Windows to the Inside
Art and Adventure
Huge thanks to those of you who have contributed money to my next film project. It is a sequel to my film YUP. You can help fund this campaign at the link below by donating or sharing:
It has been a lively few days. MaxZine and I hopped into a car and drove to Sarasota, FL, to visit his mom for a few days (the orchids above were growing in a lovely local botanical garden), and a couple of days after our return to the woods of Tennessee, I got back into a car to visit my family in Nashville for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I have had small pockets of time to work on art through all of this but not much. The view into my windows will be a little different this week. I am including some of the food I cooked for the holiday, photography from our trip to Sarasota, and some of the usual suspects.
Have a peek inside.
FOOD
Although I enjoy cooking, I do not get to do it often. Sharing a home with three vegetarians means I cannot really make the kind of food I want, but I do get to eat very healthy meals nonetheless.
At my mom’s house for Thanksgiving, I cooked spam and eggs—a dish that was a normal fixture in our kitchen when I was a kid. Spam is what I consider to be the crème de la crème of mystery meats in the world, and it was very popular in the Pacific Islands where I grew up. What makes it special is its unique, unmistakable flavor that lends itself to a wide range of dishes. In Hawaii, for example, spam musubi, a sushi-style variant wrapped in seaweed, is served in many restaurants.
For Thanksgiving, I cut a full block of spam from the can into large cubes. In a bowl, I scrambled six eggs together and threw in a dollop of whipping cream (whole milk also works fine). I also cut up half of an onion into tiny cubes. (Usually, I also add garlic, but we had none available.)
In a large pan, I pour in some olive oil to warm up before throwing in the onions. After they soften for a bit, I add the cubes of spam and sauté them until their edges are brown. Then, I throw in the scrambled eggs and mix it all together as I cook.
Since the spam is already salty, no additional salt is needed. (For some added flavor, a little teriyaki sauce can be thrown in.) Otherwise, feel free to add any seasoning you prefer like a little lemon, pepper, or anything else. I highly recommend eating it with white sticky rice.
The finished product is a savory, slightly crunchy, and flavorful delight.
I also baked a quiche with spam, onions, spinach, and various cheeses. The whole thing was consumed before I had a chance to take a photo of it. Sigh.
ABSTRACT FLOWERS
When working with graphite pencils, my only variables are shadows, light, texture, and shapes. I gave this strange sunflower a set of oversized leaves.
TEXTILES
Having several hours in the car for our drive to and from Sarasota meant that I had time to work on my embroidery while talking or listening to podcasts. Admittedly, this piece is taking forever, but I am enjoying the process. My next embroidery projects will be a lot less ambitious.
All that is left is filling in the night sky with blue thread up at the top. I am hoping to finish this before the end of the year.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The practice of photography invites me to slow down and be more aware of my surroundings. In Sarasota, I captured some lovely moments when doing so.
I looked down to find a bee hard at work.
At Lido Beach, I found this lovely vignette as we headed back to our car.
Regular visitors to WPR know that I love a good sunscape. I could never look directly at the sun, but through a camera, all bets are off.
Whenever I am in the vicinity of a sunset, I make it my life’s mission to look up. Invariably, I am not disappointed.
My adventures continue in the next few days. I will be canvassing for Aftyn Behn, who is a Democrat running for a valuable congressional seat in District 7 here in Tennessee. Then, my annual show at the French House in Nashville will take place in just over a week on Sunday, December 7.
I hope there are captivating sights to see and heart-melting flavors to consume wherever you are.
UPCOMING SHOWS
The French House
Nashville, TN
Sunday, December 7
w/ Special Guest Ellisa Sun
Project Updates
New Music:
Trying out new songs with the band
Working on my vocals
New YUP Sequel Film Project:Publicizing the fundraising campaign
Mapping out a plan for filming various scenes