Rodrigvitz Style

Getting Arboreal, Act II

Act II finds my tree struggling, we experienced unusually early freezing weather and snow and were robbed of most of our fall color. 

in August...green from our cool, wet summer.

 

then in October we were hit with freezing cold and snow and a particularly heavy snow snapped MORE limbs.

 

she was recovering from the loss of a huge limb last year...

 

as the sun sinks in the west we enjoy the leaves on the remaining branches as they turn orange and red and wonder if she will still be with us in the spring for Getting Arboreal, Act III.

2 Potters and Friends

Opening night for 2 Potters and Friends....Rita Vali,

 

Lynda Ladwig.....

 

Arabella Tattershall

 

Monika Edgar, Leslie Maya Charles...Suzanne Williams

 

and me....all weekend long. 

We'd love to see you! more info HERE

Dancing Dia Divas and a Shrine for the Children

Susan, dia diva dancing

Just back from a week long business trip...sharing more from our crazy Catrina, dancing dia divas night last weekend. 

 

Susan and Hal cutting a mean rug...

 

Linda and JD sitting this one out...fun night we had!  I even won a t-shirt in a dance contest...oh yeah

 

the inside of my completed shrine for Rebecca's shrine auction....

 

the back...this a tribute to all the children, sweet as sugar skulls

 

and in need of our help.  Watch here and at Rebecca's for more information on the auction that will take place in March.

Dia de Bloglandia

EDIT: I'll be away for a few days, if you are late to the party, no worries, I'll be updating links all week.  Click on the LINKS to Dia de Bloglandia button on the right side bar. If a link does not work please let me know.

Thank you for joining Susanna, Rebecca and me for Dia de Bloglandia...this time of year when the marigolds are glowing gold and we think of those that have left us. 

Dia de los Muertos dates back to the Aztecs and allows those walking the earth to remember and honor those that no longer do.  We gather photos, objects, candles, food and sweet sugar skulls and sit in the golden light with our memories.

Our family altar grew this year and while we honor and celebrate the lives of those gone we hope there are no new additions next year.

 

Lit by candles and tiny lights, snug under the stairs our altar stands...

 

vignettes for each person, here my maternal grandmother Elaine who made me perfect furniture for my doll house and kept my troll dolls clothed in high style...

 

My paternal grandmother Pauline and Maj Jong tiles, she played for 70+ years...I now play Maj Jong with friends a couple times a month and each click of the tiles takes me right back to my grandmothers basement and the tables of women laughing and playing this game.

photos of those gathered on the altar...flowers that were fresh when we constructed this now faded...like the memories we strive to keep alive.

A glimpse of my shrine, 'For the Children', ready and waiting...for the shrine auction for the children of Oaxaca, March 1st - 7th.  Be sure to share pics of yours if you have one started....

 

and...the 4 Catrinas, the dia de los muertos elegant goddesses ringing in the celebration in high style.

Please leave me the direct link in your comment here to your Dia de Bloglandia post and I will enter them all in the page in the right side bar HERE.  Visit this page often to see all the links to visit all the Dia de Bloglandia posts as well as the Shrines for the auction for the children of Oaxaca as I update them during the day and evening.

Dia de los Muertos at Casa Rodrigvitz

A Dia de los Muertos dinner tonight...chili rellenos and pan de muertos waiting to be joined by Mr R's chili and wonderful vegetable dishes brought by everyone.

 

The tabletop altar ready for our friends to add their pieces...photos, stories, memories, so we can dine in their company...this pic of Katy's sweet Max who passed away today....it was nearly a year ago that we lost Itty...

 

and Melly...alone, where is Olive?  Turns out someone accidentally shut Olive in a nearby room...I heard her distinctive breathing and there she was, laying with her head in her paws...patiently waiting for the door to be opened. 

I hope you all come back on Sunday, Nov 1st with your links to your Dia de Bloglandia posts...see you then!

Season of Poe and Snow

I missed Vanessa's Haunted party but shall share some Halloween images from downtown shop windows with Elizabeth and others

and words of Poe...

 

By a route obscure and lonely,

 

Haunted by ill angels only, Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,

 

On a black throne reigns upright,

Dreamland, Edgar Allen Poe

Another spooky site....Snow, and lots of it
 

Shrines for the Children

Marigolds pulled apart...like tiny feathers, quills.  Glimpses of the shrine I am making for Rebecca's Shrine Auction for the Children of Oaxaca.  These flower fragments symbolic of the children scattered on the streets.

 

I hope you all join Susanna, Rebecca and me on Sunday Nov 1st to share the altars and shrines you are making for both Dia de Bloglandia and for the Shrine auction.

 

Rebecca will be gathering photos of your shrines to create the shrine gallery, the auction will be sometime in March.

On Nov 1st please leave, in my comments, the direct link to your Dia de Bloglandia and Shrine Auction post...I will be compiling the links in the page on the right side bar so that you can easily go visit all those participating.

Dia de los Muertos...an Art Tour

I hung a show of Day of the Dead work at the JavaStop this weekend....gathering work from family and friends...

 

I grabbed this off my living room wall....a drawing Tess did as a child, fit right into the show.

 

The loteria series hanging here....

 

as well as a tiny Catrina piece....

 

I have a couple of prints from my brother

also available as t-shirts as well....

 

the coffee shop is a small intimate space, here is one of Linda's painting...

and these tiny, perfect sugar skull's by Michael Amaya.

 

Across the street at the Bead Lounge you can find another Dia de los Muertos show...

 
I have a few pieces included

 

as well as many other varied offerings.

I hope you're thinking about your Dia de Bloglandia post coming right up on Nov 1st as well as your shrine for the Children of Oaxaca Auction.  Please note that the Nov 1st date is only to display your shrines on Rebecca's site but the actual auction will take place sometime in March...stay tuned for the exact date.

350 and Saving our Planet

Yesterday was the international day of climate action, sponsored by 350.org; 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

 

People came out for the event and shared ways that individuals and city/county and state government can help make a change.  This man built a solar oven that uses square mirror tiles to focus the sun on a piece of sheet metal that heats the oven.  Fresh chocolate chip cookies....mmmmm

 

this was a smaller, more portable oven....more cookies

 

Numerous speakers talked of what Longmont, Boulder County and the state are doing to help with climate change as well as easy things that each of us can do.  The beautiful trees in this one city park sequesters over 150,000 lbs of carbon. The city has a good recycling program and next year will begin a large scale, city wide composting program.  They are fostering a new community garden project as well as retrofitting city buildings with energy efficient, solar panels. 

 

This array of solar panels is at my dad's house in southern Colorado.  With the help of an incredible local city energy program that paid him a set amount for each watt of energy he will generate.  This along with federal tax credits for individuals who act to make their homes more energy efficient amounted to an out of pocket cost of $2500 for this $50,000 system.

 

This array will not only power his home 100% but he will sell back the extra energy to the city for others to use. 

We can each do little things that help the health of our planet....compost food waste, ride your bike instead of jumping in your car when you can, hang your laundry to dry instead of using your clothes dryer, recycle, eat locally, plant trees...

what are you doing?

La Mano and Red Glowing Leaves

More Loteria series, La Mano bedecked with marigolds and colorful skulls for an upcoming dia de los muertos show....I'll be sharing...

Don't forget to join me and Susanna very soon for dia de bloglandia

 

The Maples seem to have weathered our early cold...the red glow from this beauty welcomes me every morning....life is good...