Better than bombarding your inbox: November 2014

Song of the Day: Brother, Uncle Jed

Providence Stuff: The city put a bunch of old pictures online and this guy went out to photograph in the same spots today.

Sunday was yet another reminder that we're back in America:

It's nice to have a house and everything, but with it comes yard work. I'd forgotten about that. Well, I'd forgotten about fall, specifically. After a few weeks of hoping the leaves wouldn't really be a problem for us, I'd come to the realization that not only had their accumulation become apparent but that all of the neighbors were busy mowing, raking, and stuffing lawn bag after lawn bag full of leaves. We were at risk of becoming those neighbors - you know, the ones everyone else quietly resents for not doing yard work.

I went out to the local hardware store to purchase a gas can and some oil mixture for my "brand new" backpack leaf blower. We'd put it on our wedding registry but left before I ever had a chance to use it. So there I was, on Sunday afternoon, reading an instruction manual, mixing oil and gasoline, fumbling around with gloves and a hat on, four years after receiving said gift. Now, for some reason, I've never really noticed "lawn bags" before. I've either been unaware or have yet to live in a town where this is a thing, but lawn bags are these chest-high paper bags that you fill with lawn waste and set out on your curb on trash day. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure these bags are entirely new to me. We didn't have them in North Carolina and, in Tennessee, there was a big vacuum truck that idled by each house, sucking the piled debris into its container. And I'm not sold on the bags just yet, either. Wrestling them open, then trying to keep them open while sandwiching a glob of leaves between an empty and rake-holding hand requires an artist's touch. And I'm sure the image of me, at 5'8", trying to smush the leaves down in order to make room - while the bag itself comes well above my waist - is a sight to see. Luckily, I did this while Kenz was at the studio.

One more thing/realization:

You know how folks in Arizona say yea, it's 113 here, but it's a dry heat as if to say that the heat isn't all that bad? You know how, when you hear them say that, you think they're full of it?

Well, it's cold here, but it's a sunny cold.

I'm still conditioned to the London winter, which is the most bleak season imaginable, so I keep getting fooled each morning here in Rhode Island. I'll wake, come downstairs to let the dogs outside, see that it's a beautiful morning, complete with blue skies and yellow leaves, and trot on over to the back door to greet the day in the back yard with the dogs. Doing so in September was fantastic. Not only was the weather glorious (and bright), but sipping a morning coffee in the back yard while the dogs rutted around, sniffing, rolling, and chasing each other made me feel as if I'd arrived. These days, however, it's so freaking cold that I can just about see my breath before I even open the door. Sure, it's still sunny outside, but you won't find me basking in the sun; I shove the reluctant dogs out there on their own (and they "go" as fast as they can so as to return to a warm dog bed).

And the locals have this cold weather thing down pat. Their glove game is on point; not only do folks have all types of gloves, but they even wear them in the grocery store. The few friends I've made thus far have all encouraged me to get some thermals. Layers on layers, y'all.

The week has been pretty standard:

Autumn is upon us,

which makes for pretty views,

but cold mornings.

Kenz is busy making tables

and braiding metal.

She spends so much time in the studio that she comes home punch drunk, laughing at pictures of sloths on the internet...

...for about ten minutes, and then she falls asleep.

Even when we have friends over,

Kenz can only stay awake for a period of time.

But, there's always a chance she'll be awake when we get to facetime with friends and family like Kara, Pepper, and Jerry...

...or Brian and Gracie...

...or the Ruckers.

Sometimes we just get pictures of nieces and nephews, like Oliver...

...or Sam, Quin, and Zora.

The pets are still up to no good, chewing on toys...

...or antlers...

...or simply asking for the lights to be turned off.

At least Kenz is prepared for the actual cold weather that'll be soon to come.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

Song of the Day: Careful You, TV on the Radio

Providence Stuff: Providence in 1947

Well, we had our first Halloween back in America. Both of us were quite excited to have kids ringing the doorbell, begging for candy, but were disappointed to find that since our little dead-end street is on the other side of the main road from the rest of the neighborhood, very few families make their way over to us. We had nine trick or treaters; our neighbors said that's a 900% increase from about five years ago.

