MATZEK FAMILY REUNION-2017

Four years, now, we’ve managed a get-away for a family reunion. Tahoe has been our destination in the past and we’ve never failed to have fun.

The cabin we rented sleeps 16 people. It had a pretty picture on-line but the square footage proved a tight squeeze. The lighting was poor and the place had “garage sale” amenities. On one end of the table, a Rummicube game, and on the near end, cribbage. Our entire group could not fit around the table.

Our family is big on games. The only other activity was a hot tub. We took turns at the games.

Doug, besides being the master chef, served as D.J. and kept us supplied with tunes by request.

Saturday, before lunch, we drove to King’s Beach which is close to our Pina Grande rental.  The water was refreshing, the beach crowded, but we had a spot in the shade. Laurie, Theo and Austin played frisbee in the water and did a fair amount of swimming. The beach was quite narrow with the recent rains filling the lake to near capacity.

Ken took a cooling dip and came back to shore for snacks.

It is possible to walk out a couple hundred feet and still be in shallow water.

People of all ages paddle board safely, considering the lake is 6,000 feet deep at the center.

This young girl was very adept, taking her dog for a ride.

Off she went. She didn’t seem to have any adult supervision.

She and her brother had their own shade and their own boards. She told us she was local and they spend every minute they can at the beach.

It was time for snacks…

…and a cool drink. Ahh. Refreshing.

Theo proceeded to dig a hole. His mother said, “Tell me my son’s not going to be an engineer.”

Owen barely got his toes wet, enough to cool off. He wished he’d brought his swimwear.

The “sisters” decided to have a photo together.

Not to be outdone, Virginia decided to remove her shirt and show her “girls.” Grandma decided to do likewise. Omigod! I can’t believe I did that!

On the way back to the parking lot, Austin found these cards stuck up in the sand. We wondered if they were directions for someone?

While we were at the beach, Cedric made his signature pies, except, he had a flour shortage and the crust wasn’t his usual standard. Austin and Theo were given the privilege to carve the crust decorations.

Doug and I fixed Friday nights dinner. Saturday, was Virginia’s night to cook. She made taco fixin’s to die for. This family eats well.

Normally television is off-limits on our reunions. I had asked the boys what their favorite movies were? They tossed me names and the bond film, Casino Royale with the latest Bond character was everyone’s favorite. Ken happened to have the movie and we all got to see the last scene. I guess, now I’ll have to find it on Yahoo.

 

Sunday morning breakfast, Laurie put out gobs of fruit and bacon to go with Virginia’s pancakes. I prefer pie for breakfast along with the fruit. There was no lack of choices.

Sunday, grandson, Stewart drove up for the day. His girlfriend Allie is in nursing school and stayed in the library to study. It was nice to have a good visit with Stewart. And it was nice to move the games outside where we could more or less all be together and the light was great.

Cedric played Mr. Fixit and repaired two torn screens on the front deck.

He likes to make himself useful.

We left for the beach later in the day on Sunday and struggled to find a spot with a bit of shade. It was even busier than Saturday.

Theo brought a couple of shovels and deepened his hole and came home with a blister.

With skin so fair, the redhead claimed he was fine. His spray doesn’t wash off for several hours. He and Theo played frisbee with me for a while, but they wore me out very quickly.

I caught a nice shot of Owen who tends to be deliberately camera-shy.

A friendly game of elevator, and our last dinner. This time prepared by Laurie and Ken. Special Italian pasta and gluten free pasta with BBQ’d chicken. More fruits and much more.

Stewart left with a huge “doggie bag”.  Doug and I were first to arrive and last to leave. It took us 2.5 hours to drive up on Friday but 5.5 hours to return to Murphys on Monday morning.  We had slowdowns, but saw no accidents. Ken and Laurie, Cedric and Virginia, made it home within about the same time frame as they arrived. Ken, Laurie, Kris and Austin made a game of counting returnees from Burning Man.  Between them they spotted 500 plus Burners. Doug and I spotted one bus and two cars. Every year is different, but always fun.

