The Rutherford Hotel

The Ruthford Hotel is the tallest building in Nelson. Tina Turner stayed in the presidential suite for one night in January '97, I think. To the right is the Cathedral on the hill. If there is ever a Theme Day for the tallest building, we'll hit the beach.

ER?

Red mail box near South Street is still in use, but what is ER for? Elizabeth R? (And what's the R for there?) That TV program? WHAT???

My learned friend Trish tells me it's Elizabeth Regina, or (insert boy name) Rex. So this is her postbox, eh?

A Person's Private Worth?

Was he rich? Was he nice? What does it mean? Found at the Bridge Street gates to Queen's Garden.

I Almost Lost a Friend

Meet my friend Jill (and Linda.) We were at Pelorus around 6PM coming home from Blenheim and saw a great big helicopter take off just above us! That's brave (and annoyingly fit) Kiwi women for you!

Don't Wanna

My friend Kath is a singer-song-writer and she has a new CD out called Dragons Under My Bed, a collection of seven children's songs. Easily my favorite is a song called "Don't Wanna" and it starts like this:

Don'’t wanna brush my teeth (Don't wanna brush my teeth)
As for making my bed (As for making my bed)
Well I just don'’t care (Well I just don'’t care)
Don'’t wanna have a bath (Don'’t wanna have a bath)
Or wash my face (Or wash my face)
And I wish my Mum (Or even my Dad)
Would get off my case! (Would get off my case!)
But all those little things are just a part of growing up, I s'’pose
And if I learn to do them by myself, my Mum and Dad will leave me alone

Right up my alley. There's another one called "Dad, I Wanna be a Camel". The great thing is, Kath is going to join the blogasphere sharing her creative journey with us. I can't wait. I'll post her blog address as soon as she's started.

I'm having a great time with kids' songs and kids' stories lately.

Update on Road Trip, The Book

I really enjoyed it. The protagonists, the Bear and the Rabbit, had more depth of character than I expected. The Bear likes status quo, and had to learn that the fun of road trip was in the experience of the trip itself, not the destination. Very good lesson for me. The Rabbit, initially an annoying, imposing kind of friend, turns out to be considerate, and the kind of friend that makes your life richer and more colorful. I'm still not sure about the role of the Squash, but I'll let you know when I discover.

We're Going on a Weekend Road Trip

To Blenheim, the heart of the Marlborough Wine country, just 1.5 hours east. Today I received a special parcel, seen here on the dashboard, a lovely book called Road Trip, so I'm taking it with me. Everybody have a great weekend!

What Can I Say?

The other day, I was waiting for my bus when I saw a man approaching; he was wearing a skirt. At first I naturally thought it's a kilt, and being a fan of traditional garments, I tried to have a better look without staring. Well, it was a skirt; not a wrap-around kilt but a pleated mini (on him) skirt in yellow-greens and browns, and he wore matching yellow-green socks, exposing his pale legs. Whoa!

So without further staring, I glanced up, and, hay, I knew this guy; I think he was doing a Bachelor's degree when I worked at the Polytech; a nice, pleasant and handsome chap. So what was I to think?

If it was the same guy, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a kind of socio-psychological experiment to gauge other people's reaction. But then, this is Nelson, and we see folks clad in all kinds of interesting attire all the time, especially the young "performance art" types, so maybe he felt a mini skirt would be more comfortable on that day. Or he could be undergoing a sex-change, in which case I wanted to know how he was coping, having gone to college with not one but two boys undergoing sex change. He didn't smell drunk, and I suspect, is a bit too old for a dare.

He was still good-looking, maybe a couple of kilos heavier, but smiling (maybe a bit too smily?) and friendly. Luckily or unluckily, he didn't recognize me. I don't come up with smart remarks (or comebacks) on a short notice, and heaven knows I didn't want to offend him if he was all whacked out and ready to pounce, but I was dying to know what the heck was going on.

So, somebody give me a few lines of conversation starters for just this sort of an occasion. I do remember his name, and next time he might remember me.

