I found this view on South Cedar Street (Lansing, Michigan, USA). I walked to the library from my house, and this was near the sidewalk. It looked a bit like an archaeological dig, crossed with a Buddhist rock garden. I like it.

It has been very hot and sunny today. The view there probably looks similar right now. I’d planned to walk to the library this afternoon. That direct sun was just too mean at the time I wished to leave. Plan B!

Working at home is my work plan at this point. Yes, the library has A/C, but getting there would overheat anybody. I can’t justify driving there, it’s just too close.

I hope whatever sort of day you have, it makes you smile. I’m a big fan of summer. I’m nearly giddy that I only had to get my legwarmers out for one day before summer returned. Slowing down is the cost of heat, and my life allows for a slow physical pace if needed. Love it.

I have been busy. Here are some photos I collected along the way.

A tiny butterfly on the flowers in my friend Ulyana’s front yard, REO Town Lansing.

An unusual mottled eggplant with “ears.” This was taken at the East Lansing Food Co-Op. There was another eggplant of the same coloring, which did not have the side bits sticking out. I did not buy either of them, but the visual surprise delighted me.

A fraternal pair of Striped Summer Socklets. These are a store sample at Yarn Garden in Charlotte, Michigan- as of Tuesday.

The yarn is Cascade Heritage, a standard wool-nylon sockyarn. It comes in many solid colors and a good selection of multicolors as well. Good quality, good price.

Several photos of a group of Habibi Dancers, performing this last Wednesday at Sparrow Hospital. I think this is my 5th year participating with my troupe in this event. It’s a Diversity Week celebration. They also have a food contest. We got to dance to the smell of some lovely Indian spices. Yum!

I am third from the right, in turquoise, hot green and a purple head wrap. This is how I look when I am in character as Eudora, the dancer.  Theatre is much fun, and dancing with girlfriends is just as fun as it gets!

You can’t see it here, but this was a cane dance. we balance the canes horizontally on our heads for part of the dance. We also swing them around, toss them back and forth, and otherwise generally have a bit o’fun with shiny sticks.

My dear friend April, being her beautiful and energetic self. Her daughter, Isabel (age six), took all of these photos for me, from the front row.

I’ve been giving Isabel my camera to use since she was about 4 years old. She has learned to take photos, zoom a bit, and take a look at the photos she has taken on the camera’s preview screen. She does a rather nice job.

I love that sometimes Isabel takes photos from her own perspective. A person several feet shorter than I am, sometimes takes photos at her eye level, which is adult hip level. When the photos are of dancers, I enjoy seeing the energy in the clothing. Clearly, these folks were moving quickly!

Love this one. Literally caught mid-hop.

Yes, the baskets are real. No, we don’t use magnets or velcro. Yes, the headwrap makes it easier (my hair is very slippery). Yes, it takes a lot of practice.

We still have hiccups at times. The baskets are wider than my shoulders. It’s easy to run into someone else’s basket. It’s SO much fun, though!!!

Thanks to Sparrow Hospital for inviting us back, yet again. Community events make me really happy. This is one of my favorite events of the year.

I’ve been helping my mom with a huge task… her life’s work is to teach as many kids to read as possible. She wrote 4 books to help them break through.

Mom has taught “little guys” to read for a long time. (She taught early elementary grades in public school for about 25 years.) These books are the result of her work on the students’ behalf. She struggled to learn reading herself, and has been passionate about making it easier for others.

Mom wrote all the stories so that only one new word appears on any page. She found when working in the classroom, some new-reader books would introduce even four new words per page. Many kids can not handle that rate of introduction.

The books have color covers, but the insides are black and white line drawings. One benefit to this, is that the artwork does not distract from the subject matter.

Another benefit is that children can be encouraged to own their books by coloring in the characters. Each character is named by their color, so the child can own the word “Red” by coloring the little Red character throughout the books.

My little sweet friend Isabel received a set of the prototype books about a year ago. One night she sneaked into its storage place, took it in her room and colored in every instance of little Blue. Her favorite color is blue. I love that story!

If you live in Lansing, you can get the books at Everybody Reads bookstore. This is on Lansing’s fine and funky East Side, across from Emil’s Italian restaurant, the same block as Rae’s Yarn Boutique. (It’s about 4 blocks west of Frandor.)

Everybody Reads will be sponsoring a meet-the Author/Illustrator night, with a book signing and talk. The event will be Thursday, September 30, from 6pm-8pm.