I took the dogs for a walk at dusk to see some of the decorations and costumes. Folks in the main neighborhood had done a good job representing. There were several fire pits out in front of houses, complete with a tailgate atmosphere: coolers, buffet tables of wings, treats, and costumed dads. Kenz had brought her work home that evening so that she could hand out candy (she was much more optimistic about the foot traffic than I).

Likely the best house (there was music being pumped through outdoor speakers as well).

Still decorating at 5pm.

"I want more visitors"

She kept painting until well past midnight.

Nephew Oliver got dudded up for the evening.

Pet life is the same as it ever was. No matter the weather, the dogs are eager to get out for their walks each day, which can cause some problems for their 'walker' - I've had to dig deep into our London things to find my boots and waterproof pants because the rain here is just above freezing. Now that Kenz has brought the plants inside, Bruce Bruce makes regular investigations throughout the day.

Willow, ever the lady, crosses her legs when lying down.

Rain walks? OK!

Lemme see what's going on with this plant.

Doing a Willow impersonation.

Apollo got a new 'baby' this week and has been carrying it everywhere.

BB found a new fort in some discarded packing material.

"Dad, she's in my spot."

There has been a slight uptick in visiting over the past two weeks. We've kept up with "family dinner" night on Monday nights, having Jasmine over in her last few weeks before moving to NYC. And, as a delightful surprise, I got to see some old friends last Friday afternoon. Will & Kira were among the first to visit us in London. The two of them (now engaged - more on that in June) were traveling up to Boston for a wedding with Kira's family. They gave me a call around lunchtime, saying they'd be stopping in Providence for food. "Don't go into Providence - come to Pawtuxet Village!" It was great fun to meet the rest of Kira's family over sandwiches and coffee in my little village's brunch spot.

Mom'n'Tom headed into Knoxville for Kara's baby shower and took the opportunity to drop by the Gibson's to meet newborn Oliver. Kenz was taken aback: "My in-laws just went to see their in-law's little sister's baby! Man, I lucked out with some cool in-laws."

Monday night family dinner.

Will & I.

Kira, her dad, and Will

Kira's mom & brother.

Stoked to have old friends appear in PVillage!

Kara, MOMA, and Oliver.

Jasmine finally got us out of the house for $5 mussels & fries at a local french restaurant. Kenz was loving it.

Kenz's schoolwork is coming along - however, it seems to be a blend of satisfying and arduous work. She's still averaging over eighty hours per week in the studio, coming home each night sore, exhausted, and sweaty. Yet, she still looks forward to each new day in the studio. Last Friday was an "open studio," which was an opportunity for students to showcase their works in progress for the public. I visited and was immediately impressed with the quality and breadth of work that was being done. I left there realizing this was not the same as Camberwell; these folks are on another level (including Kenz).

She's doing a blend of work for both graduate and undergraduate courses since she's in the three year program (the first year has a few undergraduate courses to bring her up to speed on fabrication, which includes relatively simple, focused assignments that don't necessarily ignite her creative spark). Below are pictures of things for both types of classes.

Her graduate independent study is in metal; her prof said "I've never seen anyone braid metal before."

Making a stool to satisfy an undergrad woodworking course.

I don't know what course this is for, but it's a mahogany egg that has to be perfect (she's spent three weeks sanding it)

The prof going over stools.

Open studio.

They each made a cutout to put beside their work; this thing is definitely coming home (they're currently using it to scare others in the studio).

Aside from the braid, Kenz showed the models of what will become final projects in two separate classes.

It was neat to see what her colleagues were working on, walk around the studio, and see her in her element.

They spend more time with each other than their own families; no wonder they have a height marker on the door threshold.

Ice bucket mojitos.

Served in plastic bags.

Kenz is currently attempting to braid enough metal to become a structural element in her table.

It's proving to be a hassle since the ceiling is lower than the metal rod's reach...

...but at least she has found some super sweet welding glasses.

Considering Kenz's schedule, we've yet to really sink our teeth into Providence's night (or day) life. However, we knew that this weekend was the last Waterfire of the season, so we mustered the energy to get downtown and walk along the river. We didn't know much of what to expect, but it turned out to be a lot more adorable than at least I expected. There are fire basins all along the river, which runs through the heart of the city, complete with gondolas, outdoor music, and a crafts fair near RISD's campus. There's not much else to it, but I'm not sure there needs to be much else. We simply walked along the river, held hands, and enjoyed the people watching. I look forward to doing it in the summertime when it's not 40 degrees outside.