Monday, June 20, 2011

Play Hard, Work Hard

Can one day expand to be experienced as a week? I think so. Life is rich. A quiet morning soaking in the Mansion on O Street, thoroughly enjoying the soft couch looking out over tree lined O Street, a squirrel visits on a slim limb, snatching a seed blossom and nibbling it. I can't help but think that if this creature can exist in an urban place and find food, live a life, be beautiful, then how dare I worry? A simpler way of saying things is that I am filled with Gratitude for all life offers. To be able to live in Washington DC in a fabulous place for a few days truly fills the well. After writing and taking care of the refinement of the Walking In Love artist statement book that will accompany the exhibit I began to, literally, pace the street waiting for Travis to arrive. Wisdom in the form of Ross who cares for the valet service of the Mansion was nurturing to my mounting anticipation of the work to begin. Ross celebrates 'Walking' to receive his High School diploma twenty years after he left school. A great example to his children, congratulations Ross! I met his friends Jeannie and Steve on their way in to the Mansion to jam with the o street band. Wonderful people. Expectancy fulfilled as Travis turns the corner and finally arrives! Oh boy did he have adventures. Heavy rain in the middle of the country followed him in the form of water spouts, lightening storms and high winds. But he made it safely and so did our installation! Woo hoo!

Travis went straight to the shower and then to feast at the most fabulous brunch at the Mansion you could ever imagine. Rooms of food. One entire room dedicated to desserts. Hundreds of desserts. Cakes, scones, cookies, cheeses, fruits, and even bags of candy (nearly took one of my favorite Sugar Babies) after delicious fresh asparagus, figs, beets, snap peas (my choices) and, just about anything else you could imagine. Omelets made to order, smoked and fresh salmon and on and on. Three rooms. FULL. YUM! Fran and Travis and I ate then prepared to drive to Herndon to begin to set up Walking In Love. No time to waste.

Unloading the trailer in humid heat and drops of rain is the counterpoint to the luxury of the Mansion. We hustled to complete the initial structure build so we would be out of the way today when the rest of the crew shows up to create the surrounding show. The wonderful show organizers, Lisa Ellis, Christine Adams and Barbara Hollinger, met us, gave us the tour and then got out of our way. I had a few minutes of stressful fidgets before Travis and Fran set me straight. Hey! This is fun! Travis and the trailer survived thousands of miles of travel and here we are, creating the Walking In Love spiral for the east coast! Cool! actually, drippy sweaty hot, but good work.

Back to the Mansion and dinner. Travis and I blew off steam by walking to the Mall and the obelisk also known as the Washington Memorial. What a thrill it is to be there at night. Fully lit, it sits on a knoll looking one direction to the Lincoln Memorial and another to the Capitol. Truly a magnificent place. We cruised by the White House, dark for the night, before power walking back to O Street and deep sleep. Today we begin our ceiling and spiral installation. Serious rain outside.

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