I can not stress enough how important it is to communities, to buy from local shops when possible. I find it powerful and humbling to know who actually benefits from my small purchases when I buy from a local shop. Scott Harris runs Everybody Reads. He’s as passionate about reading as my mother. He is wonderfully supportive of local talent. I love to vote with my dollars by supporting him.

Everybody Reads will even ship books to you if you do not live in Lansing. Their phone number is 517/346-9900. They are open until 7 on weeknights without events, and 5pm on weekends.

You can read more about Mom’s story and each individual book, at the With Me Books page on lulu.com

Congratulations, Mom! Your work will benefit the world for generations to come. Nice job.

If you missed my last post, the old Deluxe Inn in REO Town/Lansing, Michigan is now owned by a county-run government entity (or maybe two organizations, I’m sketchy on that part). It is scheduled to be torn down any day. Meanwhile, graffiti artists were invited to come in and embellish/ decorate the space. Honestly, it’s safe to wander there now and take photos, it’s like a park. Not long ago, it was a good place to avoid. I love everything about this change of events.

I took well over 100 images of the site, on two separate days. The first day was mid-afternoon on a Tuesday and there were few people there, most with kids.

On Wednesday I was there around 5:30 (this is quite near downtown where many work). Since the parking lot is blocked off, there are only 5 places where a car can sneak a parking spot. I got the last of 5 that day. It was just crawling with folks, most with a friend or a few kids. Solo visitors, in general, carried large and important-looking cameras.

The prettier, more colorful pieces (see cropped tiny images/thumbnails) often are embellished words, usually nicknames of the artists. I have trouble reading those, but that was not my aim in this post. If I try to guess those, I will make a fool of myself. Maybe someone reading this can enlighten me in that area. They are absolutely beautiful works of art. The text eludes me, though the beauty does not.

All of the below (larger) images of the now-graffiti-covered Deluxe Inn contain text which was meant to communicate to the viewer. I left out images containing only advertising or names of organizations/ people/ websites and the like. Some are small phrases, some are statements in the moment, and a few are clearly intended as a sort of urban poetry.

If you are as entranced by this artful moment in time as I am, perhaps you’ll be interested in more photos. I have put up 86 images in a photoset on my Flickr account (colorjoylynnh). It’s a lot of looking, but if you have a fast connection and the time, you might enjoy putting it on “slide show” and letting the photos float past you. Click here for my Graffiti LoveLansing Photoset.

The text I am highlighting below tends to be less decorative, but that makes it easier for my un-practiced eye to understand. (Some appear to be painted by folks in the sign-painting business, the text is so perfectly executed.) Maybe you will enjoy their intent, as I did.

THANKS

Since this was not
done for critical acclaim
nor economic or Social
gain, Writing on this Wall
is the purest form of

Art

(Further down above the next door it says: CAN WE STAY?)

BE THE CHANGE

(NO PARKING)
UNLESS YOU
WANT YR
CAR PAINTED.

thank you Lansing

We Do This All Day!

ART IS FUN!

SALISBURY
STEAK AND
FISH!

GRAVY SATURATED
BACON PIECES
WITH HUMMUS.

thaNK yOU LANSING!

FRANK

Thank you: LAND BANK + ACCELERATE LANSING

i’ve DoNe betteR

ART
HOPE

OBLIGATORY
PARTIES
IN SPECIFIC
GARMENTS OF
CLOTHING

Thanks!

THe
ReSPeCT

I$$UE

I WiLL BE BACK

There is a non-functioning motel in Lansing at the intersection of Main/496 and South Washington (ReoTown, near Cooley Gardens). It was a place where nothing good seemed to happen, and at present the county is set to demolish it.

About 2 weeks ago, graffiti artists were invited (by authorities) to come in and decorate the space until its demolition. The sad corner has become a very colorful one.

I went there twice, one time with a 10 yr old. She was bummed it would be taken down, because “art makes people happy.” Right now the place is typically crawling with folks all holding cameras. It’s quite a wonderful city scene.

The photo above says #lovelansing. That is a Twitter “tag” which is used to connect people who are “Tweeting” about things that are good about the Greater Lansing Area.

The little cartoon image above which has that tag, is my own contribution to the temporary art exhibit. I found an unmarked spot between larger artful works, and drew a little cartoon character. I started drawing this little guy around 1970, for a comic strip I contributed to the Middle School newspaper, the Kinawa Courier. I haven’t drawn “Mr. Graphix” in a long time. That was fun.

I took hundreds of photos. These are the ones which specifically referenced Lansing (the green helmet represents the MSU Spartans, 517 is our area code, and Impression 5 is a science museum in downtown). If you click on them, they will blow up approximately 4 times in size. Your choice!

