In the Labyrinth

Sitting in a Cloud

UPDATED: With a few photos to show the process! Yay to Home Depot for a job well done.

I have been absent from the blog because I have been Norfolk VA, dealing with the aftermath of a huge nor'easter that blew up and over the city -- flooding many areas of the coast, including my son's house. As he is abroad right now, we flew out to handle the repairs. Nothing like arriving in the middle of the night and looking up to see all the siding off the front of the house and hanging like decorations from all the nearby trees. And then there was the two feet of storm surge that flooded through the garage...mud and muck everywhere. We are almost done with the cleanup -- I am just awaiting and praying that the fog holds and doesn't turn into pouring rain tomorrow when they come to restore the siding on the front of the house. But..the fallen trees are trimmed, the basement is washed and bleached, the rugs are dried out and books are sitting on shelves and drying out as well (though they will never lose their new salty-tang scent I am afraid.)

Still...it could have been way worse (and even in his neighborhood one can see evidence of much greater damages as houses are turned inside out with wet, molding and soiled house hold goods and furniture.) And while the 95% humidity has curled my hair and softened my skin...I am really looking forward to the sun and the sight of the mountains!  Will be back soon.

 

Interview with Cormac McCarthy: The Road

I have to say I am a big fan of Cormac McCarthy's work -- as grim as it can be in places, it is also quite beautiful and haunting. The WSJ had a recent interview with the author in connection with the release of the movie version of his apocalyptic novel, The Road.  Well worth reading.

Pierre Ménager: Carved and Painted Figurines

On the heels of the post below, I am posting another photograph from Pinky's collection of my grandfather's art. He made many small sculptures -- in fact his backpack always contained small pieces of wood and his carving tools. He never traveled without them. While I knew mostly about his beautiful work carving Apache dancers -- I was delighted to see these two jaunty figures and given his French background, they strike me as a lovely combination of American frontier meets Toulouse-Lautrec.

Pierre Ménager: The Painted Southwest Lampshade

I am so happy to be able to share photos of this wonderful lampshade my grandfather Pierre Ménager painted in 1945. I love the way the figures circle the shade, the rich colors -- even after so many years, and just the humor and élan of the piece. Many thanks to Pinky Werner (whose parents were good friends of my grandfather) for sending me these photos -- along with several others I plan on sharing here. Do click on the images for a larger view of the artwork.

You know, there's a part of me that really wishes this was one of those lamps that would mechanically turn slowly around and around. I remember seeing a pair of fabulous Hamms Beer lampshades in a bar that did just that. It was totally mesmerizing. And one would never have to agonize which side to put front!

Notebooks, Bulletin Boards, Pencils and Tape: How To Write The Great Novel

For those of you fascinated by the writing process have a look at a terrific article in the WSJ: "How to Write a Great Novel" which reveals the writing process of many successful award winning writers. Some authors like Juno Diaz (Pulitzer Prize winner) write in a notebook sitting on the edge of the bathtub, while Hilary Mantel (Booker Prize winner) jumps into the tub when she's stuck. Edwidge Dandicat fills multiple bulletin boards with images found in magazines and creates a visual story board before she begins, while Michael Ondaatje writes several drafts by hand -- cutting and pasting drafts together.

Me...I guess I do a bit of everything. I write research notes in notebooks, tearing out bits and pieces and keeping them up on my bulletin board next to found images that evoke what I am trying to accomplish. I write the same chapters from different points of view trying to see who is the best story teller, and one odd quirk -- I always seem to find some strange little item on the ground that is somehow a talisman for the novel I am working on and I make sure it is up on the bulletin board for good luck.

All Saints and All Souls: Conjunto Tamaulipas "Al Pie de la Tumba."

We take celebrating Dias De Los Muertos pretty seriously down here in the southwest. So I thought I would share a wonderful little video of the band Conjunto Tamaulipas singing "Al Pie de la Tumba." (This is a clip from a terrific longer documentary film on Chicano music and culture, Chulas Fronteras/Del Mero Corazon)
 

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(*thanks to Emiliano for the link!)