area art festivals since I moved to Birmingham, and it's so much fun to spot familiar pots, jewelry, paintings, metalwork. Chris Clark is an area folk artist whose work has become extremely popular in the last five years. For instance, Brooke and I purchased a piece of his for Mama's Mother's Day gift a few years back for $75. Today, his smallest paintings are going for $500!! Dirk and I took Sipsey with us, and she was the belle of the ball and got tons of attention. Luckily there are lots of fountains in Linn Park, so when her paws got hot she could cool off a bit. My favorite part of the day was when Sipsey spotted a metal cat and mistook it for a real one. She got very anxious and did not know WHAT was going on.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Purple Sweetcorn?!?! & Lake Purdy
Yes, that's right. PURPLE sweet corn. 
This is what happens when Dirk accompanies me to the grocery store, we come home with about $30 worth of impulse buys. Whereas, when I grocery shop alone, I have an organized list (aisle-by-aisle, of course) and can get in and out in under 30 minutes. I'm a woman with a plan. To Dirk's credit, however, the purple sweet corn rates a very high 9 out of a possible 10 for sweet corn experiences (and I'm from Iowa, remember.) At a whopping $5 for 4 small ears, it was quite pricey, but then when I noticed that the bag of grapes I purchase weekly has gone up to $7/bag. Maybe NPR has something on this "rising food prices" story I hear daily.
Sipsey and I have started meeting our friends the Kights weekly for some outdoor/nature time. Tim is the proud owner of three doggy children, Howard, Boomer, and Molly, and when we get the dogs together, they play until they fall over. Yesterday we met at Lake Purdy, which is Birmingham's water source, so great clean swimming water. Molly is a 10-month-old Golden Retriever from the same breeders as Sipsey (same parents, different litter, one year apart,) so they're pretty much identical. Sipsey started swimming at 10 weeks, but Molly, up until yesterday, had never figured out the paddling thing. We were so proud of her!
This is what happens when Dirk accompanies me to the grocery store, we come home with about $30 worth of impulse buys. Whereas, when I grocery shop alone, I have an organized list (aisle-by-aisle, of course) and can get in and out in under 30 minutes. I'm a woman with a plan. To Dirk's credit, however, the purple sweet corn rates a very high 9 out of a possible 10 for sweet corn experiences (and I'm from Iowa, remember.) At a whopping $5 for 4 small ears, it was quite pricey, but then when I noticed that the bag of grapes I purchase weekly has gone up to $7/bag. Maybe NPR has something on this "rising food prices" story I hear daily.
Sipsey and I have started meeting our friends the Kights weekly for some outdoor/nature time. Tim is the proud owner of three doggy children, Howard, Boomer, and Molly, and when we get the dogs together, they play until they fall over. Yesterday we met at Lake Purdy, which is Birmingham's water source, so great clean swimming water. Molly is a 10-month-old Golden Retriever from the same breeders as Sipsey (same parents, different litter, one year apart,) so they're pretty much identical. Sipsey started swimming at 10 weeks, but Molly, up until yesterday, had never figured out the paddling thing. We were so proud of her!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Buddha Baby & Earthbound on Earth Day
Sipsey says: Happy ARF Day!Famous Amys so you can check that out for more on my trip to Asheville, although I will post a photo that Brooke didn't; Taylor giving Chris the stinkeye. Yes, even with all her zen, there is some sass. Just wait. click here for more pictures of Taylor
When I returned to Birmingham, I met up with Dirk and the dawgs (Aimee and Jorge's pup Emma spent the weekend with us while they were at the beach) at George Ward Park to celebrate Earth Day with all the other tree huggers. Earthbound is a local band who sounds remarkably like the Grateful Dead, and the crowd is very similar to that found at Dead shows (minus the acid trips.) From babies and toddlers to adolescents and teens, 20 and 30-somethings to 50 and 60-somethings, everyone and their dog was there (literally, I think the dog to person ratio was 1:5.) It was a beautiful day and great to get outside and hear some music. So happy Earth Day everyone! Go plant a tree.
Isn't Dirk the cutest thing EVER?!Monday, April 14, 2008
Fun with the Gals
I went out Friday night, intending to have a glass of wine with Amber at her new condo (which is AWESOME), eat some sushi, catch up on gossip, and head home. But after the birth of Taylor, I was just itching to go out and celebrate, so we ended up at Zydeco to hear Porter, Batiste, & Stoltz. Shannon made the trek up from Montevallo with her man, Nick, and a few friends, so we all got to dance, shake, and celebrate together. It was a much-needed expulsion of energy and excitement, and nothing makes my spirit soar like a night of silliness with the ladies. Amber and I abhor the fact that Zydeco does not have wine, so we sneak it in in bottles and slip away to the bathroom for drinks. Bathroom time then turns into giggling, dancing around, taking picture time. I guess that's a perfectly normal chain-of-events in my life, come to think about it. 
