Saturday Morning at the IMA

The lobby of the museum was filled with giant rectangular stacks of climbing rope that had been woven, stacked and painted. Pretty cool effect. One of the stacks stands about fifteen feet tall.

Every once in a while as we tour the museum, we like to take a seat to gather our thoughts and discuss what we have just witnessed. Actually, we were talking about baseball cards, but that's not the point.

It's quite a museum we have here in our city, just blocks from our little house. We get to stare at pieces by Picasso, Chagall, Van Gogh, Matisse, Modigliani, Romare Bearden, William Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O'Keefe, Calder, and a very famous painting by Edward Hopper. Plus, like the stacks of rope, they're always bringing in emerging and contemporary artists--like the lights above--that keep the museum moving with the art world. And it's free to visit every day, if you can believe that. It's quite a gift to our city. Come visit and we'll take you on a tour.

This weekend

What a relaxing weekend. Basketball is done so we have Saturdays all to ourselves--for a few more weeks anyway. We hooped at the YMCA while Becca ran on the "dread mill." We worked on our piano, cello and violin and, as cold as it was, logged hours of LEGOS. Last night we went down to Mam and Bop's to eat the gumbo and banana upside-down cake Becca made for Mardi Gras.

This morning we went to watch Rick light up the scoreboard with his wild, running '87 alumns. They played two games against fresh-legged kids--one team was born the year Rick graduated--and won both by 17 points.

Ah, the weekend.




Butter, brown sugar and bananas top the up-side-down cake.




Mmmm...carmelized bananas and cake.

Music to our ears

It is so cool to hear the guys make music. George and Owen have a fantastic piano teacher. She gets the guys playing incredible pieces. I love listening to George bust out Sollfeggietto.

Bop listening to George pound the keys.

The boys have started the violing and cello through school. Awesome.

Big O playing his hair.

Four people, eight feet, twenty-four shoes

Oh, the shoes! Twenty-four in this photo alone, and this is one's day's worth. Basketball shoes for the hardcourt at the Y, basketball shoes for the pavement at the park, running shoes, hiking boots, mud shoes for football . . .

February 7th and 50 degrees!

Fifty degrees in February means this year's first 5K for Becca and her boys.



True grillers never let darkness get in the way of hamburger night.

Bustin' Out

We went to the Murphy Building in Fountain Square to see the Bustin' Out art show at the Big Car Gallery. The show was a fund raiser and silent auction to raise money for the Young Survivor Coalition. The auction will continue on next weekend at the Naptown Roller Girls Saturday night bout. The artwork was plaster casts of the roller girls chest's decorated by local artists. George and Owen's music teacher at school is a Naptown Roller and asked me to design two.

G and O contemplating artwork.

This is the work of Kip Normand (left) and mine.

Aimee Leach Cart made this one. Very cool!

Big Car Gallery.

The Murphy building.



Read more about the event here:

http://www.nuvo.net/sports/article/roller-girls-bust-out-breast-cancer

Homage to Larry Fitzgerald and Andy Goldsworthy

The night before the Super Bowl we watched the documentary Andy Goldsworthy - Rivers and Tides. This along with Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald inspired Owen. I love the face mask made of sticks. Learn more about the artist Andy Goldworthy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcdL8uO71E

Super Bowl--We're up, we're down, we're up again, then . . .

We all kind of looked like this from start to finish.

When this happened, we got real happy. Rick got so happy he took pictures of Fitz on the TV. Run, Larry, run.

Unfortunately, the amazing run of peaks and valleys ended in the valley. No tears, but lots of long faces. What a game. We're so happy Papa gets to work for a Super Bowl team. Let's win this thing next year. Go Cardinals.

Everyone loves cake!

Mmmm, pineapple upside down cake. That's where it's at. Our favorite go-to cake for all seasons and occasions. George had his sights set on making his key lime pie, the Super Bowl calls for super cake. We forgot the pecans, but no one seemed to mind.

THE Ohio State Buckeyes

Well the buckeye's had a great season despite the departure of Oden and Conley. They really improved through the season. Owen, of course, never saw shot he didn't like. It is so much fun to watch these guys.


..and a special thanks to Bop for keeping an honest clock. Thanks to him I never had to do it.