I have talked before about author Barbara Winter of the Joyfully Jobless blog (and book Making a Living without a Job). Today she posted a blog entry called “Things I Haven’t Told You.”

I got to thinking… what my mind jumped to was telling a story yesterday (at Maker Faire). I was a computer consultant and discovered that one could knit her own socks. For me, that was a defining moment in my own personal history. I knew my life would change, and it did.

I am fond of saying “One can not buy passion.” It sort of explains how I am in this business. My computer business was enjoyable and paid well, though it fizzled out after Y2K passed. My knitting/singing/art business is about passion. I wake up dreaming that I am knitting. It is all about that excitement that can not be purchased.

Going back, I remember several moments which I will never forget. These moments changed my life in some way. The best of them include a picture in my mind of how the room looked, how I felt, sometimes how I stopped in mid-step to drink in the experience. Some of them:

• I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, and my family took a trip across Lake Michigan on the “Milwaukee Clipper.” There was a musical ensemble in one room for entertainment. One guy was playing a drum set, including a snare drum with brushes. I had to be pried away from watching him.
   >
  However when it came time to play in band, I knew not to ask. Girls did not play drums in my community in 1969. I asked to play flute, which had intrigued me since Mrs. Gibbs played one for us in 3rd grade. My father gave me two choices, trumpet or clarinet. He played trumpet and I did not want to “match.” I never liked clarinet. I quit as soon as I was allowed.
   >
  Interestingly, though… I was always great at reading rhythms on sheet music. Notes were much harder. As an adult I took a private hand-drum lesson and the instructor indicated that I took to it easily. Arthritis in my fingers means I did not pursue it further, but I felt good to find that out. Now, I play Heftone bass. It’s a rhythm instrument that is kind to my hands. In the end I sort of got what I wanted, all along.
   >
  Not long after I started with clarinet, Karen Carpenter came on the scene, playing a drum set. She also had a beautiful voice. She was my hero.
• I was in 10th grade. Our church youth director, Lynn Grimes (now a retired United Methodist minister) was from Detroit. Our town was decidedly low on diversity and not at all like a big city. She decided to take our whole youth group to Toronto. There were 15 kids, Lynn and her husband. We had an amazing time. For me, I found out that there were places not like home, where there was more diversity, more visual stimulation, more everything. It was intoxicating.
   >
  Lynn made sure we saw things we could never see in 1975 suburbia. We rode the subway. We went to a Hungarian restaurant and a Chinese one in Chinatown where lots of people did not speak English. The food was unlike anything near home.
   >
  We went to fine museums, both the Royal Ontario and the Science Center (a new concept at the time).  And I spent a whole weekend taking photographs pointing straight up, at the skyscrapers. I fell in love with cities. Now I collect cities  (and especially their subway/transit systems). Photo is the Eaton Centre, a multi-story mall in Toronto.

• I was 27 years old in the sad part of my adult life… cleaning house alone one night, playing the radio for company. I think it was Bob Blackman’s Folk Tradition show on WKAR/MSU. He played a cut from Paul Simon’s Graceland album, singing with Ladysmith Black Mombazo (I believe the cut was Homeless).
   >
  I literally stopped  in my tracks, turned up the volume, and sat right there on the floor in front of the speakers, transfixed. I knew virtually nothing about Africa at that time, but it was like finding home. That much vocal beauty at one time knocked me over with a feather, so to speak. I’m still in love with that sound.
• I took a feltmaking workshop on the recommendation of Nancy McRay, around 2000. It was wonderful, and my hands remembered how wool made me feel good, to touch it.Looking for wool supplies online, I somehow found myself on the www.socknitters.com website. I was blown away. I had not imagined that someone could make their own socks! I could feel in my gut at that moment, that my life was going to change.
   >
  As a child of the 70’s (Twiggy, rainbow toe socks, laugh in), I loved bright colored socks, preferred wool, and had small enough feet that bright colored wool socks were impossible to find for me. I literally had over 80 pairs of socks in my sock drawer, when I found out one could knit one’s own socks. None of them were a)wool, b)bright colored, and c)small enough to fit properly. Most had two of those three attributes.
   >
  So there it was: I could make my own socks. I was working on a rather complex database project for a computer client at the time. I knew if I went to the yarn shop before finishing, I might not get the project done on deadline. The minute I turned in that project, I headed over to the only yarn shop in town at the time.
   >
  Ruth was working that day. I told her I had only knit scarves for 20 years and had played with purls a little, but not in any finished project. I was determined to make socks.
   >
  She did not flinch. She helped me find some DK-weight yarn and double-pointed needles, and instructions for making my socks. I went home, and somehow I had a pair of socks 10 days later (photo at right). And the rest, is my current life/livelihood…

Perhaps you would like to tell me a moment like this, from your own life? In the comments? I would love to hear. I think these moments do help us know who we are on the inside.

