tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71763507424480129822024-03-14T08:06:35.101-07:00TheReluctantRationalIn which an anal-retentive, i-dotting, t-crossing, planner-loving, retired professional learns to loosen up, be spontaneous and make art (with a lower-case "a" for now)Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-64450968379372095922016-12-02T11:16:00.003-08:002016-12-02T11:17:24.905-08:00MadebyJoey Weekly challenge #141<span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="https://madebyjoey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">MadebyJoey</a> weekly challenge for November 28, 2016 was to "Finish my tile." The tile started with Alice Herndon's <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/44121271322843679/" target="_blank">Pipez</a> along the right side of the tile - you could finish it with any tangles you liked. I used Gneiss, Crescent Moon, and 'Nzeppel.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ5wW-hRPcME3-UVYxlMRfcDQjwdd06YoiGiaIVgDAuH0QIviMmIFdw3ix0kTQrhZnzkmbkRNpaPFp3VBNDPhFZP0YhdAZZtHvNgS8Iou85zy03fkItjW5ek7fFeiB2Tq-PDlsY4ggDE/s1600/Zen_20161129_Joey-%2523141_Pipez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ5wW-hRPcME3-UVYxlMRfcDQjwdd06YoiGiaIVgDAuH0QIviMmIFdw3ix0kTQrhZnzkmbkRNpaPFp3VBNDPhFZP0YhdAZZtHvNgS8Iou85zy03fkItjW5ek7fFeiB2Tq-PDlsY4ggDE/s320/Zen_20161129_Joey-%2523141_Pipez.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">White <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">Zentangle</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;">©</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"> </span> tile, 3.5" x 3.5" with black Pigma Micron pen.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have a bit of a back log of completed tiles that I will put in another post. Someday. Eventually. Whenever. </span>Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-91531324666661949522016-11-03T13:03:00.001-07:002016-11-03T13:03:16.846-07:00Diva Challenge #290<span style="font-size: large;">This week's challenge is to create a Halloween-themed tile - so here it is.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWPBZvu-8tjjo-eT6_y6VRhIfap8mlhAkNSQN_tIxpRxXziwB5dmNP8KuPVGH2LucmP321RpEw_yl-FOb4LTMGuOBXII35g-GXYN2rd1gpOBDadag8tvG1gdVzdWnlsUeBoPHcT3BQis/s1600/Zen_20161104_Diva191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWPBZvu-8tjjo-eT6_y6VRhIfap8mlhAkNSQN_tIxpRxXziwB5dmNP8KuPVGH2LucmP321RpEw_yl-FOb4LTMGuOBXII35g-GXYN2rd1gpOBDadag8tvG1gdVzdWnlsUeBoPHcT3BQis/s400/Zen_20161104_Diva191.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"<br />with Ahhh,Vigne, Fescue, Mooka, PokeLeaf, Flux, Diva Dance (look hard), Rixty, and Keeko</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now I can go look at everybody else's!!!</span>Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-6595638340774909732016-10-30T15:55:00.000-07:002016-10-30T15:55:00.028-07:00Weekly Tiles 10/24/2016 – 10/30/2016<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/">Diva Challenge</a> 290 – ’Nzeppel
& Flux Duotangle<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A duotangle
is a *tile or design with two and only two tangles (duh). This week the Diva's challenge was to do a duotangle of <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-nzeppel.html" target="_blank">'Nzeppel</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2015/03/how-to-draw-flux.html" target="_blank">Flux</a>. Both are tangles I <s>use</s> overuse frequently,
though rarely together. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flux is an interesting tangle because unlike most, it
has two “official” forms with two *stepouts. Before I did the tiles, I drew and
shaded both versions of Flux in my sketchbook.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKtT6tKwUsXFurvmV5rky3OnjU4e3O32x2nR22GAF5XTGa3EckC-JEBt96pq9BeJ2ftE5c7di_hshkwHM5UdNWJiXUTjyCE6XIOH5gWK-yWn3mzAGRjlu0UaFjeQG4vE3F_tWbnLZ5UQ/s1600/Flux_20161029_shading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKtT6tKwUsXFurvmV5rky3OnjU4e3O32x2nR22GAF5XTGa3EckC-JEBt96pq9BeJ2ftE5c7di_hshkwHM5UdNWJiXUTjyCE6XIOH5gWK-yWn3mzAGRjlu0UaFjeQG4vE3F_tWbnLZ5UQ/s320/Flux_20161029_shading.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Two versions of Flux with different shading</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first
attempt was in another sketchbook on tan paper, which unfortunately doesn’t
photograph well. I’m sure there’s a way to restore the lovely tan hue of the
paper, but I’ll leave that for another day. The idea was to explore layers and
shading and introduce a little color. 'Nzeppel is the </span>wire-like<span style="font-family: inherit;"> tangle at top and bottom.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sGSODlq3l5-5yhmN93R6xQVjDfrYsVDvLWyUkxhQifYS9m_irYNId2BHur7-3PIZLyptx9xxxnKjOLxMRA2jw7eyDy1_XFVlH6_ygo7M_EoOUSEGQ9xU-sQZoUuTtCGbxXxkFzHNGKs/s1600/Zen_20161026_Journal_Diva190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sGSODlq3l5-5yhmN93R6xQVjDfrYsVDvLWyUkxhQifYS9m_irYNId2BHur7-3PIZLyptx9xxxnKjOLxMRA2jw7eyDy1_XFVlH6_ygo7M_EoOUSEGQ9xU-sQZoUuTtCGbxXxkFzHNGKs/s320/Zen_20161026_Journal_Diva190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Diva Challenge 290, Tile #1</b></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not entirely
happy with that one. ‘Nzeppel is a grid-based tangle, and I thought, “what if I
take one of the repeating units in ‘Nzeppel and use it as a *string, then
filled the squashed balloon segments with both versions of Flux?"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Yssc2xGNns4En6XNNvmW6H-QK_nFTIK1Gi_97aN7owW1ZZ6TGJe2mxLdIekxBOxhE9dSYPvnwNDbWJORAyfVsc48ddNab-XG6BsvjQai31yq-7Ozn1Lns0Mx1JpTK9rZeP9SYzuhvmM/s1600/IMG_8309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Yssc2xGNns4En6XNNvmW6H-QK_nFTIK1Gi_97aN7owW1ZZ6TGJe2mxLdIekxBOxhE9dSYPvnwNDbWJORAyfVsc48ddNab-XG6BsvjQai31yq-7Ozn1Lns0Mx1JpTK9rZeP9SYzuhvmM/s320/IMG_8309.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Diva challenge 290 - 'Nzeppel and Flux, attempt #2</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ahh, that’s
better. I know Zentangle says that there are no mistakes, and that you shouldn't be critical of your own work, but there are always going to be tiles that you think turn out better than others.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a
relatively busy and stressful week, so I finished two more tiles that I started
in Hilton Head, just to relax. The first one kind of captures what my week was
like!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_g8jNfHTXyY8H5NQ1NZ1tgqHoXcbSBU2Ky1dqaXtAEJ0wYhG2YVbqtxterCIERhN-XsWsTXPmS3X2pkpEHl6pKbwc8umT7jaUCcF26kk-9_BB6Sc0xUlbyRnYMBaeNCiAMQJuEz6DbI/s1600/Zen_20161028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_g8jNfHTXyY8H5NQ1NZ1tgqHoXcbSBU2Ky1dqaXtAEJ0wYhG2YVbqtxterCIERhN-XsWsTXPmS3X2pkpEHl6pKbwc8umT7jaUCcF26kk-9_BB6Sc0xUlbyRnYMBaeNCiAMQJuEz6DbI/s320/Zen_20161028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Mr. E, Crescent Moon, Hollibaugh,Tipple, Black Pearl, Florz, Tripoli, Mooka</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6KIoHBXzAhpKYXKt9ie5CdmOidnDLYlpuYVP2BAb6Xm4tTLPRubLTkVJE_yyUKdRuoPIQ5sFnveLoJcj8h2-U6uUhzXmqY8tJyygAqj5iiE8lSKt5eGX2ixljXWFx4OjzwlY89UD9-8/s1600/Zen_20161002_HHI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6KIoHBXzAhpKYXKt9ie5CdmOidnDLYlpuYVP2BAb6Xm4tTLPRubLTkVJE_yyUKdRuoPIQ5sFnveLoJcj8h2-U6uUhzXmqY8tJyygAqj5iiE8lSKt5eGX2ixljXWFx4OjzwlY89UD9-8/s320/Zen_20161002_HHI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />Garlic Cloves, Binda, 1/2 Orbs, Ruutz</b></span></td></tr>
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That's it for this week. Thought I would start defining my terms (not everybody tangles!)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 106%;">*tile – from
<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/zentangles/zentangle-terminology">Linda
Farmer’s blog</a>: “</span><span style="background: white;">A 3 1/2-inch x 3 1/2-inch (89 mm x 89 mm) square
card of high quality paper. The format of a Zentangle®. So named because
completed tiles can be arranged together to create a beautiful mosaic.</span>”<span style="line-height: 106%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 106%;">*string – from
Linda Farmer’s blog: “</span><span style="background: white;">One or several random free-form pencil lines
drawn within the tile’s border, creating sections within which one adds tangle
patterns to create a Zentangle®.<span class="apple-converted-space">”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*stepout – A series of
steps used to create a tangle.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-52861349624977834632016-10-24T11:34:00.001-07:002016-10-30T08:06:14.914-07:00Weekly tiles (plus tempus fugit)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Been gone for a while. Been busy, been covered up, but
mostly just lost in the day-to-day. I think it’s time to get back on here
again, even if this becomes an “action item” in my BuJo (ask me – I dare you). I guess that’s the Rational in me coming out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Anyway. One of my favorite Zentangle Artists is <a href="http://zenlilymoon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lily Moon</a>. Her
work inspires me. Her productivity inspires me. Her blog inspires me. It’s not
chatty, not full of technique, rationale, daily life. Though she often posts
themes (“color”) or thoughts, usually what she does is regularly post what she creates each week or two. Often with no comment, just pictures. And I spend hours studying
what she posts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So I think I’m going to try that. I have been posting my
work occasionally on Facebook, but since only a handful of my FB friends really
give a damn about my art, I feel like I’m showing off a little to the others.
Makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I can only post finished work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’m going to try and post once a week, Sunday, for now. I
can post my art, my tiles, my sketchbook, knowing that only friends who are
interested will seek me out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Like Lily, I do have thoughts/opinions, I do have
progressions, I do have themes and tutorials. But mostly I want to have a place to put my “stuff.”
Comments will always be welcome as will silence.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Work from October 15 - 22 (more or less):</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlkYhsW66ZasyQL4zRf3BNwI4PO-wm1Hi_eqLki3swrLidAOPxFH6MM-wVjcFESOih_70uWSAOs_LJnO6e7SbPUS7mF1PswnyWGhc3opSuYiCIS5PcQLbYg_FwtjnKI3G8GOjXo2Nhwg/s1600/Zen_20161023_SqOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlkYhsW66ZasyQL4zRf3BNwI4PO-wm1Hi_eqLki3swrLidAOPxFH6MM-wVjcFESOih_70uWSAOs_LJnO6e7SbPUS7mF1PswnyWGhc3opSuYiCIS5PcQLbYg_FwtjnKI3G8GOjXo2Nhwg/s400/Zen_20161023_SqOne.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Facebook Square One Challenge: Tagh (with Antique, Shattuck and A tiny Tipple)</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA8c2IsMbnTTMTeuLfrxOJLemUGseDAZEdZZc2U4MmTZTc0s7yJeWodc3qyTRvh5HXG6kUQglHPnBLsxxVjMYH9zicdmL_6w5e4RBtw4fxKR7fgMDM0WEcaIyiHdE-apa1MhWP7NxYmA/s1600/Zen_20161019_Diva-189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA8c2IsMbnTTMTeuLfrxOJLemUGseDAZEdZZc2U4MmTZTc0s7yJeWodc3qyTRvh5HXG6kUQglHPnBLsxxVjMYH9zicdmL_6w5e4RBtw4fxKR7fgMDM0WEcaIyiHdE-apa1MhWP7NxYmA/s320/Zen_20161019_Diva-189.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Diva Challenge #289</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The <a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/2016/10/weekly-challenge-289.html" target="_blank">Diva challenge</a> for last week was "Leafy Goodness." Looking at her blog now, I realize that I did something very similar to the Diva's example. Oh, well. Sincerest form of flattery, blah, blah, blah.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, of course, the Election. Zentangle relaxes one, requires focus, takes one away from day-to-day inanity. So of course, having watched Debate #1 and #2, I decided in favor of sanity to draw instead of watch.<br /> So here is what I did when I wasn't obsessing over CNN or watching the Debate:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Zendala, unshaded</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XFhfQLXULt5AtaE9Q5QtgcphVZn2gBJGRbNFHSeGMmBuqbQ1awn5muyhrouGVqSofWrms1xxSSC6mpJY7JvAB1xAt2ctwd3Poe-oy-XNzSoF5UXJMPTh_Nmnhyg34NaAC2-sYyCX61s/s1600/Zendala_010_Final_20161016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XFhfQLXULt5AtaE9Q5QtgcphVZn2gBJGRbNFHSeGMmBuqbQ1awn5muyhrouGVqSofWrms1xxSSC6mpJY7JvAB1xAt2ctwd3Poe-oy-XNzSoF5UXJMPTh_Nmnhyg34NaAC2-sYyCX61s/s320/Zendala_010_Final_20161016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Zendala, shaded</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Plus, I shaded a couple of tiles from Hilton Head that I had not finished:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, thanks for listening. 'Til next week!</span><br />
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-63240832064852528532015-10-16T09:53:00.001-07:002015-10-16T09:53:13.180-07:00Diva Challenge #239 - "Munchin Play"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This week the <a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Diva's Challenge</a> is to use Munchin. an official Zentangle® tangle. The <a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs023/1101168872594/archive/1102532072865.html" target="_blank">stepout</a> can be found here, and on the Diva's blog there is a <a href="http://sakuraofamerica.com/" target="_blank">Sakura</a> video showing <a href="https://www.zentangle.com/czt-profile/Molly%20Hollibaugh" target="_blank">Molly Hollibaugh</a> drawing the basic version on a black tile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started by going to my journal, and tried drawing it various ways. I tried following the instructions for transforming tangles out lined in Helen Williams' new book, <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Tangle Transformation.</a> By the way, I am delighted with this book, and recommend it without reservation!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last variation I tried stayed with the basic construction, but instead of having evenly spaced lines originating at the apex of the triangles, I varied the width between the lines, trying to make each resulting section smaller than the one before it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWplvq0QAQORWmy7qRogtnZ8M_3k1v_Q4HA3AvKnVsAU3Lao0zHuvZWnXp-nBi6s5hqpXk8-SUB3ukX_gPmYad4lCGvri1lIeiVTHutBIm8sGrQU6dM5CtF_RBETsbe9iNBLN1lD5_WI/s1600/Munchin-Notebook-p.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWplvq0QAQORWmy7qRogtnZ8M_3k1v_Q4HA3AvKnVsAU3Lao0zHuvZWnXp-nBi6s5hqpXk8-SUB3ukX_gPmYad4lCGvri1lIeiVTHutBIm8sGrQU6dM5CtF_RBETsbe9iNBLN1lD5_WI/s400/Munchin-Notebook-p.2.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />I found this more interesting than regular divisions</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I settled on the last option. I tried to follow a basic rule: That each line would divide the remaining available space in half. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Bd2FG0fyzWsxvRGGoeLN_DD8wHB5vs9UNfM3iXdU8nm_-x8q6DsqFezvo9gfp3uW98IBKbcR_tIzAqER5OgO6OFw9TeCpz3tPsmZg9zlPgfNrW8nBfaP2nPi6Kk6GnzmhZzgjpn19U/s1600/Munchin-Notebook_divided.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Bd2FG0fyzWsxvRGGoeLN_DD8wHB5vs9UNfM3iXdU8nm_-x8q6DsqFezvo9gfp3uW98IBKbcR_tIzAqER5OgO6OFw9TeCpz3tPsmZg9zlPgfNrW8nBfaP2nPi6Kk6GnzmhZzgjpn19U/s400/Munchin-Notebook_divided.