We have had an exceptionally rainy, HAILY spring here in ole St. Louis.
With more rain in the forecast, and for the 4th day in a row, I just looked at Mark and said, "Now, come on! Can't we have just a LITTLE more rain! After all, what we need is more rain! All the plants I put unto the ground this spring aren't beat to hell yet by the hail! Let' have one more go-round to see if we can't take them out, too!"
Three years ago, I was bicycling my weekly 100 mile Century ride between South St. Louis City and Grafton, IL, and I got caught in a severe downpour, with no shelter within miles. Not one building. Not a single tree. Actually, I was on the levee, which is elevated, and this levee is elevated for 10 miles - out in the middle of nowhere.
I will, however, bicycle in a rain storm (no lightning or hail, please!), before I bicycle in the wind. The rain can't stop me - the wind will stop me dead in my tracks, and fight every turn of my pedals.
My bicycle is a 2007 REI Novara Randonee with a BOB Trailer w/ yellow Yak Sack, Aerobars, a $500 iBike cyclometer, and front and back Ortleib Bags - a $6,000 bicycle rig. My stuff does not get wet in those bags - they're waterproof. I, on the other hand, had water pouring off me in such a stream that I had waves going down my rib cage. Honestly!
At one point during that ride, I jumped off my bicycle (while still on the trail, on top of the levee!), threw my hands in the air and said (to God):
"Is that all you've got? I mean - C'mon! Isn't there just a little more up there? C'mon, I know you can do it! Give it to me!"
I was pissed! I jumped my drenched ass back on that bicycle, and pedaled with a vengeance all the way home. When I was a block - ONE BLOCK out of 100 miles from home, it stopped raining! It was at that point that I had to cuss a little more.
It is no well kept secret that I enjoy going to estate sales (and antique malls, etc), almost every weekend.
There are several websites that I consult, usually starting the Thursday before the weekend, and I check them again on Fri. and Sat. morning, so I will have my game plan organized. The websites that I consult are:
Some folk will gasp in disbelief, but I do quite often tire of the "Julie, the Tour Director" role that I have somehow inherited. I know....I have choices. I could choose to sit in this house like a bump on a log and vegetate until I am mercifully relieved of my misery, and taken from this world. or I can make the absolute best of my experience while I am here.
Mark Twian's answer to the lady who exclaimed to him, "Your sense of humor proves that you must have a close relationship with God!" Anybody that has remotely glanced in the direction of Mark Twain's writings can easily discern that his writings were merely to amuse himself, pay his bills, and to occupy his time while he was here on this Earth. He lost his wife and two children before he, himself, passed away. Mildly stated, he was a bit peeved with God. He answered the lady's comment with, "You obviously have not heard of our (His / God's) estranged relationship!" I said that to say this: Many people mistake the activities and enthusiasm of an individual as a religious existence. That is not so. On the contrary, many of us are simply occupying our time, and making the best of our existence. I cannot imagine how boring our time on this planet would be without hobbies, interests and passions! Just look at those around you. This fact will become immediately apparent. When physicist Richard Feynman died, his last words were: "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."
My point is: I often tire of my adopted role as "Julie, the tour director", and occasionally, I would like Mark to select the day's activities. This can include whether or not we are going shopping, which estate sale we should go to on that early Saturday morning, or any other venue we would like
to attend.
This past weekend, Mark noted some craft supplies at a particular estate sale in the historic Webster Groves (St. Louis) district. He has that estate sale, and one other sale that featured a lot of furnishings from the 1950's - 1970's. I did buy a macrame wall hanging, a Jimmy Smith (Jazz organist) album and a hedge trimmer at this sale. The other mid-century furnishings from this house, and the house, itself, was PHENOMENAL. I had to reluctantly pass on most of the stuff in this house because my house is already nearing the full point! On to the next sale.
(The mid-century sale was two blocks behind Jilly's Cupcakes! (http://www.jillyscupcakebar.com/)
I am here to tell you that I was a very good boy. We bought a cup of coffee, and left the store! In another 10 lbs, I *will be back* for one of these cupcakes. They are so big, rich and wonderful, I have to eat them in 2 sittings. Check out that website. The choices are mind bending.
On to the estate sale that Mark selected for us. This sale was in an old house. Many older homes have many small rooms, rather than an open floor plan. This was a 2 home, and both the front and back yards had no grass. They both were heavily planted flower gardens. Because this home was small, and everybody that came to the door of this home was allowed in (rather than taking numbers, or counting customers in and out), the small rooms quickly became over crowded with customers. I eventually found my way upstairs and into the craft room.
This craft room was better appointed than a few Michael's and / or Jo Ann's Craft stores that I have visited! The woman that lived here did it all. She did crewel work, counted cross stitch, knitting, crochet, and many other arts and crafts. I do appreciate those that do other work, such as the crewel, needlepoint, etc. My gig is knitting. Only recently have come to speaking terms with "Crochet". In the opinion of this writer, knitting is so much more cut-and-dried. One stitch after the other. They are all on the knitting needles, waiting for you to knit / purl / cable, etc, them. With crochet, you have to pick up the right stitch, and do so much more with it than a simple knit stitch. To each their own, I say. If you can crochet and not knit, that is OK. IF you knit and not crochet, that is OK, too, and if you can do both you are blessed.