I lucked out. Through Twitter, I found out there was a Maker Faire going on in “Detroit” (Dearborn) this weekend.I was intrigued. This is a hotbed for creative folks… artists to robotics folks… anything goes if you made it.

The show goes until 5pm. If you are within range, I encourage you to consider a visit. It’s at The Henry Ford (grounds including Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village).

Our knitting/yarn trade association, TNNA, is having a booth there. I’m helping out in the booth today/Sunday by teaching knitting to beginners, and this got me free admission to the Faire. Since summer is a rough time in a knitting instructor’s budget, this was a true gift. Never mind that I adore teaching people to knit!

Brother Eric and Sis-in-Love Diana went yesterday and had to call me because they had such a great time. Diana reports that they got me some felt-ball earrings in my fave colors. Can’t wait to see!

But this morning I found out the best news yet. The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir will be there! Video, courtesy of www.GeeksAreSexy.net (Click the photo below to go to the YouTube video.)

I’ve blogged this art car before. It has some of those annoying singing fish on it, the odd gift of many Christmases ago. There are 250 fish/lobsters on this car. They are all coordinated to sing together in unison, from the Halleluia chorus to that mid-70’s roller rink song “I’m Hooked on a Feeling” (It starts out with ooga-chucka-ooga-ooga-etc., you surely remember.)

I get to see this incredible embellished Volvo! I’m hyped!

Brian’s riding his bike to Dearborn today for fun, as it’s a bit far to go on a day off and then get back home by dark. We’ll meet up for dinner at the wonderful Al-Ameer restaurant on Warren (where Habibi Dancers eat after the Arab festival each June). Dearborn most likely has the best Lebanese food in the world… more folks of Lebanese descent live in Michigan than in Lebanon at present, and Dearborn is the center of it all.

It looks like I’m going to have a great day!

Late last week, Brian and I had a musical performance north of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. It was about time to eat when we came through Mt. Pleasant on the way home.

I lived in this friendly community when I was in school at Central Michigan University from August 1976 to December 1978. I felt welcomed by this small city which really seemed to appreciate their students. (In contrast, I was treated poorly in my own town which also has a university).

We stopped and went looking for lunch. We found a street fair (sidewalk chalk artists galore). The town looks so different now, I had a hard time getting my bearings. I loved it, anyway.

Near our parking spot, on a side road, I found this door. Everything about it makes me happy.

From the faded, multicolored paint on the door, to the shapes in the photo, to the black and white wall tiles… this is ColorJoy of the “Miscellaneous Artforms” type. I hope it makes your eyes happy, as it does mine.

I printed this postcard in 2005. The image consists of five different “soft blocks” or “eraser stamps.” I used different brands of soft block material (including a dollar store eraser, and art store Speedball block). I printed with rubberstamp-oriented “dye inks.” I still like this image quite a lot.

If you haven’t tried eraser carving, it can be a quick creative outlet. Use a craft knife (Testors or Exact-0), or better yet, a v-cutter such as those for linoleum or wood carving. Carve up one side of a white plastic eraser and use it like a rubber stamp. Many inks/paints work.

I have been without words for you lately. My life is at a point of change and re-evaluation, as lives do at times, and I find myself without a blog topic.

It started when my car needed a new engine (last April). It was a hit I was ill-prepared to deal with. My reserves did not add up to the cost of the repair.

Without going into details, this spurred a reality check. I am very happy with my life in so many ways, and yet there is a need to change. How can I change to increase income without decreasing happiness? I am absolutely sure this is possible (in part because I have genuine gratitude for income, even in years when I’ve punched a clock at a box store to get it). I am not sure how it will go this time.

This happened, also, at a time I realized that I was over-using my speaking voice. I love teaching and public speaking. I also sing, but as a trained singer, my singing voice is less impacted by use than my talking voice. I have a wonderful doctor who is helping me get the voice healthy again. However, this summer I am not teaching as much as I did last year.

A big part of  my support system involves lunches or tea dates with folks who love me. I work alone at home a lot, and those meals with loved ones really balance and ground me. Lately I’ve made a point to do less of that social time, and more alone time at home (where I write and knit and otherwise work and live).

With my newly quieter time, I am swatching a lot, trying new knitting techniques. I’m contemplating where I will take my next set of knitting designs. I also have been tossing things from my past, going through old boxes of papers. I found at least one paper from as far back as 1984. It is great to get free of clutter and the residue of what was truly a different Lynn.