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Munchin divided with 4 lines into 5 sections, with Flux in the largest section</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rule worked, but I found the large sections too roomy. I tried adding a tangle inside the largest section of the triangle. That section was created with the first line (line 1 above) that bisected the baseline of the triangle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was ready to do a tile.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vj4gWwjIQhDbfG9r_cw695V6e6EMoa4fr9gzw40zwbtZ9UXKTWxHfYNF1NTzXq5YGy4Gj47DYvHvJS_g8hxTW7tXlrmdGn3wgPrg1EFjYad7a7Av-hFi3Z6MDbgZ8Kh5owH3nNXX8uw/s1600/Munchin-Tile-%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vj4gWwjIQhDbfG9r_cw695V6e6EMoa4fr9gzw40zwbtZ9UXKTWxHfYNF1NTzXq5YGy4Gj47DYvHvJS_g8hxTW7tXlrmdGn3wgPrg1EFjYad7a7Av-hFi3Z6MDbgZ8Kh5owH3nNXX8uw/s400/Munchin-Tile-%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Munchin with graduated divisions in each triangle. Triangles filled with (spiraling clockwise from upper right) Celtic Triskele, Amaze, Flux, Shattuck, <b>????</b>, Extracto, Tipple, Bunzo, Drip Drop, <b>????</b>, Diva Dance Foxtrot, Tripoli, Zenplosion Folds, Mooka</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />That was OK, but I felt like I could do more. I thought I could divide the tile diagonally into a section filled with a smaller Munchins (still graduated sections) and a single large Munchin triangle (lower left) with each section filled with another tangle. I even sneaked in a few awkward Paradoxes. Can you spot them? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtGcLKqvd-z8jhQ2rrX9ZUdKGH4UxMCXdutK_9ItYQY9N1uBB51PIuKbBtlb17qbDOWfFJu0zoal7pthqOsm-NjAfFbw_elhLoXUYiq8uA74o74ra8-bWdpxl0KuI9UWR_S2RvsIJR88/s1600/Munchin-Tile-%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtGcLKqvd-z8jhQ2rrX9ZUdKGH4UxMCXdutK_9ItYQY9N1uBB51PIuKbBtlb17qbDOWfFJu0zoal7pthqOsm-NjAfFbw_elhLoXUYiq8uA74o74ra8-bWdpxl0KuI9UWR_S2RvsIJR88/s400/Munchin-Tile-%255B2%255D.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Munchin with Mooka, Flux, Snail Tangleation, Shattuck, and Tipple.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still not happy, not sure why....So I returned to the sketchbook and looked at the versions of Munchin that I drew with curved lines.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Munchin with simple C-curve lines (H.W. refers to Helen Williams, "A Little Lime")</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Better.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Munchin with S-Curve lines (mostly)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still Better! Time to try another tile...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwLaIy9QlNHSdIlCI6cW9XWUjWI4KpP4W2ir6IRj8Do-w9-nvDq8Uc_zfeKclswx6momDTULIrYkxAJawRxQRLvURYB_5Q4jNbY4VI4wevWwtG4W7DAyVo85CYaKLbNBOM0cdFMFoN3k/s1600/Munchin-Tile_S-Curve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwLaIy9QlNHSdIlCI6cW9XWUjWI4KpP4W2ir6IRj8Do-w9-nvDq8Uc_zfeKclswx6momDTULIrYkxAJawRxQRLvURYB_5Q4jNbY4VI4wevWwtG4W7DAyVo85CYaKLbNBOM0cdFMFoN3k/s400/Munchin-Tile_S-Curve.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't know if I will ever really like Munchin. I wish I had more time to play with it. I reminds me a little of <a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs119/1101168872594/archive/1116292742131.html" target="_blank">Aquafleur</a> - beautiful as an object, but challenging to work into a design with other tangles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still, it was a good challenge and motivated me to study and to practice a single tangle and try some possibilities. As usual, critiques are welcome!</span><br />
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-40196058073122940742015-10-01T09:14:00.000-07:002015-10-01T09:14:35.832-07:00Cooking Class #2, and a WIP<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday was the second of the two cooking classes I signed up for at <a href="http://www.michael-anthonys.com/" target="_blank">Michael Anthony's</a> this trip..</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Greeted with a glass of Prosecco, as usual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Minestrone was the soup this time, and like the Italian Wedding Soup we did last time, was totally different from versions I've had before. Vegetarian (or Vegan, I can't keep them straight), with onions, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, and <a href="http://savoycabbage.org/" target="_blank">Savoy cabbage</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All the versions I've had before have included some type of pasta, which is not traditional in Italy, according to Chef Chris. Instead we used <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farro" target="_blank">farro</a> and <a href="http://www.borlotti.com/" target="_blank">Borlottis</a>. Borlottis are dried beans, very similar to what we call Cranberry beans here, that are soaked over night and cooked til tender. They are perfect for this dish because even after cooking they retain bite and don't get mushy like other beans. Chris says the appeal of this dish is that it's not watery like a lot of Minestrones, but has what he calls "Guts." It was truly delicious, so much so that I forgot to take a picture in its pristine state, but plunged right in. Sorry!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjEb2otWUG2opxPMISXpYfvSrFMSqrT1VVrA8Nf5hnP6mtOaPAzO3-2opZICgnCUBmY_0Cq3psud10aRXbQ04j3sv2raJ2OB6Ofn8Q2Gf_sfV0e1-d9nYtN1ikcSU1P4Bg8042ojfs6g/s1600/Cooking-Class-2_Minestrone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjEb2otWUG2opxPMISXpYfvSrFMSqrT1VVrA8Nf5hnP6mtOaPAzO3-2opZICgnCUBmY_0Cq3psud10aRXbQ04j3sv2raJ2OB6Ofn8Q2Gf_sfV0e1-d9nYtN1ikcSU1P4Bg8042ojfs6g/s400/Cooking-Class-2_Minestrone.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Minestrone with"Guts"</span></i></td></tr>
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<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The entree for this class was a traditional Chicken Cacciatore served on a bed of the best polenta I've ever tasted. The chicken was cooked perfectly, not dried out, not stringy, but tender and moist. If you've ever braised chicken, you know how difficult it is to get it perfect. </span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is one of the reasons I take these classes - I learn the "best" way to prepare things like polenta, risotto, chicken, etc. - straight from the Chef's mouth, so to speak. And Chef Chris is extraordinary. Many of the recipes he teaches are not on Michael Anthony's menu, but are recipes he learned </span><span style="font-size: large;">from the Italian side of the family while </span><span style="font-size: large;">growing up in New Jersey . </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA6uAamIdo01xymzE0Jh7xmcnUkpadRWFNahhMMdJM7fG_2S7bGZ8dTdeSzyEXTWQekpjyWPIQJAPpns8MMsp3xtJI9a2tqa0fGXJtEfTYEVKsXGQmMV3xjkhF5uek9Q6QCtgZV1T3F4/s1600/Cooking-Class-2_Cacciatore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA6uAamIdo01xymzE0Jh7xmcnUkpadRWFNahhMMdJM7fG_2S7bGZ8dTdeSzyEXTWQekpjyWPIQJAPpns8MMsp3xtJI9a2tqa0fGXJtEfTYEVKsXGQmMV3xjkhF5uek9Q6QCtgZV1T3F4/s400/Cooking-Class-2_Cacciatore.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Chicken Cacciatore with polenta</span></i></td></tr>
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<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Finally we closed with a whole pear, poached in Cabernet wine and cinnamon. After the pear is cooked, it is removed from the pot and the wine reduced to a yummy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, sauce that you can smell a mile away. In this case it was served with a scoop of vanilla Gelato. Very light dessert, which was good after the two dishes that preceded it.</span><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFv4TudgEVrAgxQ6yEp3Dgp1SNQJqWQV8vbMuKLU0OxHudDnc2kxgtIhXWjRAVT2bYgec4mTN2my0BIOADF8S7LPtvCcEryKUoZ22w2ieCooHuoX8c3bWsZfHvRm1i64n5nWkPy5LB6U/s1600/Poached-Pear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFv4TudgEVrAgxQ6yEp3Dgp1SNQJqWQV8vbMuKLU0OxHudDnc2kxgtIhXWjRAVT2bYgec4mTN2my0BIOADF8S7LPtvCcEryKUoZ22w2ieCooHuoX8c3bWsZfHvRm1i64n5nWkPy5LB6U/s400/Poached-Pear.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Cabernet-poached Pear</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was no tangling on my menus during the breaks like last week. I was seated at a table with three delightful ladies who were attending for the first time and commanded my full attention! They apparently were not aware that they needed to pace themselves, both with the wine and the food, so all three were a little buzzed and stuffed by the end of the meal. They agreed that it was a lot of fun, and that they would do it again..</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have been doing a little Zentangle-Inspired-Art (ZIA), which I will share in another post after it's finished. Here's a WIP teaser, though:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tyFznB-f1S4GfdvwKEa0EAc4XhoTpL-XJq5L5XR8aLfuPcTg1D2jg06EqqXrtlN0KrjSI69v5Qy4RmGP20M_EZ-fbZn5-mXtLb-intQya4XRYFbgUXs19XkswLUlfWzRdY8g5bpWCZs/s1600/ZIA-Underwater_Partial-Shading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tyFznB-f1S4GfdvwKEa0EAc4XhoTpL-XJq5L5XR8aLfuPcTg1D2jg06EqqXrtlN0KrjSI69v5Qy4RmGP20M_EZ-fbZn5-mXtLb-intQya4XRYFbgUXs19XkswLUlfWzRdY8g5bpWCZs/s400/ZIA-Underwater_Partial-Shading.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until next time (probably from home - sigh), Aloha.</span></div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-90028353961885611422015-09-25T10:49:00.000-07:002015-09-25T10:53:49.773-07:00When I'm not tangling...<span style="font-size: large;">If you've read my blog before, you'll know that one of my favorite things to do while on Hilton Head is to take one or more of the cooking classes at </span><a href="http://www.michael-anthonys.com/cookingschool.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Michael Anthony's Cucina Italiana</a><span style="font-size: large;">. I've been doing this for several years now, and it has completely changed how I cook. Last April I took two of them and reported on it in </span><a href="http://reluctantrational.blogspot.com/2015/04/cooking-classes.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">this blog entry</a><span style="font-size: large;">, and in </span><a href="http://reluctantrational.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-joy-of-cooking-seafood.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">this one</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are two types of classes - Hands-on and Demo. The Hands-on classes are my favorite, since you get to prepare each dish yourself (sometimes with a partner). But they also take longer - up to 4 hours if you get lucky in your partner! Plus, you don't sit down for the lunch you've prepared until everything is done. That means a late, heavy lunch, which puts a damper on dinner plans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Demo classes, where Executive Chef Chris Johnson prepares the dishes while you watch and take notes, only takes 2 hours, and you taste the dishes as he finishes each one. Easier on the time, and you eat early enough that you can still enjoy dinner.. So I signed up for two of the Demo classes this time - the first was today. The handout has all the recipes that Chef Chris prepares in the class, and as you arrive you are given that, plus a nice glass of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecco" target="_blank">Prosecco</a>.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rvuvLkb2BLNsiHAmi4uJt5X67oVZY8Gyrah9HugDR3VPs96BNS_g596a5sCvP1HWPEFUQeh9o7AuFK0y2pKcvQgOduQjZII0Tw2N8H3ygO6bS9nBHmjzZv0jVek4AfZSUXZqnsPBaLU/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rvuvLkb2BLNsiHAmi4uJt5X67oVZY8Gyrah9HugDR3VPs96BNS_g596a5sCvP1HWPEFUQeh9o7AuFK0y2pKcvQgOduQjZII0Tw2N8H3ygO6bS9nBHmjzZv0jVek4AfZSUXZqnsPBaLU/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Menu.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is the layout and kitchen for the class. Get there early enough to get a seat where you can see every detail without resorting to the TV screen! I got there first, so I snagged the second seat from the right, where my nose was practically on the cutting board!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLA-3xqF5x1bgRQsgLbM3TZEgfUpyMX14A85oN036cMBeKCSMTcSzQoNVVsrYpQyglGJwOs7tR39l_sOTstTojG1i3BS6h_G63xxhwVI35gs4s2DBW-M-uvTeTDhv07EBvIrbcwn-trk0/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLA-3xqF5x1bgRQsgLbM3TZEgfUpyMX14A85oN036cMBeKCSMTcSzQoNVVsrYpQyglGJwOs7tR39l_sOTstTojG1i3BS6h_G63xxhwVI35gs4s2DBW-M-uvTeTDhv07EBvIrbcwn-trk0/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />The kitchen</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things that slows down the Hands-on class is assembling the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_place" target="_blank">mise-en-place</a></i>, all your ingredients, measured out before you begin and in some rough order of their use. For the Demo classes, this is all done ahead of time (it's good to be Chef).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOblpMPKT_j4-mfsm7HlHLoZ1TdlxYvyP-nbxKFTa0PhBMJF6AGqMidUhISHY8LLXp_QVtHL2hwk5cKUobfupyeo-d3ewIu5U-EEBeA12KbjrjSzc9FJsmR9Rw8WKHps9CRG9IzkW7QjU/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Misenplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOblpMPKT_j4-mfsm7HlHLoZ1TdlxYvyP-nbxKFTa0PhBMJF6AGqMidUhISHY8LLXp_QVtHL2hwk5cKUobfupyeo-d3ewIu5U-EEBeA12KbjrjSzc9FJsmR9Rw8WKHps9CRG9IzkW7QjU/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Misenplace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The mise-en-place. Note the heavy Italian pounder in front, used for preparing the pork scallopine</span></i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Lunch includes wine, red or white, Prosecco in the center. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9ebiW2puZJEnfhO7Ipq2O-nOc5QInA9K5bdQEX6-5atZWCN0f92B7XIy051QPQgp8G-SzUNPVOzf6oUP1L_M3V3Lx5bCWhu3qy0b2oRgQaRkZtSlEpJvkCG0QL4QFltRXAMHY3hg3fQ/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9ebiW2puZJEnfhO7Ipq2O-nOc5QInA9K5bdQEX6-5atZWCN0f92B7XIy051QPQgp8G-SzUNPVOzf6oUP1L_M3V3Lx5bCWhu3qy0b2oRgQaRkZtSlEpJvkCG0QL4QFltRXAMHY3hg3fQ/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Wine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The first dish was Italian Wedding Soup, which we were told is not Italian, but Italian-American. The inspiration for this soup is a dish from the Campania and Lazio regions of Italy called "marriage soup," which originally referred not to nuptials but to the "marriage" of meat and greens. Whatever its origin, this recipe is so-o-o much better than the insipid Italian Wedding Soups I've had in the past. I can hardly wait to make it at home!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdhrNIqq_t1WFOCcs5-MttSPvMtRowULczfia_zAEy18yo5jkDjQZkfT4im6YLy_TQ_kxD0A8eSCigg4MiPFQo4QHNM3kPgapTIB2Yq26KGgKIJ9B5z_9xg0bWNc6yO_ljfGrOJf0jHA/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Ital-Wedding-Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdhrNIqq_t1WFOCcs5-MttSPvMtRowULczfia_zAEy18yo5jkDjQZkfT4im6YLy_TQ_kxD0A8eSCigg4MiPFQo4QHNM3kPgapTIB2Yq26KGgKIJ9B5z_9xg0bWNc6yO_ljfGrOJf0jHA/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Ital-Wedding-Soup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"> Italian Wedding Soup</span></i> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Second dish - Occhi di Lupo alla Sardignola. Occhi di Lupo means "Eye of the Wolf" and refers to the pasta which is traditionally used in this Sardinian dish. We used a similar pasta - a mezzi rigatoni. This light and really satisfying dish has pasta, mild Italian sausage, and arugula, served in a light Pomodoro sauce.