I Admit... (But don't Get Me Wrong)

I'm with you. But I need to amend this post. I don't have any objections to anyone having faith, and in some instances, I envy them. But in Nelson, there is too much God-peddling, often disguised as some other interest groups, like good-health-good-eating group. I believe this household objects to such peddlers, (there were actully two signs one could see from the street at this house), and so do I.

Water / Window

Yesterday I went to pick up Ben's Christmas present I had ordered a while back. Walking over there, after a weekend of heavy rain, I saw at quite a few places they were letting the water out to lower the pressure. I wished I could put it a tanker and send them over to Australia.

And then I had lunch in a cafe that I had never been to. Ben and my brother-in-law had a jolly nice lunch there last summer. I was very taken by the simple mechanism of the window and made a mental note to come back on a hot summer's day and sit in front of it. (Those two metal things on the sides are brass weights.)

I spent over 10 years in Minneapolis (for a couple of years on the periphery of Dinkytown) and never got Dylan. At this cafe, though, somehow the atmosphere matched the voice and he wasn't annoying me so much.

That Indian Dessert

Does anyone know the name of, or how to make, the dried chickpea/garbanzo beans Indian dessert which are cut in small diamond shapes? Please email me, or leave a comment. I appreciate it!

Plant Material

I'm sure this is a dried up part of a plant my frined left on her picnic table. It's a good reminder for me that sometimes it's not the 'making' but the 'finding' that is very rewarding. I didn't even have to tamper with this one.

Three Decades Ago...

Three decades ago, when I bought my first 'serious' camera, I wanted to take photos like these. A few weeks ago, I had lunch at the house of an artist I admire, and among other things, found all this. In some strange way, I feel I got this out of my system.

Nelson Diwali

I think this was the first time we had not-so-young boys get up on the dance floor, but I may be wrong.

This one is so blurred but I had to include this to show Nelson's youngest upcoming dancing star.

Until a silly grownup stepped on his foot.

I was able to shoot this as the food was being laid out. As more food came out, I got pushed away and had to get in the queue. The man in white is Paul, the owner of The Indian Cafe on Bridge Street, probably the most popular of our Indian restaurants.

This is our friend the hostess. She must have the most amazing collection in her wardrobe.

Grownups ate, while children danced on the stage.

Until next year!

Kelly Austin Rolo's Chili

Created by Kelly Austin Rolo, contributed by Jenny of Sharon, Connecticut, and the winner of 2005 Salisbury Chili Cookoff. I've not heard of adobo sauce, but now I shall go look for it. It sounds divinely spicy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 T olive oil
3 yellow onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 small to medium apples, diced
2 lbs ground chuck steak
2 T ground cumin seeds
1 T whole cumin seeds
2 T ground coriander seeds
2 28oz cans chunky tomato sauce
2 1/2cups apple cider
6 canned chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 T additional adobo sauce (from canned peppers)
8 cups cooked black beans
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 whole dried red chili, crushed
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
2 t oregano

PREPARATIONS:
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.
- Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent.
- Add chopped apples, ground chuck, ground cumin seeds, whole cumin seeds and ground coriander seeds.
- Continue cooking until meat is browned.
- Add tomato sauce, apple cider, chipolte peppers and adobo sauce, black beans, lime juice and zest, pepper, salt and oregano.
- Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

GARNISH:
3 small to medium apples, diced small
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
zest and juice of one lime

- Mix all ingredients together and add to chili when it is finished or serve on the side.

Aging: Women vs. Men

A while back, on a rainy Sunday like today, Ben was watching "Forever Young" (1992) with pre-religious Mel Gibson and Jamie Lee Curtis. It's the one where Gibson is cryogenically preserved for a few decades. The thing that struck me was how, in the last 14 years, Mel Gibson aged, while Jamie Lee Curtis did not. This is one reason I'm glad I'm not a Hollywood star, thought I.

Attention, All Dog Lovers

You have got to check this out over at Myron's. I almost feel immoral not having a dog.

