Hi… umm…

It really has been a while…

I know…sorry… I have been really busy.

(Do I sound like the friend who has avoided contact and is making excuses? or the guy who promised to call after the first day but never did…)

London Bridge Station… Me… just behind the guy in red on the left… having that guilty look of someone running into a person they have been avoiding… yes… that is how I feel… hence this picture… oh ya… I was also extremely tired… I am much better looking when I am not tired… (you friends who have actually seen me… I am always tired)

I am grappling with the decision to either continue this blog or letting it end. I have not written for months and I still have people visiting. Some poor souls have even started to follow me. (Unrequited blogging… I really suck) I am feeling like the guy who turns out the lights and drops to the floor when there is a knock on the door… (not that I have ever done that… you friends who have stopped by my house… if I didn’t answer I wasn’t home… promise)…

Let’s skip all of this awkward talk… to blog or not to blog… that is the question… talk… I don’t want to dwell… it is out… maybe that is enough. Lets just move on to the… “so good to read you again” let’s catch up words.

Ask me what I have been up to since we last met in October…

HEY… thanks for asking. As I mentioned before I have been really busy.

(I know… this is always about me)

Wool and Fiber work…

Unlike the past I will not go into every detail about how and what but just show some of my projects. These are made from Llama, Sheep, Possum (yes… not a typo), bamboo, and rabbit fibers… They also are either natural colored or colored from natural dyes…

White wool from internet source… natural gray wool from New Zealand… I didn’t get to go but my wonderful daughter went and brought me back a sack of raw wool. When she bought it the guy asked her if she new what she was buying… she said don’t worry I have a weird dad.
I made this for a baby that will be born any day now… rabbit and wool. The bright pink is cochineal dye… the rest is natural colors.
Silk and linen… dyed with black beans, avocado, and madder
Wool dyed with logwood
Rabbit, Wool, Bamboo, Possum (dark green)… dyed with algae.

All of that felt a bit indulgent and boastful… I am picturing a portion of you mocking which makes it all feel a bit better… (keeping my pride in check)

Travel… Since October: Bolivia (twice), London, and Israel

I have been traveling maybe even more than normal I would like to share a couple picture from my trips.

Bolivia

My friend took this picture with his drone while we where there together and yes I got to go inside of Jesus and climb up…
You could peak at the city through the holes. (Wow that sounds sacrilegious)
I also bought gas at Christ’s Gas station near by… (another poorly worded phrase)

Cochabamba… wonderful city… really love this place
If you have any desire to visit Cochabamba and loose weight while there… Good luck.
I took this in a small village just south of Cochabamba. I also got kissed by an old man here. He was very drunk but I was still flattered.
I fell asleep at the pool… and woke up with a new friend. Fortunately for me he was a “clean” cat who was not carrying tiny other friends in his fur.
Yes I did manage to find some llama fibers and brought them home… can you believe they let me through with this?… (yes I did declare it… I just didn’t say it was full of poo)
Here is the same fibers almost clean… isn’t it amazing how white it gets… dirty dirty llama.

London

I stayed right behind the shard (sharp dangerous looking building). I don’t know London well but the door next to mine was kicked in… one evening. That poor gentleman had to argue for several hours trying to get a new room. (they were full… he explained he didn’t want to stay in a room with a broken down door…. it wouldn’t close … They told him he could use the “chain”… I think he was being a bit difficult… he should be more considerate of the hotel and their profit…  safety-shmafety)
I know this isn’t a typical touristic picture of London… but boy… the Steaks at Goodman City…11 Old Jewry, London EC2R 8DU, UK were awesome… (Do you think they will give me a discount for adding the shout out and address?)

They were a bit under done so we had to have them sent back to the kitchen. UMMM… No this is not my plate… I did share.

I know I have not done London justice with pictures… I was in meetings most of the time. ( I have saved some of my weird pictures for future posts… )

Israel

I left off this blog in October talking about Israel. I think it would be rude to show many pictures of the place… so here are a few.

View of Ra’anana from my hotel. 😱not by the beach
One last picture from a nearby park… I have shared this before… but want to make sure I share again. (kind of like a public service announcement) I hope this serves as a warning to all accordion players… and I am not only talking about the fact that men should wear trousers while playing one.

I got to go now…

Sorry I know we just got started and it has been a long time…

I promise to be back… (umm in the “near future”?)