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilqxySRZrI1Cmuq8LZN8w2iLiDDOoeaVLCa371p-y8thR0zVF7noy3Zpz_jwUzNnLz8jvtJfEZWL7QMg0mXcwdTbr_faQnwxQPILj_OoOMoL8sV-QWyd1HGKX7bX1uHYyQ-qAZZzzgUM/s1600/mezziocchidilupo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilqxySRZrI1Cmuq8LZN8w2iLiDDOoeaVLCa371p-y8thR0zVF7noy3Zpz_jwUzNnLz8jvtJfEZWL7QMg0mXcwdTbr_faQnwxQPILj_OoOMoL8sV-QWyd1HGKX7bX1uHYyQ-qAZZzzgUM/s320/mezziocchidilupo.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Mezzi Occhi di Lupo</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VUoXZUG_ElxK0crj0zydYhGYDlLkNu3OmiG3_CC7op1aJWqATRBiTwFwuvXax9ZH1gC0aPoAqV-yyggKWBIqMr1gjbMZolGenO5-QiwukcWHVmTZrVbfMD_Ec8Fud1vdZrwLGCstRjM/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Occhi-di-Lupo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VUoXZUG_ElxK0crj0zydYhGYDlLkNu3OmiG3_CC7op1aJWqATRBiTwFwuvXax9ZH1gC0aPoAqV-yyggKWBIqMr1gjbMZolGenO5-QiwukcWHVmTZrVbfMD_Ec8Fud1vdZrwLGCstRjM/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Occhi-di-Lupo.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Occhi di Lupo alla Sardignola</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The final dish was Scallopine di Maiale con Balsamico (Pork scallopine in a balsamic reduction). In the recipe was a pepper that I had never heard of before, but will certainly use - peppadew. It actually from Africa, and has an intensely sweet taste, but with a kick at the end. Absolutely delicious. Served here with sauteed spinach (which was actually green)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsBI-ZBZegBZacQqP7euuhzDkKn0OKHz4-jGESdzGtQT9BB7wiVETLul9qr2jGBgkDXQF8Uar8N65ujqRDwXSCs7Q3hfttBYV3sKevVc3nzXasBzll3etpxc9gukR2RrquYgbGBA79Tw/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsBI-ZBZegBZacQqP7euuhzDkKn0OKHz4-jGESdzGtQT9BB7wiVETLul9qr2jGBgkDXQF8Uar8N65ujqRDwXSCs7Q3hfttBYV3sKevVc3nzXasBzll3etpxc9gukR2RrquYgbGBA79Tw/s400/Cooking-Class-1_Pork.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Scallopine di Maiale con Balsamico</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a little down time between courses, so to keep myself from guzzling wine, I tangled on the only piece of paper available. It might only have been lunch, but I still had to drive home. Fortunately, I am never without my Micron pens!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij17u7PkP6GwGxp67eIhdt8cIGWlq07uimCKGLrrMgsdsSZArKKq57WGIbqBNt8DuHRDqgE81uCGBLTSNGuXfgEG3TdjhaBE9qiWrra_mOqe0wlpBl3_gmRGw5oPvZ1oDnq0lBXaHqlkk/s1600/Cooking-Class-1_Tangled-Menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij17u7PkP6GwGxp67eIhdt8cIGWlq07uimCKGLrrMgsdsSZArKKq57WGIbqBNt8DuHRDqgE81uCGBLTSNGuXfgEG3TdjhaBE9qiWrra_mOqe0wlpBl3_gmRGw5oPvZ1oDnq0lBXaHqlkk/s640/Cooking-Class-1_Tangled-Menu.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The second entry in Diva Challenge #236: Freeform Aquafleur, Curly Bracket Feather, Fescu, Mooka<br />Fern<br />Cadent, Poke Leaf, and Poke Roo</i></span>t</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A good time was had by all, Especially me. I've signed up for another one next week!</span><br />
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<br />Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-62333632439878338312015-09-23T07:51:00.000-07:002015-09-24T07:37:25.479-07:00Diva Challenge #236, or when to know you're finished<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">This week's Diva Challenge</a> was to Tangle Something Unexpected. For me, it also turned into an unexpected challenge to stop tangling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are on vacation this week, on Hilton Head Island. We have a lot of friends here, almost all chefs and servers at fine restaurants. Some of them, like <a href="http://www.redfishofhiltonhead.com/Chef" target="_blank">Chef Chaun Bescos</a>, we've known for years. We've watched his progress from sous-chef at <a href="http://www.alexandersrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Alexander's Restaurant</a> to Executive Chef at <a href="http://www.redfishofhiltonhead.com/" target="_blank">Redfish Hilton Head</a>. Anyway, we have several restaurants that we try to visit a couple of times each while on the Island. Since we have our favorite server[s] at each, we have to juggle reservations so that we hit the restaurant on the nights they are working. Plus in the case of Redfish, we have to schedule for nights when both our favorite server Whitney, <u>and</u> Chaun are there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we have a calendar that I print off before leaving home where we can write in reservations - both planned and made. That's is what I chose to be my Something Unexpected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, I divided the areas on the calendar that we wouldn't need into Strings. Forgive the awful photography - light poor and most of the pictures taken with my Kindle...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM2VAWy7T_jz28MzH7mqky5hbCjY_JfbqXehiNjUqaeAe9lX_s_RgeSNMsh0ICEmVY6kWp99RogceOXnk45zWn0cmKc-cWgJvkxpBGbbe0YGFWx-wM2qB5ziCpUgnt0a-jgK1uGSkAm8/s1600/Diva-Challenge-string.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkM2VAWy7T_jz28MzH7mqky5hbCjY_JfbqXehiNjUqaeAe9lX_s_RgeSNMsh0ICEmVY6kWp99RogceOXnk45zWn0cmKc-cWgJvkxpBGbbe0YGFWx-wM2qB5ziCpUgnt0a-jgK1uGSkAm8/s400/Diva-Challenge-string.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />September calendar page with reservations and strings</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I started tangling.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqELGy9eMtnktZpRFL57rYViyMaxtZZmejkZpoRKnMVPL0mSL8vhkmxyy6LWVrq0iRq2QFjaEKWiqxNIsWCRwKF6QXv2s94KyMQHkr1-7lcqNtHtpECyQuwi-JvAJc8_SewhQQm6MTLxg/s1600/Diva-Challenge-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqELGy9eMtnktZpRFL57rYViyMaxtZZmejkZpoRKnMVPL0mSL8vhkmxyy6LWVrq0iRq2QFjaEKWiqxNIsWCRwKF6QXv2s94KyMQHkr1-7lcqNtHtpECyQuwi-JvAJc8_SewhQQm6MTLxg/s400/Diva-Challenge-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />'NZeppel, one of my "go-to" tangles</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kept tangling...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPCeOzaq-UtT07nN4fz3oiZHjtY0Fs40TMrFpnV1aPv2jj3VAKPINFaszrtJJbawbfuE5Lt-fhy0DxCbZ_pzTV_NJ3bpb2XX7P8POL99wskncsAisUvmZVA5Y0A6XnzJeauWjVvSw7Zk/s1600/Diva-Challenge-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPCeOzaq-UtT07nN4fz3oiZHjtY0Fs40TMrFpnV1aPv2jj3VAKPINFaszrtJJbawbfuE5Lt-fhy0DxCbZ_pzTV_NJ3bpb2XX7P8POL99wskncsAisUvmZVA5Y0A6XnzJeauWjVvSw7Zk/s400/Diva-Challenge-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Opus in the center and Fife to the right</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kept tangling.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJtjpBTmn2zPYYidkM38v-S9p7kk8bujkB1qSwQWInLLOyDclRe-xm7v5s9Aai1IB1HmZlg7h6FJUDsFtsVyIB9_Nrxt8VIWRj3Jn2vWnJA3VI6BhGIxAb8dNeuu4TumjcCF7b2JQEQU/s1600/Diva-Challenge-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJtjpBTmn2zPYYidkM38v-S9p7kk8bujkB1qSwQWInLLOyDclRe-xm7v5s9Aai1IB1HmZlg7h6FJUDsFtsVyIB9_Nrxt8VIWRj3Jn2vWnJA3VI6BhGIxAb8dNeuu4TumjcCF7b2JQEQU/s400/Diva-Challenge-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Enhanced Opus a la <a href="http://think.enioken.com/opus-challenge/" target="_blank">Eni Oken</a> and added Lap and Crescent Moon</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kept tangling</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLon1cDyHdZt-loVWeBiqKcecZgd9KigJDIJ2CGvQ_aHI-uGcWeJc3FTtcW7GpDBic94pni8DVv24ag1b0qYeSmFGeJRqx14ncfcq4hJi0j7EXf2-3E4L7IymJLHDzGpxJF5dQYwdEXA/s1600/Diva-Challenge-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLon1cDyHdZt-loVWeBiqKcecZgd9KigJDIJ2CGvQ_aHI-uGcWeJc3FTtcW7GpDBic94pni8DVv24ag1b0qYeSmFGeJRqx14ncfcq4hJi0j7EXf2-3E4L7IymJLHDzGpxJF5dQYwdEXA/s400/Diva-Challenge-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />How could I not use Mooka?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A reasonable person would have finished with a little Rick's Paradox in the remaining triangle, but I just couldn't stop adding stuff...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxhASuyqyU7xINGFq-AD3-EVzE4HD7Qfq8ufyqgMpaJ2ZgSeKIcagnEF1OnPNw51DWQ4Nyd9WukQVO_vb-1Y0WQCW6h9_X-mJPjqrikj0KH9rWw9jh5-hvEKc23TfC4lImGLGaivefwE/s1600/Diva-Challenge-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxhASuyqyU7xINGFq-AD3-EVzE4HD7Qfq8ufyqgMpaJ2ZgSeKIcagnEF1OnPNw51DWQ4Nyd9WukQVO_vb-1Y0WQCW6h9_X-mJPjqrikj0KH9rWw9jh5-hvEKc23TfC4lImGLGaivefwE/s400/Diva-Challenge-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rashell with auras, Msst, Zinger, Bronx Cheer, Ahh, Dragonair, Arukas. Oh, and of course Rick's Paradox</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somebody stop me before I hurt myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The final step, a little shading.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmyPPP1b4r2hpl1qSPok62chICL7lInGgi6jl1Sf_RO1aecQ-FatNzwzm7uyEELIMe-k2NzJElpX7SHeqhWIKgXc73TIhs6KBEO2K2R46Auxb3hyXoyc2iYw1Zoll0tEm_Hm4UStOXpM/s1600/Diva-Challenge-Final%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmyPPP1b4r2hpl1qSPok62chICL7lInGgi6jl1Sf_RO1aecQ-FatNzwzm7uyEELIMe-k2NzJElpX7SHeqhWIKgXc73TIhs6KBEO2K2R46Auxb3hyXoyc2iYw1Zoll0tEm_Hm4UStOXpM/s640/Diva-Challenge-Final%255B2%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whew. So, what do you think? Where should I have stopped?</span><br />
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-42838737300202919582015-09-12T11:50:00.000-07:002015-09-12T11:50:58.127-07:00SerendipityIf you follow <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/zentangles/what-is-a-zentangle" target="_blank">the Zentangle method</a>, there are no mistakes.<br />
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, I say - as I pull out my forbidden eraser.<br />
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But more often than not, if I slog on without erasing mistakes, I'm happy with the results.<br />
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Yesterday I learned I found that the Zentangle principle of No Mistakes applies to other media. I was planning to do a <a href="http://reluctantrational.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-marriage-of-clay-and-zentangle.html" target="_blank">sgrafitto</a> design on a new ceramic piece during my weekly pottery class. I had sketched out a variation (tangleation, in Zentangle lingo) of '<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-nzeppel.html" target="_blank">NZepple</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis32weczluPAj4oSHabNOQHRmM9vPfyCKcWxFmNcvStp8-vo50KoHkHxTmEAQEfQiIh2JHnGJAEHU9kh2uHhe_2oYS3IMAVE7YgzCrXzGFq7Njl1rnq8U3C4MoXoeZSf4_aAYMHONVjmU/s1600/N%2527Zeppel-Petal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis32weczluPAj4oSHabNOQHRmM9vPfyCKcWxFmNcvStp8-vo50KoHkHxTmEAQEfQiIh2JHnGJAEHU9kh2uHhe_2oYS3IMAVE7YgzCrXzGFq7Njl1rnq8U3C4MoXoeZSf4_aAYMHONVjmU/s320/N%2527Zeppel-Petal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />'NZepplel Petal</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2s9Z2QfLue7GdPpy-spKaT7zsjzhoBeJ3Id5CEn2N6bvMGtRwrqVoB3yBCP3xGOGLPTfiMKDSH4mq1yqZ1sQ6GhghmxdZPyrSwhckZnbjRolF5wJtQ9bfzgYpYHovUBtJW1m-5ufslg/s1600/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_with-sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2s9Z2QfLue7GdPpy-spKaT7zsjzhoBeJ3Id5CEn2N6bvMGtRwrqVoB3yBCP3xGOGLPTfiMKDSH4mq1yqZ1sQ6GhghmxdZPyrSwhckZnbjRolF5wJtQ9bfzgYpYHovUBtJW1m-5ufslg/s320/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_with-sketch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />'NZeppel Sketch on right</i></span></td></tr>
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I started by painting the stiff leather-hard plate with three coats of underglaze - three different colors, in fact. I thought if I carved carefully I could reveal some of the underlying color. Little did I know I would screw it up and end up with a new (to me) technique to play with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPELvl5hcOAAD3E-Ryowvy7hgxN4HhQEKQOTguPxjBDr5UdKcRwRgo_jJvsUVNjUgQPTaFbuNzxcVYxLCyk_IcPT0orH3nmGqkEcyo_5Emf5tUvcPpiW7kL_fBkUuw8ZAQ-BdyygfICg/s1600/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPELvl5hcOAAD3E-Ryowvy7hgxN4HhQEKQOTguPxjBDr5UdKcRwRgo_jJvsUVNjUgQPTaFbuNzxcVYxLCyk_IcPT0orH3nmGqkEcyo_5Emf5tUvcPpiW7kL_fBkUuw8ZAQ-BdyygfICg/s320/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_painting.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Plate with three colors (in order on photo, leaf green on top) and preliminary carving</i></span></td></tr>
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I was impatient to begin carving, and the class is only three hours long. So I didn't allow the three layers to dry completely like I normally would. In the course of carving, I accidentally smeared the surface with the heel of my carving hand. Sh**!!!!<br />
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Then I noticed that by smearing, I had revealed the yellow (middle) layer. I kept carving, thinking, "What would happen if I deliberately smeared the surface?"<br />
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So I did. I used my finger to remove one, or two layers, and was really pleased with the result. The "petals" took on new depth, and the background was much more interesting. I think I can use this technique to add Zentangle shading to my pieces!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vq88cTOghgSco5K-j9pf6vutT-GK9wYgHaV6Npb0IBXARIK816_jXE5Paf8fjB8wpv3xaMw5DxhJtDhlQ5I2B05xvA49EDvDcEx2y28aETxIbC9SzJKF7WQe2EvSwb65dbgNu-ZULsY/s1600/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vq88cTOghgSco5K-j9pf6vutT-GK9wYgHaV6Npb0IBXARIK816_jXE5Paf8fjB8wpv3xaMw5DxhJtDhlQ5I2B05xvA49EDvDcEx2y28aETxIbC9SzJKF7WQe2EvSwb65dbgNu-ZULsY/s320/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Closeup of design, showing shading on "petals." Original smear at lower left corner.</i></span></td></tr>
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I could have done more, been more subtle with my finger, but the underglaze dried too quickly. Next time I'll allow for that. Anyway, here is the carved plate. Not fired yet, not glazed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHb9GAGTx29GilvH3GrWMHqKmZ127YGhzzg9jMTLs_Kw3F4__o79VOWV6OkmHq_qEjgOIVLD3aLft2bde1c6D15t2GZsHFoIqk70UjRd_GxEAQaP-4DZDLdU5DZKO0LRgCthQWGko_rzU/s1600/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_carved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHb9GAGTx29GilvH3GrWMHqKmZ127YGhzzg9jMTLs_Kw3F4__o79VOWV6OkmHq_qEjgOIVLD3aLft2bde1c6D15t2GZsHFoIqk70UjRd_GxEAQaP-4DZDLdU5DZKO0LRgCthQWGko_rzU/s320/NZeppel-Petals-Plate_carved.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Carved and "smeared" plate before bisqueing.</i></span></td></tr>
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I can't wait to try this out again!<br /><br />Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-51974754539958550632015-09-10T13:43:00.002-07:002015-09-10T13:43:44.248-07:00The long-awaited (NOT!) Mishima post<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://pottery.about.com/od/slipsengobes/ss/mishima.htm" target="_blank">Mishima</a> is a surface decorating technique for ceramics - kind of a reverse sgrafitto. You can see my post on sgrafitto <a href="http://reluctantrational.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-marriage-of-clay-and-zentangle.html" target="_blank">here</a>. For this technique,
the design is incised (scratched) first, while the clay is <a href="http://pottery.about.com/od/potterygloassary/g/leatherhard.htm" target="_blank">leather-hard</a> and
before a thin underglaze is applied. The underglaze runs into the carved designs.