UNVEILING THE DRAGON

The dragon is not always a symbol of fierceness. The Lakota people consider the dragon a symbol of retreat; to journey inward to your own center of peace and quiet. Sharon Armstrong is a psychologist who does art work with her patients. Her strength is in mask making. For years she has taught people to make their own faces in a mask.  It helps people clarify who they are and where they are going. Working on it provides them a kinship with themselves and others. But, for the Burning Man, held the Monday before Labor Day each year in the desert, Sharon built a 23 foot tall dragon. Sharon returned home and erected it in her mother’s garden at the Center for Creativity and Community in San Andreas.

The dragon’s name is Uncegila and is surrounded by a labyrinth. The unveiling was held Sunday and people came to walk the labyrinth and visit the Center, the Gallery, housed in a 100 year old restored barn, and the Garden.

Sharon, on the left, with Madalaine Krska, showed everyone around the Center which came about in an unusual way. Her mother, Floy, heard Sharon on a television interview comment that she wished she could found a Center for Creativity and Community. Floy decided right then and there that she could make that come true. Floy took her rental at 23 West St. Charles Place in San Andreas, and is helping her daughter  transform the building into a non-profit Community Center. There is space for art work, teaching ceramics, photography, creative writing, video, painting, drawing, mask making and music.  Their vision is to provide a gathering place for people of all ages to explore and express their unique creativity regardless of their ability to pay.

The Center is just getting started, but classes have already underway. Nanette Klass teaches drawing.

Ruth Nicols teaches harp and Tai Chi.

Floy’s vegetable and flower garden was planted by area children.

Sharon teaches mask making; and her husband, George, teaches landscape painting.

But you don’t have to be an artist to enjoy the center. My brother Bill, above, joined me and walked the labyrinth around the dragon. Eventually, the gazebo with a fountain and picnic area will be open to the public. The lovely Victorian House can hold an audience of 30 people for performance events. Two sound proof rooms allow people quiet space for writing or music lessons.

Or, like me, you can lie in the hammock and relax and contemplate the dragon from afar. The website is:  http://www.center4creativity

NEVADA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Yesterday, I visited the Nevada Museum of Fine Arts. Its changed considerably since my last visit. Bigger, new location in a beautiful modern building. No pictures are allowed inside but the roof sculpture garden and outside pieces will give you an idea of the quality of this museum.

This rock man seems to be doubled over in pain. A closeup even shows his rock fingers.

This beautiful sculpture is huge, as you can imagine. Remembering that outdoor work has to be weatherproof, it amazes me the physical work and ingenuity of pieces like this one.

I love the Inhale Exhale polished stone bench. You can sit on them and have lunch. They are of course best viewed without picnickers, but people enjoy sitting outside on this unique usable art.

The following piece was purchased and moved from Burning Man. (Not this year’s event.) The docent explained to me they wished they could have purchased the stacked semi trucks sculpture but it was just too big. The semi’s were open to climbing and kids were all over the thing. Makes me want to renew my commitment to attend  Burning Man some year.

An inside exhibit featured a metal artist named Bentson. He had his whole studio on display, with videos on  how he works. He calls himself a “blue collar artist” since he welds and hefts and brazes metal into pieces like this one from the roof top.

I liked this piece of his  with the buildings as a back drop.

This stone sculpture holds water in a narrow rivulet and birds fly in and out to drink from it.

A driftwood horse? It only appears to be driftwood. It is made of bronze and imitates driftwood. Driftwood for a permanent exhibit would be vulnerable to hands and weathering.

Reno’s downtown lampposts are artistically designed and beautiful. This one identifies the Arts District. Cool!

When I first looked at the indentation on this bench, it struck me as a spot for a shorter child to sit. Except, on looking closer, I see it was designed to miss the electric plug. Usable art design always tickles me.

From the roof, the views of Reno are refreshing, with the hills all around. Very enjoyable. Even so, the Museum has a Picasso, a Lichtenstein and many innovative and questing pieces. But one room was devoted to Chester Arnold. The exhibit is named, On Earth As It Is In Heaven. An amazing collection of mostly room sized paintings, vivid and thought provoking. His pieces have a message about America that  speaks to our proclivity for altering the natural landscape and questioning if we balance our exploitation with what is good for humanity. This exhibit is a must see.
http://www.ten2ten.com/arnold/index1.html
His website has little icons that get bigger when you click on them. They don’t reveal the power of his room  sized pieces.