Nicole Reynolds- "call the guard" performing in the western pennsylvania snow on a traveling pump organ in january, 2009.

winter games

California Weirdness

I was in California this week and stumbled upon this van sitting near a vacuum repair shop. I fancy myself well-schooled in various conspiracy theories but I had no idea that Stephen King had anything to do with the CIA. This disturbing realization was mitigated by my trip to the Charles Schultz Museum. It featured an exhibit on the history of newspaper comics from way back. I saw a few old classics that were still in publication when I was a little kid and read the funnies. I was close to forgetting about Prince Valiant and the Wizard of Id. As for Peanuts, I'm pretty sure I read all of them in books that my Aunt Maxine used to send to me. I had also forgotten how Peanuts could get sort of intellectual. He ran a strip in 1978 referring to Christo in which Snoopy's dog house was wrapped in fabric. The artists sent the museum the real thing. I saw it on the second floor.

From my office window

I'm going to be able to lean to the left and spy an ugly old federal building with a verdant new facade. Its been getting national press. I saw something a lot like it, though smaller, in a few towns in France last summer such as the central market in Avignon and perhaps Nimes. A lot of the talk around here, or in the news seems to be about the cost of the vertical greenery, whether it is a good method of insulation, etc etc. I think it is art and it is high time that the United States Government did something interesting with architecture. It has been a damn long while since the WPA.