After a little drying, you scrape off the excess clay using a metal rib or a
razor blade. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxN9bUkz0cpr0OalKxZG-8UvLy6CBY1gkXXRjyoPO701pbgb3EH6FTYLs-s4NxJROe08hmdHVdwwxZCAVgh7wRv_dLYz0PaCYNx18ldo_Sd9XTyps2y8iW1s_DdBOkqI_HJNMcPdwgWw/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_20150221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxN9bUkz0cpr0OalKxZG-8UvLy6CBY1gkXXRjyoPO701pbgb3EH6FTYLs-s4NxJROe08hmdHVdwwxZCAVgh7wRv_dLYz0PaCYNx18ldo_Sd9XTyps2y8iW1s_DdBOkqI_HJNMcPdwgWw/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_20150221.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Darted vase at the leather-hard stage</span></i></td></tr>
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I incised this one with a freehand version of <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Helen Williams</a>' tangle, "Curly Bracket Feather." The stepout can be found <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com.au/p/step-by-steps-patterns.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Tangling on a curved object is a <u>whole</u> lot tougher than on a tile or in a journal, let me tell you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTJVnqaFbi51GyB7c8xVMZQ5v_hFlk9SwN1heB0HY-7VIM5BlFDaMh7zDILSDXH3yEt7qjIqsBc2alrKm41rcEZxB8XL_Ix1Npl-VmG6__IIwydfgRTEhVRR_rofDr2KROMdtmkJ71no/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Painted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTJVnqaFbi51GyB7c8xVMZQ5v_hFlk9SwN1heB0HY-7VIM5BlFDaMh7zDILSDXH3yEt7qjIqsBc2alrKm41rcEZxB8XL_Ix1Npl-VmG6__IIwydfgRTEhVRR_rofDr2KROMdtmkJ71no/s400/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Painted.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Same vase, incised and painted with three coats of black underglaze</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuLXDodTbNCQfgxpjGxK28tIXUgy09Dn60qeUXaexSJyFJ9RR_mqPMxthDIH0KorPVS1ejh3eaqFndiS9LJzVXQ_K_oTyOAP7oeyyZOXtx0P0XnaMuKd0Lxoqx2SpQ96FCXq1Xb0ttfU/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Painted-Clo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuLXDodTbNCQfgxpjGxK28tIXUgy09Dn60qeUXaexSJyFJ9RR_mqPMxthDIH0KorPVS1ejh3eaqFndiS9LJzVXQ_K_oTyOAP7oeyyZOXtx0P0XnaMuKd0Lxoqx2SpQ96FCXq1Xb0ttfU/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Painted-Clo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Closeup of the incised and painted design</i></span></td></tr>
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After the underglaze has dried, the a metal rib is used to scrape away the excess. The underglaze that flowed into the design remains.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS15xnlw4Sr7R8-ITEnIvEFjqV3yLJd-GiyWSm5yqlyLhIplK4f_fzNtI8QulMA-4T13txh0X7y-SS6rjz4Yg3AAvZuS1gSTsbg5MNxlPM4FCVpILq9_oen3j1cB_5nkf60wwgP_Xj3Sk/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Scraping1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS15xnlw4Sr7R8-ITEnIvEFjqV3yLJd-GiyWSm5yqlyLhIplK4f_fzNtI8QulMA-4T13txh0X7y-SS6rjz4Yg3AAvZuS1gSTsbg5MNxlPM4FCVpILq9_oen3j1cB_5nkf60wwgP_Xj3Sk/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Scraping1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Partially scraped vase, with metal rib. Vase is stuffed with plastic so the inside doesn't dry faster than the outside.</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobB2yYjLJGqBTC1VIeIwUKbRkKgnXF0zskjtHdeOZV_ZU5RMQ__vl9irfDYrF_3fSRcVwlqySUW-ptnMaMEUqdcy9Bz1RgVGlzQ7qQqSIf440P8oE2xv0u72G_31nrwMr0CKSK9AYQOw/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Scraping2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobB2yYjLJGqBTC1VIeIwUKbRkKgnXF0zskjtHdeOZV_ZU5RMQ__vl9irfDYrF_3fSRcVwlqySUW-ptnMaMEUqdcy9Bz1RgVGlzQ7qQqSIf440P8oE2xv0u72G_31nrwMr0CKSK9AYQOw/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Scraping2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Closeup</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Here's the vase after scraping and firing (bisqueing) the first time.<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oRLlm9cy6pi5MDHprk8NWXoClFWaIr5_v5e4oZi302iDKZaZ7CxKMW2N8tQ45-QcV_s5oadKJKsa6el5J7Iwv06esQ47cWMbZHTUvaNNup_rbqm-ek15nt-TksGdo8KXJTWcUledUfo/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_pre-firing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oRLlm9cy6pi5MDHprk8NWXoClFWaIr5_v5e4oZi302iDKZaZ7CxKMW2N8tQ45-QcV_s5oadKJKsa6el5J7Iwv06esQ47cWMbZHTUvaNNup_rbqm-ek15nt-TksGdo8KXJTWcUledUfo/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_pre-firing.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Carved vase after bisqueing</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />I then painted the vase all over with thin coats of blue and yellow underglaze, and bisqued a second time. Then several coats of clear glaze was applied, and the vase put through the final firing.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXca2X63J2-eBfGIYmZqFScZteoSHDmbBAAffewSyjbkhTTItHfnv_RZveGhVgMogIAuIhlQw9aJKK4ghQjRAsOc-4cHnR43Cpv4ullG3HTKOWQbY19GlQN1Uj3sDpfGPyPSjIGE8VrWc/s1600/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXca2X63J2-eBfGIYmZqFScZteoSHDmbBAAffewSyjbkhTTItHfnv_RZveGhVgMogIAuIhlQw9aJKK4ghQjRAsOc-4cHnR43Cpv4ullG3HTKOWQbY19GlQN1Uj3sDpfGPyPSjIGE8VrWc/s320/Darted-Vase-%255B1%255D_Final.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />The finished vase</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Here are some more finished Mishima Tiles.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8aqkzisuvuZVoEaTI38Cd8_Xs0d937vs4M1STDfFQBf4adToGaPJ7OL6fBfe_0zL2Vep5nB4ueFNSYxoaWHlB7mjYjE6rI3outv3zftGrj-v0g9pmCiLbvhFHvxsR25PtlbHdthDFpQ/s1600/ZenTile-%255B1%255D_Mishima_2014121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8aqkzisuvuZVoEaTI38Cd8_Xs0d937vs4M1STDfFQBf4adToGaPJ7OL6fBfe_0zL2Vep5nB4ueFNSYxoaWHlB7mjYjE6rI3outv3zftGrj-v0g9pmCiLbvhFHvxsR25PtlbHdthDFpQ/s320/ZenTile-%255B1%255D_Mishima_2014121.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXkOlGuEW3FqnIBnXLh8IxH9GbWq55VCG_zl-lhHQPTymUdIe4vCsB8KNH8o-Wi_e5N9JY5-BOXKlRYsLeon4LetFvf7ewBLy1xzA0Vqyez3xSG03oLigW3mDpAsLGGFUMQ5KGZ2Scvc/s1600/ZenTile-%255B2%255D_Mishima_2014121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXkOlGuEW3FqnIBnXLh8IxH9GbWq55VCG_zl-lhHQPTymUdIe4vCsB8KNH8o-Wi_e5N9JY5-BOXKlRYsLeon4LetFvf7ewBLy1xzA0Vqyez3xSG03oLigW3mDpAsLGGFUMQ5KGZ2Scvc/s320/ZenTile-%255B2%255D_Mishima_2014121.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<br />This last example is a Mishima tray (the distortion is from the photographic angle). The pattern was carved freehand, and is a variation of "Tumbleweed" by <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Helen Williams</a>.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zDi4rRSVcAFP6KWNpfrji4FTd6fmn3fkHYthrdKj_RcuW4ygPAmFJwRL6cWpPu6sKmmlwdbDqHuI_ao_phA3uU-5JFZgZaSnyimIO2MRYU3LPH07sFKCkQ7JYonUjWLBQRdOuS0V-GM/s1600/Tumbleweed-Tray_FO_20150904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zDi4rRSVcAFP6KWNpfrji4FTd6fmn3fkHYthrdKj_RcuW4ygPAmFJwRL6cWpPu6sKmmlwdbDqHuI_ao_phA3uU-5JFZgZaSnyimIO2MRYU3LPH07sFKCkQ7JYonUjWLBQRdOuS0V-GM/s320/Tumbleweed-Tray_FO_20150904.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Tumbleweed Tray: Little Loafers clay, black underglaze and clear glaze</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />I thought the Mishima technique would be good for fine-lined Zentangle Art. I may end up doing that, or maybe if my sgrafitto technique improves, I will stick with that.<div>
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Aren't you glad you waited?<br /><div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0Oak Ridge, TN, USA36.0103561 -84.269644935.804742100000006 -84.5923684 36.2159701 -83.946921400000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-16910015194691517082015-09-03T13:25:00.000-07:002015-09-03T13:39:24.143-07:00On not caring, and Diva Challenges #232 and #233<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i> </i></b></span></span><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"…do not depend on the hope of results.
…you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and
even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you
expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate
not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work
itself."</span></i></b><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – Thomas Merton</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This seems like a good place to remember why
I’m tangling. I tell myself that I only care about the journey, that what I
produce doesn’t matter..But then I share my work with my <span style="font-family: inherit;">sister</span>, (also a
tangler and an artist), and when she compliments what I’ve done, I start
criticizing it. So somewhere in a dark corner of my mind, I <u>do</u> care
about what I produce.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So I’m going to start doing at least one
challenge a week (contrary to what I said <a href="http://reluctantrational.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-diva-challenge-poke-root-and-cubine.html"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>) and post it.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week on <a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/2015/08/weekly-challenge-232-guest-blogger.html"><span style="color: blue;">the Diva’s website</span></a>, <a href="http://hadesigns.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Holly Atwater</span></a> challenged
us to do one or more Zentangle meditations, or do a tile using Betweed. I love,
love love the meditations, and hope Holly produces more of them. I only did #1
and #2, then went on to do a Betweed tile. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxBxuTZgivASduh1foLWHKEm3ytInrgHQ6O9Pmla_H0HUnk-LhFaLOQxeyCrDucJbRw2e_-I-2LHIw23_bJWaCl0UdEamYGf6JH5Su4c_yiChKSVrF1MWNrorvL-C8BG-CKqTYja4cMw/s1600/Diva-CHallenge-132_A1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxBxuTZgivASduh1foLWHKEm3ytInrgHQ6O9Pmla_H0HUnk-LhFaLOQxeyCrDucJbRw2e_-I-2LHIw23_bJWaCl0UdEamYGf6JH5Su4c_yiChKSVrF1MWNrorvL-C8BG-CKqTYja4cMw/s320/Diva-CHallenge-132_A1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Tripoli - Zentangle meditation #1</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0VuVT1il7Ga84eMrY7HsmrEj_NpIZNTmV8Xs03R4mMG0UhihM69NO5PG9o9ZQtJeTSsnbBt7DxPTzbhgC5C9K-Um756vSuIDbzf_e0dntOAhlecsGjtYYE-tL0XDyPNwPzLBFaUNyzE/s1600/Diva-CHallenge-132_A2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0VuVT1il7Ga84eMrY7HsmrEj_NpIZNTmV8Xs03R4mMG0UhihM69NO5PG9o9ZQtJeTSsnbBt7DxPTzbhgC5C9K-Um756vSuIDbzf_e0dntOAhlecsGjtYYE-tL0XDyPNwPzLBFaUNyzE/s320/Diva-CHallenge-132_A2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b><br />Nipa - Zentangle Meditation #2</b></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br />Betweed, with Rain, Bales tangleation, and Bilt</b></span></i></span></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>This weeks challenge</b> (#233) was to use the latest official tangle, Zenith. This tangle was released at the recent Can Tangle. Stepout can be found<a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs119/1101168872594/archive/1122022291100.html" target="_blank"> here</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkhlIdKOX3KjAzRsjBYPwvJzZATdUxtsifTKLB_wgEs_hzfDx_IkaPLgN8vKFYQZQ6D8I1LsWx9_yS1d02GgLX4Vby0e1DSN-lLlwD-4drLY-vkpaHWGc9zeHjRyrgLfi2u5-mu6cmdE/s1600/IMG_7764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkhlIdKOX3KjAzRsjBYPwvJzZATdUxtsifTKLB_wgEs_hzfDx_IkaPLgN8vKFYQZQ6D8I1LsWx9_yS1d02GgLX4Vby0e1DSN-lLlwD-4drLY-vkpaHWGc9zeHjRyrgLfi2u5-mu6cmdE/s320/IMG_7764.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><br />Zenith, with Tipple, Black Pearl, and Diva Dance</b></i></span></td></tr>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-22204346529461054072015-07-18T06:45:00.001-07:002015-07-18T06:45:31.348-07:00Diva Challenge #226 <span style="font-size: large;">Guest Blogger Katie Crommett's theme for the <a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Diva's</a> Weekly Challenge #226 was "simplicity."