One weekend I decided to purge the kitchen of everything I did not truly want to keep there. It was magic. Here’s a photo of the counter just before I finished. I noticed how pretty the colors were, just my everyday cooking/serving items.

I assure you I am well. My life is very good. I have everything I need and many extras. My husband loves me. I do not need anything else. It is just as though someone switched the “channel” when I turned my head and I’m getting my bearings for the new reality. Everyone has times like this. It just happens to be my turn.

Meanwhile, I think of you often. I have been blogging since November 28, 2002. This is my published post 2,963. Many of you have become real friends to me, some of us have met in person. You are real and important in my heart and my life. I’m quiet right now, but I think of you as I take photos wherever I go. Somehow, though, I have not found words when I sat to write.

It may be that I will start posting those photos for you, with minimal text. I have so MANY things I want to say here, but for now I wonder if ColorJoy-ful photos will be how I stay connected with you for a little while.

Hugs to everyone out there.

Late last week I was running a bunch of errands. I found myself waiting at a busy Lansing stoplight, next to an amazing vehicle, driven by an amazing-looking man.

The vehicle was a motor-tricycle which was decorated to the extreme. The man driving was wearing a helmet (as is required by law in Michigan). However, this helmet was a work of art on its own merits. It had large horns coming out of each side and what appeared to be hair on the top, above the horns. Somewhat viking-esque, perhaps?

This guy is TOTALLY into it. Remember, one can not buy passion. It comes, and we listen and act… or we let it pass us by. I have high regard for those who grab on and go!

This guy is into his own style.  It’s not my style, nor the style of anyone else I’ve seen in town. I was impressed.

I have a friend who will become aged 6 next week. Last year, her mother heard me say that I had never used sidewalk chalk. So one day, my little friend and her mom gifted me with a big bin with many colors of chalk.

Last year I used it once at the yarn shop. This week, I used it the first time for just the fun of doing it.

Have a great and safe, happy and joyful weekend.

Brian’s youngest sister lives in Washington DC. She was in Baltimore one day and saw this remarkable, lovely sight:

“Hug Me.” I love this deeply. I’ve seen several photos of trees with sweaters, and this in in my top two favorites. Incredible.

Where was I? TNNA and Columbus, Ohio. Well, that is where I left off my storytelling, I think.

One day in Columbus, another Lansing traveler told me that our Lansing musician friend Jen Sygit was also in Columbus. She had performances on Friday and Saturday. I was in town Thursday – Sunday.

I called Jen with a message, and also left her an online note. I heard back relatively quickly. She was up for lunch on Saturday. Perfect!!!

In the end, we had lunch at North Market, with Sam Corbin and their friend Eric who lives in that city. It was much fun.

We all ended up with lunch from the Indian food vendor. It was delicious! It is a good thing I don’t live too close to that booth or I’d be poorer and heavier in no time!

We also played tourist. Near our lunch table, there was a board painted with a lady, a scarecrow, and a goat… with holes cut open for their faces. Jen wanted to be the goat (I was glad it was not me), and Sam became a scarecrow. Eric took this photo of us clowning around. I think it turned out pretty well for such things.

After we finished eating, we went outside behind the building. There was a street festival going on. I got some photos of the band. They were really cranking out the energy up there, a pretty large band. Eight musicians! Wow.

I got a good photo of Sam Corbin behind the stage area. He’s such a pleasant, comfortable person to be with (and a very fine musician, as well). I think you can sense his nature from this image.

As I passed through the North Market parking lot on the way back to the TNNA conference (a few blocks away at the convention center), I came upon an astounding vehicle. I took a few photos. After all, anyone with a car like this surely expects to have it photographed.

The license plate reads “ThatCar.” I have seen a few art cars in my life, though Michigan is not a great place to have one (because of weather). This one was as full-blown as any I’ve seen.

Ironically, I was reading some Twitter posts about TNNA, and found the owner of this vehicle. His twitter name is “ThatCarARTCAR” and his “real” name is Greg. This is what his Twitter profile says:

Meeting planner by day, artcar artist at heart. I participate in parades, festivals, lectures and love to welcome convention attendees to Columbus Ohio.

Greg also has a Flickr account online, with photographs you can check out (besides mine). Find him here:
http://www.flickr.com/thatcar

I have been to Columbus at least three times before. The street festival and ThatCar were new experiences for me this time. It was a fine addition to what I already knew and loved about the city already.

Saturday was definitely a good day for me, in Columbus. I’ve been home since Sunday night. I miss it already.