About a month ago, I went to an estate sale and bought what initially appeared to be a large supply of Red Heart (acrylic, 4 ply all-purpose yarn). These colors are BRIGHT. Turquoise, purple, yellow, red organge, red, and a couple shades of green. I had idea what I was going to do with these bright colors, but 'ya never know when I will want those colors for a project." The entire box was $10. What a deal! I picked up the box, paid the lady, and went along my way. When I got the box home, I started going through it to see what was in my little box of treasures. I don't know if I was happy or dismayed, but I immediately under the bright skeins of yarn that I thought I was purchasing was 200+ granny squares, several pages out of a magazine with the instructions to an afghan, an even the correct size crochet hook for the project. I could tell by the partially used skeins of yarn that this was probably the first crochet project this woman attempted. Her work was flawless, however. The bad part of the deal is that, by my calculations (and you know I calculated!), she had 80% of the squares finished, and they were correct to the pattern. She did not, however, weave in any lose ends, ordo any finishing work to any of the squares. So... I had to honor this woman's work. I could not rip out all of these squares, and once I discovered what I had actually purchased, the thought of destroying all of her work never crossed my mind. It was not an option. My only other option is to finish this afghan. There is byt one problem: I can knit like a mad man, but I can't (couldn't!) crochet. Not a stitch. I had to consult my friendly YouTube.com, and I learned to, minimally, double crochet, so I could put a black edging around these squares before I join them. I have already spent several week's worth of time weaving in her lose ends. The photo above was taken immediately after I got home with my unfinished treasure. Starting with the white-yellow-orange squares (the two that are closest to the viewer in the picture), the squares start with 6 of that pattern...then 14...ad so on, until there should be 72 of the last pattern (the farthest away from the viewer). The lady that started this afghan had 36 of the final 72 squares to complete, and she quit! With the exception of edging those squares in black, which I now have mostly finished, and tucking in *any* loose ends, she was much closer to the end of the project than the beginning. "How sad!", I am forced to think. And the circle of live continues, does it not? I hope she is in Heaven somewhere, smiling down on me, and that she is content in knowing that the project that she worked so hard to complete accurately in every detail will see it's fruition, and I learned yet another skill. We both win.
Look at all the pretty bright colors in that picture! Up to this point, the colors that I have used **thus far** in my knitting have been muted and fairly subdued, with a couple exceptions. There is, however no "over the top" for me. "The Top" is a prison that a lot of individuals build for themselves, and hope to snare any unsuspecting passing victim that comes close enough to fall into their trap. But that, my friends, is another blog for another day. I have no "Top", and these colors will definitely find their way happily into my fiber arts.
The issue at hand: We are now at a completely different estate sale. Different week. Different sale. Same art / craft. I wish I would have made this woman's daughter a deal all 1000 pairs of knitting needles (and I honestly don't need another pair!), and her huge stash of yarn. I did find several of the Red Heart colors that are in the project that I have before me - the orphaned afghan. I bought those colors, and several hanks of hand-spun / hand-dyed yarn. $1 each. Those hand dyed yarns are anywhere from $15 - $185 each in a retail shop.
While I am venturing down yet another side road, I am starting to get to the point where I need a center-pull yarn ball winder, and a swift so I can correctly and securely wind hanks of hand spun yarns into a usable ball. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I made the following purchase with a weekly 40% off coupon! This thing was $89 without the coupon, and I know I would have been extremely pissed if I spent the full $89. This electric yarn ball winder is extremely weak and underpowered. The balls it winds are fairly loose, to put it mildly, and you can't get a normal skein of 4 ply yarn all on one ball before you run out of room on the machine, and have to start a new ball (sometimes 3 balls per skein!).
With the exception of winding sock yarn, fingerling or baby weight yarns (and that is a stretch of my good graces!), this machine is worthless:
But....I have started pricing umbrella swifts and hand-powered yarn ball winders. They are at least $200 - for THIS:
Can somebody build me one of these? I probably could do it, but my woodworking shop is in parts, sitting in the garage:
Here is an up-close pic of this thrifty little device:
Anywho.... Even though I wanted to buy this lady's entire craft room, I had to make a few select choices, and continue with my day. I did buy some of the identical colors / brands that were used in this afghan I am completing, and I bought the homespun yarns. I did manage (however unhappy I was!) to unwind the hanks of yarn without a swift, but it was a bit hair-raising, and not a walk in the park. I placed each carefully untied hank over a full gallon jug of water, so it would have a constant and steady center. Then I had to hand wind the ball of yarn by leaning over the table, and taking my newly formed ball around and around...and around...and around ! No fun. I want a hand-wound ball winder and a yarn swift. There is one yarn store in the St. Louis area that sells these things (Knit & Caboodle in the Historic St. Charles area), and besides that location, nobody carries one for sale to the general public. Many of the privately owned shops do, however, have a winder and swift set up in their shops to wind any yarn you purchase from them. That isn't gonna help me much when I buy 'estate yarn' from a sale.