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Fun - did this one with my Iced Venti No-Fat Latte at the Starbuck's in our local Super Kroger.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEAnojhIqqCe8GCYABMP2OWeOuJV7nIejKKudTZds83dr78uUmjLvAk7VIlwFot4kF0aCgWN6NnjaAVCjQdnoh-inV1G7-v53mNRz84JxjisVCV23XesE5ME01h58kSqgmMt5vBObr40/s1600/IMG_7714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEAnojhIqqCe8GCYABMP2OWeOuJV7nIejKKudTZds83dr78uUmjLvAk7VIlwFot4kF0aCgWN6NnjaAVCjQdnoh-inV1G7-v53mNRz84JxjisVCV23XesE5ME01h58kSqgmMt5vBObr40/s320/IMG_7714.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rashell and O-Cee Tangleations</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-64693270292805383182015-07-05T08:29:00.000-07:002015-07-05T08:29:09.473-07:00Obsessed with Mandalas<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I suppose, once I got into Zentangle, it was inevitable that my Inner Rational would take me by the hand and lead me to the ultimate in drawing symmetry - the Mandala.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've always loved drafting. Back in my quiltmaking days, I was a huge fan of Jinny Beyer. I loved not only her fabrics and her innovative use of them, but that she could teach how to draft complex designs. At her Symposium on Hilton Head Island each year, at least on half day session would be a lesson on drafting, and these were the sessions I loved the best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even more, I loved getting a piece of Staedtler gridded vellum, a pencil, ruler, and compass (oh yeah, and an eraser) and drafting an eight-pointed star, a hexagon, a pentagon. Making the actual quilt square was anticlimactic. It was the drawing I loved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I've jumped feet first into the Mandala pool. I started thinking I would stick to black and white, Technically, this is a Zendala - a Mandala with tangles. I'll do another post talking about the process.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmjRcL7TIdrkqLeQeQOwHToRdbct1JwP17psCQLVf-D7RpNAeg0YtsUfZUD_r7QPz6kX8sNgnuOIXxrPowfYD6VbVAENRQOHfBXq4oPlX3GRa2HVhuC5gIo5kKixL00d0GR5FsJjQ20g/s1600/Zendala-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmjRcL7TIdrkqLeQeQOwHToRdbct1JwP17psCQLVf-D7RpNAeg0YtsUfZUD_r7QPz6kX8sNgnuOIXxrPowfYD6VbVAENRQOHfBXq4oPlX3GRa2HVhuC5gIo5kKixL00d0GR5FsJjQ20g/s320/Zendala-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />Zendala 001 - with Mooka and Onamato</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />I told people I wasn't interested in color, since the intricacy of the black and white drawings was enough for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I lied.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO-H99qIG63ULAFd_JnxdTHzMRk4JskpM5ciNXFfoC1pqaHjPxazYKGb25sRtOu0HU28awS1WK0FSRZHSieAoN_BN7USJhj9QY5bfqo1WAauUIAjUgaoGp2ke-182YeA4iSwf9fYJHvw/s1600/Zendala_005_Final_20150611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO-H99qIG63ULAFd_JnxdTHzMRk4JskpM5ciNXFfoC1pqaHjPxazYKGb25sRtOu0HU28awS1WK0FSRZHSieAoN_BN7USJhj9QY5bfqo1WAauUIAjUgaoGp2ke-182YeA4iSwf9fYJHvw/s320/Zendala_005_Final_20150611.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Mandala 005 - Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore Mixed Media paper</i></span>.<br />
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-36618060608705011402015-06-21T11:03:00.001-07:002015-06-21T11:07:10.830-07:00The Marriage of Clay and Zentangle™<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't understand how people who make art can find the time to blog about it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think I mentioned at some point that I’ve been taking a pottery class at our local Art Center. I started the first time about three years ago. After a year and a half, I could make a pretty damn good tile, but still hadn’t conquered the coffee mug. I found it very frustrating; I was used to having total control of my process when I was making Art and Hawaiian quilts.. So I dropped pottery for reasons I won’t go into here. But I did enjoy it while it lasted and missed having that creative outlet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I started Zentangle™, and it didn’t take long to realize that there was a possibility of marrying my Zentangle skills (?) with my pottery skills (?). I returned to the Art Center, drawn back by a workshop in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgraffito" target="_blank">sgraffito</a><b> </b>and <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishima_pottery" target="_blank">mishima</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;">I'll start with sgraffito....</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sgraffito is a clay decorating technique where layers of <a href="http://pottery.about.com/od/slipsengobes/tp/underglaze.htm" target="_blank">underglaze</a> paint or <a href="http://pottery.about.com/od/potterygloassary/g/slip.htm" target="_blank">colored </a><a href="http://pottery.about.com/od/potterygloassary/g/slip.htm" target="_blank">slip</a><b> </b>are applied to raw clay.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd8j7tZjpmUH8uT0dMykSxabDCH49A32tI58PMCTNQCgwn9CKhs5ZWDRlf8tsntlTTSEfxdqRIQqmVGmTSR6U0LFaFRCz81u5_zoUbcn0f8FVbkSFqSdigGIS5-jc9FqhBcxZqrSIm0w/s1600/Red-Stone-Tiles_Raw_20150515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd8j7tZjpmUH8uT0dMykSxabDCH49A32tI58PMCTNQCgwn9CKhs5ZWDRlf8tsntlTTSEfxdqRIQqmVGmTSR6U0LFaFRCz81u5_zoUbcn0f8FVbkSFqSdigGIS5-jc9FqhBcxZqrSIm0w/s320/Red-Stone-Tiles_Raw_20150515.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Raw clay tiles after rolling and cutting to size (4")</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_boXOXRMBqqsnipSlQk7X2GDUIeDR3DHvyoBkQT-EzTmvoP4LO_Sj-eOi7jiW0tFmofbVYIUzb4Ue1p-yc7A7qVeUFOEvTfeI8ZAECWKFpUwHJmzQcvdKpeg-Yl8N1fHAzrwxG7P5qjI/s1600/Red-Stone-Tiles_3-Paints_20150517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_boXOXRMBqqsnipSlQk7X2GDUIeDR3DHvyoBkQT-EzTmvoP4LO_Sj-eOi7jiW0tFmofbVYIUzb4Ue1p-yc7A7qVeUFOEvTfeI8ZAECWKFpUwHJmzQcvdKpeg-Yl8N1fHAzrwxG7P5qjI/s320/Red-Stone-Tiles_3-Paints_20150517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Raw clay tiles after painting with colored underglaze</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">After a little drying, designs are scratched through the paint to reveal the clay beneath. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The designs are unplanned, in the true Zentangle tradition, and done freehand on the clay.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWYGujRnaGmrVPVr5fK8SoAxFOV4Ilu9m7W3AqO0JlM2AsKjDKD6rkRJDVTJ4qEg57RlGYC4hLy5N41LxNKs5Sf3eMsXu2fBIJudu_Z_akkHRZAwIymevEY3Bl-291z-aD8zw3eFN_vo/s1600/Sgrafitto-Tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWYGujRnaGmrVPVr5fK8SoAxFOV4Ilu9m7W3AqO0JlM2AsKjDKD6rkRJDVTJ4qEg57RlGYC4hLy5N41LxNKs5Sf3eMsXu2fBIJudu_Z_akkHRZAwIymevEY3Bl-291z-aD8zw3eFN_vo/s320/Sgrafitto-Tools.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Sgraffito tools. Old dentists tools also work well!</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Depending on your design, you will end up with a white design on a black background, or a black design on a white back ground.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />Finished tiles with Tangles Fracas, Opus, and Tipple. Black underglaze on white Little Loafers clay</i></b></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9g7S4F95m2hG6Llx1vN_dTGSorhYD1Kp7r7FILxLVmrzOnGb69_zlq_XLehLR2H_DHVXziouKjzh2lgcm4xaHTf7YB9uHAJe4_LXz9fL1x01rzR8IMdD7BmhNAuNEPQSowP9NvIWSPrY/s1600/0621151233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9g7S4F95m2hG6Llx1vN_dTGSorhYD1Kp7r7FILxLVmrzOnGb69_zlq_XLehLR2H_DHVXziouKjzh2lgcm4xaHTf7YB9uHAJe4_LXz9fL1x01rzR8IMdD7BmhNAuNEPQSowP9NvIWSPrY/s320/0621151233.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>I have to remember that until the tiles are fired the first
time, they are incredibly fragile!<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />Medium blue underglaze on white Little Loafers clay, unfired</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2_13Ly-x3V6cpTuLe0EsyZ7C1pBlkR0J8HD_jZu0XwyUUPRUR1Zc83tkpvbit57t3GBYnrOs-NCY_KjeboPKD_vTu0R31lhJgxj2KQHtx7mSXimilkXM9KzdIm-_8D7XKWCredWO_5o/s1600/Mooka-Mandala_20150514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2_13Ly-x3V6cpTuLe0EsyZ7C1pBlkR0J8HD_jZu0XwyUUPRUR1Zc83tkpvbit57t3GBYnrOs-NCY_KjeboPKD_vTu0R31lhJgxj2KQHtx7mSXimilkXM9KzdIm-_8D7XKWCredWO_5o/s320/Mooka-Mandala_20150514.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />"Mooka" mandala. Black underglaze, white Little Loafers clay, after final clear glazing and firing.</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCM2bxPDjHFrLGiZIIPvO6cyw92uQCUUn8NdgVWkcPOkZgd2pFWfyv_wP0pn9BtFNHzYvVyI1nPq9B6QzHo4P8llNCUvRsASD42Z0rMSvy5sbqmtt8W0wd4t0Hk2MCBmGz92M2RTIEaGQ/s1600/Tile_Aquafleur_201505014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCM2bxPDjHFrLGiZIIPvO6cyw92uQCUUn8NdgVWkcPOkZgd2pFWfyv_wP0pn9BtFNHzYvVyI1nPq9B6QzHo4P8llNCUvRsASD42Z0rMSvy5sbqmtt8W0wd4t0Hk2MCBmGz92M2RTIEaGQ/s320/Tile_Aquafleur_201505014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />Finished tile. Tangles are Aquafleur and Hollibaugh with Black Pearls</i></b></span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVM5-ZZxcUfnG8ptPS2ht3vlI3a4y3xM7GXwWz_t9Sq0wiGv4jnCzhWbXJAB4g02fpjOicYRWdvT-coGpcdIVoJUud8ooGgwKCeF6L5pi-5dcCFkKYV0VckVBumKDwhP3vBsUAsmfBsbs/s1600/Tile_Leaves_20150531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVM5-ZZxcUfnG8ptPS2ht3vlI3a4y3xM7GXwWz_t9Sq0wiGv4jnCzhWbXJAB4g02fpjOicYRWdvT-coGpcdIVoJUud8ooGgwKCeF6L5pi-5dcCFkKYV0VckVBumKDwhP3vBsUAsmfBsbs/s320/Tile_Leaves_20150531.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />"Leaves" Unfired tile - black underglaze on Red Stone clay. Tangles are Flux, Aware, Crescent Moon, Fescue, Ahh, and Bales.</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_DsySDun1coYuzb9I3BmBKWdA6NLoFUsDzq0rJp9UgVyTXg9qFcJUZwiOe9PQ0-t2CxQSJXj8uS5YUcegYilt0ZQTm2qceDbiAWqHZIKO-Z5EVEjlMTpjsPXzSQWZokCwCrHFsBAgY/s1600/Tile_Verdigogh_20150514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_DsySDun1coYuzb9I3BmBKWdA6NLoFUsDzq0rJp9UgVyTXg9qFcJUZwiOe9PQ0-t2CxQSJXj8uS5YUcegYilt0ZQTm2qceDbiAWqHZIKO-Z5EVEjlMTpjsPXzSQWZokCwCrHFsBAgY/s320/Tile_Verdigogh_20150514.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><br />Finished tile. Black underglaze on Little Loafers white clay. Tangles: Verdigogh, Mak-rah-me, Bunzo, and Curv-ING.</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Sgraffito/Zentangle on clay has proved to be incredibly challenging. The clay and underglaze have to be at <u>exactly</u> the right stage of dryness. Too dry, and they tend to chip when you carve; too wet, and carving results in "goobers," or small scraps of clay that are difficult to remove and also can result in chipping. I don't know yet whether I can do anything but the most gross of tangles on the clay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Another option for producing the fine lines of Zentangle is just the reverse of sgraffito, aka mishima. I'll talk about that in my next post.</span></div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-15905447644051188272015-04-24T16:50:00.000-07:002015-06-21T11:09:08.963-07:00And then we got lost in St George, SC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWi8Yi1Lij2P1x2Ah-jSdyfBY7t3TlV1-pNTkCSUJ2Fkn7cCwuAqry4jv3rGrlKBohaI9z3bxJ2xhN4Fwdg269bAYsdZ3E6TifiSVkrfJMsw0iIvUeiR3iWuLYWfXdjFq3MbKbm9Iwro/s1600/Grits+dish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWi8Yi1Lij2P1x2Ah-jSdyfBY7t3TlV1-pNTkCSUJ2Fkn7cCwuAqry4jv3rGrlKBohaI9z3bxJ2xhN4Fwdg269bAYsdZ3E6TifiSVkrfJMsw0iIvUeiR3iWuLYWfXdjFq3MbKbm9Iwro/s1600/Grits+dish.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s been awhile since I blogged. We had a good, though
strange, trip home. First, we got lost in the back roads of St. George,
SC. I wish I had taken pictures. This is
the road (SC-15) I take to avoid I-95, which I hate with a passion. Got to St George
about 10:30 am, a sleepy little town, pop. 2144, give or take. But today they
were having a Festival and the main road (there is only one) was blocked off.
