A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING FROM OLLIE AND LOIS, INDIAN LIFE, CAROL AND JACK, BILL AND DIANNE, ALI SHAHIDI, NEW CARS, FUN WITH FRIENDS AND GOOD LUCK TO TOM

As most of you know by now, the main focus in our life right now is Tom and his upcoming heart surgery tomorrow. Tom’s  just anxious to get it over with and I’m just anxious!! Although, I know he is strong and has not had heart problems in the past, and otherwise in good health, so underneath all my anxiety, I do know he will be fine and on the mend and back to the life we have enjoyed before his heart began to rob him of energy and breath. However, just the same, please keep your finger’s crossed and the odd prayer or two, sure wouldn’t hurt!

I’ve already had many friends and family sending get well wishes to him and we do appreciate them so much!

I’m going to include some of those friends in this blog,that have brought us up to date with what is going on in their life.

First from Ollie and Lois, who we met on our first cruise through the Panama Canal. We enjoyed fun times trying to win at Trivia Pursuit and collecting those “Dam Dollars”. Some people you meet on these trips remain friends forever, and we are so lucky to kept connected.

This is the latest adventure Ollie and Lois have been on that sounds very interesting with great pictures!!!

Linda and Tom,

Linda, we read your blog about the tooth and were about to send you a message of sympathy when we saw that you had recovered. Glad to hear this.

So Lois wanted to let you know about our latest "ride about". We headed for the Navaho Nation in Northern Arizona to see Monument Valley. It is truly a land of contrast, rather stark with beautiful cliffs and monoliths rising out of the ground. We had to have a Navaho guide who took us in his open air vehicle down the side of a mountain and at the bottom we stated on this "road?" that looks more like a rock "cow path". We stopped at all of the wonderful spectacles and he gave us the names history and Navaho lore connected to each one. We also stopped at a place called John Ford's Lookout which was the overlook where the Indians on horses were always shown high above looking down at John Wayne and the Cavalry below .  Had a rare opportunity to go into a Navaho Hogan and see great grandma in native dress carding wool to make thread for the Navaho rug she was working on. It was at this Hogan that we learned all about the matrical society of the Navaho people. We learned that you must always enter through the door which always faces East and progress clockwise around the Hogan. To the Navaho this represents the circle of life, you enter as a baby and progress around the Hogan through adulthood to old age and death. As we continued on we had to ford a river to see more exquisite beauty. Following four horses as they grazed down the "road" unattended and unbothered by our truck. Our journey came to an end as the truck we were riding in drove up the side of the mountain.  We were so awe inspired by God's beauty that we wanted to share some of our photos with you.

Photo attached. First is a wide view of the Valley, then a photo of Navaho grandma in her Hogan and finally a photo of her Hogan, the mud mound on the right.

What interesting pictures eh? Such an amazing world we live in with so much beauty everywhere!!

  

Next, we go to Carol and Jack, that we met heading to Alaska! Carol was my life savior when I had forgotten my camera charger and the photo department didn’t have one to help me out. I think I had asked almost everyone on the ship if they had a battery charger for my Lumix Panasonic Camera, but nobody did! I had given up hope of being able to take pictures on this fantastic trip, when who joined our dining table one evening and set her camera on the table beside her!!!  It was Carol and Jack! The same camera and she had a charger, and she was so kind to leave the table, right there and take my battery to her room and had it charged for me before dinner was finished!! Also she gave me her room number to get it charged any time I needed it!!! We had met new friends, that have stayed in touch! Wonderful!! Carol wrote this morning with well wished for Tom and also two picture’s from her camera! One a new car, and another of her beautiful flower!!!

Just checked your blog (5/11 edition), since I haven't had any emails from you lately.  Sounds like you had a lovely Mother's Day, indeed.  You don't know what "hot" is, tho, until you've been down here in the southern sun!  But the hats were cute.  I'll have to send you pix of my newest additions.  I've gone daylily crazy and trying to get "sporty" as I approach my supposedly more "mature" years.  Ha!

And all our best to Tom as he undergoes surgery Wed.  Our prayers and thoughts are with you both.

Love and light,

Carol

Nice car Carol!!! Suits you well!!!

My, OUR CAMERA takes great pictures eh????? Beautiful flowers!!!

Yesterday, we had our monthly fun lunch with Bill and Dianne (above) and we went to a restaurant, I have forgotten the name and I just asked Tom what it was called, only 10 minutes ago…..I’m at that age eh? Can’t remember anything for longer then 10 seconds!!

But it was great, fabulous menu, and great company. Dianne also brought some delicious scones to share and a CD of Leonard Cohen’s concert that we went to recently!!  I’ve nearly worn the cd out already!! Love it!!! It’s called Leonard Cohen, Live in London. It’s absolutely fantastic!!!

It was pouring rain when we came out, then all of a sudden it cleared up, but I still had my rain coat on and a sweater underneath that made me look like the Goodyear Man!