(I hear the troops in the distance!)
Back to the craft room and the hand-spun yarn I bought. This yarn was in a large, clear zipped bag, much like one that a comforter or sheet set would come in. As I was paying the lady at the sale, Mark joked, "Oh, look! It even comes with a magazine.!" True enough. There a pattern magazine from the 1980's in this bag. When I got the yarn home, and was taking a closer look at my treasure, I also found another surprise in the bag:
What is it, you ask? I'm glad you did! This is a half-eaten package of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies! Probably 20 - 25 yrs. old, ya think? !!!!!
There, you have it! A woman after my own heart! She had far more arts and crafts than she ever had time to complete in her lifetime, she had wonderful yarns and magazines, and she liked to eat Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies while she was knitting!
I did my part! I bought this second-hand half-eaten package of Girl Scout cookies! I supported our (Girl Scout) troops! he he he
(Anybody gonna make me a wooden yarn ball winder???)
(In good 'Michael-style', I am circling around and I will land this 747 momentarily. This particular blog entry is not at all about music, but I am using music as an example in the beginning, since music is a language that I speak with ease, and in which I am most comfortable.)
Before we begin, let's take a little parallel segway.
Anybody that knows me at all will know that I have several vintage instruments in my home. They range from accordions (2), one 1966 Wurlitzer electric piano, a hand-pumped Indian Harmonium, and 3 Hammond organs, two with Leslie speakers. These are all vintage, analog instruments - nothing digital about them.
Many people trap themselves in a world of "Either / Or". For reasons that I will not delve into in this blog, they refuse to allow themselves to see the multiple choices that are often before them. For example, Oprah Winfrey was shopping with her best friend, Gale King. They were in a mall store, and Oprah found a pink sweater that she absolutely adored. A dilemma presents itself when she finds the same sweater in gray on the rack. Oprah continues the story by saying that she stood there 15 minutes, trying to rationalize "Should I buy the pink sweater, or should I buy the gray sweater." I personally am enlightened to know that Oprah and most other people that have found fame and fortune have not forgotten their original roots. At any rate, at one point in the 'Pink / gray' discussion, Oprah looked at Gale and said, "What am I doing? I am Oprah Winfrey! I can buy both the pink *and* the gray sweater!" Michael speaking: Hell, she could buy the whole damned mall without thinking twice about it! My point of this little segway is that for a moment, Oprah forgot two things: 1) She has choices 2) She didn't have to make a choice if the didn't want to! Instead of "Either / Or", I am a big fan of "That and MORE!"
I like the vintage instruments AND the digital side of the music world. I have loads of both, vintage equipment and virtual or digital instruments that are stored only on a computer, but may be accessed through a piano-type keyboard made specifically for that purpose (MIDI).
(Fasten your seat belts and make sure your tray is up! We are approaching the runway!!!!!)
Please examine the following photographs:
I am somewhat of a photographer. More than an amateur, but I do not get much money for my photos. I use only a digital camera. Deleting a photo is much cheaper than buying film! There is yet another avenue that branches off digital photography's "Main Street".
The little secret is that *none* of the above photographs are real. Not a single item in any of these photographs actually exists. They are not photographs of actual people, animals or objects! One hundred percent of all the above photographs were digitally constructed using specific (And free!) software. I am not talking about digital airbrushing, or touching up a photograph. I am talking about building these objects completely from scratch. Actually, these items were constructed using the software as 3D objects, and a digital photograph was taken of the items, using the same software that was used to construct each scene.
We will discuss 4 free modeling, animation and image manipulation programs: Blender, Anim8or, GIMP and Google Sketchup. I will also provide links that will allow you to download these programs completely free of charge. They are known as 'open source' programs, and many people that are much farther into computer programming than I ever will be write their own add-ons for these programs. There are videos and other bits of information about all 4programs on www.youtube.com , and each program has it's own website that will allow you to download the program, itself, view tutorials and manuals, and download 'items' that range from trees to chairs, and literally anything in between for your scenes.
As with anything you want to learn and eventually master, you will get out of these programs exactly what you put into them. If you never do your homework and choose not to spend time learning them step-by-step, you will not be pleased with the results. If you commit a serious amount of time and energy to learning these programs, you will be rewarded with images and animations and you only previously could imagine, and a much greater perception and appreciation for those who choose to to virtual or digital art and animations.
Don't give me the "I don't have time to do that!" crap. If you can find time to sit and stare blankly for hours at a TV, live on FaceBook, or fight with your relatives, you defiitely have time to be creative. No excuses.