So this weekend was pretty much perfect. I got to spend time with my gal pals, my Granddaddy, and Dirk. Saturday night Dirk & I went out to eat and then to Barnes & Noble where we each picked out a favorite children's book for Taylor. I also got to spend some time alone (sans Dirk & dawg) which I eagerly ate up practicing yoga and reading a good book ("Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.)
This week should be busy at work, and then I'll be leaving Friday morning to head to Asheville to meet my niece!
Friday, April 11, 2008
I'm an AUNT!!!
Taylor ELIZABETH Amys was born last night (after 21 hours of labor...3 of those pushing) at 11 p.m. EST. As Chris says, "She's as beautiful as her mother." Awwwww. I'll share one picture ONLY, because I don't want to steal Brooke's thunder. I'll be visiting all of them next week in North Carolina, and will be beside myself with excitement 'til then!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
anxiously awaiting...
the arrival of my niece! Other than that, not much going on in Birmingham. Overcast, rainy, etc. I'm getting my hair cut today, but don't get too excited because it won't be drastic or anything.
Sipsey has been putting herself in time-out when I arrive home in the afternoon. This is because, on average, she will pull out one box/etc. from the recycling bin per day and shred it in the living room. I suppose this is not the best of canine behavior, but my theory is, if she's going to tear up something, let it be a box that's going to be shredded at the recyling center anyway and not the furniture or nasty garbage.
She sees my car pull up as she perches on her chair with her chin propped on the windowsill (I call this Doggy Television), and as I enter the front door after a day at work, I hear the doggy door swing shut as I survey today's damage. I'm fine with this, because it means I can roll out my yoga mat and do a few downward dogs without my dog trying to plop down on my mat. So after about half an hour in self-inflicted time-out, she'll start crying and come in and shake around on the floor. You'd think we beat her something, when all we'll say is, "WHO did this?!" in a very scary tone of voice, sending her running. So when she decides she's punished herself enough, she'll make it up to me by following me around, licking my feet, and laying herself over my lap if I sit down for a minute or two. Gotta love a Golden.
Sipsey has been putting herself in time-out when I arrive home in the afternoon. This is because, on average, she will pull out one box/etc. from the recycling bin per day and shred it in the living room. I suppose this is not the best of canine behavior, but my theory is, if she's going to tear up something, let it be a box that's going to be shredded at the recyling center anyway and not the furniture or nasty garbage.
She sees my car pull up as she perches on her chair with her chin propped on the windowsill (I call this Doggy Television), and as I enter the front door after a day at work, I hear the doggy door swing shut as I survey today's damage. I'm fine with this, because it means I can roll out my yoga mat and do a few downward dogs without my dog trying to plop down on my mat. So after about half an hour in self-inflicted time-out, she'll start crying and come in and shake around on the floor. You'd think we beat her something, when all we'll say is, "WHO did this?!" in a very scary tone of voice, sending her running. So when she decides she's punished herself enough, she'll make it up to me by following me around, licking my feet, and laying herself over my lap if I sit down for a minute or two. Gotta love a Golden.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Vail Village
Although a little hoity-toity (in Collins's words) it was my first time in a ski town, and it was so much fun! All the pedestrians on the street are all decked up in their ski gear, and they all migrate towards the lift. Vail Village itself is idyllic, with cobblestone streets, clock towers, a covered bridge (crossing Gore Creek), tons of restaurants, boutiques, and outdoor gear stores.
They also have a series of bronzes of famous folks like Einstein, Monet, Shakespeare, Sakajawea, etc. We had lunch and margaritas at Los Amigos, where you can watch the skiiers come down the side of the mountain. Fun little town!
LionsHead Village
Foot traffic is allowed to take the gondola up the mountain after two, so Collins and I went up both yesterday and today to get some photos. 
Seeing all the skiiers did not inspire me to ski, however, I might be persuaded to pick it up because it requires so much fun STUFF. Snowpants, base layers, helmets, boots, goggles, jackets, gloves. It all seems like so much fun! Just the stuff, though, not the actual skiing. Collins hit the slopes today while I was getting a massage, and we met up for lunch at the Flying Burrito at LionsHead (we also indulged in a few Fat Tires,) then I got some shots of Collins in all her gear. She even let me try on her goggles.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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