Photography: Record or Art

Over at Northern Nomad's, he, Phlegm Fatale, and Piika often engage in literary and otherwise a-bit-beyond-me discussions about what they try to capture in photography, life and other miscellany. It reminds me of when I was at university and we totally disrespected and ignored the older students. (My university was passionate about Elderhostel, or some such, where they encouraged senior citizens to come back to school at undergrad level.) Don't get me wrong, these guys never diss me or ignore me; I just feel totally ignorant and unread in their young company. (And I prefer to think they are MUCH younger, because if not, it'll really make me worry what I've been doing with my life.)

A while back, Nomad said something which triggered me to rethink something I read way back when I was a wannabe-amateur-macro-flower-shots-photographer, that photographs are not records, in Photography: A Concise History, by Ian Jeffery (Thames and Hudson, 1981). Jeffery wrote to say in earlier times, in the age of paintings, photographs were thought to capture exactly what is (italics mine) without the intent of the photographer, and he was refuting it. He may even have been alerting us that even the likes of Magnum photographs include the photographer's intent. I don't think that in this day and age, anyone would dispute that, but the degree of intent interests me at this time.

Some DPs seem to have clear policies; some almost journalistic in recording and reporting events, many personal and arty (and here's another point of interest - how far would you manipulate your photograph for posting on DP?), some to illustrate a social commentary, and many eclectic. And then there are photo blogs, not part of DP, for artistic expressions.

I wonder because Nelson Daily Photo is a collaboration between Ben and me, who are two people of quite different temperament, and while Ben's primary interest is good photography, (though lately he saves the best for his sketchbook!!!) I feel a certain self-imposed obligation/responsibility to show Nelson as is. Of course I wish I could shoot like Barcelona Bob, especially his portraits, and I try (in vein), but I don't feel comfortable prettying up my pics too much for NDP. What are your thoughts? (Other than we can do anything we want because it's our blog, please.)

I Recommend This Blog!

One makes lots of friends on the internet, and within the DP circle in particular. DP blogs are one thing, but their "other" blogs, with personality, dirt, grime and everything else, I find better than most books I've read in the last five years or longer.

One I visit every morning is Fatale Abstraction. Granted it may not be to everybody's taste, (she's do darned honest and down-to-earth) and I swear some days I should hold my blog-tongue because her fan base, I suspect, may be a tad more conservative than me, but she's good. She's a good writer, she blogs about things I (and many others) sometimes think about but never record, and her love for her family and the way she expresses it puts many to shame. (And she's a short artist with a short attention span who starts projects with a bang but has trouble finishing them, so how can she go wrong? She's just like me, or I'm just like her!)

I recommend her blog; give it a week and see if you can give up the habit.

I'm Feeling like Rubbish...

But I don't want to take those mind-altering cold medicines any more.

Plate 1: Big Sister Observes

Young sculpture enthusiast jumps right in and climbs on rocks; Mum hastily puts down her beer and grabs the enthusiast; Big sister observes and contemplates.

Notice both children are wearing the now-very-fashionable garden clogs.

An Anxious Child

Yesterday, Lisi resigned from adulthood; the narrative was fluent and heartfelt, and the photo (and the linked collage) were touching, the post a standout even for her usual chipper Hong Kong photo blog. And as hard as I tried to laugh and enjoy the sentiment, I realized I didn't agree with her: I don't want to go back to my childhood.

My parents (who were loving and gave everything they had to their kids) and grandfather (who had great influence on my parents) were strict, I went to a conservative Catholic school, Jesus was everywhere and always watching me and knew everything even if he didn't catch me in the act. I was always so afraid of being caught doing the wrong thing; not doing bad things, because I wasn't courageous enough to be bad, but doing something the sisters told me to finish 20 minutes ago. Or being caught running down the hallway by one sister because another sister had just told me to hurry up! You know the kind of kid I'm talking about; a little fat, not smart, moves slowly, the one who laughs at the lamest jokes. It didn't occur to me until just now that I always tried to look at myself through my parents'/Jesus's/the sisters' eyes, evaluating and trying to find faults before they did. I believed growing up meant being able to act naturally because by then I will have learned, whatever it is one needed to learn to live correctly.