First up:
GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation Program)
Even though it is 'quite a quinkie dink', I didn't name this program!
This program does one thing, but it does it's task using several tools, and it does it well. This program was created to change your photographs in some fashion, whether it is simple color changes, removing a pimple from your forehead in the photograph, or completely building a scene from scratch. GIMP can do nothing in the arena of animation. It's sole purpose is to manipulate or change photographs.
Here is the website to download the free, no-strings attached software:
This photograph is a simple example of some of the work that I have done using GIMP:
I took this picture at a local cemetery, of a hand on a sculpture above a memorial, and the photo of the background sunrise was taken from my front lawn in St. Louis.
This picture:
Plus this picture:
= the first picture out of the 3.
With some simple manipulation of the photo of the sculpture's hand, and copy 'n' paste, I produced the above photo. I also had to make the photo of the hand a bit transparent, so we can see the sunrise through the texture of the hand. I duplicated the image of the hand, rotated both the original and the copy so that both were facing each other and VOILA! This is a extremely simple task using GIMP.
This is another example of a photo alteration in GIMP. This picture was submitted to me by a friend for restoration. I did restore the edges of the photo, her lower lip, and the creases on the paper across her face, and those in her hair. I choose to leave some of the signs of aging on the photo, itself, to leave some authenticity in the photograph.
Before:
After:
The work I did on this photo took a couple hours, and was done in one evening. I have had cases, however, that required many hours of work over several days. These things take time and perseverance. There was no 'quick fix' button for these photos. I did them piece-by-piece, and even though they are digital, the work was not done automatically, and even though it was accomplished via a computer, it was 'done by hand'. No automation involved.
One last sample of a simple process using GIMP: ME!
Judging by the small gauges of the rings in my ears, I can determine that this pic was taken about 3 years ago. The eyes are my own, and are completely unaltered. I cannot say the same for the horns, ears, nose, chin and eyebrows. The color of the photo, in general, speaks for itself.
I borrowed the antlers from a picture of a real Gazelle mount that I got as a stock photo on-line. I grew pointed ears, nose, and chin, and those deep, thick eyebrows by using very simple, readily available features of the GIMP software. My reddish color was obtained by doing a general color gradient over the entire picture before I called my new look 'finished!"
The program "Picazza" is also helpful, and is also free and available for download. I use Picazza interchangeably with GIMP, depending on the task(s) that I need to accomplish. This program (and PhotoShop, to a degree!) are not near as versatile and useful as GIMP, but they do serve their individual functions well.
Next up:
Google Sketchup
In a manner of speaking, Google Sketchup is more or less (and in my opinion!) the 3D answer to GIMP. While GIMP works with flat, 2D images, Google Sketchup can be used to create 3D worlds to illustrate virtually anything your heart desires. If you have always wanted a way to make your idea for a new chair come into fruition, you can use Sketchup. You can also use the next two programs, Anim8or and Blender for this same task, but that is another matter for another time.
One major benefit of Sketchup is that when compared to Anim8or and Blender, it's interface is relatively simple to learn, which can be encouraging for beginners. Another benefit of Sketchup is that their website offers not only the free download, but there are libraries contain thousands of free, downloadable, ready-made objects for you to plug into your scenes and illustrations, if applicable. One benefit to these downloadable objects is that it will greatly shorten the time it takes to complete your project. The downside of these downloads are that you aren't really learning how to make these models for yourself, thus somewhat lengthening the time it takes you to learn the program, in general.
This is the website where you can find the latest, free Sketchup download, and the libraries with the ready-made objects You will also find instruction / tutorials on this website:
This link will direct you to a search on YouTube, where you will find tutorials and samples of other people's work in Sketchup. I am certain that if you Bing / Google / Altavista 'Sketchup', you will find a lot more information from other users readily available on the internet:
(The '8' in the middle of 'Anim8or' is not a typo! It reads: Animator.)
Anim8or's primary purpose is to animate characters, both simple or complex, that you create. HOWEVER..... This program can also be used to create virtually any item or object that you can imagine. If you have always wanted to build that engine, or other mechanical device that actually has movement, this program will work for you. You can also build stationary items, such as furniture, musical instruments, or virtually anything your creative heart desires.
This is the official link to download the free software for Anim8or. You will also find helpful tutorials, and 19 galleries of work by other very talented people on this website:
This is one small, but detailed example of what Anim8or can do for you. An animation of a Twix candy bar. Please keep in mind that this entire thing, the wrapper, the candy, and everything in the scene was hand-made by the individual posting this video:
This is another video that is another person's take on the things that are possible with Ani8or:
Remember: Even though this program (as well as the upcoming "Blender") were initially made to put animation into your scenes, here is no law on the books hat says you can't use them to create that fantastic bed room (as is illustrated in the first set of photographs in this blog), or that chair you have always wanted to design. Granted, Blender is most likely a better platform for detailed illustrations, but both programs have attributes that can broaden the horizons of your design and illustrative world.