It took a couple of tries to find a way around, but the important thing was that it led us wa-a-y
into the innards of a small Southern town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eventually, with the help of several locals pointing us the
right way, we made it back to SC-15.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It turns out, this was no ordinary (?) festival – it was the
<a href="http://www.worldgritsfestival.com/" target="_blank">World Grits Festival</a>! Apparently, this county (of which St. George is the
County Seat) has the highest per capita consumption of grits in the world, so
where else would you have the Festival?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was complete with a Grits Queen and a warm grits bath (the Southern version of a spa). I wish I had stopped, parked the car and taken pictures, but didn’t
because my Passenger (name withheld to protect the innocent) was completely
freaked out by the time we got back to the main road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1HOdJDTvXVFfG4uBGhTeE6xWY-9J2PLk468XZmqflF-Vgo7SyYaIvo7Ylq0VBWoQcQRY2KUgQPeD2AXcO7KgxN8B8DfmFomwrTn_9c6PKVIvyMi-OjrMiq9bhDvYOkzJmX1f-pE70SM/s1600/grits+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1HOdJDTvXVFfG4uBGhTeE6xWY-9J2PLk468XZmqflF-Vgo7SyYaIvo7Ylq0VBWoQcQRY2KUgQPeD2AXcO7KgxN8B8DfmFomwrTn_9c6PKVIvyMi-OjrMiq9bhDvYOkzJmX1f-pE70SM/s1600/grits+face.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given current events, I should mention that most of the population of St. George is African-American - plus a smattering of what used to be called "poor white trash." We passed a lot of trailers, more in fact, than single family homes. But everyone we encountered was friendly and gracious, and if not for them, we would still be in St. George. I never felt nervous for a moment, and neither did the Passenger, who was only freaked out because he thought I was going to stop and take pictures of him taking a grits bath.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSzEvcTkIzhah9eOL68xnVLnRrGQxMF8RgZuGd71ZQofO2J8Fs7xLx409re-aJwjEWsFWwUgMhnSQujOLkXtwW5Lb1gP3VTC7WNog0AvlTvYDDPAC4eor4GULpXoHP7buApdIRvXr8tk/s1600/grits+bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSzEvcTkIzhah9eOL68xnVLnRrGQxMF8RgZuGd71ZQofO2J8Fs7xLx409re-aJwjEWsFWwUgMhnSQujOLkXtwW5Lb1gP3VTC7WNog0AvlTvYDDPAC4eor4GULpXoHP7buApdIRvXr8tk/s1600/grits+bath.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the way was uneventful by modern travel
standards, which means bumper-to-bumper traffic in Columbia and trying to check
in for the night into the wrong hotel in Asheville.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is so-o-o-o good to be home. If you have to leave East
Tennessee, do it just before a late freeze at the end of March, and return the
second week of April. Ah-h-h-h…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-20414494864422751712015-04-10T06:00:00.000-07:002015-04-15T06:34:55.141-07:00The Joy of Cooking [Seafood]<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday was the second of the two cooking classes I’ve
taken at <a href="http://www.michael-anthonys.com/" target="_blank">Michael Anthony’s</a> this trip. The Focus was on “Spring Seafood,” and I was
excited (and as usual a little apprehensive) because I am not very experienced
at cooking seafood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPsZMfYfMDuqUCdDV86_jW44kHu91hpnLc0Us5-3MH7fQjMZ8WSv8uQlkWxB7a_tdpK2Ve-eym4cm6M9ilYS7A1KwxumH0R4TeAQO4SLZRUTatfVocmD-nir026aqSM1OK49bYFo4wyk/s1600/MAClass%5B2.4%5D_Menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPsZMfYfMDuqUCdDV86_jW44kHu91hpnLc0Us5-3MH7fQjMZ8WSv8uQlkWxB7a_tdpK2Ve-eym4cm6M9ilYS7A1KwxumH0R4TeAQO4SLZRUTatfVocmD-nir026aqSM1OK49bYFo4wyk/s1600/MAClass%5B2.4%5D_Menu.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The menu was as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Warm Shrimp and Cannelini Bean Salad<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Crab Cakes with a Lemon and Caper Remoulade<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Pistachio-encrusted Scottish Salmon with a Dijon Aioli</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My partner this time was Marie, a Quebecois who now resides
in Vancouver. Fascinating woman, very tall, who was a professional volleyball player in
her younger days. She spoke English with a decided French
accent. Well, technically a Quebecois accent, though it sounded very French to
me. We were a good team, and the nice thing about working with a partner
instead of doing all the prep and cooking yourself is that you have time for
pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85pH4dOfCHKZXDwL1NN1tC2kmOPA-KCUFY6s67Zwkne-M2HjG2rx6tA1FhNTWSEbT9OffTae15JLdqGmdTo-RTaiY4P6P0yBrUoNabTeyJ8m0GC8iuQC7TW5m_7zjULAMHuSzGBNjMy4/s1600/MAClass%5B2.6%5D_Onion-slicing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85pH4dOfCHKZXDwL1NN1tC2kmOPA-KCUFY6s67Zwkne-M2HjG2rx6tA1FhNTWSEbT9OffTae15JLdqGmdTo-RTaiY4P6P0yBrUoNabTeyJ8m0GC8iuQC7TW5m_7zjULAMHuSzGBNjMy4/s1600/MAClass%5B2.6%5D_Onion-slicing.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Lessons in slicing onions</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIQydN0l-La11Hda7-mglqvU0qM67Za8A6ovMDmxt901n6Chf_huN5az8CC9RNIJ7dfieVwCmmRUWWzxPUbsSaRd9c8SwE-dFrcnyG6ZuufUnjChk3LFKOWf39Z6k8mFqoSKbWAPYUOI/s1600/MAClass%5B2.5%5D_CrabMixing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIQydN0l-La11Hda7-mglqvU0qM67Za8A6ovMDmxt901n6Chf_huN5az8CC9RNIJ7dfieVwCmmRUWWzxPUbsSaRd9c8SwE-dFrcnyG6ZuufUnjChk3LFKOWf39Z6k8mFqoSKbWAPYUOI/s1600/MAClass%5B2.5%5D_CrabMixing.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Mixing the shrimp in the marinade</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYXHwiBHnAIyLnPuxARzDf7-lVvAtSLMxKpPPzC698cz14vFhwCZvGr20_Bzc4hwue0r_glBA0a2yMaTLyB0Oi0F6OSvLEqGwYgjVQb04ND8pZpZG4e5f_xZOfbfiSTT56uPwbYCZO4/s1600/MAClass%5B2.7%5D_Better-Saute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHYXHwiBHnAIyLnPuxARzDf7-lVvAtSLMxKpPPzC698cz14vFhwCZvGr20_Bzc4hwue0r_glBA0a2yMaTLyB0Oi0F6OSvLEqGwYgjVQb04ND8pZpZG4e5f_xZOfbfiSTT56uPwbYCZO4/s1600/MAClass%5B2.7%5D_Better-Saute.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Searing the salmon, Marie in the foreground</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlOZ4HlYBAy8FAB4cy1gWB80bgNcYMPIb7KW7uN5VN7D4XH6wa1xgbrMPvcIVQ8vHsQsRC_2KRwxgRRadp2A1ejJwlnfE2w7DN9dwG-_V8w4gVqgxWiFpXB17BRKAZjgatsrHZXh6aBE/s1600/MAClass%5B2.6%5D_Crusting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlOZ4HlYBAy8FAB4cy1gWB80bgNcYMPIb7KW7uN5VN7D4XH6wa1xgbrMPvcIVQ8vHsQsRC_2KRwxgRRadp2A1ejJwlnfE2w7DN9dwG-_V8w4gVqgxWiFpXB17BRKAZjgatsrHZXh6aBE/s1600/MAClass%5B2.6%5D_Crusting.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were generously supplied with wine, a nice Alverde Pinot
Grigio. The wine did not appear until after the heavy slicing and dicing was
done, good planning on their part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After everything was prepared, we sat and feasted on the
results of our lesson, along with more wine, of course. The crab cakes, in
particular, were unique (and I am somewhat obsessed with crab cakes). Chris
uses jumbo lump crab baked in a soufflé-like matrix rather than ground up crab in a fried cake.
It’s wonderful! Both the salad and crab will become part of my repertoire for
sure.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-N4ypWWmWhiB985fSM0Q_-0DlRltSuDkz0y5Np5xHMllT9BiMkN6mRvLsTzk9xFoGOdYJ1-jd8lCIjyq77nrCwJBe3EYvgz5Kh6HxMZCcImr9yVteEMGG9QgyMbBZnrWbMqDkXiW0W0/s1600/MAClass%5B2.1%5D_toast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-N4ypWWmWhiB985fSM0Q_-0DlRltSuDkz0y5Np5xHMllT9BiMkN6mRvLsTzk9xFoGOdYJ1-jd8lCIjyq77nrCwJBe3EYvgz5Kh6HxMZCcImr9yVteEMGG9QgyMbBZnrWbMqDkXiW0W0/s1600/MAClass%5B2.1%5D_toast.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Toasting at lunch, the warm shrimp salad on the table.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One thing they have added to the classes given this year is
a talk on wine parings given by PJ, the head sommelier at Michael Anthony’s. Excellent,
with some surprising (to me) recommendations, like pairing savory Salmon dishes
with a light red wine, like a Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir, or with a Sicilian
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_d%27Avola" target="_blank">Nero d’Avola</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He also recommended the “perfect” wine for the shrimp salad (which was
amazing): a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grillo" target="_blank">Grillo</a>, also from Sicily. They sell a Furedo Maccari Grillo in the Italian food shop in the restaurant,
so I bought two bottles of that plus a jar of <a href="http://www.europeanfood.co.nz/?q=products/taggiasche-olives" target="_blank">taggiasche</a> olives from the
Ligurian region of Italy, that Chris used in the warm shrimp salad. .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, another informative and enjoyable cooking class. Learned
a lot. Highly recommend it if you are every on the Island with time on your
hands.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-89779969300732676482015-04-09T12:52:00.001-07:002015-04-09T12:52:13.892-07:00More Vacation Tangles and the Story of a Friend<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are just some miscellaneous tangles I’ve done on the
Island. There’s no story to them, just hours of completely absorbing work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the other thing about being here on vacation – so much time to tangle,
guilt-free.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-rXTswL04vqiLam8_hOf-JQ87ZMrWYwOgiQ1bco_bUdYKVEycOJrP9g9k0ixVo9iCpnf1L_qUbrNiWB4e-TP13l9stbMflxru6oaJ7giH_kaLmOlH7sO9IMXOnzw3EVzaiyoZr_lemQ/s1600/Redfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-rXTswL04vqiLam8_hOf-JQ87ZMrWYwOgiQ1bco_bUdYKVEycOJrP9g9k0ixVo9iCpnf1L_qUbrNiWB4e-TP13l9stbMflxru6oaJ7giH_kaLmOlH7sO9IMXOnzw3EVzaiyoZr_lemQ/s1600/Redfish.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Redfish"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last one actually does have a story. Many years ago we met a young sous-chef at <a href="http://www.alexandersrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Alexander's Restaurant</a>. The head chef there offered to make us a special dinner, but decided to turn it over to the sous-chef. It was a wonderful, creative meal, and when the sous-chef came out to say hello afterwards, we discovered that he was born and raised on the Big Island. His name was Chaun Bescos.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So the three of us became instant friends, and he cooked for us whenever we came down here. Flash forward several years. Chaun's career advanced, first to Head Chef at Alexander's, then eventually to Executive Chef at <a href="http://www.redfishofhiltonhead.com/" target="_blank">Redfish</a>, an upscale seafood restaurant that at the time featured mostly Cuban food. Chaun has given the place a broader menu, introducing his own Pacific Island flair to the original focus.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Chaun has continued to cook for us, at least once while we're here. We even became good friends with his Sister-in-Law, Whitney, who is now "our" server at Redfish.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So this Tuesday when we went for our special meal (which was truly special, by the way), I spent some time making him a small Thank You gift. It's called "Redfish."</span><br />
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-16187008052970193382015-04-06T13:19:00.004-07:002015-04-06T13:19:53.767-07:00Hilton Head, Part 2<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day 11</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what’s the deal with Hilton Head? Beats me…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beautiful? Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuR25B_ZCs6NkaALdHhK2hq6x7hxh_tAPAjtowcgFx0VnOhN8n6ptQ-t0CxQ7HQunSLwk3SBn5KEntDqlpPkvhUbj1uE29mZYBH9-EpH3S1MIMJh6VdbqUlWHz8FdA0HeuSCdJGkbJg4/s1600/Porch-View_20150405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuR25B_ZCs6NkaALdHhK2hq6x7hxh_tAPAjtowcgFx0VnOhN8n6ptQ-t0CxQ7HQunSLwk3SBn5KEntDqlpPkvhUbj1uE29mZYBH9-EpH3S1MIMJh6VdbqUlWHz8FdA0HeuSCdJGkbJg4/s1600/Porch-View_20150405.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>View from the porch<br /><br /></i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUX3zlZCitKVHawOp6MK2gsLcLymQu7Gie-b74dPng62rpGeMTEcNSXI_Jooln0JHunHRS_fOm-iT-AhnYuTROtMddJfzllC_JzOTXGWQd1j-eE1kwNc7wQ3a2XmCHU9z0mT5BTXw8S8M/s1600/Villamare-Pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUX3zlZCitKVHawOp6MK2gsLcLymQu7Gie-b74dPng62rpGeMTEcNSXI_Jooln0JHunHRS_fOm-iT-AhnYuTROtMddJfzllC_JzOTXGWQd1j-eE1kwNc7wQ3a2XmCHU9z0mT5BTXw8S8M/s1600/Villamare-Pond.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Landscape at Villamare</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even on a cloudy day, it's gorgeous.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrh_ecUYwWlwoQNtctE4e0KKQZ0-hFAGSmzS0rzj2Fs6g6Tmdv2VE1Z8d-DLQPe3z6KybBl0g3hbNyANN3iXnq_ThKTVUguhWS6aJAA-o9pYyZ1Qo6W6-PxM9u5DmpgZ023iVn6mPFJo/s1600/Cloudy-Day_20150406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrh_ecUYwWlwoQNtctE4e0KKQZ0-hFAGSmzS0rzj2Fs6g6Tmdv2VE1Z8d-DLQPe3z6KybBl0g3hbNyANN3iXnq_ThKTVUguhWS6aJAA-o9pYyZ1Qo6W6-PxM9u5DmpgZ023iVn6mPFJo/s1600/Cloudy-Day_20150406.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spend most of our time walking, porch-sitting, shopping,
and eating. And oh, boy, do we eat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is <a href="http://www.ombrahhi.com/" target="_blank">Ombra Cucina Rustica</a><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAlgn-FgC-uYSo8KwYMZLeU-ze-Kg8ssbh8SAGtByC0krYG4KUdUdcsRbs0dmfstexk3rGX0x076DlqI7B57PcqjoBfOEqmGIbCaAHDYzeVMbUBqY0MHCXPlawGNR0KDzyTpxyM7jvDI/s1600/Ombra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAlgn-FgC-uYSo8KwYMZLeU-ze-Kg8ssbh8SAGtByC0krYG4KUdUdcsRbs0dmfstexk3rGX0x076DlqI7B57PcqjoBfOEqmGIbCaAHDYzeVMbUBqY0MHCXPlawGNR0KDzyTpxyM7jvDI/s1600/Ombra.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the
two owners, <a href="http://www.ombrahhi.com/wp-content/uploads/Chef-Michael-Cirafesi-Biography.pdf" target="_blank">Michael Cirafesi</a>, is the former Executive Chef at Michael Anthony’s,
and the author of the <a href="http://www.michael-anthonys.com/macookbook.html" target="_blank">Michael Anthony’s<span style="color: #c00000;"> </span>cookbook</a>, which is one of my cooking
bibles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSvKQsH9aHJm7DHDtNDA4et6U34dopx2a2hfLl_F8KO4m_OXmcmVXaHFazp1Robl6KYxQIaKAeL_g6nr2elsnNW5czF6K-TPpWn73KJVQQUGnBage44TgR-Ja4aAmhTZSHUn87IelvBU/s1600/MichaelAnthonyBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSvKQsH9aHJm7DHDtNDA4et6U34dopx2a2hfLl_F8KO4m_OXmcmVXaHFazp1Robl6KYxQIaKAeL_g6nr2elsnNW5czF6K-TPpWn73KJVQQUGnBage44TgR-Ja4aAmhTZSHUn87IelvBU/s1600/MichaelAnthonyBook.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Michael's cookbook and recipe handout from first class</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> In fact, he taught the first two cooking
classes I took there, several years ago. He opened his own restaurant (Ombra) two or
three years ago, and it was quickly added to our favorites list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d8UWdlX_I8_c11IJ5AKOJBA0crf8IQu5Xj4oaBJ5XwpLvIfrXOgNXj3a4Wmi2n4xciOidK1xNpYNq72VsIB64CLSY9bnv6HWs7_NHYPcgmhoBl1zACz-jmvMv6oLIUYYHsaUsgwMonU/s1600/HH_Me+and+Michael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d8UWdlX_I8_c11IJ5AKOJBA0crf8IQu5Xj4oaBJ5XwpLvIfrXOgNXj3a4Wmi2n4xciOidK1xNpYNq72VsIB64CLSY9bnv6HWs7_NHYPcgmhoBl1zACz-jmvMv6oLIUYYHsaUsgwMonU/s1600/HH_Me+and+Michael.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Me and Michael</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first
year we went to Ombra, we met Ned, who was to become “our” waiter. The problem
is – sometime during that first year, my brain changed Ned to Ken, and I can’t
seem to change it back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we went to dinner there the other night, and sure enough, I asked for "Ken."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They said there was no one working there named Ken. If I had asked them to line up all the servers, I could have picked him out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They </span><span style="font-size: large;">seated us at a quiet table in the bar, </span><span style="font-size: large;">and sure enough it was mere seconds before Ned came out to say hello. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s very embarrassing, and has <u>never</u> happened
before; in fact, I pride myself on my ability to remember all our servers from
year to year.. Ned/Ken doesn’t seem to be insulted, but I’m sure he’s a little
hurt. So I determined this year I would get his correct name into a safe spot
in my brain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First I tried
adding his name to my journal, in the page where I wrote the menu from the
first night we were there:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsFHC7IUs_MzWohX4B-zAuAhU3Y416Ky_AoKSjUjP0F5nG3pnLBAqcxxt63FbYyUavSICYvZQfAVNODatDv84vjc88NbaIiZkZZosIEy0jEeXLrwmVJJsc_5cfjyvQLQzfKlyYv71Gdk/s1600/Ned-in-Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsFHC7IUs_MzWohX4B-zAuAhU3Y416Ky_AoKSjUjP0F5nG3pnLBAqcxxt63FbYyUavSICYvZQfAVNODatDv84vjc88NbaIiZkZZosIEy0jEeXLrwmVJJsc_5cfjyvQLQzfKlyYv71Gdk/s1600/Ned-in-Journal.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I wasn’t sure this was enough, so I tangled his name. If
this doesn’t work, I’ll just have to take him home with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E4AdPWaOawQ5K_ugfILylXRTHhYUOxgAHTB8qCfPo7Yb2zJNwsOZaAoju1HhTUZwAN4O2tfPIIpqLZxbFcPxg3_kXSjHPkeMKpGAH0tKt9a8GP_7VZZ2Mq2RcKtD5cXtBS9GOGMYyno/s1600/Zen_Ned_HHI_20150404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E4AdPWaOawQ5K_ugfILylXRTHhYUOxgAHTB8qCfPo7Yb2zJNwsOZaAoju1HhTUZwAN4O2tfPIIpqLZxbFcPxg3_kXSjHPkeMKpGAH0tKt9a8GP_7VZZ2Mq2RcKtD5cXtBS9GOGMYyno/s1600/Zen_Ned_HHI_20150404.jpg" height="308" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Ned, playing with Cadent, Fife, Verdigogh, and Puf</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-3001284987621456482015-04-05T17:26:00.001-07:002015-04-05T17:26:39.347-07:00The Mystery tangle<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The other day I watched<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/11/how-to-draw-lace-curtains.html" target="_blank"> Suzanne McNeill’s video</a> which includes the
instructions for her tangle “Lace Curtain.” Liked it, practiced it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then yesterday morning I went to Starbuck’s (another
tradition – I’m awash with tradition) to get my trip journal up to date, and
tangle a little.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHRNlJCNCWcJJZ95U-wtmIpSQtG_1cZ5d-cu5hDDNLbpwu3zxGys54oZKogHAirYqqabivaWNaixcFeVv3UbAM4nIpGL6rUG64thNMnYmuCpmxQauFFub82RmGOkNAHwpzkA0oZznd6k/s1600/HHStarbucks_20150401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHRNlJCNCWcJJZ95U-wtmIpSQtG_1cZ5d-cu5hDDNLbpwu3zxGys54oZKogHAirYqqabivaWNaixcFeVv3UbAM4nIpGL6rUG64thNMnYmuCpmxQauFFub82RmGOkNAHwpzkA0oZznd6k/s1600/HHStarbucks_20150401.jpg" height="258" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I decided to try Lace Curtain, and of course, without the
instructions, I drew something totally different. It could possibly be a unique
tangle – we’ll see. Here’s the mystery
tangle:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKej5LooucPQOFHTl1HPkEu_l1B9SEidTJ7NmkSInbqC14ga-i8R_Uis5jV9nBiOZqn9XtTISklOOhJxESGm3YB01wJXzE9cMRfrv9j_9cdj3p3BxM_Z1VZnf1fKAG_Fi4hen2dwn3OE/s1600/Zen_20150331_Mystery-closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKej5LooucPQOFHTl1HPkEu_l1B9SEidTJ7NmkSInbqC14ga-i8R_Uis5jV9nBiOZqn9XtTISklOOhJxESGm3YB01wJXzE9cMRfrv9j_9cdj3p3BxM_Z1VZnf1fKAG_Fi4hen2dwn3OE/s1600/Zen_20150331_Mystery-closeup.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaehhy8cWWkgrY5P3PdkwSNfCyDuZclB4yFBlTZ7WqgMoYvWEEKP5Arg00wMakwcAb4SOhDa44XvNeqVQ_P8wtc5LvCUX5YuB70_aVrmbzEKX81ryp730IM5yeNq5ZHZl9evSum0K2Qk/s1600/Zen_20150331_Mystery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaehhy8cWWkgrY5P3PdkwSNfCyDuZclB4yFBlTZ7WqgMoYvWEEKP5Arg00wMakwcAb4SOhDa44XvNeqVQ_P8wtc5LvCUX5YuB70_aVrmbzEKX81ryp730IM5yeNq5ZHZl9evSum0K2Qk/s1600/Zen_20150331_Mystery.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I kept going with the tile; decided it needed some kind of border along the curve that bisects the square and edges the new tangle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So here's the finished tile (rotated a quarter):</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP1ARZ63ktb4e66fZUSn_Cx0KFnMK7TojprlZkpM0SXxURWhVM0j956g9cJVqacI-ElRolu0bwP0aH7buWWd0t2FwwrMOIjfYb5yKYPIOGvmr13JufELM6QgQeA5OD2xPHf3YijwoitA/s1600/finished-mystery-tile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNP1ARZ63ktb4e66fZUSn_Cx0KFnMK7TojprlZkpM0SXxURWhVM0j956g9cJVqacI-ElRolu0bwP0aH7buWWd0t2FwwrMOIjfYb5yKYPIOGvmr13JufELM6QgQeA5OD2xPHf3YijwoitA/s1600/finished-mystery-tile.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Unnamed tangle, with Knightsbridge, Tipple, Huggins, and Keeko</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not certain if I like it. But as I've said before, liking is not the point.. </span></div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-33970736994158287212015-04-05T17:06:00.000-07:002015-04-05T17:06:30.462-07:00Cooking Classes<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of our favorite restaurants on the Island, <span style="color: red;">Michael
Anthony’s, </span>offers
hands-on cooking classes. I try to take one or two whenever we are here. This year
Executive Chef Chris Johnson is teaching two classes, and I signed up for both.