I'll keep adulthood. I've got a soul mate, I live in a nice place, and I live in the periphery of an art community. I'll live with the bills, the faulty basement light, and global warming. I like answering to myself.

Ben's Teriyaki Sauce

I experimented with so many ingredients to create a perfect Teriyaki sauce over the years, but as is the case with most things in our lives, Ben just came up with a simple solution one day, and it works. What more can a wife say?

INGREDIENTS:
equal amounts:
soy sauce
Canadian maple syrup (not the immitation stuff)

PREPARATION:
Mix well, brush on fish, meat or veggie on grill or barbeque. Brush some more if desired. Enjoy.

As with the Marinade, we recommend Japanese soy sauce, only because some Chinese and Korean soy sauces have been very different and we can't guarantee the result will be what we intended, but it is worth exploring if you're so inclined.

The World is a Big Boat

Here's another shot.

And here are the original paparazzi shots. I really wanted to get a shot from this angle, and parking is a bit tricky on this bend, so I had Ben drive this stretch of road. My hands were shaking from the cold medicine (really) and I only got two shots. I really wanted a couple from closer distance, but the road bends, and... Ben gets in the way.

I wonder if I should have sat in the back-right seat; we're in a short-and-wide Pajero and the backseats don't really have much view, but I need to experiment. Who woulda thunk we'd ever be studying the Art of Paparazzi (I decided to give Ben credit for all his driving me around, so no more paparazza)!

Google Made Me Stupid...

On New Zealand's National Radio last Saturday, on how Google impairs young students' ability to think and select information, as reported by a UK professor. Me, personally, I couldn't spell long before Google. (This link will stay live until 18 November, I believe.)

Sculpture Gala, Nelson Arts Festival, Saturday Afternoon

Twelve sculpture works were created or completed in Albion Square in the last two weeks.

"Untitled" or "Jammin' with James" by Bill Schoffelmeer
Cleverly stacked wood; these two guys were terribly interested
and were there discussing it for quite a long time.

"Association and Wonder" by Andrew Bryden
In the background is the back of the courthouse.
The boys are exploring the caged area though which
folks in custody enter the building.

"Standstill" by Ben Foster
This is supposed to spin/twist in the wind, but today there was none.

"Untitled" by glass man Jim Mackay

"Idle III" by Donald Buglass
THE piece most talked about beforehand.
Unlike all the other pieces, the card reads:
Please respect the artist by touching the work.
Ben, you're right, the long shot looks less like what it really is.
(I debated long and hard whether to post this one, but is it really offensive nowadays? Please, don't send the DP police if you disagree.)

Gum Tree Bark

Wife Imitates Art

But my boat wasn't as colorful or interesting looking as Ben's.

Where To...

I was away for one week (and sick for another) and what do I find? Beirut guy is back (YAY!!!), but Bob is gone (my initial reaction was not suitable for family viewing). So what do these things mean to me? Can anyone tell me Beirut guy's name?

Jenny's Winter Squash Soup

This is from Jenny Hansell of Sharon, Connecticut, USA. For all of you heading towards winter, (and those of us not quite into summer) it sounds a wonderfully warming soup.

***

INGREDIENTS:
3 lb butternut squash (1 large), halved lengthwise and seeds discarded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lb sweet potatoes (2 large)
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
8 to 10 cups light vegetable stock or broth (I usually use chicken stock)
White pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

PREPARATION:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Brush cut sides of squash with 1/2 teaspoon oil and arrange, cut sides down, in a shallow baking pan. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork and roast with squash until very tender, about 50 minutes for squash and about 1 1/4 hours for sweet potatoes.
- Cool vegetables and scoop flesh from squash into a bowl. Peel sweet potatoes and add to squash.
- Cook onion in remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons oil with salt to taste in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in squash and sweet potato, leek, ginger, and 8 cups stock and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
- Purée in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a clean pot. Bring to a simmer and, if too thick, add more stock. Season with salt and white pepper. Finish with lemon juice and, if desired, honey.