The last one on my list: Blender
Yep. The name of this program is exactly like the kitchen appliance used to make margaritas.
We have previously explored official websites for the last 3 programs: GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or. All of these websites have available manuals and tutorials for these programs, and Blender is definitely no exception to this rule. There are, however, differences between the previous 3 programs and Blender. The most notable and very important difference is that GIMP, Google Sketchup and Anim8or are, as far as rendering and animation programs are concerned, relatively intuitive and with some work applied, they are not too difficult master, if you put the required time into it, and you use available tutorials and samples. They were created to be easy to use and to master on your own. The same cannot be said for Blender. Blender was created for professionals, and by professionals. The downside of this entire deal is that, in this user's opinion, Blender is the most versatile platform mentioned in this blog. It can be used to render 3D objects, with or without animation, and still-life-like photos. In the beginning of this blog, I presented to my readers 8 photos that started life as a 3D rendered setting by those particular artist, and a digital snapshot was taken using the same software. Those are fantastic samples of the work that can be rendered using Blender.
I can ascertain that GIMP, Anim8or and Blender are all 'open source' software. Users that are so inclined can make plug-ins and other alterations to the software, itself, to better suit their own needs, should they desire to do so.
Blender, however, is not 'intuitive'. For example, Control-C doesn't copy anything. Shift-D does. In every other computer program, the left mouse button selects everything that needs to be selected. The right mouse button selects and deselects objects in Blender, while the left mouse button has entirely different tasks assigned to it.
There are tutorials, manuals and samples available on-line for Blender. I would suggest, however, that you visit either a real-world bookstore, or Amazon.com, Borders.com or Barnesandnobel.com, and purchase one of the books that are available as real-world books to learn Blender. I have 2 of these books, and they have taught me everything I know thus far about this program.
The books that I have purchased are:
1) The Essential Blender - Guide to 3D Creation with the Open Source Suite Blender
2) Blender Foundations - The Essential Guide to Learning Blender 2.6
Of course, Blender versions have progressed past the Blender 2.44 that comes on the CD that is included with the first book I mentioned, The Essential Blender, and even the Blender 2.6 that Blender Foundations (the second book mentioned) covers. These books are not a waste, however. They will give you information that includes the basics and beyond, and they will help you to reorient your head into the 'slightly different' world of modeling and rendering using Blender. The fact that it is counter-intuitive is enough to rationalize spending a few bucks on these books. It of the fine, twined opinion of this reader that if you learn how to use a tool (software, in this case), properly and efficiently, your chances of having a successful, finished product are greatly increased. In other words, the clams you shell out for these books are well worth the expense.
The rendering and modeling capabilities of this software are breathtaking. (Hey! To each their own, eh?) If you never plan on rendering even the simplest animation, the modeling capabilities of this software are alone well worth the effort.
As an example, check out this fluid / water simulation. Remember that the orange character in the beginning of this video is for demonstrative purposes, only. Wait till a bit later in the video, and watch the gentleman rise up out of the mercury!
I think this is the original meaning of the term ' Debug'. Remember that everything in this video is completely man-made, and was rendered using Blender:
To give the still-life modeling side of things a fair shake, here is a YouTube search with videos on more stills (other than the 8 that I represented at the beginning of this blog.) Most of the hits on this search are actual tutorials, or time-lapse demonstrations of modeling using Blender:
There you have it, folks. I just handed you the tubes of paint, the brushes, and the canvas - all in one neat, tidy basket. However, all the paint, brushes and canvas's in the kingdom can't make anyone an artist. For reasons that I will explain, I hate the word 'patience'. I have none. 'Patience' is for lazy people who prefer to sit around and wait for something to happen. 'Perseverance' is a more appropriate word. While 'Patience' is for lazy people who sit around and wait for something to happen, 'perseverance' is a quality that people have who will get up and do something about it! They will get the work done. If you ask anybody that knows me well, they will tell you that I am not at all a patient person. But - I do have a hell of a lot of perseverance. I do with the same for you. If you take your time, forge ahead step-by-step, and you persevere, you can learn any or all of these programs. If you are ever trying to describe an idea to a friend, and they 'just can't seem to grasp' what you are telling them (whether they honestly can't understand your point, or they willingly don't want to!), I have given you 4 tools, GIMP, Google SketchUp, Anim8or and Blender, to use to make your digital illustrative thoughts, ideas and dreams come true. If you can dream it, with some practice, you can render it into reality.
As I stated in the opening section of this blog, I like "This AND That", rather than "Either / Or". I like the physical world of photography, as demonstrated by my attendance at 5 major nationally recognized art shows in the St. Louis area to see the masterful physical creations of over 1,000 award winning artists from all over the United States and the rest of the world. Much in the same manner as I would never like to see a real Hammond B3 organ being **replaced** by a digital simulation, I do see a valid place and a market for the digital organs and software simulations of this timeless instrument. Remember: "This AND That", not "Either / Or ". With this same consideration, I would never want to see real, physical art replaced by computerized or digital simulations. I do, however, think that the digital world is yet another viable medium, much like oil paints, clay, fibers, or any other material that is used by artists that do physical renderings.
