Zen & Luna

I got to spend last week with two of my favorite little people in the world, my niece and nephew, Zen and Luna. They are 7 and 8 years old, and filled with curiosity, smarts, sass and sweet cuteness. I had so much fun this week being a kid with them. We planned our days together, ate bagels for breakfast and in the evenings ate popcorn while watching Harry Potter (one, two, three and four!). We worked in our art journals, visited a couple of museums, did some grocery shopping, and had a sleep over with Titi Veronica (my sis) and her long haired Dachshund, Toni Boloney. Our time together ended with a trip to Barnes and Nobles for some summer reading material.  Here are some highlights:

The American Museum of Natural History
Zen and Luna visited the American Museum of Natural History when they were about 3 and 4, so coming back was a whole new experience for them. Our first stop was the Hall of African Mammals. I told them they could take out their art tools and they went right to work. They had no inhibitions about stopping and sketching while tons of people walked by (I can be quite shy about drawing in public unless I'm with a group doing the same thing) and they were so particular about what they wanted to sketch! I love this so much about people this age. 

They labeled their sketches

Luna loved the Hall of Birds of the World.

You can see that from her many sketches.

Zen sketched this Tibetan Mask.

They went nuts when we got to the Hall of Biodiversity and the Hall of Ocean Life.

We were at the museum for about four hours and these beautiful kids did not complain about a thing; not about being hungry or thirsty, not about having to go to the bathroom or being tired. I was the one who decided mid way that we (meaning me) needed to use the bathroom and get some food.

More of Zen's sketches

I had to buy this beauty of a book as a souvenir. The kids chose something, too. ;)

Art Journaling 
Zen and Luna have their own sketchbooks and I thought it would be fun to have them use some craft paints and collage to create pages that would remind them of their time with their Titis (aunties).

Luna adores Toni Boloney and she dedicated her pages to him. She's too cute.

Zen wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty. We never made it but it still inspired this page.

The Brooklyn Museum
Ya think I love this place? I've only posted about it here and here. I wanted to share one of my favorite museums with these two little guys. An added bonus was that ages 19 and under get in free!

Zen wanted to make sure that we remembered the name of this ancient Egyptian game (senet). We googled it when we got home and even watched a youtube tutorial on the rules of the game. Zen is planning to create his own board and pieces.

As per luna's request, I took lots of pictures of the ancient Egyptian cats.

My sister Valerie lives in PA, so I don't get to see her or Zen & Luna as much as I would like. How wonderful that I was able to spend real quality time with them. These kiddos are awesome! I love you Zen & Luna!

Southern California III

The Mission at San Juan Capistrano

Tapas, at a restaurant I can't recall, in San Diego's Gaslamp District

Needless to say, Lim and I left Southern California reluctantly. Great food, open spaces, friendly people, good weather (even though the locals didn't think so as it was their cloudy season), the ocean, the landscapes...

The End

Southern California II

Bowers Museum

Holey moley, so much good stuff in this place! What a variety!

Erong (Coffin)
Toraja Culture, Sulawesi, Indonesia
18th-19th century

Canoe
Yami Culture, Orchid Island, Taiwan
20th century

Canoe detail

"A Master. China's Picasso. The People's Artist. All of these prestigious titles belong to one man, Qi Baishi. Regardless of which title precedes him, Qi Baishi is widely regarded as the most well-known and influential Chinese modern artist." Read more here. 

Scholar's Study
Ming Dynast Style

Splash Boards
20th Century
Bismarck Archipelago
Wood and paint

Carving of a Fish Spirit
20th Century
Ben Sisia (931- )
Libba Village, Kavieng, New Ireland
Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia

War Shield
20th Century
Abau people; Green River

Gifts to Friends
Nancy Ravenhall Johnson
Printed graphics and hand drawings
 assembled with distressed paper, tags, stamps and found objects

Peaceful-Wrathful Deities Mandala
Artist
Shashi Dhoj Tulachan, Nepal
Natural mineral pigments
2004

Mandala detail

William Alexander Griffith
(1866-1940)
Tustin Walnut Grove
c. 1923
Pastel on flannel?

Hanson Duvall Puthuff
(1875-1972)
The Hills of Home
c.1916
Oil on canvas

Hanson Duvall Puthuff
(1875-1972)
The Hills of Santa Ynez
c.1916
Oil on canvas

Frank Coburn
(1862-1938)
Japanese Hydrangeas
Date unknown
Oil on canvas

Snow Monster

So, this is a bit random, but I had to mention Snow Monster in Orange County. They serve macaron ice cream sandwiches! Everything is made in house and it's an experience just to take in the heavenly smell of cookies baking. The online menu gives only a glimpse of the unique flavors and treats available. Recommended for the serious sweet tooths like me :)

Churro macaron with horchata ice cream
I can't remember what my friend had...
I was enjoying my ice cream sandwich too much!

To be continued...