Thursday was “Scaloppine! Scaloppine!” </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM6-J30_ceht-kQmBFJT4jmXPB9-PEF0T821crprsp6FYd_TS7ZVoaT9V2oGsKsP2tmD2C1jlFmkI1cvzxjbbbuhKsA7bTkMa9P8XOLqwE-eHPRYYBiqnxersP-ClkgeLZeSOIzsECtc/s1600/MAclass%5B1.5%5D_Menu_20150402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM6-J30_ceht-kQmBFJT4jmXPB9-PEF0T821crprsp6FYd_TS7ZVoaT9V2oGsKsP2tmD2C1jlFmkI1cvzxjbbbuhKsA7bTkMa9P8XOLqwE-eHPRYYBiqnxersP-ClkgeLZeSOIzsECtc/s1600/MAclass%5B1.5%5D_Menu_20150402.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chef Chris started by showing us how to trim out a top round of
veal, a pork tenderloin, and a whole chicken. I love these classes not because
of the recipes, but because of the techniques. And this one was really helpful,
or at least will be if I can ever find a whole top round of Veal!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfjpOcdbOGyA39w6WmKaJ3L-3lqK_1URgmGz48e5xPKkmXTw8s10X3gAjeAkC8ebyRoWYg_F14G6RJqv3H1IEbvl3wfZfZfHHI0BDbd9qrzmhyphenhyphenuRs7hUWacBnD7r8iP4cub-QB0ovhu4/s1600/MAclass%5B1.1%5D_20150402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfjpOcdbOGyA39w6WmKaJ3L-3lqK_1URgmGz48e5xPKkmXTw8s10X3gAjeAkC8ebyRoWYg_F14G6RJqv3H1IEbvl3wfZfZfHHI0BDbd9qrzmhyphenhyphenuRs7hUWacBnD7r8iP4cub-QB0ovhu4/s1600/MAclass%5B1.1%5D_20150402.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Executive Chef Chris Johnson with a whole pork tenderloin</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zk87PR7v7U3fWjUmm2_-1v7JYBLb1K69WknuZpXPMeu_62Nq3DNVulTaWvNw-yCs10CvR50vmr5NycrjJ-7O2KV9kOsqUv4k_L_U25RUm6jY0MwXu2WUh47phFo3eK9lM5R4ZUEgnSg/s1600/MAclass%5B1.4%5D_20150402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zk87PR7v7U3fWjUmm2_-1v7JYBLb1K69WknuZpXPMeu_62Nq3DNVulTaWvNw-yCs10CvR50vmr5NycrjJ-7O2KV9kOsqUv4k_L_U25RUm6jY0MwXu2WUh47phFo3eK9lM5R4ZUEgnSg/s1600/MAclass%5B1.4%5D_20150402.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A top round of veal, aka The Holy Grail</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirP2BXh5wi5YRf0XonzmKKhB4BqDb1-DOsdZLcjuYZOwstux2t8CzwJ2J6t40uOztR8ZxQXUwX431qtHZFVRUClAlht5MeSha47JL9YEYQgi2qoJNondKj6jgsd8UsXIiVHgPJ4u4zExU/s1600/MAClass_Scaloppine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirP2BXh5wi5YRf0XonzmKKhB4BqDb1-DOsdZLcjuYZOwstux2t8CzwJ2J6t40uOztR8ZxQXUwX431qtHZFVRUClAlht5MeSha47JL9YEYQgi2qoJNondKj6jgsd8UsXIiVHgPJ4u4zExU/s1600/MAClass_Scaloppine.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Three scaloppini - veal, pork, chicken, all pounded, ready to cook</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />We started with Pork Marsala. I've fixed the Chicken version before, but not pork. The best thing that came out of this for me was that you could cook the dish in about 5 minutes, once you have your <i><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/11/338850091/for-a-more-ordered-life-organize-like-a-chef" target="_blank">mise en place</a></i> done. When I fix scaloppine at home (and I do that about once a week), it takes me about 15 minutes, with hungry husband chomping at the bit the whole time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUXEy6TzwGad-yxyPzyCPoPaMCPyEdVVIVOS0uh76Wx76KcURnb9kLFMd-rP0XpATTUfgR8lhgJ7Untj0x9E-HUAWw_-IoWtcRdKJTVS38CqdqZmIM9gljpUohVYuGy_o6K_FhjmvuXY/s1600/MAclass%5B1.3%5D_20150402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUXEy6TzwGad-yxyPzyCPoPaMCPyEdVVIVOS0uh76Wx76KcURnb9kLFMd-rP0XpATTUfgR8lhgJ7Untj0x9E-HUAWw_-IoWtcRdKJTVS38CqdqZmIM9gljpUohVYuGy_o6K_FhjmvuXY/s1600/MAclass%5B1.3%5D_20150402.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The kitchen, donated by Thermidor. </i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYvoa0wGwOmsBIasK9wnXF-h8rhnJuVBj2-_Q2QJHT5Dw14ky-9SFKIy_b72MB7UYQnm_AH4f0MBW8yNUYe_wk5YtLGLzP4MgiIeS7riWgXroh_b4cJNSwtioqNfQKdUX3MRdb2ubwS0/s1600/MAclass%5B1.2%5D_Veal_20150402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYvoa0wGwOmsBIasK9wnXF-h8rhnJuVBj2-_Q2QJHT5Dw14ky-9SFKIy_b72MB7UYQnm_AH4f0MBW8yNUYe_wk5YtLGLzP4MgiIeS7riWgXroh_b4cJNSwtioqNfQKdUX3MRdb2ubwS0/s1600/MAclass%5B1.2%5D_Veal_20150402.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>My Veal a la Voldestana</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next Wednesday is the Spring Seafood class, with Warm Shrimp salad with Canellini beans , Crab cakes with Red Onion and Caper sauce, and Pistachio-Encrusted Salmon. I’m excited.</span></div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-36861741067508099092015-04-04T09:01:00.002-07:002015-04-04T11:46:37.561-07:00Hilton Head, Pt. 1<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Arrived on the Island on Saturday. It was cold the first few
days, although the skies were clear and the ocean calm. There was plenty of
time for tangling. I’m looking forward to a good warm up so I can move the
drawing and knitting and computer work outside to the lanai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way down, we stayed overnight in Columbia, SC, where
I did my traditional Hello, South Carolina tangle:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kjMHzv6PNgb1fKtosSV5uPAml2rbFzvZEw7rdkBrqwPAXzobXuS-rPsWh2kg3bjS7NDAlfn2GRoVL_KK7206wjrbP1_p01f6VHKPQRYWEQWlHBvmxY3L0ME7IC6t6_QtzfAIHtfIg3M/s1600/Zen_20150328_SC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kjMHzv6PNgb1fKtosSV5uPAml2rbFzvZEw7rdkBrqwPAXzobXuS-rPsWh2kg3bjS7NDAlfn2GRoVL_KK7206wjrbP1_p01f6VHKPQRYWEQWlHBvmxY3L0ME7IC6t6_QtzfAIHtfIg3M/s1600/Zen_20150328_SC.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First morning:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the first Sunday and last Friday, we go to a wonderful restaurant called <a href="http://www.alexandersrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Alexander’s</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyQh42DqxCB6AInVirFURWIgxyuXdFVxudDyJb2O3kiBvHQCKjpBv-TFKqjw57ehf0Snfs03R1mcRwHoyBGiZQteQl2wHsBjOBoHr3SlPjUet-gwc6c81xgqFq7qyQztNYmM7-2bAlfk/s1600/HH2011-Alexander's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyQh42DqxCB6AInVirFURWIgxyuXdFVxudDyJb2O3kiBvHQCKjpBv-TFKqjw57ehf0Snfs03R1mcRwHoyBGiZQteQl2wHsBjOBoHr3SlPjUet-gwc6c81xgqFq7qyQztNYmM7-2bAlfk/s1600/HH2011-Alexander's.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Alexander's </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Alexander's back dock - on the lagoon</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been going there for dinner for over 20 years now,
first by myself when I came down here for <a href="http://www.jinnybeyer.com/" target="_blank">Jinny Beyer’s</a>
annual Quilting Seminar (alas, no longer held), and more recently, with my husband. One of the things I really like about the
good restaurants on the Island is that the servers are well-paid, so are quite
professional and stay for years and years. As a result, I’ve known a few of the
servers for over 20 years. You get the feeling that they are really glad to see
you again, and that they miss you when you are gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be honest, we overtip like crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So in honor of Alexander’s, here's an “A.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>XYP, Fracas, Mak-rah-mee, Zinger, Cruffle, Festune</i></span></td></tr>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-86485346411972966802015-03-31T10:42:00.001-07:002015-03-31T10:42:36.465-07:00Tackling Tangling Weave<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Been a little slow around the ol’ blog lately. We were
getting ready for our first Spring trip to Hilton Head Island (have been going
in the Fall for years, in January for years before that). In among cleaning,
planning and teaching Tai Chi, I snuck in a few procrastination sessions of
Zentangle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This series I called “Tackling Weave.” Helen Williams published
the <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com/2015/03/weave-tangle-pattern.html" target="_blank">stepout for Weave</a> on her blog, <a href="http://alittlelime.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">A Little Lime</a>,
and I was enchanted by it. First I did Weave in a grid:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxYfpY2eg6MFPjFCeuepZe3W0AiwfzomW80pfulRRI7lFyxeLS_ZtIo_EO_LeXmjHm2k-8JmiqkYaSnZpg1XV_YRrtEM9i1zsCPqGBF0eIx2Vto2JEUtWfQBXJEMZw_KQ_83vwfvc94Q/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Grid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxYfpY2eg6MFPjFCeuepZe3W0AiwfzomW80pfulRRI7lFyxeLS_ZtIo_EO_LeXmjHm2k-8JmiqkYaSnZpg1XV_YRrtEM9i1zsCPqGBF0eIx2Vto2JEUtWfQBXJEMZw_KQ_83vwfvc94Q/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Grid.jpg" height="308" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Weave on a grid</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I did a gridless free-form version. Clearly, there’s a
bit of a learning curve here. I love this pattern, though, and will keep
practicing until I’m happy with the process. I say that because Zentangle is a
process, not a result. There’s no good or bad, no happy or unhappy with the
final tile, just playing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieOpG6KmZSvGVZDyMn0m3uq3-mvuHR7DqSxog2HaXIRyBtq8hoCktzzLf_z0azDmMNF2Xg_Cf-sJLELdCyu15hf95E124fXInMMFqE8lSpXKm2u0huLxaiW8EmJ4P82PQxlIaeWR3fmY/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Random.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieOpG6KmZSvGVZDyMn0m3uq3-mvuHR7DqSxog2HaXIRyBtq8hoCktzzLf_z0azDmMNF2Xg_Cf-sJLELdCyu15hf95E124fXInMMFqE8lSpXKm2u0huLxaiW8EmJ4P82PQxlIaeWR3fmY/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Random.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Weave, no grid</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally tried putting it into a tile with other tangles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QoGTwfm-rqt3OcoV0uPzQ7IHP5Tx1vnyTSzKA8Q5C_EBrOm7OTnXWDUS9MIpfXz-S1io22qt4DSV0gepR0S1NZMDJYuysaSbmFIdflFFWTQ5JvWW9FihlPlLjZ8Gc14vIm0SWklRo_8/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Partial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QoGTwfm-rqt3OcoV0uPzQ7IHP5Tx1vnyTSzKA8Q5C_EBrOm7OTnXWDUS9MIpfXz-S1io22qt4DSV0gepR0S1NZMDJYuysaSbmFIdflFFWTQ5JvWW9FihlPlLjZ8Gc14vIm0SWklRo_8/s1600/Zen_20150314_Weave_Partial.jpg" height="320" width="298" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0X4830f5bE6q4FxB1XW2Ff37kWlzeGCqotYLGg-vJw6oveDp72P_8qy9J4Atyn5rtxxvujumbNSwnxgzi7UoEId53Rx_dS6NARnW060bg6-tlw0C6hfU9xS-UHyCK0Yd-KrMsbQqFQo/s1600/Zen_20150315_Weave+Partial%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0X4830f5bE6q4FxB1XW2Ff37kWlzeGCqotYLGg-vJw6oveDp72P_8qy9J4Atyn5rtxxvujumbNSwnxgzi7UoEId53Rx_dS6NARnW060bg6-tlw0C6hfU9xS-UHyCK0Yd-KrMsbQqFQo/s1600/Zen_20150315_Weave+Partial%5B2%5D.jpg" height="320" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Random Weave, Akoya</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0NmZ-5Z8FUR-CF-Sex7cH94d354sSLdxKGj0QcRTZSSELinGaUJmondLWQPTbZcfvYQK0GvbZ9O3EM11a-UKrT4CDWS0rRlna3AxiT3HjOk2eeCrB2uE0mDOL3Ytr7a0N-wC2yjEmYo/s1600/Zen_20150315_Weave-Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0NmZ-5Z8FUR-CF-Sex7cH94d354sSLdxKGj0QcRTZSSELinGaUJmondLWQPTbZcfvYQK0GvbZ9O3EM11a-UKrT4CDWS0rRlna3AxiT3HjOk2eeCrB2uE0mDOL3Ytr7a0N-wC2yjEmYo/s1600/Zen_20150315_Weave-Finished.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Random Weave, Akoya, Flux, Amaze, Arukas, Bunzo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There will be more practicing Weave, and more tangling in
general, once we reach the Island. Oh, and before we left, I ran by the Art
Center and put a couple of tangled vessels (vase and a coffee mug) on the
bisque shelf. I’m really anxious to see how they turn out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next post – Hilton Head<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kTt-KYkTuStBreM0n5LUv9c2h_Hc0XVjA2RXW-3ioVm_gF7hjrMi9ias_EJ0Jzoft1gqvXQ5xl-EC7RBUcfTSKlBzdm9SXO4T07tAcRmTwvQku2sCdN5-lh2_LBpECFX6vphNFE4Qy0/s1600/Zen_20150325_Palm-Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kTt-KYkTuStBreM0n5LUv9c2h_Hc0XVjA2RXW-3ioVm_gF7hjrMi9ias_EJ0Jzoft1gqvXQ5xl-EC7RBUcfTSKlBzdm9SXO4T07tAcRmTwvQku2sCdN5-lh2_LBpECFX6vphNFE4Qy0/s1600/Zen_20150325_Palm-Tree.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a></div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-23305861188087454392015-03-16T14:15:00.003-07:002015-03-16T14:15:47.488-07:00Changing my Life, One Tangle at a Time<div class="MsoNormal">