I have given you the virtual materials to create virtually anything you can imagine. I am encouraging you to do just that - to imagine, to work hard, and to persevere.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 11am – 6pm @The Muny grounds of Forest Park Free & open to the public
This event is the first of several seasonal venues that I attend religiously. The St. Louis Earth Day celebration and festivities are held in Forest Park, in front of and surrounding the Muny (outdoor) Theatre. The actual address of The Muny is: The Muny #1 Theatre Drive St. Louis, MO 63112 If you plug that address into your GPS device, it will get you there, but to know it is close to the History Museum will also get you in the vicinity. If you choose to drive and park as close as you can to the event, you will most likely have difficulty finding adequate parking. In the past, I have either bicycled from home, or parked a short distance from the hub of activity, and bicycled in (which is encouraged and promoted by Earth Day). A sufficient lock will keep your bicycle waiting for you upon your return. This is the website for St. Louis Earth Day:
Back to the issue at hand: For entertainment, there are usually 2 or 3 stages set up, featuring small acts such as local dance troops and small, but incredibly talented local bands and musicians. One of the main features of Earth Day St. Louis is a vendor's market that wraps around the entrance of the Muny Theatre, and goes up the walkways on both sides of the Muny. This market also spills out into the lawn directly across the drive in front of the Muny. The vendors are selling everything from hand spun wools to vegetables, vegetable seeds, and handmade clothing to solar plans for your home, and much, much more. They usually have all-electric cars on display, as well as a couple that run on BioFuel (vegetable oil, etc). You will meet people at this event from every walk of life, including vegan Indians (India), and people who range from "Earth Day lite" to "Hell-Bent Earth Day converts". While St. Louis Earth Day is not an event that I would drive hours to attend as my sole reason for visiting the area, there are many other St. Louis features and attractions that you can add to your visit to completely fill your day. I personally have no problem spending several hours at the St. Louis Earth Day festival, if only for the simple fact that I am an advertisement for a couple of the vendors, and I am often comped a free lunch in lieu of photo ops! The History Museum is within immediate walking distance of The Muny, and the Art Museum, Science Center, and world-famous Zoo are in the same park. If you 'really need to get out of that park', you really must go to the City Museum:
http://citymuseum.org/site/ BTW...if anybody is up for a little enthusiastic exploration, give me a holler! I am ALWAYS ready for more exploration (and shopping at their "The Bailout" store!) at the City Museum! Anywho - there are many options in addition to your visit to St. Louis Earth Day. Remember: Making the conscious decision to live your life as a bump-on-a-log is a conscious decision that you, and only you, have chosen to make. Therefore, inaction is truly AN ACTION, and we are all responsible for our own actions, doncha think? :) - Michael
It is no secret that I do enjoy going to estate sales in the St. Louis area almost every weekend. I utilize websites such as estatesales.netand http://gsalr.com/garage-sales-st-louis-mo.html , so I can determine my route, and what are the best sales that meet my criteria. For example, most estate sale companies in this area will post pics of the merchandise at the sale on estatesales.net . Using that resource will save me time and money.
Aside from the estate sale circuit, we also enjoy going to flea markets. It is my opinion and observation that the Pevely and Barnhart flea markets have waxed and waned, but altogether, they seem to have lost their spunk, and with that spunk went quality vendors.
All is not lost, however. The flea market that is located in the heart of Wentzville, MO (near the interchange of I-70 / I-40), is alive and well! They have over 400 vendors, selling everything from electronics, fruit / vegetables, clothing, household items, car parts, and virtually anything that can be carted to a flea market.
The drive takes me 40 minutes from my home. (Yes, on a Sunday morning!), I get up at 5:00 AM, so I can be on the road by 5:45 AM. The vendors at this particular market can start selling at 6:30 AM, although many of them are still setting up their booths at this time. If you pull into the large parking lot somewhere around 6:30 AM, you will find quite a few people have already arrived, but ample parking is still available If you choose to arrive at 7:00 AM or later, you will have to park off the grounds, and walk a several blocks to the market. This is not usually a problem, but is a consideration if you want to make several trips back to your vehicle with purchases, or if you have your arms full when walking back to your car after a busy morning.
Immediately after my arrival (usually at 6:25 AM!), I try to make a faster-than-usual la around the entire flea market. This market is huge, and occupies several levels of the park that it occupies. You have to have a plan, or you will be doubling back over parts of it that you never intended, or you will miss booths, altogether.
At any rate, I do an initial quick pass, just to see if any vendors have set out an item that has caught my attention that might not be there on my second pass. This has happened to me before. One vendor had a full-size harpsichord that was made from a kit. Even though the outside finish of this harpsichord was lacking in the decorative department, I played the instrument, and it proved to be in worthy condition. Without being assembled, these kits can cost a few thousand dollars. This instrument was already assembled, and was $100 ! The sad part of the entire deal was that if I was a haggler (and I am not a talented haggler!) , I could have probably talked this poor fell down on the price!
