Gay Christmas!

The nicest weather I remember for Pride. Hadn't seen the parade yet since it's been downtown. It was weird to see it there -- I liked it on the hill. We couldn't see that well, so we made tracks to Lindas. The hill felt like a ghost-town. Sunny days in Seattle always mean that Linda's patio is packed. Not yesterday.

And this person? Well, he just wanted to make sure his cat could see the Dykes on Bikes.

Bonnie!

Bonnie and Alioscia are in town from Roma. So I've had Bonnie on the brain and spent time looking at her flickr sets. OHMIGAWD! Her maps are killing me. They are the best -- completely updated retro 50s. They belong anywhere (and everywhere!). She constantly blows me away!

Summer is READY!

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but these are all fans. And when there are fan displays -- that means SUMMER IS HERE!! When it's really hot, the fans will disappear overnight.

Ms Sandra Bernhard!

HOLY SH*T! For the first time in 20 years, Ms Sandra Bernhard revived "Without you I'm nothing". Ward invited (thanks again!) me since his company was a sponsor. I still remember the first time I saw the movie version. I cried when she sang "Little Red Corvette". It was just one of the purest moments of art I had seen. She finished with it tonight. Had it been at even a remotely decent venue (the convention center? who organized this bs?!), it would've killed. As it was, it still brought a tear to my eye. Ward saw originally in New York in 1988. He didn't even know until dinner that she'd be performing WYIN. And even better, Dad got to come, too.

The Violet Hour

Jeff and I did a quick run through The Violet Hour opening last night. First glances say it's a GREAT show! And Matthew Day Jackson seems about as sweet as he is cute (oh yeah, and really talented, too). Apparently he was a student of Jeff's years ago.

Here's Jeff with some other former students -- Nat and Lindsay.

Vashon!

I finally got lucky and made it out to Kurtwood Farms on Vashon today for Kurt's bday! WOW...everything that's said is true. Simply amazing. Cows, chickens, sheep, pigs (so cute).

We quickly settled into a wine/pabst/food coma. A sunny day with great folks gathering to celebrate Kurt's bday all housed in a pastoral setting.

Between starting my weekend out at Corson Building and ending it at Kurtwood Farms, it was non-stop deliciousness.

Vermillion!

Congrats to Diana Adams! Vermillion is officially open as both gallery AND bar! Beginning this Tuesday, they will be open normal hours. Not sure which hours those are -- but check it out.

Corson Building

Yesterday Ward called to invite me to his table at Corson Building.

Matt & Wiley have knocked it out of the park. Joel was there also cooking.

You walk in to this urban oasis (where the train track is literally steps away from the restaurant) with doves and chickens, fruits and vegetables. At 7, we walked in, grabbed our sparkling wines and walked around outside. Beause there are only three tables (maybe 30 people?), it's really intimate and fosters socializing (hello Catherine/Paul). The atmosphere is so casual, it becomes almost dinner party-esque.

Inside, the build-out is beautiful. They've added an entire kitchen/prep area to the house. A bar area greeted us complete with oysters.

Plate after plate of the most delicious food keeps arriving. Quail, needlefish, sea bass, pasta, radishes, carrots, lamb. Total food porn!

Dessert was rice pudding with cherries and cheeses and coffee.

Crazy good!

Here was our table's check -- which honestly is SO FREAKING reasonable when you consider the ambiance and the amazing food you're getting! I would give it my HIGHEST recommendation.

Lundgren Monuments

Quite a show! You all should stop by to check it out. The build-out (done by Greg) is awesome. While it's crowded for an "opening" -- I LOVE a death boutiqe opening -- it'll be transcendent if you go in during normal hours.

"Please join us celebrate the opening of our first foothold in changing the identity of deathcare. It really isn't that creepy. View works by Arne Pihl, Stefan Gulassa, John Ellefson, Tim Foss, Roy McMakin, Michael Leavitt, Charles Krafft, Alan Hurley, Jesse Edwards, Matthew Richter and myself. It is a sliver of a space, but kind of looks like George Burns office in God. We'll be serving nice cheese and pouring cheap wine from 4:00 to 8:00 on Wednesday and Thursday night. If you can't make it, or want to come by under more placid circumstances, our hours are 11:00 to 6:00 Tuesday through Saturday."

Lundgren Monuments boutique is located at 1011 Boren Avenue, just north of Madison.

Jam!

Dave and I went to brunch at Smith this morning (it's one empty place at 10:30am on a Sunday)...but nice not to have to wait in a line.

We had a baguette to start that came with jam. The nice waitress (Bryn) was about to clear the jam (since we were done with the baguette) but I wanted to save it for my "mancakes" (pancakes with bacon). She caught me so off-guard, I said, "OH NO! I want to save it for my manberries!"

Which made no sense and set the tone for the entire breakfast.

"...UNLESS you're an artist!"

A friend of mine from New Orleans told me that it's rough to make a living in N.O. UNLESS you're an artist. That sounds like a utopia.

This local painting is amazing! I hope there's lots of this kind of art energy down there.

Pool Party!

Growing up in Spokane, I don't really remember pool parties. I know a couple of folks had them, but I don't have a lot of memories. WOW! Do I feel robbed. Pool parties are about the most fun thing ever.

Played catch for hours yesterday in the pool. When you're thirsty, you just swim up to the beer cooler. Or sweet-talk someone into bringing you another drink. :)

Also, happy birthday to Daddy Dave & Ryan.