Did you ever feel like the Universe was trying to tell you
something? </div>
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I wrote in an <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7176350742448012982#editor/target=post;postID=7449456789430626697;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">earlier post</a> about using the Tangle-a-Day Calendar. Unfortunately, I
have been very spotty about that “-a-Day” part.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then late Thursday night I checked in on Facebook, and found
a link posted by my ceramics teacher. That link led me to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tioAEfWs3AY" target="_blank">Youtube video</a>, which led me to another video, then to
another, and…you know how Youtube is.</div>
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The final link was a <a href="https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/tedx-program" target="_blank">TEDx</a>
talk, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nclSb-MlAxo" target="_blank">How doing a Drawing a Day Changed my life</a>.” </div>
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Jeepers.</div>
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So I’m going to set my alarm for 1 hr earlier (I’m retired,
and old – I don’t usually set my alarm. Huge sacrifice for the sake of art) and
start doing a tangle a day. We’ll see if it changes my life.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKXQHWFThLOzpTgJI8PFv8uAxI9zUN3b6Tik_Ikm-1TD7QVgXxvAxDRs8DbuefFZRBYgazxGnnS9Sd8AQWUZBPhjXBhH3GeMWYqmCNYEG258lyyrJRMpf8c4Fq753vMQ4Zkl1RcZiMPI/s1600/TaD_Mar-13_Cubine-as-a-stri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKXQHWFThLOzpTgJI8PFv8uAxI9zUN3b6Tik_Ikm-1TD7QVgXxvAxDRs8DbuefFZRBYgazxGnnS9Sd8AQWUZBPhjXBhH3GeMWYqmCNYEG258lyyrJRMpf8c4Fq753vMQ4Zkl1RcZiMPI/s1600/TaD_Mar-13_Cubine-as-a-stri.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></div>
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By the way, I highly recommend you watch that original Youtube
video linked above, made by Ayume Horie (Hor’-ee-ay), a potter who does dry throwing and <span style="color: red;">Mishima</span>. Mishima is one of the techniques I am trying
to learn to combine my love of Zentangle with my recent obsession with pottery. </div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-58502940968592908082015-03-12T10:19:00.000-07:002015-03-12T10:21:40.930-07:00The Diva Challenge - Poke Root and Cubine Duotangle<div class="MsoNormal">
Challenges are just not my thing. Rules disturb my Zen –
assuming there is such a thing as a Zen that can be disturbed.</div>
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It’s like staring at that infamous sheet of white paper,
which the Zentangle™ process so cleverly circumvents by having one begin by
drawing four corner dots on the tile, then connecting them with an outline:</div>
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<i>Step 1 - pencil dots in corners</i></div>
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<i>Step 2. Pencil Outline (drawn darker than usual for visibility)</i></div>
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Voila! No more blank sheet.</div>
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But as soon as you tell me I <b>have</b> to do a tile with only one tangle (a “monotangle”) or that I <b>have</b> to use a blue pen, I am paralyzed
by indecision. I just can’t deal with constraints.</div>
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There are several Challenge sites on the Web. I follow some
of them, I look at the submissions, I admire them. I just don’t do them. The
exception to all this angst is a Facebook group called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/squareonepurelyzentangle/" target="_blank">SquareOne: Purely Zentangle</a>. You can pretty much share any tangle there that
conforms to the original Zentangle concept as described by founders Maria
Thomas and Rick Roberts. Once a week, the group focuses on a single tangle.
Note, I said “focuses on,” not “is challenged by.” The idea is to use that One
tangle as a jumping off point, a tangle to play with, a tangle to practice and
exercise your personal creativity on. Yes, a subtle difference, but for me, it
makes <u>all</u> the difference.</div>
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Here, for example, is Assunta, the One tangle from the week of Nov 22. Once I drew Assunta (in the middle), I could add anything that struck my fancy. And I did.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfmwFVp79UMFywFmg5tXJT_QIfMrhll42akt2NaAeI20dGzCFY3YVM7-q0_GZ7ZENse4LJIf-MJ1QYlhY1lV8T4qBNsG8N4Cu-hMXCbzcxHu39DsTTEz_p8C9NEgpia0QWE9l4fAc6Tc/s1600/Zen_20141122_Assunta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfmwFVp79UMFywFmg5tXJT_QIfMrhll42akt2NaAeI20dGzCFY3YVM7-q0_GZ7ZENse4LJIf-MJ1QYlhY1lV8T4qBNsG8N4Cu-hMXCbzcxHu39DsTTEz_p8C9NEgpia0QWE9l4fAc6Tc/s1600/Zen_20141122_Assunta.jpg" height="308" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Assunta, with Hurry, Bunzo, Printemps, and Bronx Cheer</i></div>
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In contrast, here is the one and only “challenge” that I have done to
date, from <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I am the diva</a> </span>where
we were tasked to only use two specific tangles: Poke Root and Cubine. It took several aborted efforts, but I finally came up with this one. Do you
see what I mean by constraints? I couldn’t help myself – I had to sneak in a little Poke Leaf over on the bottom left. So I have failed the Duotangle Challenge, although it’s a perfectly fine
tile, isn’t it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPr4ercshlmEsZH0jTFa0B4s3J5czCxPPJ81wdfGQTXm0q4y6dtYHAdtXbg9KhlOFPy51PArBPf9mKeWvDSFv_uFlBBf6BpYlg3sGexhSAV05btEIH8fUMWD16JynFNqkO1vwbew6Qis/s1600/TaD_Mar11_CubineandPokeRoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOPr4ercshlmEsZH0jTFa0B4s3J5czCxPPJ81wdfGQTXm0q4y6dtYHAdtXbg9KhlOFPy51PArBPf9mKeWvDSFv_uFlBBf6BpYlg3sGexhSAV05btEIH8fUMWD16JynFNqkO1vwbew6Qis/s1600/TaD_Mar11_CubineandPokeRoot.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></div>
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Challenges are just not my thing. </div>
Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176350742448012982.post-74494567894306266972015-03-07T13:38:00.001-08:002015-03-07T13:38:08.919-08:00Tangling the Calendar<div class="MsoNormal">
After taking Carmen’s class last Sunday, I decided I liked
the idea of doing daily Zentangles when I could. Carmen uses the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tangle-A-Day-Calendar-2015-Carole-Ohl/dp/1570740410" target="_blank">Tangle-a-Day calendar</a> from Carole Ohl. I had purchased one to use this year, but then
promptly forgot I had it. The beautiful finished calendars that Carmen showed me in class were inspiring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHqo3GbQiVMA_7mVwu-Q_R_BgFS2UDej2c_62vI_gSqlcdDhBM73F3naDVNP98_TuJ1hNIN6Nrlb4AuxUp2eH6rmGsKj9yWxLkUMHOTZEOA5t3mR7c0ZlWpq6ChE9wXawgSlVqC5zAwY/s1600/Tangle-Calender-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHqo3GbQiVMA_7mVwu-Q_R_BgFS2UDej2c_62vI_gSqlcdDhBM73F3naDVNP98_TuJ1hNIN6Nrlb4AuxUp2eH6rmGsKj9yWxLkUMHOTZEOA5t3mR7c0ZlWpq6ChE9wXawgSlVqC5zAwY/s1600/Tangle-Calender-2015.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are several ways to use the calendar. One thing the
author suggests is to draw a continuous string across the three days on a page,
then try and make the tangles flow from one day to another. I did that for
March 1 - 3.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvjT6dIKT4bpi6VUbmyMwSvoouhTSIoBHlhGmznV82TSE_BYO0md1HhAg9q37abfHFK3vnrgWGuDwqpzQFVWnpBq_eKpFufdumtBwkV1IBXoDCjijy4dL4U25nQk8wLoyRNQLwGYiDbM/s1600/TaD_Mar1-3_String.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvjT6dIKT4bpi6VUbmyMwSvoouhTSIoBHlhGmznV82TSE_BYO0md1HhAg9q37abfHFK3vnrgWGuDwqpzQFVWnpBq_eKpFufdumtBwkV1IBXoDCjijy4dL4U25nQk8wLoyRNQLwGYiDbM/s1600/TaD_Mar1-3_String.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">"String" drawn in pencil across the three dates.</span></i></td></tr>
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I also decided to start with a tangle or two that we worked
with in Sunday's class, so I chose Crescent Moon and Knight’s bridge, and added Sez and
Pearlz to them for the first date.</div>
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Here is March 1st. Not wild about the tangle called Strircles. If you are a 60+ woman, looking at the diagonal, bottom left to upper right, might make you uneasy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw3d5DcV-V1KG1HCR3Rcq9ElN_GZUb57Bb1_KCRGQHs_vYkEHe5mJ6S8AQOyXLrVWvXUvKhrAe-EIBULKWAmZvKSLPi8d_sy9MoTLtHYJSUzNfnX-RFQgav8l8fqtddVtt7XhTh51l1I/s1600/TaD_Mar-1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw3d5DcV-V1KG1HCR3Rcq9ElN_GZUb57Bb1_KCRGQHs_vYkEHe5mJ6S8AQOyXLrVWvXUvKhrAe-EIBULKWAmZvKSLPi8d_sy9MoTLtHYJSUzNfnX-RFQgav8l8fqtddVtt7XhTh51l1I/s1600/TaD_Mar-1a.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></div>
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<o:p><i>Crescent Moon, Strircles, Black Pearls, Knightbridge</i></o:p></div>
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I decided to continue with those two primary tangles for the
next two days, maybe trying a variation or two. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-AX0Uk1svssFxZZZbtr-Vezyx_aVlBh9LpMZFcKgHqJH3chqwMlMoDqb9Os9flegmfXVejJeAU4uarvu0uwJkzkmheFEfsYLUnaMWTYKfo9-hC_WWDMZPIQqyrbuiyFqbiiEQcRasE/s1600/TaD_Mar-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-AX0Uk1svssFxZZZbtr-Vezyx_aVlBh9LpMZFcKgHqJH3chqwMlMoDqb9Os9flegmfXVejJeAU4uarvu0uwJkzkmheFEfsYLUnaMWTYKfo9-hC_WWDMZPIQqyrbuiyFqbiiEQcRasE/s1600/TaD_Mar-2.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crescent Moon, Golven, Msst, Hollibaugh, Fescu, White Pearls, Mooka, Amaze</i></td></tr>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7Mp_3U12ulS465dmv3lBCVe8akBDuRudpm10tVCrGfXV-HC1DhAtFlgOdG9PQ5s-b9lM5UDS4EzbFd2B5QBASbp9KrK1AS5RxbOnysERqPyikCYpjca3sm8_-D75InGj4oOPJcqOMro/s1600/TaD_Mar-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7Mp_3U12ulS465dmv3lBCVe8akBDuRudpm10tVCrGfXV-HC1DhAtFlgOdG9PQ5s-b9lM5UDS4EzbFd2B5QBASbp9KrK1AS5RxbOnysERqPyikCYpjca3sm8_-D75InGj4oOPJcqOMro/s1600/TaD_Mar-3.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Crescent Moon variation, Mooka, Aquafleur, Huggins, Tipple, and Knightsbridge</i><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
And here are the three tangles together:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtY_Qca9P16ttRwZLHbmJNXal3atxRQJ_nJhqUMQkL98a1pTNJnnPwohdqUUwRvL_p5bIfIS7YbKR4WNEQEvPbq0xGNQQHMiGxQwqQexIqwl3ZCSWauk8dqMnZeCo3MpO1Mtvne-HJoY/s1600/TaD_Mar1-3_Tangles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtY_Qca9P16ttRwZLHbmJNXal3atxRQJ_nJhqUMQkL98a1pTNJnnPwohdqUUwRvL_p5bIfIS7YbKR4WNEQEvPbq0xGNQQHMiGxQwqQexIqwl3ZCSWauk8dqMnZeCo3MpO1Mtvne-HJoY/s1600/TaD_Mar1-3_Tangles.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To be honest, I'm not feeling terribly creative doing these daily Tangles. It may take a while before I'm comfortable enough with the concept and with the format. Right now, the artistic challenge is to learn how to connect the three squares on a page. I realize that's not a requirement, but I like the idea. Anywhere the string crosses from one square to the next is a potential location for a connecting tangle. You can see the connection between March 1 and March 2 - the tangle Golven crosses the dividing line between the two days. That required a little advance planning. What I did was leave the small area right above Knightsbridge (the "checkerboard" at the lower right in the March 1 square) empty, filling it in when I did March 2.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Making the squares relate to each other is one of two challenges here, the second being finding the time to do the tangle of the day in addition to the "regular" tangling I like to do. So don't be surprised if there are gaps here and there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> As usual, most, if not all of the Tangles used here can be found at <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/">Tanglepatterns.com</a></span></div>
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Gerry O'Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11099061082292244931noreply@blogger.com0