Let's talk about the 'Let It Ride' principle. Have you ever going to the store, and seen an item you want, but really didn't want to spend the money at that time on it? You decide: "I will finish my shopping, and think about it for a few minutes. If I still want it later, I will go back and get it before I check out. That theory works well in stores. They usually have more than one of the item you are wanting, and the only thing wasted is a few steps, and a bit of your time. When we are looking at ONE item at a flea market (or estate sale, etc), you have now effectively participated in a gamble. How so? You are taking a chance on that one-of-a-kind item still being at that booth when you return.
I had the opportunity to experience both sides of the "Let It Ride' principle this past Sunday at the flea market. When I was assembling my 6' raised beds for my tiny garden, being arthritic made whatever the asking price of a rechargeable power screwdriver look very cheap. I was at Home Depot when I bought these raised beds, and I was looking for this screwdriver while I was there. They had nothing under $100, and I didn't want to add $100 to the rising cost of these beds. I know that WalMart sells a smaller, but powerful version of this rechargeable screwdriver for less than $20, but I didn't want to make one more stop that day before I went home. For this project, in the end, I went home and drilled the pilot holes with an electric drill, and drilled the long screws in by hand. OUCH!
At any rate, at this flea market, during the 'first pass', I noted the very screwdriver that I was looking for, still in it's original packaging. Asking price $7.50. What a deal! Even though my immediate needs for this screwdriver was over, I know there will be future projects that I could use such a tool. Several years ago, I built a wall, complete with studs, a door, etc - all with one of these less expensive rechargeable screw drivers. Actually, I had 2 of them, and 1 was charging at any given time, so I wouldn't have any down time. The moral of this small screwdriver saga is this: On my second round of the flea market, when I was going back to get the things that I passed on during the first lap, this screw driver was *gone*. Somebody else knew the 'Let It Ride' principle, and they also knew there was a chance at losing a bargain.
However.....I also got this hanging tie dyed bead curtain, to put on the wall of my groovy 1960's music room (to hang in the proximity of my Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, and lava lamp!):
It was fortunate for me that the young man that I spoke to the young man that was running the booth during my 'first pass', and I told him that I was going to shop the rest of the market, and that I would return to pick up this curtain. Do you know how many people tell vendors the same schpeal, and never return? I am a rare bird in that if I tell a vendor that I will definitely come back and get it, I will most certainly do that. If I tell them that I will 'walk around and think about it', then it is a toss-up, and no contract is implied. When I returned to get this curtain, he put it in the back of his booth, out of site from other shoppers. The price I paid: $10.
Now, be honest with me! Wouldn't that tie-dye, bead curtain look groovy, baby, behind my Wurlitzer electric piano from 1966, with my Lava lamp on top? :)
While I do utilize the hell out of the 'Let It Ride' principle, I know when to say when, and when not to gamble. If I want the item bad enough, there IS no gamble. I will buy it out-right. I bought the following items at the same booth, and paid $15 for *both*. At local Retro stores,, these same items would have a combined price tag of $195!
Needless to say, I did spend $10 on 'That 70's terrarium', and spent $70 for the other succulents and the rocks, sand and soil inside. I erroneously figured that putting together this desert terrarium would take me about 10 - 15 minutes. I spend THREE AND A HALF HOURS just getting the 3 taller cacti in the middle to stand upright! I had those 3 cacti previously. They were in this house, in a window, when we moved in. Prior to my assuming responsibility for these 3 cacti, I could kill a cactus in a heart beat. I have grown plants that most people can't, and I can start them from seed, but prior to this attempt, I would kill a cactus faster than I care to admit to the average stranger. The same thing can be said for fish. I can breed Siamese Fighting Fish (Bettas), and if you will read up on that procedure, it is no small joke. They are tough to breed, and have very specific requirements, or your breeding attempt will fail miserably. HOWEVER....I will kill a guppy or goldfish in less than a week! What gives?
Let us continue.....I did purchase the crap to plant this desert terrarium at Home Depot. As I previously stated, I already had the 3 center cacti, but as another flea market purchase, I bought several (6) smaller, interesting succulents and cacti from an elderly lady that was selling them as her specialty.
Now that I think about it, I got the Hammond organ model E-100 and Leslie 122 speaker, the rain lamp, the 1970's bamboo living room set, and the historic Wassily chairs *all* at flea markets or estate sales. In other words, everything in our great room was purchased at these types of sales. I will have to admit that our actual living room does have some store bought furniture, and I am certainly not opposed to that, the remaining decor in that room is also estate sale / flea market finds.
