Nice Haul!

Whenever I visit my brother in Florida I always plan a meet-up with a good friend of mine.  We try out a new spot for lunch and then find something interesting to do or a place to visit that’s new to at least one of us.  We cheated a little this time and went to a restaurant we’d been to before — the Salt and Sweet — but they have such delicious peirogies that it’s hard NOT to go there every time. 
  
Before I got to town I did some Googling to see if Melbourne had any used bookstores.  I thought a little browsing might be fun.  We’ve got great used bookshops in Columbus, but I’d never thought to look for any near my brother (Which is odd considering I visit often enough!).  I managed to find a few, and Nu2U Books on Aurora got really great reviews and was even close to the restaurant.  Who knew?

When we pulled into the parking lot I was skeptical;  it looked like it was in a storage unit and didn’t seem very big but — wow — when we walked in we were swallowed up.  I was most impressed!  We lost track of time.

The owner’s granddaughter made all these great signs extolling the wonders of reading…

… as well as giving us fair warning of the impending doom:

(I was already afflicted.)

It always makes me happy to see bookstores — especially used ones! — doing well.  While we were there, all kinds of people came in to browse, buy, & swap.  Dave, the owner, explained their simple pricing structure: $3 hardcovers and $1 paperbacks.  “We want to make it easy for people to read,” he said.  He told us how he started selling books out of the back of his car and that things kind of snowballed from there.  Nice. 

Like I need more books, buuuut… 

I left with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (I borrowed & read my brother’s copy but wanted one for my own shelf.), First You Build a Cloud (I’d read KC Cole’s The Universe and the Teacup and just loved it.), and The Proficient Pilot (Barry Schiff’s aviation classic, which will be great for helping me get my piloting groove back).

I also couldn’t resist this copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  I seem to have started a little collection of Alice books without realizing it.  I am such a nut for old illustrated books and I just couldn’t let this one — printed in 1897 — stay on the shelf.

Bonus: free handmade bookmarks!  

I took the middle one... it color coordinates nicely, wouldn't you agree?

On the way out to the car we noticed Fat Cat Thrift across the parking lot.  I was lured over by these two little Mexican ceramic sinks that were sitting outside the door. I’ve been on the lookout for something unique that could become a birdbath for one of my gardens and at $10 it was a bargain. In the end I chose not to get one (they were a little too deep), but the store owner noticed my Miz Mooz art deco shoes and waved me inside.  “I think I’ve got a perfect pair of shoes for you…”  I wasn’t hopeful as I so rarely find thrift store shoes that fit - I’m a size 6 - but it turned out to be a Cinderella day!  Snagged a great scarf and purse too.

All in all, nice haul!  And two great new spots to add to my “What I like about Melbourne” list.  I should start exploring more in Columbus too; it’s sooo easy to get stuck going to the same places all the time.  What great finds have you stumbled upon while exploring your own town?

Nu2u Books - 2624 Aurora Road, Melbourne FL . (910) 429-4843 . Hours: Tue - Sat 12-6pm . Cash only.  ||  Fat Cat Thrift & Vintage - 2632 Aurora Road, Melbourne FL . (321) 544-6914 . Hours: Tue - Sat 12-5pm

Say Hello More Often

I made a New Year's resolution to say yes to more things, to step out of my comfort zone a little more often. If I'm hesitant about doing something (and it’s not for a really good reason), I now make an effort to do it anyway. One of the things it's helping me get over is my shyness about introducing myself to strangers.  I know, I know... me, an introvert? I'm so outgoing, yes, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather wait for someone to start a conversation with me instead of the other way around.  (It's funny though, because when I was little, my older sister said she’d take me for walks and all I did was say hello to strangers.)  Anyway...

My brother and his wife and I were going to have dinner at our favorite Melbourne FL restaurant.  Amici's opened their new Chef's Table and we love sitting at the open kitchen bar watching Dave, Paul, and Katie cook, and chit-chatting with everyone who's become more like family than restaurant staff.  The place was packed but they’d saved three seats for us.  Normally I would have picked the middle one, but I made myself choose the one next to a stranger.  I introduced myself, and soon we were talking up a storm.  It turned out that my new dinner friend Matt and his partner Tim were getting married, and I said "Hey lemme know if you need a photographer..." I didn't even have a business card to hand out--Yargh, I need to fix that!--but it didn't matter. Matt looked at Tim and said, “Wouldn’t she be so fun?” So Tim gave me their details and the rest got worked out from there.  

Their wedding was lovely. Beachside, with great people (including a rowdy-fun group of Matt's flight attendant friends), a chocolate fountain (who doesn't love that?) and delicious red velvet thank you cupcakes made by Maria of the Amici's Bakery (of course!). 

What I find so ironic about this post is that I was writing the draft on the plane ride back to Ohio, not really paying any attention to my seat mate, an elderly gentleman who was penciling notes into a music score. When we landed I finally said hello and asked him about it.  Turns out he used to be a conductor in New York, is now "retired" (yet playing drums in three different bands) and was visiting his daughter in Columbus.  We talked about music and art in a fast 10 minutes while people were deplaning... about learning new things throughout your entire life, being curious, keeping up your interests. What an amazing, wonderful man! I only wish I'd said hello when we first boarded, but that's ok, I got his email address and hope that we'll stay in touch. 

My point?  Say hello! Better yet, say hello and ask a few questions. You never know what interesting people you'll meet, where life could take you, or even whose day you might be changing by simply starting a conversation.

Who will you say hello to today?

Photographing in Tucson

I sometimes regret not having gone to an art school or pursued an MFA, not so much for the classroom education but for the benefits of being immersed in the field, of networking with other photographers on a similar path, of making industry connections.  It's up to me now to find other ways to create those experiences, and so I was thrilled to attend Mary Virginia Swanson's "Finding Your Audience" photography marketing workshop in Tucson last month (and  grateful to the Greater Columbus Arts Council for the grant that made it possible).

I flew west via Salt Lake City --- what an amazing landscape from the air.  I can only imagine it's just as beautiful on the ground (I've never been!).  And Tucson… any time in Tucson makes me happy, and I loved having a little time to explore the city, do some hiking, try new restaurants, and visit places I'd never been before.

Our five day workshop covered everything: the changing gallery scene, alternative markets, image licensing, funding, and publishing. Guest speakers presented "shorts" on topics ranging from Kickstarter campaigns to public art projects to writing and creating new work.  We visited galleries and the Center for Creative Photography, where we met with conservators, curators, and educators. 

The gallery at Baker & Hesseldenz

The Etherton Gallery

Presentation on archival mounting techniques at the Center for Creative Photography

One of my favorite parts of the workshop was our portfolio sharing night. Inspiring! Such a diverse and beautiful range of subject matter, style, technique, and presentation!  I felt humbled. It's been so long since I shared my own work with others in a professional peer group, and I was surprised at how fulfilling it was to do that again. 

Anne Berry sharing her portfolio "Behind Glass"

Our final morning was spent at Swanee's house in the Tucson mountains.  We poured over her immense collection of photography books and celebrated a birthday, enjoying more great conversation and delicious homemade pozole, all under the shade of desert trees and giant saguaros.

By far the most profound and unexpected outcome of attending this workshop is that I've come to a point of clarity about the intent and direction of my artistic projects: which ones matter the most now, which ones need to simmer a little longer, what needs to be done to move my work forward.  One of my portfolios that has been stalled for years now has a vision, a name, and a potential format that has me excited about printing again.  I think we all left Tucson with the feeling that our world had expanded.  With a renewed sense of purpose and commitment not only to the making of our work, but to sharing it with others in any number of ways we might not have thought of.

What a life-changing five days.