I loved their sign!! Lovely tulips!!

Now, we are heading around the world again, to visit with a few more pictures my friend and very talented man, Ali Shahidi. He has sent me a few more pictures of his very colorful artwork, and I’ve been promising for some time now to put them on the blog, and just didn’t get around to it, so now’s the time! I featured some of his work earlier, so if you didn’t see it before, go have a look!! Talent Galore!!!

Ali, also sent me some of his lovely poetry, but due to my inept at keeping good files I can’t find them!!! I’m sorry Ali!!

 

That’s it for tonight!!! Hope you enjoyed a little trip with friends, here and there!! More tomorrow, on Tom’s day!!!

 

PERSIAN (Iran) ART – Ali Shahidi

Ambleside today was sunny and looked very inviting to head out for a walk along the seawall. Before reaching the seaway, is the Ferry Building where they often display various artist’s work. Today, I decided to go in and have a look and I’m so glad that I did.

I met a very nice man, a multi-talented artist, Ali Shahidi, with many credentials to his name, such as a master’s degree in Architectural Engineering, also a masters degree in Art and Architecture. Diplomas in Ceramic and Sculpture from Montreal. He’s designed many “Radio & TV” centers, commercial and residential buildings , some palaces, and very unique buildings in different countries.

He has 26 years of of research and study about art, culture and civilization. In this regard he started to re-produce some very unique pieces of art, each representing an important period in history.

His goal is to have a World United Culture Center with independent representatives from all nations and countries around the world.

As on his poster above, which I hope you can read, I like his opening statement.

Today we miss yesterday and tomorrow we will lose today. War, violence and drugs are taking over the world. We are damaging the environment and destroying our beautiful planet. Politicians are busy solving political and economic issues. Who will protect the worlds cultures? We need a voice and a vehicle to bring our cultural issues to the forefront.

I was lucky today to view some of his many pieces of art in Architecture, Sculpture, Ceramics and Pottery, Paintings and Inlays and to spend a little time with him, as with much passion and enthusiasm, he explained to me some of the meaning and history of his art. I was writing furiously as he talked, and may have some things mixed up for which I apologize for.

See the beautiful gold drinking cup. Absolutely beautiful. Read about it below!

Imagine 1000 BC, Persians were using the sunflower motif as a symbol of light and God. In 500 BC they produced the same motif with 12 lines in a clock on the outside of buildings by relief and as the sun shone it showed the time.

Amazing isn’t it!!

Above, is a hand-written, 13 century writing of The Koran!

Now, wait until you see the next picture of Ali Shahidi beautiful painting of how it would have looked like back then!

Ali’s paintings are so vivid and lively in colour they almost jump out at you as if they where 3D. Wonderful paintings!

This is Ali Shahidi, the artist I was in awe of meeting. This painting below was done to scale of the columns around the buildings. You can’t see it in the picture here but around the outside are the measurements and painted exactly to scale..AMAZING!

I

I have a problem placing the different size pictures on the page and having them turn out right and when I publish them, it will turn out different again, so I’m sorry about skipping here and there with blank spaces on the page. If I knew HTML language it would be different….but I don’t! The above right painting is of a Persian king, but. Beautiful colours, that with my flash kept bouncing back at me, not showing how beautiful the painting really is on here. Ali, told me he was a BAD king in history.

The picture below is a re-creation of a Mystical Divine Bird of Birth, who was the intermediate between Earth, Air, and Water. This bird was said to have seeds of all plants around the world.

Art by Ali Shahidi, of Persian writing from the fifth century!!

Bowl with Comb (description below)

Look how the vase and I think are coins, in this painting stands out like you could touch it….more of Mr.Shahidi art! So colorful and very beautiful!

The same Vase he had painted (not sure if it’s a vase, but a liquid for maybe water or perhaps oils.) I should have listened more closely, but I was learning so much, very fast! The little blue figurine is a candle holder…I remember him telling me that, and I’m sure there is a story to it, but some of my pictures didn’t turn out that well with the glare from the window and the glass these items enclosed in.

More depictions of the Mystical Bird, which also takes on the form of a horse with wings.

A first edition by Omar Khayyam poetry and original from the 18th century!! Translated by Edward Fitzgerald.

Little interesting fact, that Mr. Shahidi told me is that TOMORROW, March 31st is Edward Fitzgeralds birthday, born in 1809

It was an interesting and if anyone in the Vancouver area should get a chance to see this beautiful work, then head to the Ferry Building in Ambleside, on until April 8/09 to see many, many more fascinating art work by Ali Shahidi.

8,000 Years of Persian Art, Culture and Civilization.

Thank you Mr. Shahidi for taking the time in explaining and allowing me to take these pictures.

Note: Since this posting, Mr Shahidi has contacted me with a few corrections. I apologize for any of my wrong facts. I hope I have them corrected properly! Mr Shahadi is also going to send me some of his poetry and I'll also put a link to his site on here as well, with an interview he has done about his work. Stay tuned!