This is the rain lamp that I paid $15 for at the Wentzville Flea Market last season. Local antique stores and sellers on eBay regularly sell these lamps for $150 - 250:
I did get the following items at the same market this past Sunday, but they are hardly picture worthy: 1 - hand saw (for trimming bush honey suckle in my back yard!), 1 - large pair of hedge shears - for trimming the same over grown honey suckle!, and 1 - spray nozzle that was originally intended to allow the user to put an amount of soap in the attached container, dilute it with the incoming jet of water, and spray it over your car, house, etc. My intent is to use this nozzle to dilute Miracle Grow for my outside plants this summer. The total price for the saw, huge shears and spray nozzle (All nw, and in their original packaging): $21.
I cannot hide the fact that my recent 60 lb. weight loss proves that I am still the biggest fan (but maybe not literally!) of Easter Sugar Peeps, and Cadbury eggs. I walked by a small booth run by a couple friendly ladies, and I saw this item:
Still in the box! I had to have it! I joked with them, "That is just what I need! A machine that pumps these things out as fast as I can inhale them!" Even though I did gently open the box when I got it home, only because curiosity was killing me, my intent is to leave this box on the shelf, as-is. Just as an item of interest, and a nod to yet another one of my obsessions: Sugar Peeps! My purchase price for this bit of memorabilia: $1. SOLD!
(Did I mention that I have several boxes of real Sugar Peeps hidden away in a piano bench less than 6' away from this little item of interest? I know that if there is one place to hide ANYTHING small enough to fit, it is in a Hammond or piano bench! Mark will *never* come close to those! he he he)
It is no secret to those who know me well that I embrace any and all cuisines and cultures on this planet. Not only do they help me to see the beauty in this world (which helps me to be able to stomach those who are good representatives of their own culture(s) better!), but they keep my mind, my body, and all 5 of my senses malleable. The uninitiated will never understand how *NOT* doing so will cripple them, and those unfortunate enough to be around them. From first-hand experience, I can tell you that this will not 'probable', but it is most definite. I can cite examples, if necessary.
One of my favorite quotes available in the English language is an excerpt taken from Mark Twain's book, "Innocence Abroad":
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
- Innocents Abroad
Read that quote through a couple times, and let it sit a while. Another way of saying it is, "If you believe that living and staying in any tiny corner of the world, without ever investigating as much of the world around you can tend to make you prejudice, bigoted and narrow minded. Like it or lump it, it is a true statement that cannot be avoided.
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Before I begin, I am am exceptional proof that a semi-vegetarian, and a lover of generally vegetarian Indian food can be a fat person, too! That notwithstanding.....
I keep several Indian spices (and ironically enough, curry powder is not one of them) around the house, and cook with them almost every day. "Masala" simply means 'spice', and there are hundreds of different pre-mixed masalas available at Global Market in Kirkwood, and Jay's International on South Grand. These are the 2 largest International food markets in the St. Louis area, althought here are many others that are well worth the visit. Global Market (not World Market!) has an isle for each cuisine: true Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, English (from England!), German, Polish, and many, many more. There is one tiny section of one isle that will remind you of your typical American grocery market. The taste, sight and aroma sensations in this store are unbelievable, and I crave them on a regular basis, even if it means just walking through the store, window shopping and soaking up the atmosphere, which I try to do on a regular basis.
I add a bit of Garam Masala, Cumin, red pepper and Masala ("For Chicken", in the light yellow box) to steamed zucchini mixed with steamed brussel sprouts, and maybe a few ounces of grilled chicken, salmon, or other protein, and I call it lunch. I liked those things even as a fat boy, so I didn't have to change anything. When mix one medium sized zucchini, a couple handfuls of brussel sprouts, and maybe the protein, all together, it is maybe 160 calories. That usually makes enough for 2 lunches, if I want to split it!
Indian food is largely vegetarian, which is a 'better' choice. You still have to watch the fried foods, and a few other things, but when it comes out in the wash, eating at an Indian restaurant is much better choice than most other options. The only draw back is that Indian food is PACKED with flavor. After you become to the wonderful flavor explosion of Indian food, if you *ever* venture back into an Old Country Buffet or Sheri's Cafeteria, everything there will taste extremely flat and monotone.
I am friends with Prathibah Vasudevan and Shanta, two Indian / Hindu ladies that often go to the local St. Louis flower market. They have invited Mark and I to the Hindu Temple's open house this weekend. They are also serving brunch! If I don't make a pig of myself, I can enjoy a decent meal, and not venture outside my daily calorie limit.... The bonus: The Hindu Temple on Weidman Road in Ballwin looks like somebody plucked it right out of the center of India, and plopped it in the middle of Ballwin! The exquisite details are breath taking.
If I wear my facial hair in the "Raj Put" style, as I most often do when I go out of the house, I will get exceptional treatment (just ask Mark!), because I resemble a reverend warrior in Hindu and Indian history! I love that! Being treated exceptionally well for something that is naturally a part of myself! :)
The Raj Put facial hair style:
For some visually stimulating Indian / Hindu photography, flip through some of their picture galleries on the main page. (Click on "Goto site" to get past the council meeting message):
